Chapter 26 Non #3
Thankfully, my cousin had enough sense to call for High Healer Sioned. I overheard her say something about a cracked sternum as well as a fractured skull to Seren, who just shrugged and snapped that the healers needed to get her out of the ring as quickly as possible so training could resume.
Eventually, every Wielder in the group had gone head-to-head with one another.
Some had been beaten black and blue, but none so badly that the healers needed to be called again.
Seren gave each of the winners a chance to fight for a second time against me.
When nobody came forward, Seren sauntered into the middle of the training ring with her Arf in hand.
She shucked off her habit, seemingly immune to the frigid weather, leaving her in a form-fitting cropped top.
Although she was thin, the toned muscles on her arms and stomach told me all I needed to know.
I was absolutely fucked.
As I took a deep breath before stepping into the ring, movement on the opposite side of the crowd drew my attention.
A group of people who all seemed to be out for a run together joined the crowd standing towards the back.
It was only when two of the runners pushed their way to the front that I realised who they were.
The Western Coven.
My heart did a small skip of joy when neither of the two stood at the front was Dylan. It did a second skip when none of the others towards the back of the group were tall enough to be him either.
The shorter of the two had pushed their way to the front was unmistakably Lleucu, one of my opponents in the Anoethau. I recognised the other as the man who had been fighting Dylan with the stiletto knives.
Seren's piercing voice snapped my attention back to the ring. Her Arf, which was a staff that had a long piece of twisted leather that hung off the end, was raised above her head, ready to strike. As she cracked the leather through the air, I realised it wasn't just for decoration.
It was a fucking whip.
“Ready for round two, cousin?”
She began circling me just like she had that day outside Granny's study. I kept my eyes fixed on her hands in case she decided to throw one of her charming balls of wind and knock me on my arse again.
“Not really, but I'm guessing that isn't going to make you go easy on me?”
Seren sneered, but the dark-skinned Western Witch who stood at the front of the crowd let out a bark of a laugh.
I only looked at him for a second, but it was enough of a distraction that Seren found an opening. Before I knew it, she was rushing at me.
Her whip cracked through the space between us, and I threw my weight backwards, hoping I could avoid the clawed tip.
It didn't strike me as expected; instead, it wrapped around my neck a few times. She pulled the other end with a grunt, and my skull connected with hers, making a sickening noise.
Pain exploded through my sinuses.
As I fell to my knees in the sand, the whip around my neck tightened. Splotches of every colour filled my vision as I rolled onto my side in agony. The dark outline of Seren's figure stood over me, and she pressed her boot to my already constricted neck.
She leaned down, presumably so the rest of the crowd couldn't hear what she was going to say next.
“This is just a taste of what you can expect in the Anoethau, cousin.” She spat the final word with hatred.
“Can't wait,” was all I managed to croak before she removed her boot from my neck, then slammed it into my ribs for good luck.
It was so kind of her to remove the whip from around my neck.
The crunch of Seren's footsteps against the sand told me she'd had enough, and was likely sauntering off to gloat to the uggo twins.
I planted a hand on the floor to try and get up, but the pain was blinding.
I had for sure cracked a rib, maybe multiple.
The white chalk line under my hand meant that I'd landed right at the edge of the ring.
A figure standing in the crowd crouched down in front of me.
“Bet you're feeling like death warmed up right now?”
All I could manage was a whimper of agreement before spitting out a mouthful of blood and maybe a tooth onto the floor.
“Leave her to it, Zenn. This is nothing compared to the Anoethau. If she can't handle a little sparring, then she'll be a substantial snack for the Afanc next week.”
The bitch, who I guessed was Lleucu, put emphasis on substantial.
“We can't just leave her here like this, Lleucs.”
Lleucu scoffed. The sound of boots scraping against the sand meant she wasn't going to help this substantial mess up.
My eyes shuddered closed as a wave of pain crashed over me. I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness from the blows Seren had delivered. But a hand shook my shoulder, waking me up.
Zenn's already serious face seemed even graver when I looked up at him.
“He told me, you know, about his offer to train you.”
I spat another mouthful of blood on the floor, all over Zenn's boots.
But, to the Witch’s credit, he didn't complain.
Instead, he rubbed at the stubble on his jaw.
“Lleucu was right; what Seren just did was nothing compared to the Anoethau.
They change the trials every year, but usually, someone who assists with the planning lets something slip.
I've heard murmurings of what you'll face in the first one, and frankly, it's terrifying.
I don't like the idea of you meddling with the Western Coven any more than the next Witch, but I also don't want to see you dead. Take him up on his offer and give yourself a fighting chance.”
With those parting words, Zenn stood and followed his Coven.
At some point, High Healer Sioned was at my side, asking more questions than I could answer with a broken rib.
She shoved a few fragrant herbs under my nose that barely took the edge off the pain.
As I was stretchered out of the training ring by two Northern Wielders, my cousin laughed with satisfaction.