Page 118 of The Gods Veiling
Not at her, but at this taurnshit.
“When everyone from one side is either knocked out or has surrendered, that's when the test will end.”
Fuckingruthless god.
I nod to Leah, then take a spot between her and Jay. “If for some reason our circle breaks, get closer, fill in the gap. Don’t charge them. Make them come to us. You all realize the unfairness of this situation, but that doesn’t mean you give up immediately. Work together, not individually.”
I take a moment to try to empty my mind and get a feel for my sword. My teeth grind together painfully as I run my finger down the hilt. The day off yesterday from training made me realize how much I truly fucking hate this.
Despite minutes ago offering to train Yemi, I really loathe this. I’d be willing to do it for her so she can protect herself. I don’t want to actually cause anyone harm.
I hate fighting with no purpose.
I hate that I know how to get a group of untrained women in a position to fight highly trained ones. And for what?
What’s the reason for this? You can’t get an accurate measure from pitting two completely different skill sets against one another.
It makes me even madder that a tinge of appreciation filters through me that I do know what to do in this situation.
That momentary feeling is washed away when my chest pulls excruciatingly tight. My head whips up and I lock eyes with Creed.
“Get ready,” he mouths.
Gods, did he know how to get my attention?
A second of silence passes before a war cry rings out and feet pound against the ground. I rapidly take in our surroundings as my heart crawls up my throat. All twelve of them are coming in a circle formation as well. They’re spread out across multiple angles in the Court.
An absolutely stunning girl runs straight in our direction with her glare set on Jay. Her long black ponytail swishes behind her as her toned legs eat up the space between us.
With only a few feet left separating us, she raises her sword and Jay’s wavers as she completely freezes in her spot.
Fuck.
The sound of wood colliding with wood echoes behind me just as I jump in front of her. Without hesitation, I lift my leg and kick the girl in the stomach. The moment she bends over and her breath whooshes out of her, I bring the hilt of my sword down on her face.
She crumbles and I whip around. “Snap the fuck out of it right now.”
“Right…right. Sorry.”
“Behind you!”
I raise my sword and spin on my heels. One of my knees hits the dirt with the force of the sword coming down on mine. As the girl raises it to strike me again, I push myself up and wrap my arms around her waist.
The two of us go rolling as we battle to be on top. The rapid succession of her fist bashing into my ribs knocks the wind out of me and she quickly takes the opportunity to flip us.
I bring my arm up to shield my face as her sword comes down. The impact causes vibrations to travel through me, but the forearm shields Creed strapped to me take the worst of the hit.
Before she can do it again, a foot collides with the back of her head and I shove her sideways before she can collapse on top of me.
I clamber to my feet and give a trembling Jay a devious smile as I grab her and drag her back to our dwindling circle. She doesn’t reciprocate it as she keeps glancing at the girl on the ground.
“I…I probably gave her a concussion.”
“Probably, but you saved me a broken nose, so it evens out.”
“That’s not how that works.”
“It does today, so good job. Now pay attention.”
