Page 27 of This Shattered Star

Think.

“Best make good use of that dagger,” Kodhan jibed as he pushed up his sleeves. Stars, even his forearms were corded with muscle.

The weight of said dagger suddenly grew tenfold. Blood wasn’t supposed to be spilled this early. The trials hadn’t even properly begun yet.

“By the stars,” I gasped.The Starlight Trials hadn’t even properly begun yet.Stepping just over the threshold, I craned my neck to look at the clock on the wall. It still read twelve past three.

Maverick could’ve warned me about anything, but he chose to warn me about the time.

No.Not a warning. A clue.

“Follow me.” I bounded down the steps, ignoring the sound of my name being called. They would have to trust me. There was no time to explain, and I couldn’t risk anyone else overhearing.

Going against the flow of bodies that took up most of the space on the steps left me nearly squashed against the walls. Since we’d been in one of the higher wings, most of the other competitors were trying claw their way upwards instead, granting partial immunity from swinging fists and jabbing elbows but absolutely nothing from shoulder-first collisions.

If I was wrong, it would cost us our lives.

But I wasn’t. Maverick could’ve told everyone that we had ten minutes to make it to the Dome. Whether I liked it or not, he chose to tellme.

Hope began to shine in vast rays as I checked each clock on my way down, time still suspended in all of them. Only when I was standing in front of Kodhan and I’s initial door did I allow myself a proper breath.

There it is.

Kodhan stopped behind me. “Do you ever consider sharing your plans before carelessly acting on them?”

“Do you ever tire of listening to yourself speak?” I pointed at the clock. “Look.”

Theia and Brannon halted on either side of me, leaving Kodhan to stand at our backs. Their eyes followed the direction of my finger despite the heavy doubt written across their faces.

The clock read twenty-two past three. A ten-minute difference from all the other clocks.

“Stars bless us,” Theia gasped.

Brannon laughed. “You’re a genius.”

“That could mean anything,” Kodhan grumbled. But triumph lined my growing smile just the same. Indeed, it could mean anything. But it was a start.

More than a start, I realized, as we made to continue into our wing, only to find that it had been replaced by a long, narrow hallway leading into a pit of darkness. No sconces lined these walls. Only rock, dirt, and silence greeted us. Stale, musty notes of mildew wafted through the air, its tang so potent I brought my sleeve up to cover my nose, though it did little to hide the smell.

Hesitation would get us killed just as easily as cluelessness. Charging forward, I kept my pace quick. The door clanged shut moments later, plunging us into an empty, endless abyss.

I wasn’t afraid of the dark. Not when it always welcomed me like an old friend. And this time was no different. A certain comfort could be found in knowing the others couldn’t see the rapid rise and fall of my chest as panic began to creep along my spine, or the way my brows pinched tightly with worry.

Every step I took from here would be crucial to my survival.

Coating my heart and with an extra layer of steel, I straightened my shoulders, and willed my breaths to even out.

I would win. No matter the cost.

Theia whispered from a few paces behind me. “There’s light ahead.”

A very faint glow emanated from several hundred feet away. Nothing more than a tiny speck in the distance.

“We’d better hurry. I think some of the other competitors are starting to connect the dots.” Brannon’s voice sounded further behind than Theia’s. Nevertheless, how he could still hear what was going on in the tower was beyond me. I couldn’t hear a damned thing. The silence was near oppressive.

That left the lingering at my back belonging to Kodhan. Even when I quickened my pace, that heat remained constant, his longer legs needing no effort to keep up.

An ear-splitting creak echoed behind us mere moments later, followed by numerous hushed whispers.