Koda gasped as Raine sailed through the sky, ice crusted around her body.

  Wildeye looked away in fear just as the purple mage crashed at the arena’s edge. With half her body dangling close to touching the ground, Raine gave a hefty grunt and pulled herself to safety.

  Koda could see that Raine had worn out the majority of her magic. Her legs struggled to stand, her back lurched over, and she panted heavily.

  “Now I finish this!” Falnastaar laughed.

  A huge blast of ice shards launched at the exhausted elf.

  Koda cried in terror, “Raine!” It was all that he could do. Just watch on in horror as Raine continued to be devastated by the more powerful opponent. Deep in his consciousness, his nagging thoughts tug on his heart. I need to help her! Protect her! Something!

  “No, Koda,” Wildeye whispered in his mind. “You must trust Raine. Trust that she can handle herself. Show her the support that she needs.”

  Koda glanced at Wildeye’s stern face and nodded. “You can do this, Raine!” Koda shouted.

  Each shard found its mark in an explosion of frost, and Koda peered anxiously through the mist. Only sparks of electricity remained where Raine had stood. Then a flash blurred to Falnastaar, rushing at the speed of a cannonball. With a crack of lightning, Raine appeared. Her fist, coated in electricity, collided underneath the draconian’s jaw. The impact lifted the two in the air and with a final burst of energy, Raine blasted a funnel of lightning into her opponent’s chest.

  Koda cheered as the dragon was thrown out of the battlegrounds. “Woohoo, Raine! You did it!”

  “Falnastarr has been knocked out of bounds, Raine Skyteller is the victor!”

  Koda and Wildeye leapt onto the arena and ran to their friend. Raine collapsed to her knees, too tired to stay on her feet.

  Koda slid across the ground to hug the elf. “You went above and beyond, Raine.”

  Raine gave him an exhausted grin. “If that battle went on any longer, I would have lost.”

  “But you didn’t, and that’s all that counts,” said Wildeye with a gentle voice.

  ***

  Koda walked along the rim of the large dome that encased the tournament ground. The sun grew smaller and long shadows stretched over the many sand dunes outside. Night time in the Sands of Power was as serene and quiet as a peaceful night in the forests of Nashoon, perhaps a tad bit warmer.

  Round two ended yesterday and now round three started the following morning. Despite Koda’s strange victory, many were hopeful for the silver mage to take the gold. A new color—his last color. Shadow. Black. He would become a master mage, one of few in the world, but were his victories hollow? He used Magi in many of his early battles. The crutch, as Arrelion and Wildeye called it. The gift, as Mateo called it. Which was it? Crutch or gift?

  Perhaps a crutch. As a silver mage he proved to himself he was more than capable to handle power and the mastery over blade channeling. He won the white sash without much strife… Strife.

  But Stryneth offered the path to Mateo, the master mage that could tutor him in harnessing the true might of the Magi. If he could just handle its power,its corruption, he would show all his doubters real strength.

  Whispers swirled in his thoughts.

  ”We shall guide you.”

  “Follow Strife through the Misty Veil.”

  Images flashed of Mateo, the black wolf, and a mountain pass flashed through his mind. Tezhok was calling to him.

  “I’m not ready to find Mateo,” Koda whispered. “Not yet.”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  Raine’s voice snapped him back to reality as the purple mage jogged up behind him.

  Koda hesitated. What did she hear?

  “No one—Wildeye,” he stumbled over his words, coming up with a fast lie.

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  “Going over strategies with your familiar?” Raine asked.

  Koda bit his lip, searching for a new subject. “Syruss and Trent beat their opponents and are moving onto the next round with us.”

  Raine nodded. “I don’t suppose you caught the matchups for round three?”

  Koda looked away. He had.

  “Syruss against Trent. You versus…” Koda trailed off.

  “Me,” finished his friend. “Look, Koda.”

  Koda stopped in his tracks and turned to the elf. He wrenched his hands together, anxious of what Raine might say. He didn’t want to harm her. He didn’t want to crush her dreams of winning this tournament, but he had no intention of losing either.

  Rain continued, “I’ve grown to like you… a lot over these past months.”

  Koda’s heart raced. He liked Raine as well. He never had any real friends. Other than Wildeye, Wiccer, and at times, Elucard. However, none of them were colleagues. None of them he would call close friends. Close like Raine.

  Koda reached for Raine’s hand. “I must admit, I'm quite fond of you too, Raine.”

  Tears bubbled in Raine’s eyes. “Please don’t let our match drive a wedge between us. Please let everything stay the same,” she whispered with a lump stuck in her throat.

  Koda clenched her hand tightly. “Of course, Raine. Nothing will ever drive me away from you.”

  ***

  Koda awoke to the sounds of cheering crowds gathered around the arena. Raine sprinted into the tent, her cries rattled Koda’s head. “Syruss lost! Syruss lost!”

  Koda’s ears perked up. “What!?”

  He ran outside and saw Trent waving to the crowd while Syruss limped away from the battleground. Koda pushed through bodies to catch up to Syruss. “Hey!” Koda called out, “Wait!”

  Syruss’s defeated face turned.

  “I thought you had him! What happened?”

  “You and Raine are the only mages left that can beat him,” Syruss said.

  Koda nodded.

  “Watch for his wind hands. They come in fast and when they catch you, it’s already over.”

  Koda remembered that tactic. Trent used it against him in his first mage duel.

  “Stay on your toes,” Syruss continued. “Don’t give Trent any opportunity to have an advantage.”

  Koda looked at Trent. “I can beat him. I know I can.”

  Syruss patted Koda on the shoulder. “We’ll see.”

  ***

  “Koda Dawnedge, are you ready?” the referee called out the king. The referee waited for Koda to nod before addressing Raine. “Raine Skyteller, are you ready?”

  Koda watched Raine hesitate. “Don’t worry Raine,” he called out. “It’s just like a friendly sparring match!”

  Raine grinned and nodded to the referee.

  “Begin!” the referee shouted.

  The tournament grounds cracked like thunder as Raine shot across the arena. Koda gasped at the sheer speed of his friend. Before Raine could attack, Koda rushed to the other end of the arena as a wispy cloud of leaves.

  Raine skidded to a stop, wrenched her body around and charged to Koda’s new position. Once again, she used her magic to increase her speed to that of lightning strikes. She zoomed faster and faster until her image streaked across the arena.

  The leaves transformed back into Koda and in that instant an impact rocked his jaw sideways. Pain exploded across his face as his body twisted head over heels and catapulted through the air over the crowd.

  Koda screamed at the top of his lungs as he propelled backwards. He needed to act fast, because once he touched the ground outside of the arena, he would be disqualified.

  The only way to do this would be to use the Magi!

  Koda shook his head. It’s a crutch. I don’t need it. Still flipping through the sky and quickly approaching the dome walls, Koda took out his sword and with zen-like concentration, aimed his sword and channeled lightning. If Raine can do this without silver magic, I wonder how much more potent it is with it?

  Amplification. The third aspect of Blade Channeling. The ability to enhance any given element to its maximum potential.

  With a flash of white light, Koda vanished. Then Koda appeared once more in the center of the arena. Electricity crawled down his ilrune, crackling and humming.

  Both elves stood motionless in shock. Koda calculated how far he traveled from the air to the ground. Nearly half the span of the Lost Dawn’s clock tower.

  Raine mouth gaped open. “Y-you teleported!”

  Koda grew a smile and leaped backwards before swinging an arc of fire at her.

  Raine smiled back and dashed under the arc webbing her fingers together and then splayed them out creating an electric net.

  Koda danced around the net and shot a beam of ice at Raine.

  She rolled away from the freezing spell and flanked Koda. Raine jumped up and reeled back a shard of light before driving it forward.

  With trained instincts, Koda parried the attack and kicked her backwards. The silver mage followed up with a flurry of strikes with fire, ice, and earth until Raine collapsed to the ground.

  Koda tapped his blade’s point on her cheek. “Surrender, Raine.”

  Raine growled angrily. Tears dripped down her cheeks. “I won’t.”

  “Raine…” Koda shook his head. “Do it, please.”

  Raine met Koda’s gaze. Her eyes flashed white, knocking away the sword and thrust her fist into Koda’s chest.

  Koda only had enough time for a single thought to cross his mind, Forbidden Magic! He shut his eyes tightly, waiting for his heart to stop or explode, or whatever Raine’s precision magic did to Stryneth, but nothing happened.

  Koda looked down to Raine.

  “I can’t do it, Koda,” she whispered. “I want to win, but not by beating you—not by killing you.”

  “Raine,” Koda said. “I-”

  Raine stepped back and turned to the referee. “I forfeit.”

  Koda dropped his sword in surprise. He won, but not how he imagined his victory. “Wait, Raine.”

  Raine turned back to Koda. “Win this for me.”