Bertruda’s blow nded o side of Janine’s axe, sending the warlord bad drawing lines in the grou by the bck-furred legs. The woman was strong. Janine ignored an urge to bme her weakness on the bleeding wounds and embraced reality as the sword saint’s muscles bulged, nearly tearing through the tight fabric.

  Bertruda advanced, nimble as a dahe flurry of her stabs forced Jao wield the Taleteller like a shield. With a smug grin of superiority on her lips, the Sword Saint flitted around the warlord, her footwork effortlessly carrying her as she searched for a brea the warlord’s defenses.

  Janine beamed, letting go of the worry about her son, the weight of deaths, the ck of supplies, and the wounds she’d sustained. Bertruda had a nasty temper, but by the Spirits, she had such worthy skills to back it up! Uhe soulless mae or the helpless guards she had fought earlier, here was the oppo who could bring her down, and this made her blood boil iement, driving her into a pure dition.

  Fight. It wasn’t feasible to stay on the defensive, bleeding like a cusad exhausted like a male after his first bat operation. Janine brought the battle to the sword saint, defleg a stab and closing the distanough to make a ssh. Bertruda saved herself by taking the blow to her spear’s shaft. Her feet pressed into the rocky ground, her paws trembling and bleeding from the impact.

  Janine unleashed a roar of pure fury that crashed into her oppo’s face, her lungs pumping air fast enough to mimic the wolf hag’s punch. Bertruda narrowed her eyes, and Janine kicked, aiming to disembowel the sword saint’s using the cws of her leg.

  Bertruda’s lips folded into an “O,” and spittle flying at the speed of a bullet hit Janine in the left eye, making her blink. Like a piece of cloth, the sword saint weaved aside from the kick, and the fabric of her armhtly touched Janine’s skin. Janine was too te to deflect the blow of the lower end of the spear against her leg, and reverberating pain and shivering spilled over the entire limb. She spun around, striking instinctively and leaving one shallow cut under Bertruda’s breasts.

  “No longer scarless, cheating upstart…” Janine said, trying to buy time for her leg to calm down.

  Bertruda twirled her spear, shielding herself as she danced away to a safe distance. She touched the cut and licked the wet fingers, keeping her crimson eyes on Janine. A storm was brewing in her eyes, giving the warlreat pleasure.

  A hurrie of stabs and thrusts rained down on her, driving Janine bad f her to use the axe as a shield once more. She could hardly see every ining attack, but years of brutal bat and the almost palpable bloodlust of her oppo helped her. Up to a point. Jaimed her advah a stab blocked by the Taleteller’s head, seeking to shorten the distance as before. The spear’s tip flew over Janine’s shoulder, aruda tightened her grip on the on, not letting it bounce off. She dragged the spear back, and with a reverse thrust, she wounded Janine’s shoulder as the end of her bde sank into flesh. Not tent with a simple prick, Bertruda drove the spear aside, leaving a ceration above Janine’s shoulder bde.

  “Even,” Bertruda hissed, panting heavily. She leaned over, dodging Janine’s axe, and rolled to the side, regaining distance. “But not for long, dust dweller. Too slow, too predictable, too i.”

  “Don’t rate yourself so low,” Janine chuckled.

  “Such arrogance!” Bertruda’s eyes fshed. It wasn’t a metaphorical phrase; the sword saint’s eyes glittered brightly as her progenitift activated, further slowing her perception of time. “’t you see the situation? Learn your pd bow to your betters!”

  The first strike nearly ruptured Janine’s nostril, and the sed and third followed faster than she could blink. Sharp bites fell oaleteller, trying to slip past the iructible metal and taste her flesh. Bertruda’s focus and speed turned her spear into a blurry dome that shaved Janine’s defeher than toug it. As the attatensified, the warlord lost t of the sword saint’s strokes. The st thing she knew was that her oppo had exceeded thirty-abs per sed. Hunters, foot soldiers, and initiates cheered their leader, but soon those sounds died down.

  Only the dome in front of Bertruda remained; Janine’s entire existence was trated on it. She refused to be fooled by the afterimages or feints, blog the real strikes. Sparks flew in the air as the fighters pushed themselves to their very limits.

  Janine persevered, relying on her instincts and studying her oppo’s movements with each blocked blow. Janine was he fastest, and the defeats she had suffered at Marty’s paws had taught her that her physical endurand strength could only take her so far. She honed her bat style to prioritize defense, enjoying the battle, managing her anger, and perfeg the skill of avoiding mortal wounds. In many battles, when the warlord could not overe her foe, she would stall, prolonging the fight until her pack or named sisters could assist her.

  Or until the oppo slipped.

  Their stalemate tinued for ten minutes, each refusing to cede even a timeter of ground to the oppo, and both too stubborn to break the fight and catch their breath. Sweat-soaked fur g to their bodies; more and more red spots appeared betweeruda’s paws as she tried to push harder, and Janine’s view narrowed to the short corridor ahead of her.

  It couldn’t st. Ravager had left a wound too deep, a ued, it spread fever through Janine’s quivering body. First shouted something, probably enciruda; the Ice Fangs were in on it, Janine was sure of it. The crash of steel against steel drowned out his words, but Bertruda capitalized on Janine’s gasping and struck, cleaving through the coat’s side and exposing the warlord’s ribs.

  Superb bat sense! Janine smiled, blood bubbling on her lips. I’d be hoo see you joiribe, Fme Girl! But I too have a duty to win.

  Dominate. Alone. No pack to aid. Impossible to outst the enemy. Outsmarted. Outmaneuvered. Tired. Janine abahe defense, inhaling the air and suppnting the lost strength with a surge of frustration and fear. What if something happens to Ignacy? What if someone hurt Marco while she was away? What if she loses the title, bringing shame to the pack that had helped her for so long?

  She had treated Bertruda as a challenger, someone whose life o be preserved for the sake of the future. No longer. She’ll take on the sword saint like a fellow sister.

  A lunge ihe dome resulted in an ear split as Jawisted her neck, dodging a stab that would have left her with a hole between her eyes. She fended off the returning spear and reached for Bertruda. The cws of her left paw closed oruda’s shoulder, and Janine smmed her ko the sor plexus of the sword saint, nding her axe against the spear’s shaft.

  Bertruda groaned in pain, uo free herself from the hooked cws digging into her bones and nailing the sword saint in pce. She blinked as she saw the jaws ing at her crimson eyes…

  “Restraint… Sister…” gurgled a voice.

  The ghost returerrific. The ruined and dead warlord skulked outside the warriors’ circle, hunched low. Through a slit in the sages’ armor, a dim amber eye stared at Jahere was no life in this eye, and necrosis around the eye socket threateo let the orb fall out. And still, this was her. Dead a existing.

  Janine’s worst crime against the tribe. She had stolen such a valuable person who could have saved hundreds of lives, simply because she had let rage overwhelm her. Was she going to do it again? Was she really willing to bliruda, the female whose troops had rushed to save her boy and whose medics had treated her soldiers? And because of what? For fear of losing?

  Never again. Janine ched her jaws together and head-butted Bertruda, smashing her ill pushing the spearhead away with the Taleteller, Ja go of the wounded shoulder and ed her arm around the sword saint, lifting the woman into the air and holdiightly against her chest to preveruda from using the on at such cle.

  Without the slightest hint of mercy, Janine cast Bertruda to the ground, colpsing like a et and breaking the grouh them with the sword saint’s back. She increased the pressure even further by smming her body on top of the sword saint. The bloowerful enough to knock the air out of Bertruda’s lungs and drive the shaft of her spear into her body, leaving a lo in her underarmor.

  Janine prepared to repeat the sm. Even exhausted, she had an upper paw over her oppo. Bertruda was overfident; she had fotten the desperation and spite that Wolfkins were known for. Never give up. If yoing to lose, make your oppo sweat hard to get that victory, and try to take him with you. The crimson eyes of the Ice Fangs were amazing, but the universe had bahem out, leaving the ice boys with less stamina and physical strength. Now that the sword saint had exhausted all her reserves, Janine wasn’t about to let her take a breather.

  A groan escaped Janine’s lips. Bertruda reached for the spearhead, and it came off, still ected to the shaft by a . Bertruda pluhe dagger into Janine’s biceps and kicked, pushing off the rge body and leaping into the air. A stroke of bad luded the kick right on the wou by the Blessed Mother, and the world turned red. Ja go of the axe and grabbed Bertruda’s aearing flesh and scratg bones.

  She used Bertruda like a whip, stopping the downward arc at the st moment. The creaking sound of the living whip stuhe initiates. The sages had to physically restrain the Mountaintop knights from rushing to stop the brutal battle. Bertruda screamed in genuine pain, bleeding from her mouth. The shock sted only a split sed, and she curled into a ball, striking Janin’s arm with her improvised dagger and f the warlord to let her go.

  “Un…” Bertruda slipped on her wounded foot and vomited. She limped away, reassembling her spear. “Unfivable. T me to this level, to reduce a noble duel to a graceless brawl…”

  “Enjoying it?” Janine picked up the axe and dropped to one knee. Everything ached. Bertruda’s blow t had made the limb weak; the dagger had severed her arteries, but the blood clotting process was already well underway, sealing them up. The damaged muscles were worse, and a pulsing napalm fire burned where Ravager had pierced her.

  Bertruda growled, surprising Jah such brutal behavior.

  The girl has lost it. Age and immaturity had pyed a cruel tri her mind, fooling her into believing she was invincible. Janine was not kind; she had done enough damage to the Sword Saint’s ans that further attacks risked permaly crippling her. Bertruda won’t hold back; she had already tried to kill Janine on their bat. As the elder of the two, Janine had to finish the fight in a way that would save both lives for the state.

  So, what I work with? Bertruda’s broken nose disturbed her breathing. This would ehat the sword saint wouldn’t endure a prolonged fight. Further, her ankle is already swollen and undoubtedly spraihis should stop her annoying, graceful fluttering. , the damage from the blow and the wound on her shoulder.... Not enough. Insuffit for a definite victory.

  Should I… give up? Just thinking about it caused Janine genuine anguish. She could win; she k In battle, nothing is definitive, yet she possessed suffit uanding of Bertruda’s tactics to grind her dowiculously preparing her for the ultimate strike of her bde. And who would be from this? Who, other than the enemies of the state, would be from me sughtering another champion? Hoeople would be alive today if I’d just held bad kept Terrific alive?

  “Hey,” Janine began. “White-furred. Still awake?” The growling again. She knew how to stop it. Jaarted to expose her neck.

  A smack to her muzzle threw her into the air, heating the right side of her snout so much that it felt like it would fall off. She rolled across the stony ground, still holding the axe, and stopped at First’s feet, coughing and wheezing for every breath.

  Ravager. The Blessed Mother drew herself to full height, and her long shadow covered Janine. In unison, the ranks of the Ice Fangs k, and the sages bowed the initiates’ heads in submission. Even First offered his o the Blessed Mother.

  Janine uood the reason for their nervousness. Ravager had been an absent mother to the Ice Fangs, visiting them mostly to fight with the Twins. After their deaths, she had only visited her ice children once, so that First could finish the picture of the Blessed Mother and the Twins standing side by side. They feared the ander might bite the precious cubs.

  “Stand up, all. I warned you.” Ravager baded Janine, knog her to the ground. Janine heard a crag sound and realized, in shock, that it wasn’t a rock. The Blessed Mother’s sp made her bones rattle. “I ordered you not to act like a warlord.” Another sp forced Jao gasp as her ribs cracked. “You dare disobey me?” On more. “Why ’t you behave?” Janine’s body sank into the ground from a stomp. “Why ’t you be normal, like the Ice Fangs? Noble, kind, respectful! Why do you alrovoke violence, you worthless, aggressive monsters? You needed aitle, didn’t you?” Ravager asked calmly. “I’m taking all titles away from you, miserable warlord. Mockery of the tribe.” She spat on the prostrate Wolfkin. “You lost this duel, bringing shame to the pack.”

  “Blessed Mother!” The amber suns forced Bertruda to stand upright. “Your intervention was not necessary. Warlord Janine did not dishonor anyone. I initiated this duel and had the situation under trol. Moreover, I was about to win…”

  “How oblivious a person be? Are you blind, Bertruda, or is this the result of a cussion?” Camellia snarled, dropping her icy facade. First pced a paw on her shoulder, calming the fellow sword saint.

  “Silence. Silence. Silence!” Ravager bellowed the third word, and the noises in the camp died down. The white-furred wolfkins turill, breathing slowly so as not to incur the wrath of nature. Ravager grabbed Janine by the scruff of her ned lifted her up, lightly smag her head on her forehead. “Do you think me mad?”

  “No,” Janine responded immediately, grimag uhe pressure threatening to pop her head. “You have reason to punish me, though I do not know what wrong I have done, Blessed Mother. Warlords face each other all the time.”

  “You… you speak true…” Ravager chuckled, loosening his grip. “But you are half-wrong. I am mad. Unstable. And I do have a reason. If a sword saint swore an oath and didn’t keep it, she’s no longer a sword saint. Tell me, what did Bertruda tell you before or during the scramble?”

  “She cimed to see me on the ground and hear my bones snapping.” Ja her lip, feeling Ravager’s finger run over her head, cheg for cracks.

  “Done. Anything else?” Ravager’s words demanded an answer, almost suffog Janine’s will.

  She wao lie. The Blessed Mother hated submissions from warlords. Often, she and Alpha s the others, provoking the sisters to stand up for themselves and trust their decisions rather than blind faith in the Blessed Mother. Dragena summohe newly promoted sisters regurly, patiently expining to them how to use tactid restrain their fervor when challenging a rival pack to a war game. Janine never had to suffer a defeat from either Alpha ena, but Martyshkina’s iongue had led her to utter humiliation in Dragena’s paws. Although this did little to hold the idiot down.

  But at the same time, Janine refused to accept pity from anyone. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, she had wronged and deserved punishment. Grow through hardship; such was the way of the Wolf Tribe. Where others broke down, they rose from the ashes of defeat and marched forward. Lost honor is just honor waiting to be recimed, just like the nd.

  “To bow to my betters.” Janine’s smile mirrored Ravager’s, who let her go. ‘Betters’ was the keyword. She bowed to the Blessed Mother, whose trembling paw patted her. She theended her bow to Camelia and First, who graciously returned her bow. And, after hesitation, to Tancred, who gave the lowest bow iurn. “You won. I am Bull-Syer no more,” Jaossed to Bertruda, limping past her.

  She ighe sages’ offer to treat her wounds, as well as the sudden ge in her oppo’s snout when Tancred said something in the sword saint’s ear. But she accepted the heavy cloak to cover her nakedness. Shame and hatred stirred in her soul. And it wasn’t Ravager’s words or the defeat she had suffered. Even the loss of the honorable name she had earned for so long didn’t bother her. Ravager was right: Fame es and goes.

  Jaed herself. A warlord has responsibilities. One of them is to mediate flicts between packs, thus preventing the loss of life. A warlord is expected to avoid falling into obvious traps. The Ice Fangs used her to humiliate the tribe. Her as distracted even the Blessed Mother from her duties. Worthless, miserable warlord indeed. Never again. Janine vowed to herself, deg to be better.