The True Meaning of A Warrior

Chapter Twenty: Final Battles (EVE)

It was true I'd lost myself for a second to Copper's words for a moment. You were-and are-absolutely nothing without your powers.

But it was also true that I'd found a way to find myself again. And now those desperate feelings had worn off.

But now a handful of throwing stars were also being hurled into Stella's face. And more than that, she had just opened her eyes-too late to duck away from them.

It seemed that it was time for me to take some action.

My mind raced, trying to think of a way to do something-think of a way to act. But then finally, something clicked inside my mind.

It was a ridiculous and crazy plan-but it had to work. And it was better than nothing, after all.

I didn't waste time staring at Zara's bow and arrows scattered on the ground. Instead, I stooped, my body reacting lightning-fast. A second later, the arrow's tough wooden material scraped against my skin.

I swung my arm into a circle and flung the bow as far as possible towards the handful of throwing stars. Two of them got blocked by the bow and dropped to the ground, while the other two brushed against the sides of the bow and reeled off track.

Finally, the bow dropped to the ground as well. But Stella was safe, and it would be okay.

I turned, studying each person's faces. Zara looked shocked, Stella stunned, and Copper...well, livid.

Then I turned back to Copper, my gaze melting to a glare as cold as a blizzard. He scowled levelly back, lifting his hands to toy with the locket charm on his neck.

And then I remembered something. How nervous Copper had been when Zara first asked about the locket. How he'd said it would be "the end of us". And how...

"What's up with the locket?" I blurted. My voice wasn't quite as fierce and defiant as I'd hoped it would be, and I hoped he didn't hear the small quiver in it.

Copper's face lapsed away from anger and twisted into smug victory at these words. "Well..." he began, and then shook his head. "You three deserve to know. Besides, I want to see your reactions-it will be so amusing. And more than that, I can always kill you right after you learn the plan. It won't hurt." His voice curled into a sort of snarl at his last few words.

And then he began.

"See, the Dark had been planning to take these weapons for quite some time. So before we even got our hands on it, we did some preparing for what we would do once we'd gotten the weapons." His hands dropped from fiddling with the locket and he pointed to the midnight-blue-and-black charm dangling from the silver chain. "This. We created a potion some time ago, so that all the magic that we stole would be drained from your weapons. And instead, the potion would have the magic leave your weapons and come to this. All your powers. Nature. Ice and water. Light. Even little dead Edera's gift of fire. They all obey the wearer of the necklace now. And that wearer is me." Little dead Edera; that was really the only part that mattered to me. Eyes burning, I clenched my hands into fists as memories of my sister flooded back.

"Now I'm only telling you this next part because I know you're going to try to do it. If you destroy the locket, all the magic runs free. But it won't belong to anybody. Not the wearer of the broken locket, not the leader of the Dark, not even you three. But of course, that will never happen. You taking the necklace, that is.

"Instead what's going to happen is that you're going to try to steal the necklace. And that is exactly how I'm going to kill you." A wicked, sly grin spread across his face, and Copper's hands curled towards the daggers of all shapes and sizes dangling from his belt.