Chapter 23

• The battle was over.
• Or at least, that was what I told myself as I stepped through the blood-soaked earth, my legs heavy with exhaustion. The night was eerily quiet now, save for the occasional groan of the wounded and the distant crackle of fires still smoldering in the remnants of the festival. The air smelled of iron and smoke, and my body ached in places I hadn’t even realized had been struck.
• But I was still standing.