Chapter 37

Thirty-Seven

I come to coughing and find myself lying on an uneven stone floor covered in stone dust and small bits of debris. There's a clanging noise that makes my head feel like it's going to split open as I force myself to sit up. The air is thick with a haze of dust, but as it starts to clear I realize we dropped into a pocket under the cathedral, a cave that's probably been beneath the ruin all along. Maybe a catacomb of some sort? I can just make out the edges of the crumbled floor we fell through. The opening is probably ten or twelve feet above, so it wasn't too far of a drop. Besides the sore spot on the back of my skull and a monster headache, I think I'm okay.

I push to my feet and turn toward the noise, spotting Talon in a large cage, the enhancer lying uselessly on the ground beside him. He's repeatedly kicking one of the bars, trying to bend it.

With a gasp, I rush over to him. "What happened?"

"That wasn't the dagger, just another hologram. The floor must have been rigged to cave in when someone tried to take it." He looks around his cage, searching for a weak point. "I fell directly into this cage. When I hit the ground the top slammed shut, sealing me inside."

I have so many questions. Where are we? Why are we down here? But right now none of that is important. I need to get Talon out of this cage, and we need to get out of here.

"We have to get you out of there."

"The cage is blocking my magic, and the bars are too thick to bend. We need a key or a way to break the lock."

I immediately start searching for something to break the lock when a voice comes from behind me.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment."

I spin around in time to see the game master step out from the shadows.

"I'm guessing this is what you are looking for," he says, pulling Shadow Striker from the folds of his robes.

"That doesn't belong to you," Talon yells, kicking the bars to show his frustration.

"And you think it belongs to you ?" the game master asks. Talon just glares back at him.

"Who are you?" I demand, quickly scanning the area for something I can use as a weapon. There are rocks I could use, but that's about it.

There's a promising one about the size of my fist on the ground to my left that I'm about to go for when the game master says, "I suppose it is time for that reveal."

He reaches up and grasps the hood of his robe, pulling it back to finally reveal himself.

A gasp echoes throughout the chamber, and I don't immediately realize it's from me.

"Mr. Brone?" I ask, the rock all but completely forgotten as I stare back at him.

The aging hawk shifter shrugs out of the red robes. His face is as familiar to me as a beloved uncle yet standing in front of me with a sharp gleam in his eye, he almost looks like a stranger—one I don't want anything to do with.

"Kerrim," he corrects me.

"You know him?" Talon asks.

I glance over at Talon, my mind spinning. "He owns the Emporium. He's been a family friend for years." I focus back on Mr. Brone— Kerrim . "It was you all along? You stole Shadow Striker? You set up Chaos?"

He nods, his gaze assessing, cold. I've never seen him look at me like that before.

I shake my head. "I don't understand."

"I promise you will soon."

I don't know what possible reason he could have for stealing Shadow Striker and creating this scenario to activate the magical artifact. Mr. Brone is just a middle-aged antiquities dealer. What possible reason could he have for wanting to use Shadow Striker's powers?

But just because I don't understand doesn't mean I shouldn't be wary. He's obviously not the creature I've grown to know, so in an instant he goes from Mr. Brone to Kerrim in my mind.

"What do you want from us?" I ask, my voice growing hard.

"From him, nothing," Kerrim says, gesturing toward Talon. "But from you, I want the world. Or rather a very specific world."

"Leave her alone," Talon yells, slamming his palm against the cage bars. "This is between us. It has nothing to do with her."

"Oh, my boy," Kerrim says, glancing at Talon. "You are so very wrong about that. This is all because of her. It always has been. In fact, I'm a bit surprised you haven't already figured that out."

The blood leaches from my face, no doubt turning me white as a sheet. My fingers start to tingle, and my toes go numb.

Because of me ? What's he talking about?

"You see, Locklyn, I put a great deal of effort into making sure at the end of Chaos it was you standing here in front of me, ready to claim the prize."

I shake my head, my mind frantically trying to make sense of what is happening. It's like someone spilled a jigsaw puzzle in front of me and expects me to put it together without seeing the picture the pieces are supposed to create. "No, I don't see anything. You couldn't have even known I would enter Chaos, let alone win it."

Kerrim tips his head, a sly smile curving his lips. "Who do you think tipped the dragon council off about the growing affection between you and your friend Becks?"

The breath catches in my lungs, and it's a beat before I'm able to speak. "Why would you do that?" I ask, my voice hardly louder than a whisper.

"Because I knew without presenting creature magic they'd never allow the two of you to be together. They provided you the perfect motivation to enter Chaos."

My eyes widen. That lines up with what Drake revealed. That they'd been told of how close Becks and I had become, which is what prompted them to push up the timeline on his arranged life-mating.

But something doesn't quite make sense. "Shadow Striker's powers were never publicly divulged, so you didn't even know that I knew about Shadow Striker when Chaos started."

"Didn't I though?"

"What? How?"

"Your parents reached out to me saying that their daughter had been approached by someone looking for it. They gave me the whole story you were told. I had a plan to introduce it to you myself, but just like that—" He snaps his fingers. "I didn't even need to. Someone had oh so helpfully already planted the idea in your head."

He looks at Talon. "Oh yes, I knew exactly who you were the moment you stepped into town. Hiding the scope of your magical abilities during the trials was completely needless, but it was amusing watching you try."

A muscle jumps in Talon's jaw. "If you knew who I was, why didn't you just kill me? Why let me enter Chaos at all?"

"I certainly considered it, but my plans shifted after the first trial when you came to her aid. Thank you for that, by the way. I was worried when that wolf shifter stole her coin. It was very convenient that you had an extra for her. I couldn't have planned that better myself," he says with a smug smile.

"And then in the second trial when you both refused to fight each other, it was obvious some sort of bond had formed," Kerrim goes on as Talon glares daggers at him. "It was clear you didn't want any real harm to come to her, which played into my ultimate goals quite nicely. So why would I kill you when you became my biggest ally throughout these trials? I should thank you for that. She may never have made it to this point without you."

Talon remains silent, but I swear I can hear his teeth grinding against one another.

"You had him compelled to kill me during the third trial," I say. "If he hadn't been able to fight the compulsion, I wouldn't be standing here right now."

Kerrim chuckles. "I was simply testing the limits of his affection for you. Did you know that he's actually the one that stopped you from kissing him? If he hadn't shocked you with his powers, I think you would have given in to that compulsion. That was, admittedly, a tactical error on my part. I assumed you'd fight that compulsion a little harder considering your affection for the dragon heir." He shrugs. "But no matter, the important thing is that you were never in any real danger, and the whole point was to push the both of you even closer. Which worked beautifully. The thought of you dying was what really made him aware of his growing connection to you."

A low growl comes out of Talon, a very "shifter" sound I haven't heard from him before.

Kerrim raises his eyebrows in amusement. "Do you deny that wasn't what happened?"

"I tried to get her to drop out of the trials after you pulled that stunt," he grinds out.

"Yet here she is," Kerrim says with a chuckle. "Did you think I wouldn't be clever enough to devise a plan to motivate her through the following trial as well? As soon as that dragon shifter used his fire magic, I used my wind powers to push the spores in your direction and keep them away from her. Again, your affection for each other won out because she made it through that trial by trying to get you through it."

Talon's nostrils flare in annoyance when he realizes how we were played.

Kerrim's gaze swings back to me. "Although, I'll admit I was a bit concerned when I found out you'd ditched your dragon heir for greener pastures. I worried your motivation for winning the dagger had waned, so I had to monitor this last trial a bit more closely than the last few. And good thing I did, because it looks like he was able to convince you to abandon the prize." Shaking his head in disappointment, Kerrim makes a tsking sound with his tongue. "I didn't expect you to be swayed by a handsome face. Your dragon shifter must have been crushed. But no matter, I took precautions." He waves his hand to indicate Talon and the cage he's trapped in.

"If you wanted me to activate Shadow Striker so badly, why did you discourage me from looking into it when I came to the Emporium?"

He cocks his head, giving me a look that says he expected me to put together those pieces myself and is disappointed that I haven't.

"Because it only piqued my interest more," I say, when I realize why he did that.

He gives me a condescending nod that makes me want to throw something at him. "The best way to get a teenager to do something is by telling them not to do it. Speaking of that visit, did you enjoy the book you borrowed?"

I snap my mouth shut. I'd returned to the Emporium last week to finally return the Dragon Shifter Law book I'd taken. I checked for another but couldn't find anything. Had he had the foresight to plant that book there, so I'd know how bound Becks really is? From what he's already told me, I wouldn't put it past him. But I've heard enough about all of that. It's time for Kerrim to get to the point.

"Why do you need me to activate Shadow Striker? Is it because you think I'll be easy to kill? Because you can try, but I promise you I won't be as easy to take down as you think. I've been underestimated my whole life."

If I didn't know any better, I'd say Kerrim looked offended. "Kill you? Why ever would you think that?"

"Why else would you want me to activate the dagger than to kill me so you can take it for yourself?"

"Oh no. That's not what I want at all. I won't need to kill you to use Shadow Striker."

Surprised, I look over at Talon, but the crease between his brows says he's just as lost as I am.

"No, there's a very specific reason why I need you to activate the dagger." Kerrim takes a step forward and some softness enters his gaze, making him look like the creature I thought I knew, throwing me off. "You're special, Locklyn. I knew it almost the first time I met you. Do you remember how old you were then?"

I think back, confused. "Maybe ten or eleven?"

"Twelve, to be precise, years past when creatures usually come into their magic. But there you were, completely powerless and utterly one of a kind, at least in our world."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sure you've always wondered why you never came into your creature magic."

I keep tightlipped. It doesn't matter if I say anything though. The answer is obvious.

"Of course you have," he says almost gently. "It must have been so hard for you not knowing what type of creature you are when all along there has been a simple explanation for it."

Despite everything, I find myself hanging on his every word, and I hate myself a little for it.

"The reason you never developed creature magic is because you aren't actually a creature at all."

I blink back at him. "Of course I'm a creature. What else would I be?"

He shakes his head. "No, my dear. You're not. You're a human."

Human?

"I can see by the look upon your face you're unfamiliar with the term."

"No. That's not possible," Talon says from his cage, and Kerrim glances over at him.

"You had to have at least suspected," he says. "I'm sure you can't detect any magical aura on her."

Talon shakes his head. "There's no way. The gateways have been closed for hundreds of years. We made sure of it."

"Yet here she is," he says, waving his hand toward me.

"What's a human?" I ask, looking between them both.

"An excellent question," Kerrim says. Turning his back to Talon, he takes a step in my direction, and I'm too numb for the warning bells to sound. "You see our world isn't the only one out there. There's a whole world full of beings that exist without magic, and that's where you're from."

I laugh. I can't help it. I'm beyond strung out and what he's saying is insane.

"Oh, I understand now. You're crazy."

He shakes his head. "No. I'm determined, meticulous, and patient. I've been searching for the dagger for decades. And ever since the moment I realized just what you are I've been planning for these trials to activate Shadow Striker. Lining up the pieces so you wouldn't only enter the competition but make it to this point. I'm not insane, I'm brilliant, but because our world only values might, I've been overlooked and shoved aside my entire life. Not anymore."

"Okay, so let's pretend I believe that I'm a being from a completely different world. One without any magic at all. Who cares? Why does that even matter?"

"It matters a great deal, because once you're bonded to Shadow Striker, the dagger will open a pathway, a portal so to speak, to that magicless world. And when I bring the dagger there, I won't just be another creature among the rest, I'll be a god."

That's the moment I know that whether Kerrim is telling the truth or not, he's most definitely insane.

"If this different world is free of creatures with magic, then the dagger won't be of any use to you there."

"That's where you are wrong. When the dagger crosses into the human world, its powers will be unleashed. It won't need to be activated. It won't be bonded to any one being. I can do with it what I please."

"You're foolish if you think you can control Shadow Striker," Talon speaks up.

"That's rich, coming from you," Kerrim snaps.

"The dagger isn't meant for that world. It's too powerful there," Talon tries again, but his protests fall on deaf ears.

"Now that you know the facts," Kerrim says, completely ignoring Talon, "the time has come." He lifts the blade, holding it out to me. "Take the dagger, Locklyn."

I quickly back away. "I'm not touching that thing."

Kerrim's lips purse. "I've spent almost an entire lifetime orchestrating this moment. Let me assure you, before this night is out you will activate this dagger."

I shake my head. "I won't."

"We'll see about that."

There's an ominous note to his voice that adds to my unease. Kerrim takes out his phone, taps the screen a few times, and then hands it over to me. "I didn't want it to come to this, but you've left me no choice."

I reluctantly take it from him, and then put a few feet of distance between us before looking at it. What's on the screen makes my heart sink. It's a video feed of my parents sleeping in their bed.

"How do you have this, and why are you showing it to me?" With a sinking feeling, I remember when he came over to help my parents install a new security system. Did he plant cameras in our apartment at the same time? He's obviously skilled with electronics. All the trials except one have been broadcasted, and from what I can tell, he's not working with anyone else. And what else might he have done in our apartment while he was there? It's not as if my parents wouldn't have left him alone. He's an old friend.

"I've had a long time to prepare. Take the dagger, Locklyn, or I'll release a gas into your home that will kill both of your parents."

Fury rises up inside. I trusted him. My parents trusted him, and now he's threatening their lives?

"Or rather, your adoptive parents," he adds with a smirk.

It doesn't matter if what he said about me being a human rather than a creature is true or not. My mom and dad are my parents. Period . Losing them would kill me. I'd never recover from it, especially if there were something I could have done to prevent it.

Kerrim holds the dagger out again. "Activate the dagger so I can leave this world and you can go back to your life. It won't cost you anything."

"Freckles, don't do this," Talon says, and when I look over at him the grave look on his face makes my stomach roil. "You don't know everything."

"Shut up," Kerrim snaps, but Talon ignores him, his gaze never wavering from mine.

"I'm bonded to Shadow Striker. If you activate the dagger, it will kill me."

Shock vibrates throughout me, and I freeze. My body goes hot, then cold, then numb.

This whole time Talon has been bonded to Shadow Striker? How did I not know?

As the shock fades, it's replaced by clarity, and as if a veil has been lifted, everything about Talon starts to make a sick sort of sense. How his magic never seemed to fit into a specific creature species. The real reason he was always so secretive. Why he's been almost desperate to win Chaos.

The truth has been staring me in the face since the beginning, but I was just too blind to see it.

"Kill you?"

Talon nods. "Shadow Striker can only be tethered to a single being at once. If the bond is severed because it's been activated by someone else, it will kill the other creature. If you take that dagger its magic will transfer from me to you, and I won't survive."

I stare back at Talon, desperate for him to tell me he's lying, because now I'm faced with an impossible choice: kill Talon or let my parents die.

I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do.

"I'm sorry," he says, and I can see the apology shining from his blue-gray eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me? Don't you trust me?"

"That wasn't it. Some secrets aren't mine to tell."

"But this one is."

"Not really."

Not really? What does that even mean? If not his secret to tell, then whose?

"I know what I'm asking you isn't fair, but you can't activate that dagger."

"Don't listen to him," Kerrim cuts in. "He's just trying to save his own skin. What's one life in exchange for the lives of your parents?"

Talon grasps the bars of the cage, his gaze boring into me. "It's not just one life. If he brings Shadow Striker into the human world, the dagger's powers will multiply. He'll be unstoppable. It won't just be my life you're ending, but the lives of millions, maybe billions of beings like you."

"If you don't, your parents won't live to see another day," Kerrim growls, his face contorting into the picture of rage. "And after I've killed them, I'll go after Becks, then your friends, and anyone else you've ever cared for. I've been in your life for years. I've been watching and studying, learning your weaknesses along with your strengths. I know exactly who means something to you, and I will destroy them to get what I want."

"You wouldn't . . ." But looking at Kerrim I'm not so sure. I might have known him for a good part of my life, might have even had affection toward him, but right now I don't recognize the creature in front of me.

"I'm not evil, but you have no idea the depths I will go to see this through."

Tears stream down my face. Whatever I decide to do, someone dies.

There has to be another way.

"My patience is running thin. Perhaps I need to make an example of your parents before you believe me."

"No!" I shout, holding up my hands to stop him from doing something rash. I take a step forward, bringing me within an arm's length of Kerrim and the dagger.

"Then are you ready to do what needs to be done?"

I look over at Talon through a veil of tears. "I'm so sorry. I don't have a choice."

I expect his face to harden, for him to toss insults or scream at me, but instead his gaze softens. He looks resigned when he says, "I understand, Freckles. Do what you have to do."

With a nod, I look back at Kerrim, my hand shaking as it nears Shadow Striker. There's a feverish look in Kerrim's dark eyes as his gaze laser focuses on my hand as I reach for the dagger.

Good . That's exactly where I want his attention.

Still reaching for the dagger with one hand, I snap the other out and snatch the key ring off his belt loop that I spotted the moment he shed his robes. Turning, I go to toss the keys to Talon, but as I'm about to throw them Kerrim plows into me from behind, taking me down. The keys arc through the air, and I lose sight of them as I hit the ground.

"You stupid, stupid girl," he says, and slams a fist into my kidney. "I'll kill everyone you ever loved, taking pleasure in every death."

He's completely and utterly unhinged. I manage to flip onto my back, but he crouches over me, unrelenting in his onslaught, using both fists to hit any fleshy parts of me that he can reach. I'm trained for situations like this and how to get out of them, but Kerrim's wrath seems to be giving him superpowers and I can't squirm free or get a hit in. All I can do is protect my face against his onslaught.

"Hang on, Freckles. I've almost got the keys," Talon yells, and Kerrim's head snaps up.

While he's distracted, I reach out blindly, patting the ground for a rock or something to smash into his face. I don't even register what my hand comes in contact with until my fingers close over it and I've swung out. At the last moment, Kerrim rears back and the object in my hand slices harmlessly through his shirt.

I start to strike again, but the look in Kerrim's eyes makes me pause. Pure glee radiates from his face as he stares at my hand. When I look down, horror fills me, because clenched in my fist is Shadow Striker.