I had traveled down the corridor to find myself in a strange and wondrous place. It was dark with the lighting from the rest of the underground chambers abruptly ending, but it seemed the wildlife had evolved to its environment and the scattered plants and flying insects all were glowing or had a shimmer to them that made them visible in the dark. For a moment, it had captivated me and I forget why I was here, but then a surge of hate and anger came to me, bringing me abruptly back to the present.

  Somewhere out ahead of me toward the back of the grand room I’d stepped into and to the right, my brother was hiding. I could not see the man, but I could feel the strong emotions pouring off him. For a second, I considered running and hiding, but I knew he’d already seen me and part of me just wanted to get this over with.

  Don’t get me wrong. I did not want to fight my brother, but it was clear what I wanted didn’t matter. He seemed intent on making this happen. And somewhere while I was finding my way down here, I decided that the worst thing I could do was run from this man. He was a predator. I could see it in his eyes when we were talking in the other part of the cavern. And he wasn’t going to stop until he got what he wanted.

  Could I win against him? I didn’t know. My dad had taught me a lot about hand to hand combat over the years, and not just the quat-lo. So I figured I could at least hold my own. Maybe. I didn’t know what sort of training Zorren had, though I think what bothered me the most was wondering about his Dome-ni.

  No one had told me about my brothers’ special talents, and I like a fool, I had not searched them out on my own. Did Zorren have an aggressive talent like Captain Hame’s telekinesis or something more passive like my Empathic Dome-ni? The possibilities made me sweat a little, but I wasn’t going to back down, because the other thing my dad had taught me was to never show weakness to a predator.

  I think I’d done a disservice to myself in our previous conversation by asking Zooren to reconsider what he was doing, but I felt it necessary to try and find another way around this. All of it seemed crazy, over the top, and a ridiculous way for two Princes of the Empire to act. Surely, there could be another way we could work our differences than straight up violence?

  But it seemed it was the only thing Zorren would listen to, so I did my best to stand straight and tall and to meet his blazing gaze as he walked toward me out of the dark shadows from where he’d been waiting for me.

  “Time’s up, little brother,” he said.

  I heard the words coming from me before I had much time to think about it. “Zorren, we don’t have to do this.”

  I saw from the hard glint in his eyes that he wasn’t receptive to my one last plea. Frustration and fear twisted in my chest. I didn’t want this and I wasn’t even sure I could survive it. But what else could I do? I readied myself, and before I knew it, Zorren’s knife was slashing out at me.

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  I managed to duck out of the way and twist to the side well out of range of his weapon, but he was quick, and I found myself having to dodge the knife a second and third time. It missed me all three times, but the next one, I slipped on the mossy rock under my feet and found myself falling backward.

  Instead of landing flat on my ass, I turned the fall into a tumbling roll and came back to my feet as quick as I could, only to have Zorren meet me with yet another knife strike. This time, the blade swiped my chest. Thankfully, it was a swallow cut and I barely felt the tip as it moved across me.

  Damn he was fast. Faster than the average person, so that must mean he was being augmented by a Dome-ni. Maybe Agility or Endurance? Either one meant he had an advantage over me. But then I had an advantage over him, and it might be the only way I could win against Zorren. So I mentally shifted into my quat-lo training.

  Dad had taught me a lot about the Ethian martial art over the years, but the most important lesson he'd imparted was about the flow of energy. Quat-lo wasn't just about physical movements; it was about harnessing the energy around you and within you. As Zorren lunged at me again, I closed my eyes for a split second, reaching out with my senses.

  The bioluminescent flora pulsed with an otherworldly rhythm, and I could feel the vibrations of countless tiny insect wings beating in the air. Even the rock beneath my feet seemed to hum with a subtle energy. I let it all wash over me, through me, becoming one with the strange environment.

  When I opened my eyes, time seemed to slow. I could see the individual droplets of sweat flying from Zorren's brow as he swung his knife. With a fluid motion that felt more like dancing than fighting, I sidestepped his attack. My hand brushed against a glowing stalk of something that looked a lot like a cattail. It flared a bright yellow for a few seconds and I could swear I heard it hum, but Zorren was coming at me again, so I ignored the plant and met the attack.

  I’m not sure how much time passed as we exchanged blow after blow. It seemed like time was standing still as a witness while we battled one another. He would strike. I would dodge. I would drive my knife toward him, and he would find a way to evade it at the last moment. His movements were fast and powerful. Mine were calculated and precise.

  In our dangerous dance, I did manage to get in a few strikes that left him with several swallow gashes across his left arm and face. But beside the one across my chest, he had yet to land another strike against me. I knew that wouldn’t last. I was getting tired and still weak from whatever had knocked me out back at the tunnel and my lung was burning again, which was making breathing difficult and a distraction I couldn’t afford. And unfortunately, Zorren did not show any signs of wavering or backing down.

  I retreated from an unexpectedly quick lunge and the tip of his blade barely missed my right eye. As I stepped back, I noticed the bioluminescent flora which appeared to respond to our movements, dimming and brightening in rhythm with our steps. The air grew thick with an otherworldly mist, carrying the scent of ozone and something ancient, primal. Zorren's eyes gleamed with an unnatural light, reflecting the eerie glow around us.

  I circled him warily, my senses on high alert. The cavern seemed to breathe with us, its walls pulsing with veins of phosphorescent minerals. Shadows danced at the edge of my vision, taking on shapes that seemed almost alive.

  Suddenly, a distant rumble echoed through the chamber. The ground beneath our feet trembled, and loose pebbles skittered across the floor. Zorren and I both paused, momentarily distracted by this new development.