She loomed above me.
“You’re good at getting back up,” she said. “But it’s not enough. You’re always going to be knocked right back down.”
This time, as I surged to my feet, she darted forward like a striking serpent. Her foot hit my shin, the sharp pain forcing me to stumble back. And then, without hesitation, she launched a roundhouse kick straight to my chest. The force knocked me off my feet and into the dirt again. I felt the air leave my lungs, and for a brief moment, I stayed there, flat on my back, staring up at the sky above the arena.
I pushed myself to my elbows, my limbs shaking with exhaustion, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. Fallon’s smirk was the last thing I saw before I crawled forward, ignoring every part of me that begged for rest.
She grabbed a fistful of my hair, ripping it from my scalp. The pain shot through me like wildfire, and I cried out in surprise. Fallon yanked my head back, holding me in that position as if savoring every moment, her face hovering inches above mine.
“I should’ve left you to rot in those iron shackles,” she sneered before she rammed her knee into my temple.
Then, everything went black.
Chapter 9
“Where in the elements are you going?” Doryan demanded, running to catch up with me.
“Mind your own,” I snapped, keeping my gaze fixed straight ahead.
Rhodes had just picked Scarlet off the ground and was carrying her away—after tossing a handful of curses my way, of course. I rubbed my temple, already regretting just how powerful that kick to her head had been. Themarekemwas both a blessing and a curse, it seemed. How was I supposed to beat my sister’s ass if the pain I caused bounced right back at me?
People who pretended to be my “friends” tried to stop me for a chat after I’d knocked Scarlet out, but I shoved them aside. The first person on my shit list had been dealt with. Now, onto the second.
Today was turning out to be an incredibly productive day, if I didsay so myself.
Doryan matched my pace and said calmly, “What was that, Fallon? You know she was defenseless in the ring. Did you really have to push her that hard?”
I whipped my head toward him, channeling earth and rolling a stone large enough to stop him—or trip him—in his path. “Whose side are you on, D?”
He gave me a knowing glance before stepping over the stone. “You know Balveer and I will always be in your corner. But as your best friends, it’s our job to keep you from…” He sighed exasperatedly. “Fucking shit up unnecessarily.”
A few years ago, Balveer was initiated into Hollow Summit’s community alongside a handful of other mundanes. Every couple of years, our humane relations team travels across Kalymdor to find mundanes who want to join a community where they’re not treated like lowlife peasants. It’s one of the few initiatives of my father’s that I’m actually proud of.
The rest of the world divides people into two categories: elemental and useful, or mundane and useless. The elites at the top of the food chain conveniently ignore the fact that it’s the higher mundanes who keep their daily essentials—like running water—functioning. But Hollow Summit is different. We see people for who they are, treating everyone equally, whether they channel an element or not.
Channeling an element wasn’t a privilege—it’s a gift. And it doesn’t make you better than anyone else.
When Balveer arrived, it was love at first sight for my best friend. Doryan—an absolute golden retriever in human form—fell hard, and Balveer, who’s headstrong and standoffish like me, took his time warming up. That similarity made Balveer and me click easily. We both teased Doryan relentlessly, bonding over ourshared knack for pushing his buttons. It was best-friend-love at first laugh.
I scoffed and kept walking. “Is that the best comeback you’ve got?”
He matched my pace. “Well, you have me fucking flustered, Fallon!”
I burst through the dungeon doors. The force rattled the rusty hinges. This time, I was pretty sure they’d finally given out. Not sure how they’d lasted all those years, considering the number of tantrums I’d taken out on them when I had someone new to take my frustrations out on in there.
Storming down the dim hallway, I heard Doryan’s hurried footsteps trailing behind me. Shayde was already standing, craning his neck as far as the bars allowed to get a look at the commotion.
It’s me. I’m the commotion.
When Shayde saw me, he sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes like he had better things to do than sit in his cell all day. He turned to lower himself back to the floor, resuming his usual slouch against the wall. But he stopped mid-movement, standing straight again when Doryan and I got close enough for him to notice the dirt, blood, and sweat streaked across me.
I grinned wide, the blood from my busted lip—courtesy of Rhodes—still painting my teeth. “Hi.”
Shayde narrowed his eyes but didn’t move.
“I’m okay, thanks for asking. Scarlet, though…” I let the words hang in the air.
Shayde lunged at the bars, his teeth bared in a snarl. “What did you do to her?”
