'He has not won. He's not going to win. I won't surrender to him so easily.'
The words echoed in my head multiple times as I swung the staff in a fierce horizontal arc.
Julio brought his training broadsword up just in time, the dull edge blocking my blow with a vibration that sent a shockwave straight up my wrists. I didn't care about the sting. I drove forward, pivoting on my heel to bring the opposite end of the staff around toward his ribs.
"Ophelia, yield!" Julio grunted, backing up a step, his eyes narrowing in genuine concern. "You need to stop, right now. You're flying blind and your form is falling apart."
"I don't freaking care," I hissed. My chest heaved and sweat streamed down my temples and blinding my left eye. "Again!"
I ignored the warning signs my body was desperately
