Then, slowly, Amara used the broken staff to push herself up.
She was trembling. She was bleeding from her nose. But she was standing.
She looked at Nathan, her eyes entirely human again. She raised her free hand. A single, compressed bullet of wind shot across the arena.
Nathan couldn't move. He didn't have the mana to dodge. The wind struck him in the chest, carrying the force of a sledgehammer. The world tilted, the stadium lights spinning wildly, and then everything went black.
"Central Federation is unable to continue! The Free Territories take the finals!"
The words filtered through the ringing in Nathan's ears. He groaned, feeling the cold stone against his cheek.
"Master! Master, hey, look at me." Mirko's panicked voice cut through the noise. Her hands, usually so heavy, were surprisingly gentle as she rolled him onto his back.
