Victor's duel with the Amazon had just ended, and the murmurs of the gathered Amazons were beginning to fade as they dispersed, their curious eyes still glancing our way. My heart was still pounding, partially from the intensity of the fight but also from the pride swelling within me for Victor. He'd held his own against an Amazon warrior and showed them the strength he was capable of. He'd shown me too.
As Victor approached me, a smile of triumph on his face, my grandmother Kaela—the chief of this Amazon village—stepped forward, her eyes keenly watching me. Her towering presence cast a shadow over us, her gaze intense and assessing.
"Lyra," she called, her deep voice carrying easily across the clearing. I looked up at her, my own expression shifting from pride to anticipation. There was something in her gaze, a challenge that seemed to burn beneath the surface.
