CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ceres threw herself back just before a crescent-shaped blade flashed past her throat. The crowd roared, and instinct drove her to duck as the other end of the Last Breath’s weapon thrust for her.
She tumbled across the sand, feeling it scrape across her skin as she came back to her feet, her adrenaline pumping with the intensity of the fight.
The crowd cheered.
Ceres stood there for a moment, trying to get her bearings as her opponent advanced on her—but there was no time. She parried another thrust with crossed blades, then felt the shaft of the staff slamming her back.
Again, the crowd roared.
Ceres retreated and circled, keeping her distance while she looked for a way past the whirling circle of half-moon edges. While those watching yelled for her to strike, she fo
