On the way back to his cabin, Lucian turned the corner to find Dirk and his dogs waiting for him. Kasim cracked his knuckles while Paul stalked forward with a predatory smile. And in between them, Dirk’s blue eyes glinted murderously.

  “Get him in the cabin,” he instructed. “It’s time we dealt with you, psycho.”

  Lucian ran. There was no point in saving his pride if he were dead.

  All he had to do was make it back to his cabin, but his strides were ungainly in the lower gravity of the ship, with which he didn’t have much experience. Paul and Kasim both easily caught up to him, tackling him to the deck. Lucian shouted, hoping someone might hear. But he had no such luck as they dragged him kicking and screaming through the first-class cabin door, which slid shut.

  Kasim and Paul threw him against the wall, their frames blocking all possibility of escape. Dirk watched from the side, rolling up his sleeves while narrowing his eyes.

  “You shouldn’t be walking alone at night,” Dirk said with an easy drawl. “It can be dangerous.”

  Lucian wasn’t going to waste time on words. He charged forward, hard enough to break past both Paul and Kasim. He made straight for the door, but couldn’t get there fast enough before Dirk grabbed him by the wrist, twisting it. Lucian yowled, turning his body to relieve the pain before ripping his hand away. He threw himself at Paul, who was now blocking the exit. Paul braced himself to take the tackle, and despite the force of Lucian’s attack, there wasn’t enough momentum to clear a path.

  Paul pushed back with surprising strength despite his scrawny form. The boys guffawed as Kasim caught him and threw him against the wall. Lucian tumbled to the deck and scrambled up as quickly as he could. But now, they had him ringed tight, preventing escape.

  Paul threw a hard punch, which Lucian somehow dodged. But Kasim clocked him square in the jaw, causing him to stagger back and hit the wall. Dirk and Paul set upon him again, landing more punches all over his body. Lucian tried to shield himself, but it was impossible to cover everything.

  “You didn’t listen,” Dirk said. “And now, you’ll pay the price.”

  “What’s wrong with you? Why can’t you just leave me be?”

  Dirk chuckled. “The way your kind let us be fifty years ago? My grandpa died in that war, psycho scum. The way I see it, all psychos should be killed. Anyone who does that is a hero.”

  Lucian struggled against his assailants, but couldn’t break free.

  “One day,” Dirk said, his voice taunting, “mage-hunting will be legal, and we’ll cleanse the galaxy of your filth. It’ll happen as soon as Palmer is League Hegemon. I just thought I’d get started with the fun a bit early.”

  The last thing Lucian needed was a trip to the med bay. And of course, there was always the danger that they would go too far. With mounting fear, he realized they might try to kill him. And since he was a mage, the crew might not do much about it.

  That put everything into sharp perspective. He had no choice but to fight for his life, however, he could, as pointless as it probably was. He couldn’t let it end like this.

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  He had one thing going for him: he was a mage. Maybe he didn’t know how to stream yet, but they didn’t know that.

  It was a desperate ploy, but it was all he had.

  “If you don’t back off, I’ll tear your face off with my magic.”

  Lucian had no idea whether that was even possible. But to his surprise, Paul and Kasim’s grips loosened, almost allowing him to break free.

  But Dirk added his own weight with a snarl. “He’s bluffing! He’s going to that damn academy, and until he gets training, he can’t do jack shit to us.”

  "You're sure you want to risk that?” Lucian asked. “I have nothing to lose, asshole. You have everything to lose.”

  Paul and Kasim exchanged unsure glances, and Lucian prepared to go after the weak links. He only had one shot. He had to make them more afraid of his vaunted powers than they were of their leader.

  Lucian closed his eyes and concentrated, doing his best to make a real show of it.

  “What are you doing?” Kasim asked, fear creeping into his voice.

  Paul’s reaction was the exact opposite of Kasim’s. He pummeled Lucian in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him.

  Lucian had made them scared, which was exactly what he’d wanted. Unfortunately, that fear was causing them to lash out even more. Even at this moment, even with this pain, there had to be a way to take control. Maybe it was a matter of will, as the old woman had said.

  His voice escaped with a rasp. “I . . . won’t let you win!”

  He was rewarded with another punch to the gut, courtesy of Dirk.

  A voice seemed to come from outside himself. Control your mind. Amid chaos, stillness is the key. Rise and embrace your power. Take what is yours by right.

  That voice sounded like the old woman’s. How could that be possible, though?

  Lucian didn’t question it. He was sinking lower and lower under the weight of their attacks. His body and face were bruised, and blood was already dribbling down his chin.

  Once he was low enough, they started to kick. Each impact was like a hammer, a lance of hot pain ripping through his body. After a few minutes of this, he would be lying dead in a pool of his blood.

  He withdrew into himself. The pain seemed to fade. He could see something in the distance, like a light. Whatever it was, he latched onto it. It made him feel warm, and the pain ebbed further.

  As he held that light, a sort of power seized him, lending him fire and strength. He let out a maniacal laugh, a laugh that seemed to give his attackers pause, if only for a moment. The fire was spreading through every fiber of his being. It was like a buildup of static electricity, only it refused to be discharged. The hairs on his arms stood on end.

  This power, whatever it was, needed an outlet. And it could only be them.

  “I warned you.” His voice came out commanding and strong, so much so that they backed off a few steps, seeming to recognize the difference.

  That was the opening he needed. Lucian stood tall, but Dirk wasn’t having it. With a roar, he pulled his fist back, preparing to go for the knockout.

  The fire burned hotter, enough to make Lucian cry out in pain. His hands were glowing now. A purplish aura radiated outward, illuminating the interior of the cabin with an ethereal radiance.

  Dirk’s eyes widened, and his punch never landed. Now, the three Fleet recruits were the ones backing away, their eyes wide and their faces pallid.

  “Let him go,” Paul almost squeaked.

  “Yeah,” Kasim rumbled. “I don’t want to mess with that.”

  “Cowards!” Dirk spat. “It’s just a light show. Do I have to show you how things are done?”

  The power was still building up toward a critical mass. Lucian didn’t know how to direct it. But as Dirk turned back to him, readying his attack once again, something burst inside Lucian—a mixture of anger and panic. If he didn’t let this magic go soon, the fire inside would consume him alive.

  The pressure released from his hands in a single burst. With that discharge of energy, the fire dissipated at once, along with the glow around his hands.

  And in the next moment, Dirk was screaming.

  Lucian blinked as Dirk grasped his face, where blood poured through his fingers in rivers of red. It splattered slowly toward the deck in fat drops. Cold dread crept over Lucian as Dirk wailed in pain, his words escaping in an incoherent babble. Kasim and Paul looked on in horror.

  Bruised and bloody, but still in control, Lucian pushed past Paul, hit the button to open the door, and staggered into the corridor.

  He ran, Dirk’s wails echoing behind him.