Chapter 63

Seris’s POV

“First of all,” Valeria said, her gaze sharp as she watched me assume my stance. She paced slowly around me, her boots crunching against the sandy ground. “You have to be smart and vigilant.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than I felt a vicious strike to my back. I pitched forward and landed face-first, tasted grit in my mouth.

“What the hell?!” I sputtered, spitting out sand. I brushed the dust from my shorts and glared at her. “You could at least give a warning.”

“No enemy ever warns you before they strike!” Valeria snapped.

Before I could brace myself, she kicked me square in the stomach. I gasped and collapsed onto my back, winded.

“Get up!” she barked. I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding.

This was nothing like the friendly sparring I’d pictured when Ronan described his mother as a tough trainer.

“You must be ready for anything!” she warned, and with that, she summoned a ring of flickering fire that ar