carried across 44

 

44 Fighting Spirit 

Sera 

“What just happened?” 

“Forced healing takes fuel,” Yvara explained. She paced in front of me. “It pulls energy directly from your reserves. It burns calories at a massive rate. In a battle of attrition, this will keep you alive, but it will also kill you if you aren’t careful. You just got the hang of the technique. If you use it too much tomorrow, you will exhaust yourself. You will pass out, and Taya will cave your face in while you sleep.” 

I looked at the pink line on my arm. The stinging was gone, replaced by a deep ache in my muscles. 

“Again,” Yvara said. 

She stepped forward, drawing the knife again. 

“Wait,” I said, putting my hands up. 

She didn’t wait. She grabbed my shoulder, spun me slightly, and sliced a shallow cut across my bicep. I cursed loudly, grabbing the new wound. 

“Heal it,” Yvara ordered. 

I closed my eyes. I did the breathing. I found the heat. I pushed it to my bicep. It was harder this time. The heat felt sluggish, resisting the pull. I forced it, clenching my jaw until my teeth squeaked. The itch returned. The skin knitted together. 

When I opened my eyes, the world tilted. I dropped to one knee. The exhaustion was absolute. It felt like I hadn’t eaten in a week. I was panting, cold sweat breaking out across my forehead. 

“Stand up,” Yvara demanded. 

I pushed myself up. My legs were vibrating. 

2 

Yvara stepped in close. She didn’t use the knife this time. She threw a short, hard punch directly into my 

stomach. 

I doubled over, gagging. I hit the dirt, coughing violently. The pain radiated outward from my center, a deep, crippling ache. 

“Heal the bruise,” Yvara said, standing over me. “Internal bleeding kills just as fast as a cut. Heal it.” 

I was on my side in the dirt. I couldn’t focus. Everything hurt. 

“Heal it, Sera,” Yvara barked “Or we stay out here all night” 

I closed my eyes I dragged the air in. My lungs resisted. The heat in my center was barely a spark now. I grabbed it, focusing all my remaining willpower on the bruising tissue in my stomach. I pushed. 

The itch started deep inside my gut. The sharp pain slowly dulled into a distant throb. 

1/3 

+25 Bonus 

I finished the heal, and the remaining strength left my body completely. I went flat on the ground, my cheek pressing into the cold earth. I couldn’t lift my arms. I couldn’t bend my knees. I had nothing left. 

Yvara stood over me. She looked down, her face impassive. 

“Three,” she said. 

I didn’t answer. I just breathed the dirt. 1 

“Three is your limit,” Yvara told me. “You forced the heal three times, and now you cannot stand. Tomorrow, you must protect yourself. You cannot afford to take unnecessary hits. Make every damn hit count. If you use this technique four times, you will lose the fight because your body will shut down.” 

I blinked slowly, looking at her boots. 

Yvara crouched down. She brought her face closer to mine. “Listen to me. Taya is skilled. She is aggressive. Treat her as a professional. But you need to tune your mind right now. Taya isn’t a god. She isn’t a monster. She is mortal. She bleeds the exact same way you just bled. She tires out. She can be 

defeated.” 

I swallowed dryly. “She’s bigger than me.” 

“Size only matters if you stand still and let her use it,” Yvara said. “You know how to block. You know how 

to heal. Use your head. Let her get angry. Angry fighters make mistakes. But you must remain calm. That would be your greatest advantage over her when that time comes.” 

I closed my eyes. The exhaustion was pulling me down into a dark, heavy sleep. I just wanted to lie here. 

I didn’t want to move ever again. 

“Sera!” 

The scream pierced the quiet yard. It was high-pitched, frantic, and completely out of place in Ironmaw. 

I recognized the voice instantly. 

Footsteps pounded across the dirt. I kept my eyes closed. I didn’t have the energy to deal with this right 

now. 

My mother dropped to her knees beside me. Her heavy velvet skirts pooled in the dirt. She smelled like panic and vanilla. 

“Get away from her!” my mother shrieked. 

I opened my eyes just in time to see my mother shove Yvara. She actually put her hands on the Alpha’s second and pushed. Yvara didn’t even stumble. The scarred warrior just looked down at my mother like she was a particularly loud insect. 

My mother turned her attention to me. Her hands fluttered over my face, my shoulders, my hair. “Sera! Oh my gods, Sera. Look at you. You are covered in blood. You are covered in dirt. Can you hear me?” 

She tried to grab my face. 

2/3 

+25 Bonus 

I slapped her hands away. The movement was weak, but it was sharp enough to make her stop. 

“Don’t touch me,” I croaked. My throat was dry. 

“Sera, I am your mother,” she cried, tears instantly spilling over her cheeks. “I am trying to help you. We need to get a healer. We need to get you to a bed.” 

“I said I am okay,” I told her. I forced my elbows under me. I gritted my teeth, ignoring the absolute lack of energy in my muscles, and pushed myself up. I got to my knees. I refused to lie in the dirt while she wept 

over me. 

My mother hovered her hands around me, treating me like I was made of spun glass. “Please, just lie down. You look terrible.” 

I finally managed to stand. I swayed, my vision dipping for a second, but I locked my knees. I looked down at her still kneeling in the dirt. 

“I’m fine,” I said flatly. 

Yvara watched the whole exchange from a few feet away. She looked from my weeping mother in her expensive Southern clothes to me, standing bruised and coated in mud. 

Yvara let out a low snicker. She crossed her arms, a sly, mocking smile touching her lips. 

“Well,” Yvara said, her voice dripping with dry amusement. “I can certainly see where you get your fighting spirit.” 

BIG SALE: 3500 bonus free fou you 

P 

Comments 

Support 

Share 

get it 

+25 Bonus