Chapter 8

Eight

I only had one look at the picture Talon showed me, but Shadow Striker is branded in my mind: wavy blade, worn, with etchings on the onyx hilt. I don't care if the game master says the blade is Santa Claus' staff, I know that's Shadow Striker.

I start scanning the crowd for Talon, but don't see him anywhere. It's like he vanished the moment the lights were doused, but I know he's around here somewhere.

Did he know this was going to happen? That Shadow Striker would be the Chaos prize? And how did someone get their hands on it anyway?

I don't know the answers to any of those questions, but I know with certainty that Talon's going to be entering Chaos.

The game master continues to talk up Shadow Striker, calling it the Blade of Power, a priceless one-of-a-kind dagger. But what he doesn't mention is the dagger's most important feature, the ability to grant the wielder unimaginable power. But from the buzz that circulates the crowd, it seems like he doesn't need to sell the prize because there will be entrants just for the glory. Whoever wins Chaos will be a legend.

I start to drift away from Ensley and Becks, looking for Talon. Looking for answers.

The game master drones on about Chaos' trials as I search, checking the shadows for Talon's dark figure. I'm only half listening to him but I pick up that the first trial starts in fifteen minutes, and that anyone willing to enter the competition needs to cross the start line in the back of the cavern. After announcing that there are cameras hidden in the caverns and tunnels so everyone can watch the event, with a dramatic flourish he disappears the same way he appeared, in a cloud of smoke.

When the smoke clears, the hologram of Shadow Striker has disappeared, but in its place is a large digital clock, counting down from fifteen minutes. Screens start to roll down from the cavern ceiling, which must be how the spectators will watch the trial.

A collective gasp rises from the crowd when part of the cavern wall disappears to reveal a large tunnel. Partygoers start to back away from the tunnel, and through a break in the crowd I spot a yellow beam of light shooting across the ground. The starting line the game master spoke of.

"What are you doing over here?" Becks says, coming up beside me.

"I'm just looking for . . . someone." I don't want to admit I'm looking for Talon, but from the tightening in Becks' shoulders I can tell he already knows.

He gives me a curt nod and then lets his gaze travel over the crowd. There's something about the way he looks when his gaze settles back on me that causes the knot of unease to start to unfurl in my gut.

"Locklyn, about what almost happened earlier when the lights went out," he starts, and the pained look on his face turns my unease into full-blown concern. "I'm sorry if . . ." He rubs the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable, and looks at the ground. "What I mean to say is you know I'm going to be betrothed to someone else soon and all that."

Don't say it, Becks. Please don't say it . I hold my breath, as if that will do something to keep the next words from coming out of his mouth.

"I just don't want to mess up our friendship for something that can never happen, you know?"

My heart cracks.

Becks has never laid out the facts so bluntly before. Did he say, Nothing romantic can ever happen between us because I have to be with a powerful female and you're magicless ? No, not in those exact words, but he might as well have because we both know that's what he meant.

"You understand, don't you?" he asks when I remain silent. "With everything that's happening right now, I just can't lose you as a friend. You're too important to me."

I think he intends for me to find comfort in those words, but each one felt like a dagger to my heart.

We'd been so close to that line. A few more millimeters and we would have stepped over it and things would have changed between us. I'm sure of it. But we didn't close that distance and now Becks is pulling away from me, putting up a friend barrier higher and thicker than it was before.

Heaviness settles in the air between us.

"Locklyn?" Becks asks, his voice full of uncertainty, but when I look into his eyes it's clear he's desperate for me to agree with him. His fear of losing me is so palpable I can almost reach out and touch it. Seeing him so distressed softens something inside me, because at the end of the day all I want is for Becks to be happy.

"Yeah, sure. I totally understand." The words taste false in my mouth, but I force a smile on my face that wobbles a bit. Becks is so relieved he doesn't seem to notice.

"Okay. Great. Glad we got that cleared up." His smile is large and genuine, and another crack fissures my heart. He lays a hand on my bicep, and I flinch a little, not liking how much I enjoy the heat of his palm seeping through to my skin. "Wanna get out of here?"

"Sure." I don't care what we do anymore. A deep melancholy has settled in my chest, and my desire to find Talon has drained right out of me as well.

"Me too. Let's let all these idiots battle it out and go grab a shake at Sloan's instead."

"Okay."

"I'll go see if Ensley wants to come with or stick around."

"All right." Apparently all I was capable of in the moment were one-word answers.

Becks gives me a long look, his eyes a muddled mix of sadness and concern. I force a wooden smile that I'm sure isn't convincing at all. With a sigh, Becks turns and weaves through the crowd until he reaches his sister. My eyes are locked on him, but my mind drifts to Shadow Striker. Like a bird stuck in a tar pit, I can't free myself from my obsession over the magical blade.

Righteous anger rises inside me.

This isn't fair. My lack of magic isn't something I can change.

But what if it is? my mind whispers.

What if Shadow Striker really can give powers? And if by some miracle if I could win Chaos, then I'd become worthy of Becks. We'd be free to explore what could be between us because if I were powerful the dragon council couldn't deny we'd make a good match.

I think back to our moment together, to Becks' hands on me, to the hungry look in his eyes when his gaze dropped to my mouth, the desperate way he whispered my name as his breath softly brushed over my lips. My mouth starts to tingle at the thought, and I bring a hand up to touch my lips, finding them sensitive.

I glance over at the tunnel that was revealed when the game master disappeared, and my feet take me toward the starting line. Some creatures have already crossed the yellow beam of light and are just waiting for the trial to begin. The competitors are a mixture of males and females. Some of the faces are familiar to me, but not all.

Moving closer to the start line my mind easily supplies an image of what it would be like if I had magic. Becks smiling down at me as we walk down the academy hallways together, hand-in-hand. Stolen kisses in between classes. Date nights at Sloan's as jealous females glare daggers at me, but not being concerned at all by their anger because I'm powerful enough to defend myself.

I want it so badly I start to shake. There's just one thing standing in the way, and Chaos is offering a way to smash through that obstacle. How can I not at least try?

When I glance over at the hovering clock, it's ticking down with only thirty seconds remaining. Once the timer runs out, the chance to enter Chaos, the chance to someday claim Shadow Striker, will be gone.

I take another step forward, stopping with the toes of my boots only inches from the yellow beam. All it will take is one more small step. One more small step can put me on a course to change my life. On a course to bring me what I've always wanted. And I'm not just thinking about Becks anymore—although that's certainly the biggest motivator—but gaining respect as a creature.

"Locklyn!" Someone shouts my name, and I glance over my shoulder to see Becks' surprised face as he jogs toward me.

There are only mere seconds on the clock, and I know if Becks reaches me he'll convince me not to do this, so before he can stop me I lift my foot and take one tiny step over the line.