Thea's mouth had fallen open. She stood frozen, her mind struggling to process what her eyes were telling her.
'Sigrid...cut the Hero's hand in half? In the very first strike?'
Poppy had gone completely pale. She clutched Thea's mane so tightly that her knuckles had turned white, her emerald eyes fixed on Luca's mangled hand with a look of absolute horror.
"NO!" She finally managed to shriek, her voice cutting through the noise.
"SIGRID! WHAT DID YOU DO?! I TOLD YOU TO BEAT HIM UP! NOT CUT HIS HAND OFF! SIGRID!"
Sigrid turned slowly, her face pale as milk, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and horror.
She looked at her sword, still raised, and saw the blood dripping from its edge.
"I—I didn't—" She stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "I didn't mean to—I thought—"
"YOU THOUGHT WHAT?!" Poppy shouted, her voice trembling. "I...I know you wanted to protect me!"
"I know I told you to beat him up! But slicing his arm in half like a piece of meat?!"
