Page 202 of Savage Throne
I gritted my teeth.
Before I could recover fully, he was moving with a burst of speed that defied logic, leaping down from his branch and landing on mine.
Ignore the pain and don’t die.
I swung Soaring Precious up, aiming for his throat, but he was already too close. Next, his hand shot out and I felt a sharp prick against my forearm.
“What the—”
He jumped away before I could retaliate.
I glanced down at my arm and saw it—a thin needle embedded in my skin, its tip stained with something black and viscous.
A sick, cold dread coiled in my stomach as the realization hit me.
Poison.
I yanked the needle out and slung it to the ground but it was too late.
The effects hit me instantly.
My father stood a few feet away on another branch, grinning like the devil himself.
My vision blurred, the edges of the world smearing together like an oil painting left in the rain.
I blinked. “You cheated.”
“This battle isn’t about honor, son. It’s about who wins.”
My heartbeat thundered in my chest.
Erratic and wild.
“No, Father. . .this is about. . .you. . . running from death.”
The branch beneath my feet swayed dangerously or maybe that was just my body betraying me.
My lungs struggled to draw breath as a hot, stinging sensation spread from the puncture site, coursing through my veins like liquid fire.
Focus.
Uncle Song’s teachings surfaced in my mind like a lifeline.
“No poison is unbeatable. The body has its own defenses. Learn them. Use them.”
I dropped to my knees, clutching Soaring Precious in one hand as I used the other to move my fingers instinctively, seeking out the pressure points Uncle Song had drilled into me during those grueling, endless lessons.
The hollow beneath my jaw.
The ridge just below my collarbone.
The sensitive spot at the base of my spine.
I pressed hard, ignoring the stabbing pain that shot through my limbs as I fought against the creeping numbness overtaking my body.
“That’s right, son,” my father’s voice taunted from somewhere above, dripping with sadistic glee. “Expel the poison from your body. Let’s see if you’re strong enough.”
My heart hammered erratically.
