CHAPTER TWENTY-THREEExit Strategy
I planned to leave soon, halted only by my desire to go better equipped than the last time. Dreams of the sword invaded my sleep hours and occupied my waking moments. My battle skills improved as I visualised the battered, dented blade replaced by the Champion’s sharp edges and glittering hilt. At one with its increased weight and the flexibility of its tempered blade, I moved with grace and elegance as Limah coerced the colony’s guard to spar with me. One at a time I dispatched them, sensing their growing hatred as they landed face first in the dust of the food hall’s sandy floor. I bettered Sorrel, moving beyond his nimble-footed advantages to send him sprawling with a well-timed kick to the stomach as he staggered beneath a perfected Zwerchhau. The Cro
