***
“Again!”
Panting, Adaria rose to her feet.
“We’ve been doing this for hours,” she said. “Can’t we take a few minutes off? It’s my birthday after all.”
Ophelia took a step forward, waving the staff in her hands. They were alone in the atrium, with Adaria struggling to keep up with her training. They had been going at it for three hours already, and nearly every bone in her body felt like it was on fire.
“So,” Ophelia asked with a narrowed expression, “you wish to take a break simply because it’s your birthday?”
“Maybe,” Adaria panted. “Besides, I need to leave soon and get ready for the celebration.”
“You leave only when I tell you to leave,” Ophelia said. “Remember, you must destroy at least fifty of them before you’ll be allowed to leave.”
She stepped back once again, and Ad
