Adrenaline drained from Elias when he stepped off the training mat, leaving a deep ache behind.
Each breath shifted the injured rib beneath his skin. His forearms felt burned where Colby's unstable soul energy had rebounded through them. Elias leaned against the locker room sink and opened the faucet.
Cold water splashed over his hands. He scooped it up, dragging it down his face, letting the sting of the water wash the sweat and grit out of his cuts.
Paul and Tidwell entered behind him, their boots heavy on the floor.
"I don't know whether to call you crazy or just desperate," Tidwell said, leaning his back against the row of lockers. He pulled his knife from his belt, spinning it lazily by the handle. "Going toe-to-toe with a guy built like a human reactor. If you hadn't conjured that wedge when you did, he would have popped your spine like a dry twig."
