“Class dismissed!” Professor Song barked.
My heart raced as I pushed my way through the semicircle of students and headed toward the dojo’s door. Clem called my name, and Eric and Abi echoed her.
I didn’t stop. My control over my Eclipse nature felt weak and uncertain as the stress inside me mounted. Denying the urge had felt like tearing my core in half. I wasn’t sure I could do it again so soon. I needed space.
I didn’t want to kill anyone else.
The Offer
MY CORE THRASHED AND churned within me as I stormed out of the dojo. It urged me to go back, to make sure my fallen foe wouldn’t rise again. To the Eclipse Warrior, winning wasn’t enough. Any foe who still lived could be a threat again in the future.
I was beginning to realize why the other clans had been so terrified of people like me. Every time I slipped up, someone got hurt.
“Jace!” Clem called as she raced up behind me.
“I need to be alone,” I said. “Please.”
Clem ran ahead of me, then turned around and planted her feet in my path.
“Jace, what happened?” she asked. “It was over so fast.”
Eric and Abi caught up to us and flanked Clem. Eric looked confused and upset, while Abi just looked angry.
“He activated a technique,” I said. “Two days ago, I was fighting in the Five Dragons Challenge against contenders who didn’t follow rules like half-strength. When I saw that attack coming at me, I overreacted.”
“You saw him activate a technique and reacted before it could hit you?” Eric asked. “No wonder you won all those fights. All I saw was a flash of light and then Kyle was on the ground.”
“I think that’s all any of us saw.” Abi eyed me with open concern. “Will he be all right?”
“He’ll be fine,” I said defensively. “I used my serpent to deflect the jinsei from his technique. It stunned him, but he’ll recover. Won’t even have a bruise.”
That explanation was mostly the truth. I’d done a lot of reading on the road and had learned there were several techniques that could temporarily disrupt jinsei. That had been a relief, because it made it easier to hide what I was really doing.
I hated lying to my friends, but no one could know the truth. I’d be dead before dawn if it came out that I was an Eclipse Warrior.
“You’ve grown very strong since I last saw you, my friend,” Abi said with a rueful chuckle. He seemed to have accepted my explanation. “I’ll be careful not to surprise you when we are sparring. I’d hate for you to take me down like that.”
“It won’t happen again,” I said, too quickly. It couldn’t happen again. “I guess I’m still not wound all the way down from the challenge. Would you guys mind if I took a little time alone? I need to meditate, clear my head. I’ll catch up with you at breakfast if that’s all right.”
The three exchanged concerned glances, then gave me slow nods.
“Sure,” Clem said. “Take however long you need. While we were all enjoying our summer, you were fighting contenders all over the world. Sorry, I should have been more considerate.”
She blushed a pink that almost matched her hair and threw her arms around my neck. She squeezed me tight, and the hug caught me by surprise almost as much as Kyle’s technique had.
At least my core didn’t respond to the surprise as a threat. That was a big relief.
“We’ll see you at breakfast, man,” Eric said as Clem released me and stepped back. “Take it easy.”
He offered his fist for me to bump, and I brushed my knuckles against his. Abi extended his hand, too, fingers open for a firm shake.
“I feel your turmoil,” he said as our hands clasped. “If you need to talk, you know where to find me.”
He held the shake a few seconds longer than was comfortable, then let go with a sharp nod of his head.
“Thanks for understanding, guys,” I said. “I’ll see you soon.”
We all headed off in different directions, my friends dispersing along with the rest of the students, who were clearly glad to have some of their early morning free after I’d disrupted the class.
I caught more than a few curious glances tossed in my direction and ignored them. Let them wonder about what really happened. It might make all of them think twice before taking a shot at me to prove they were tougher than the champ.
I headed back to my room, where I could be sure I wouldn’t be disturbed. I threw out connections from the Borrowed Core to the School’s rats as I walked. Some of them recognized me and were eager to help. Others were from new litters, small and spry, curious, but cautious.
I passed the same message to all of them: find Hahen.
The rats scampered off to do my bidding and spread the word to their friends. Hopefully, the entire school’s population of rodents would soon be searching for my old mentor.
On a whim, I changed course and headed for Tycho’s laboratory. I focused my thoughts on my goal and fell into a light meditation in an attempt to mimic Eric’s earlier speedy travel through the building’s shifting structure.
I made good progress at first. The school returned me to the main hall in record time, and I slipped into the shadowed corner where Tycho’s hidden doorway had been.
Had being the operative word.
The wall there was now completely solid, and a tall vase took up most of the corner. It was as if there’d never been a door there.
I scratched my head, shrugged, and checked in with the rats. They were searching, but it would take them a while. For all their speed and agility, their legs were still only a couple of inches long and the school was enormous. It might take them days to search the school, and that was if they didn’t get distracted and forget what I’d sent
