Savannah’s POV
The three women came at me at once.
For a split second, I didn’t know which one to focus on first.
The woman on my left moved faster than the others.
A tactical dagger spun between her fingers before she flicked her wrist and sent it flying toward me.
The blade flashed under the torchlight.
I jerked my head to the side as the dagger missed my eye.
A sharp sting tore across my cheek.
I barely had time to register the pain when something slammed into my side.
My breath escaped in a rough gasp.
I stumbled across the stone floor, one hand pressing against my ribs as pain shot through my body.
Before I could regain my balance, something tightened around my neck.
My eyes widened.
A cord had been hooked around my throat.
The woman behind me pulled it harder as my body jerked backward.
Then my fingers immediately flew to my neck.
The pressure tightened.
I tried to pull the cord away, but she had positioned herself behind me, using her weight to keep me trapped.
My lips parted.
I sucked in a breath and it barely nothing entered my lungs.
Then another woman stepped in front of me.
She crouched down and a knife rested loosely in her hand.
Her eyes met mine and a grin slowly appeared on her lips.
“Well,” she murmured, tilting her head.
“You don’t look like much of a La Madrina now.”
I glared at her and she brought the knife closer towards my face as the cold edge brushed against my cheek.
I stayed still.
Not because I was afraid to move but because one wrong movement could give her exactly what she wanted.
The blade slowly pressed against my skin as a sharp sting followed.
My jaw tightened and it made the woman smiled wider.
“You were so confident a few minutes ago… Why not bring it now?”
The cord around my neck tightened again.
My chest burned.
The arena around me started to lose focus.
The voices of the women watching above became distant.
I could hear them shouting, but the words blurred together.
My knees weakened as I clenched my teeth.
I wasn’t going to let them watch me collapse.
Not this time
The woman in front of me was too close.
While woman behind me was focused on keeping the cord tight.
The third woman stood several feet away, watching my movements.
Waiting for me to make a mistake.
Fine.
I muttered to my self as I glared back at them trying to regain some strength.
My hands slowly fell away from the cord.
The woman holding me behind stiffened and the woman in front of me holding the knife raised her eyebrows.
“Already giving up?” She retorted with disappointment in his voice.
I forced my body to go limp as the pressure suddenly loosened slightly that let me grasp some air.
My foot scraped against the stone.
Then I pushed myself backward with everything I had.
The woman behind me wasn’t expecting it.
Her balance shifted as the cord around my neck already loosened.
I twisted my body and slammed my elbow backward.
She grunted as her grip weakened.
I hit her again.
But this time, the cord slipped free.
Air rushed into my lungs.
I stumbled forward, coughing hard as I pressed a hand against my throat.
The woman with the knife lunged.
I saw her arm move and threw myself sideways.
The blade passed through the space where my shoulder had been.
My body rolled across the floor.
I pushed myself up then a boot came toward my face as I raised my arm just in time.
The impact sent pain shooting through my forearm.
I grabbed the woman’s ankle and pulled it as she lost her balance and crashed onto her back.
I immediately got to my feet.
My chest rose and fell heavily as my throat burned every time I inhaled.
The woman behind me had already recovered.
She rushed forward.
I turned.
And with a split second her fist came toward my face.
I leaned back.
She made a punch and it barely missed my nose.
Before she could pull away, I grabbed her wrist and twisted.
She tried to free herself.
I stepped closer and drove my knee into her thigh.
And her body faltered.
I used the moment to shove her away.
But I didn’t get the chance to follow then without a warning something struck my injured side.
Pain exploded through my ribs.
“Damn it—” I staggered.
The woman with the knife had kicked me.
She came at me again.
As the blade moved quickly.
I made a step backward.
As she strike she forced me farther away.
The edge of the knife passed close enough for me to feel the air move against my skin.
She wasn’t trying to scare me.
She was testing how long I could keep up.
My heel suddenly struck something.
The woman’s eyes flickered toward it.
She knew it too then she make an attack.
I ducked.
The blade slammed against the stone.
Before she could pull it free, I grabbed her wrist.
She twisted her arm, trying to regain control as the knife scraped against the wall.
The sound cut through the noise of the arena.
I slammed my forehead against hers.
She cursed and stumbled on the floor.
Then the knife dropped.
I kicked it away.
The moment I moved toward her, the third woman came from my right.
I barely saw her.
Her shoulder crashed into me and my back hit the wall.
The impact rattled through my body.
For a second, everything went still.
Then her hand grabbed the front of my tactical bra and shoved me harder against the stone.
“You’re slowing down.”
I looked at her.
And cursed her inside my mind.
My breathing was uneven as my sweat clung to my skin.
My side felt like it was on fire.
But I smiled anyway.
“You talk too much.” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Her expression darkened.
She raised her fist then I grabbed her wrist before it could come down.
She pushed harder as I pushed her back.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Her strength pressed against mine.
My arm started to shake.
Then I stopped trying to overpower her.
Instead, I shifted my body thenet her weight moved forward.
Her balance broke.
I pulled her arm down and twisted to the side.
She slammed shoulder-first into the wall.
My elbow struck her ribs as she bent forward.
I pushed her away.
The woman with the knife was already reaching for her weapon.
The woman I had escaped from earlier circled behind me.
They were adjusting.
They had realized I wasn’t going to be easy to put down.
Because I was done being their entertainment.
The woman with the knife grabbed it from the floor.
She rolled her shoulder and stared at me.
Blood was beginning to run down from the cut on my cheek.
“You should surrender,” she said.
I wiped the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Three against one, and you’re asking me to surrender?”
Her lips curled.
“There’s no shame in knowing when you’ve lost.”
I glanced at the other two.
Then back at her.
“You’re right.” For a brief moment, she looked surprised.
Then I continued.
“You should learn that.”
Her face hardened.
She rushed towards me.
The first strike came from above.
I stepped aside.
The second came toward my stomach and I caught her wrist.
The blade stopped inches from me.
She pushed as I twisted her arm.
She tried to pull away then I stepped closer instead.
Her eyes widened.
My elbow struck her shoulder.
The knife slipped from her hand.
I caught it before it hit the ground.
The entire arena seemed to quiet.
The woman stared at the weapon in my hand.
Then her eyes lifted to mine.
I could see the question in them.
Would I use it?
Behind her, one of the women charged.
I spun.
The dagger moved with my hand, but I didn’t drive it toward her.
Instead, I struck her wrist with the flat of my arm and shoved her backward.
She stumbled into the woman beside her.
They collided and I moved away.
The three of them quickly separated and turned toward me again.
My chest rose and fell as I held the dagger low beside my thigh.
The torches around the arena flickered.
Above us, the women had stopped shouting.
Now they were watching in silence.
Waiting as they tried to judge every movement.
I looked toward Aiffera.
She stood at the edge of the platform, her hands resting against the railing.
Her expression gave nothing away.
While Eve stood beside her.
Neither of them spoke just I understood then.
This wasn’t just about whether I could fight.
They were watching what I did when I had the advantage.
The three women slowly spread apart.
One in front of me.
Two on either side.
They were trying to trap me again.
I shifted my weight.
My fingers tightened around the dagger.
The woman in front of me moved first.
I threw the weapon in swift air and her eyes widened.
She jumped aside.
The dagger struck the ground several feet away from her.
For a second, everyone seemed confused.
Then I ran towards the woman on my right.
She didn’t expect it but my shoulder slammed into her then we both hit the ground.
Before she could recover, I rolled away as the second woman rushed toward me.
Her foot came down and I moved just in time.
Her boot struck the stone.
I grabbed her leg and pulled.
She fell beside me.
I pushed myself up.
The first woman was already coming.
I met her halfway.
She swung then I blocked her movement but she attacked again and this time I caught her arm.
She twisted but I twisted with her.
Then I stepped behind her and pulled her backward.
She stumbled into the path of the third woman.
They collided.
I grabbed the fallen dagger.
But this time, I didn’t raise it and I tossed it across the arena.
The weapon slid across the stone and disappeared near the wall.
The three women stared at me.
“What are you doing?” one of them asked.
I raised my fists.
“If this is supposed to prove that I deserve to lead you, then I don’t need a weapon to finish it.”
The woman in front of me slowly smiled.
“Big words.”
I tilted my head.
“Come prove me wrong.”
She came first.
Then the other two followed.
The fight became a blur of movement.
A punch, block and combination then step to the side to keep my composure then someone grabbed my arm as I pulled free.
A knee came toward my stomach.
I turned.
The strike hit my side instead.
Pain shot through me as I gritted my teeth and kept moving.
The first woman grabbed me from behind.
I drove my heel backward.
She released me as I spun and struck her shoulder.
The second woman rushed in. This chapter was copied from novelping.com without permission.
I ducked beneath her arm and shoved her forward then she stumbled past me.
The third woman came from the side.
I caught her wrist.
She tried to punch me with her other hand and I blocked it.
Our bodies struggled for control.
My arms shook and my breathing became heavier.
She was stronger than she looked.
But strength wasn’t everything.
I stepped behind her foot and pushed.
Her balance disappeared and she hit the ground.
The second woman stood again.
She charged and I stepped forward instead of back.
My fist struck her shoulder.
Then I turned and used her momentum to send her stumbling past me.
She tried to regain her footing.
But Too late.
I swept her legs from beneath her and she immediately hit the floor.
The first woman was the last one standing.
We stared at each other.
Neither of us moved but the arena had become silent again.
I could hear the fire crackling from the torches.
I could hear my own breathing.
She looked at the two women on the ground.
Then back at me.
“You’re still standing.” I pressed a hand against my injured side.
“Disappointed?” She smiled.
Then she charge again.
They were already gasping but none of them dare to stop.
At the last second, I moved then her body passed me.
I grabbed her arm and twisted.
She tried to fight against the movement.
I pulled harder and she lost her balance.
Her back hit the stone and I dropped beside her and pinned her arm.
My fist stopped just above her face.
The woman stared at me.
Her breathing was heavy but mine was worse.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I slowly lowered my fist then I released her arm and stood as the three women remained where they were.
I took a step back.
My eyes moved toward the balcony.
“Are we done yet?” I asked.
No one answered immediately.
Aiffera finally stepped forward.
Her heels clicked against the stone platform as she approached the edge.
Her gaze traveled over the arena—the three women slowly getting back to their feet, they picked up the discarded weapons as disappointment etched on their faces, and she finally turned to me.
Blood marked my cheek.
My throat still burned.
Every breath reminded me of the hit to my side.
But I kept my shoulders straight.
Aiffera rested both hands on the railing.
“You had opportunities.”
I looked at her.
“To do what?”
“To use the weapons.” My eyes briefly moved toward the dagger lying near the wall.
Then back to her.
“I used what I needed.”
“And you decided the rest weren’t necessary?”
I didn’t answer immediately.
The women around the arena watched us.
I could feel their attention.
“I came here to prove I could survive your test,” I finally said.
“Not to prove that I enjoy hurting people.”
Aiffera studied me.
Eve stepped closer beside her.
“You think that’s what makes someone weak?”
I shook my head.
“No.”
My voice remained steady as I was gasping for air.
“Not knowing when to stop does.”
For several seconds, the only sound inside the arena was the crackling of fire.
Then a deep rumble came from beneath my feet.
My body immediately stiffened.
The three women who had fought me moved away from the center of the arena.
The expressions on their faces changed.
That caught my attention.
The stone floor began to vibrate and dust fell from the walls.
I turned slowly.
“What now? Do I have permission to leave?”
Nobody answered.
A section of the wall behind me split apart.
Stone scraped against stone as it slowly moved inward.
A dark passage appeared then cold air drifted out of it.
I stared into the darkness.
At first, I saw nothing.
Then theres a noise of footsteps.
It was slow, and heavy.
Each step echoed through the passage.
The women around the arena became completely silent.
Even the three women I had just fought stopped moving.
I looked toward Aiffera.
Her expression had changed.
She was no longer testing me.
Instead she was watching.
A shadow appeared at the end of the passage.
It grew larger with every step.
My fingers slowly curled into fists.
The figure finally stepped into the edge of the torchlight.
I couldn’t see their face clearly.
But I saw the weapon hanging from their hand.
My heartbeat slowed.
Not from relief but from instinct that kept me bothered.
Something about this person felt different.
Dangerous and authoritative.
Aiffera’s voice broke the silence.
“Your final test begins now, Savannah.” I didn’t take my eyes off the figure.
“What kind of test?” The figure took another step forward.
Aiffera’s voice echoed through the underground chamber.
“This one isn’t here to see whether you can fight.”
My jaw tightened.
“Then what is it here for?” The figure slowly lifted their head.
And Aiffera answered.
“It was to see whether you can survive.”
Maybe I wrote it bcz I’m tired of weak Fl…
Let me introduce The El Sorellanza Familia, where woman rise