Chapter 180. The Death of Kellen II

I refused to cry out at each excruciating thrash that flicked and flayed my skin. I couldn't help the grunts, but that was all they would get from me. I held on to the image of Tala when she came undone in my arms. I desperately wished to see that look on her face again.

Tap, tap, tap, came the clang of the cups against the metal bars. How many lashes I had received I did not know. "ARGHOOH, ARGHOOH, ARGHOOH. LIVE OR DIE WE FIGHT!" Came the voices of the Gladiators as the punisher handed the whip to another.

The cups clanging echoed the beat of my heart, keeping me steady as I received 10 more lashes. How many was that, twenty, thirty I was focusing on staying conscious and alive.

When the whip switched hands again the Gladiators chanted our melody like it was our creed. I focused on that beat and not the anticipation of the next lash. Their steady beat, my life. Tempered and strong. The breeze took some of the heat from my back as it brushed agai