CHAPTER FIVE
For the fiftieth time in the last hour, I found myself lying flat on my back, panting and exhausted, while Nightbolt stood over me, his amused grin revealing all of his yellowing, slightly crooked teeth. He didn’t appear even remotely worn out by our sparring. If anything, I thought he actually looked more energetic and even slightly younger than he did when we first started. It was as though fighting energized him, or maybe he had a secret power that let him gather strength from fighting.
“Come on, boy,” said Nightbolt, his voice completely lacking even the slightest hint of exhaustion. “You’re not done already, are you? I could go for another hour, maybe two, or possibly even until dinner.”
“That’s because you’re not the one getting smacked onto his back every minute,” I
