"We need to examine the surroundings," Rolland ordered, squeezing his palm shut. "Ferguson would not shy away from battle. If we search, I'm certain we'll find traces."

  Cal was not completely opposed to wasting their time looking around. It wouldn't change much, as they'd have a beast wander upon them eventually and go back to why they, or he, was here.

  There was only one hitch.

  "Let's temper our expectations here," Cal replied with haste. He pointed at Rolland's closed fist, which held the golden Finger. "That could have belonged to anyone, and correct me if I'm wrong, but none of us can say how old this pit is, right?"

  As annoying as it was to admit, this was where the Second Seat would have come in handy. Oracle could have taken one look at the pit and known exactly who had used it and when. Getting it out of him would have been undignified, but it was possible.

  "May I?" Benjamin asked, his hand held out. Rolland's fist pulled closer to his chest, hesitation clear on his face. Benny frowned in response, his voice taking a deeper, chastising tone. "Your Highness?"

  A flash of conflict appeared in Rolland's eyes. It passed, and the boy sighed, dropping the pin in Benjamin's waiting hand.

  "I know," Rolland spoke before Benny could get any words out. "His magic is not bonded to it. That does not prove it is not his. He might have forcibly removed it."

  That made Cal's ears perk up, and he kept himself from checking on the star in his pocket. Materials could be tricky, but bonding with things wasn't a complex process. It boiled down to consistently bathing an object with your magic. Apart from being time-consuming, the main deterrent to it was the backlash you received should the object ever be harmed. While not extreme, it was uncomfortable.

  With the benefits of bonding with something being negligible, only allowing you to manipulate the object at will, it wasn't a common occurrence. Cal only bonded the star because he hadn't wanted to misplace it.

  "Mind if I take a look?" Cal offered, curious about how it compared to the star. "I've never seen one before."

  Wanted criminal, Whistling Death, had. However, he had been far too busy trying to bash William's face in to take a closer look at the emblem. It dawned on him that he'd forgotten to get a trophy off the man.

  Would they make it back in time to raid the clinic? He was getting off track. There were more important things to take care of right now.

  "Perhaps another time," Rolland shut him down, retrieving the pin a bit too quickly. "If there are no—"

  "Right." Cal placed a firm hand on Rolland's shoulder. "Deep breaths," he instructed, shaking the man and forcing eye contact. "If you want us to look, we'll look. But you need to pull yourself together. If I get even the hint of you going out of control, I will knock you out and drag your ass back to civilization. Got it?"

  Harsh? Cal thought he was being fairly nice about it. There were any number of bones in the human body he could offer to break.

  "I'm not complaining." He heard Lily whisper to Benny behind him. "But if I did that, you'd totally chop my hand off, wouldn't you?"

  There was no response, and Cal focused on Rolland's reaction. The prince closed his eyes, and when they opened, that manic look that had gotten Cal worried was gone. He gave Cal a nod, and the Federation agent released the future ruler.

  "Great," Cal released the shoulder, roughly slapping Rolland on the back. "We'll scope things out together, and if we don't find anything, there's only one place to go."

  His gaze traveled east, toward where he knew the wound of the world sat. None of them would survive standing in its presence, but he did wonder when they'd tap out.

  Predictably, they found nothing. Well, not exactly right. They found plenty of something, just not what Rolland was hoping for. It had all been going well until the ground caved underneath them and they fell into the giant pit they now fought in. The fifty-meter drop wasn't ideal, but among the environmental hazards the Waste had to offer, it was pretty benign. The residents of this pit—or cave system, as he noticed it extended further than the original hole—were decidedly less so.

  "Flier coming in!" Cal yelled, stepping out of the way as a hoof flattened the area where he'd just stood. "Rolland! Ground it!"

  Spears of light answered his call, soaring overhead and toward the winged beast he'd caught sight of. It was an insectile type, with a deep red carapace protecting its thin body. Four wings kept it in the sky, or they did before Rolland's attack clipped one, causing the beast to enter a downward spiral. The fact that it came from inside the cave told him there was either another entrance, or they'd stumbled on a large subterranean level of the Waste.

  "Peel off and finish it!" That command was the extent to which he was willing to be distracted by the newcomer. That flier hadn't looked particularly sturdy, and he was betting the crash landing would be enough for Rolland to dispatch it quickly. "Focus, Benny," Cal reminded the boy, whose eyes had begun to stray. "I need your strangle ready."

  The grey beast to his front roared, and the force of it pushed him back. He flipped his spear, burying it into the ground and arresting his backward momentum. The beast lowered its horned head and charged on all fours, its lumbering form shaking the ground with every step. The horn crackled, arcs of lightning wrapping around it like a Christmas tree.

  In Cal's humble opinion, this thing was a fucking problem. For one, it shouldn't have been here. The scaled rhinoceros was the size of a train car and while he'd seen plenty of bigger beasts, those were far deeper in the Waste. The other issue was that its skin was remarkably resilient.

  "How are we holding up, Lily?" Cal asked, pulling his spear out. "Don't tell me that was enough to kill you."

  He could admit to being a little worried when she'd been knocked into one of the cave's supporting pillars. Not for her, as he was confident she could take the hit, but he did not want to deal with the roof collapsing and burying them alive. The idea of it brought up bad memories.

  "If you have time to talk shit." Lily emerged from where she'd been embedded in the stone. She fell to the ground, landing on a knee before rising with weapons ready. He noted how her leg hitched for a split second. "Kill this thing already!"

  What did she think he was trying to do? This was usually the type of beast he would allow to eat him before destroying it from within. He would have considered employing the same trick if he hadn't seen the rows of teeth it sported. There was no way his face would survive that treatment.

  "As the lady wishes," he replied snobbishly, meeting the beast's charge. His spear groaned in protest as he forcibly shifted the horn into the ground. The earth exploded upon contact with the horn, a cloud of dirt and pulverized stone enshrouding both of them. Cal had known that would happen, and he flipped over the beast's head, stabbing downward. "Die, please."

  Despite his manners, a scaled eyelid shut. His spear began to trace a thin line over it, and Cal increased his augmentation to the limit. He felt the tip pierce into the eye before a horrific roar responded. The head jerked, and a bolt of lightning slammed into him, hurtling him away.

  He twisted himself in the air, landing on his feet in time to see Lily dash forward. She swept both arms out, her claws gliding over the beast's side. It was the equivalent of a paper cut, but he knew her goal was to gain its attention.

  She failed, and it barreled toward him again. Cal allowed himself a small smirk upon seeing the blood trickle down its sealed eye. Using his full strength had been a calculated risk. Obscuring himself and aiming for a 'weak' spot should avoid any awkward questions.

  "Benny!" Cal hollered, lowering his center of balance and entering a stance Marcus had shown him. "Now would be good!"

  Verbal confirmation was unneeded, and the beast's own shadow undulated before stretching unnaturally.

  "I have an idea!" Lily rushed out, running alongside the beast and slowly overtaking it. "Can you get its eye again?"

  He gave her a nod. Since it was already partially pierced, that had been his plan. Planting it in the eye and cooking it from within was quickly becoming his new go-to.

  The beast's shadow twisted, forming a large tendril that rose like a snake before striking. It bound both of the creature's right legs, causing them to snap together. Cal had witnessed Benny completely restrain weaker beasts with this manifestation. With this one, the shadow lasted barely a blink before being torn in two. However, that was all that was needed, and the beast's charge turned into a tumble. It rolled forward unevenly, bouncing up and down as it destroyed everything in its path.

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  With the equivalent of a living boulder headed his way, Cal took a moment to judge its trajectory before his legs pushed hard against the ground. He vanished from where he was standing and appeared under it. Gripping his spear tightly, he waited until the eye landed on it and then pushed up. His strength, along with the beast's mass and momentum, was enough to have the tip sink into the existing wound. Its tumble continued, this time with Cal along for the ride.

  He stubbornly held onto the spear, feeding magic into it as he tried to avoid being squished at every roll. A howl erupted from it, and their uncontrolled movement halted as it managed to plant two feet securely on the ground. The horn lit up again and Lily leaped toward him.

  "Let go!" she called, landing beside him on the head. One claw gripped the horn, and the other his spear. "I got this."

  Cal reluctantly released the spear, curious about what she was up to.

  The horn sparked, and the bolt of lightning that should have smited them diverted, traveling to the spear. The head bucked wildly, and he dropped down, wrapping his legs around it. His hand went up, holding onto Lily's arm to help her keep steady. A blinding light came off of the horn as the beast expended its power, presumably trying to blast them off. Lily gritted her teeth, funneling the beast's attack into itself.

  He was slow on the uptake, but once he realized what was going on, his grip on her arm tightened and he forcibly flung her away. Ignoring her shout of surprise, he dug his hand into the wound. He widened his connection to the void briefly as he let his magic run rampant, starting to incinerate the hardened insides of the beast.

  A sense of danger came over him, and Cal withdrew his hand. He began running across the length of its back as the head crashed into one of the pillars. He bit back a curse as the surroundings shuddered and finally jumped off the beast, landing on solid ground. Pivoting, he watched as the beast thrashed against the pillar, tearing itself free. Its head whipped toward him, and the burnt eye socket told him the job wasn't quite done.

  "Catch," Lily warned, as his spear hurtled toward him.

  He did so, plucking it out of the air. Twirling it once, he rushed the thing. Benny beat him to it, appearing from the shadow of the pillar and descending on it with both blades drawn. The knives cut into the empty socket, shadows spilling into it. The other eye burst open, black tendrils protruding from it for a moment before diving back inside to wreak more havoc.

  Cal chose that as his target, and he flung himself at it. The spear dug into the shredded eye and he poured his magic into it again. He controlled the heat, aiming it at whatever insides he felt were still driving the beast. Something must have given, as he could feel the mass underneath him jolt before slumping.

  He glanced around, seeing only carcasses were left. The sight of Rolland digging out the core of the flier provided him some joy, but it was short-lived as he recalled what had just happened.

  "What was that for!?" Lily barked at him, a scowl on her face. "I had it."

  Cal matched her expression, watching her closely while approaching her at a steady, if cautious, pace. He knew these kids were reckless, but he didn't think any of them would be bold enough to pull a stunt like that here, of all places.

  "What you had was a temporary bout of insanity." And potentially a longer stint if she kept that up. "At least, that's the only reason I could think of you taking control of a beast's magic mid-fight."

  He knew prior to the trip that the group's experience against beasts was lacking, but he thought they'd all know better than that. Especially since they were clearly aware of the danger the ambient magic held.

  The deep lines in her face softened at his words, and she scoffed, taking a hand and dusting some of the debris off of herself.

  "That's what you thought I was doing? I'm not an idiot. I had to grab the horn to get a feel for the charge, but after that, all I had to do was use a manifestation to turn your spear into a lightning rod. Did you feel me take any of its magic?"

  That stopped him cold, and he reviewed exactly what he had felt during the interaction. Belatedly, he realized he'd relied too much on his eyes and not his senses. In short, he'd panicked. Which wasn't something that was supposed to happen to him out here.

  Lily stared at him, eyebrow arched. Her foot started tapping, and he knew what she was expecting.

  "That's my bad," he admitted freely, putting on a smile that felt misplaced. "Sorry about that."

  There was nothing else to say. He'd overreacted.

  "It's fine," she waved away his apology, glancing toward the rhino. "But you're digging out that horn and lugging it around for me. It will make a great focus if we take it back to the Academy."

  As someone who didn't need one, Cal didn't know that's how they were created. With the size of the horn, he'd have to strap it to his back. He searched the cavern, looking for any signs of their mounts. He'd not seen any sign of them since the fall.

  "Sure…" he agreed with hesitation. "Do we need the whole thing? Carrying that much is probably a bad idea."

  Lily rolled her eyes, traveling toward the beast. Benny was already there, sizing it up with crossed arms. The boy's eyes were trained on one of the legs.

  Did they have time for a barbecue?

  She pulled herself on top of the beast, leaning against the horn. Her weapon scraped it, and she brought a claw to her nose, sniffing.

  "Shave it down. A pound of it should work. Though, should the guy collecting so many cores really be the one concerned about being weighed down?"

  He glanced down at his sack. He'd stealthily drained a few to make room, but at this rate, he'd need a bigger one.

  "I told you. I need them for class," Cal said, giving a half-lie. It was a clever excuse he'd thought of earlier. "I'm going to run some experiments I've been thinking of."

  Millie's notes were… something. Whatever they were, they weren't coherent, and he didn't want to look incompetent in front of Wyatt. Because of that, he was planning to save a few cores and try some of the designs she had drawn. That should give him a better understanding of what he was working with.

  "Oh, I remember." Lily nodded to herself. "And I've decided the next disaster is Alie's to tackle. I'm having my fill right now, thank you very much."

  Considering how many times Prodigy had destroyed her own lab, that was fair. Shit, maybe it was a better idea to have someone else test it out for him.

  "Callum, Lilliane," Benny addressed them, a pondering expression on his face. "Do these legs look strange to you?"

  Cal followed the boy's gaze, eyeing the scaly limb. There wasn't anything that jumped out at him, and he looked at Benjamin with confusion.

  "Are those…" Lily trailed off, approaching the leg and using her fingertips to trace its ankle. "From chains?"

  Beasts came in all shapes and sizes. Cal didn't see a slight discoloration and depression as evidence enough to say it had been held captive.

  "They're identical to what I've seen in the past," Benjamin supplied with his brow furrowed. "I struggle to understand who could have caged such a beast."

  Which was another reason Cal didn't believe it. It was possible, but why would they run into it out here?

  "I may have found something!" Rolland shouted from afar. He was standing over the insectile beast. Its carapace had been broken open, and the boy reached in. A blood-stained hand returned, and in it was something Cal hadn't expected to see. "I'm not certain what this means."

  Cal stared at the object, taking it in. More questions arose. None of which he had answers to.

  "It's not Ferguson." Lily was the first to break their stunned silence, commenting dryly. "Anyone recognize him?"

  Held in Rolland's hand by matted brown locks was a human head. Its eyes were open, a look of terror frozen in them. Cal had seen plenty of human remains, including those devoured by beasts. This was fresh.

  "I can't be sure," Cal said slowly, taking a moment to reexamine the ankles of the horned beast. Its presence here was odd. He turned to see where the flier had come from, but his augmented vision could see no end to the cave. "But I think his name is trouble."