That evening, Sam reconvened with Win and Nadia, and the three sat down for dinner. The droids had obligingly delivered their meal to their apartment, including a so-called Xarlogic delicacy. Despite looking like a bowl of black sludge, it tasted heavenly, like pepper-crusted steak (or portabello mushroom, according to the resident vegetarian Win). They asked Wendell to join, but he conveyed that he still had droids to fix in preparation for the upcoming arrivals.

  That night, Saturn hid, and a vast view of space stretched out in front of them. No longer competing with the ringed planet’s magnificence, rays of the Sun stretched across the cosmos.

  Although not one to usually drink very much, Sam thought the occasion of their full day in space deserved a toast. Fortunately, Tar had stocked the station with human alcoholic beverages. Wendell had predictably declined to share any alcohol of nonhuman origin with them. They each poured themselves a glass of champagne.

  “To new adventures.” Sam raised his glass.

  “To learning to use aether.” Nadia tapped his glass with her own.

  “To friends,” Win joined in. He slipped a quick glance toward Nadia and had the temerity to flash a shy smile.

  Sam tried not to fumble his glass, quickly raising it to his mouth to hide his reaction from Win. Oh. Ohhhhh. The restaurant visits weren’t so innocent after all. Was he upset about it? No, of course not—it just required wrapping his head around the idea. He looked over at Nadia, but she remained oblivious. He’d talk to Win but resolved not to interfere. Both because he wanted to respect healthy boundaries with his sister, and no matter what way her feelings lay, she’d stab Sam in his sleep if he did.

  A couple of sips later and the afterglow made his face warm. It felt nice. But more than the champagne, he’d had a good day and was now enjoying time with two of his favorite people. I think this is happiness. He wanted the moment to last.

  He had told Nadia and Win that he had a development that day and promised he’d explain over dinner. Now seemed as good a time as any. “Do you know how we talked about the first two steps of this so-called Path during the entrance exams? When I tried meditating this afternoon, I was able to recreate some of what I did. I used aether to create energy.” He dropped his voice down to an almost-whisper. “I was able to make lightning.”

  Nadia’s eyes bulged. “You’re kidding. Seriously? How?”

  “Lightning? Already?” Win said at the same exact time.

  They both moved up to the ends of their chairs and leaned so far in that their faces became gigantic, making Sam laugh.

  “At first it was hell. I sat there, telling myself over and over again to stop thinking, but all that did was make me think more. Sounds idiotic, right? What I learned was, you can’t shout at your mind that it needs to act a certain way. You need to give it a reason, just like when your stomach knows it’s empty, and so it tells your brain you need to eat.”

  Nadia’s mouth opened, then closed. “I both completely get what you’re saying and have absolutely no idea what you mean. Thanks, I think?”

  Win took off his glasses and rubbed the sides of his head. “Yes, I agree with Nadia.” Of course you do. “This might be one of those things where we have to figure it out for ourselves. Tell us more about the lightning though.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Sam drummed the table with his fingers. “I thought the sparks I made during the exam were created by the staff I used. But now that I’ve made them on my own, I’m guessing my affinity is related to electricity. It’d be great to know more about what that means exactly, but for now, it feels right. How about you both, any sense of what yours might be?”

  “I do. Or at least an idea. Something to do with speed.” Win spun his spoon around the edge of his bowl. “I was able to move super-fast while I faced off against the book monster. At first, I kept tripping and got cut up pretty bad. But I got the hold of it eventually.”

  “Hold up, you fought a book monster?” Nadia deadpanned.

  Win let out a forced-sounding chuckle. “Well, yes, and I get that it sounds a bit silly, but can you take my word for it that it was horrifying? We were in a library, and I’d spot these beady eyes appear from around a book stack. That would be the sign that I’d next have razor-sharp pages shot at me. I love books, as you both know, and I haven’t been able to look at one since.” He lowered his voice. “I resent Tar for that.”

  “Whatever you say.” Nadia elbowed him, inducing a light blush. “It’s just funny that you faced off against a book and Sam against a cow. Jokes on you both because I fought against a serious opponent.” She shivered and then scowled. “One of my regulars at the diner, this older lady that comes in every Wednesday for dinner. Except it’s usually at four in the afternoon, when nobody else is there, and she orders me around the whole time. Man, do I hate her.”

  Nadia had pointed out the lady in question to Sam before, and fair enough, she’d probably wipe the floor with Auroch.

  Nadia took a second to collect herself. “Given that she’s the worst, go figure that the Xarlogics somehow knew I’d be terrified of her. The exam version had a pair of sewing needles with daggers at the end that she constantly threw at me. When she wasn’t chasing me around the diner, screaming about free refills and iced water with lemon.”

  Win soberly patted her shoulder, while Sam stifled his laughter and tried to look as sympathetic as possible. “That sounds terrible. How’d you win?”

  “I used my surroundings. There were other customers there. I made them fight her.” She stopped, as if that answered everything.

  Sam squinted at her. “What do you mean, made them fight her?”

  Nadia looked to the side, avoiding eye contact. “Whenever I was close to somebody, I could sense this strange sort of field around them. Then I was able to push against that field, and if I conveyed my intent as strongly as I could, they’d do what I wanted. I don’t know how to explain it better than that.”

  “Huh. That’s . . . impressive. And frightening, to be honest,” Sam said.

  “I concur. That’s an incredible skill, but I wouldn’t want to get on your bad side,” Win added, the shy grin making its return.

  “Yeah, well, I still need to see if it was all just a product of my head. If I practice tomorrow, can somebody help me out? Who wants to be my guinea pig?” She gave a short breezy laugh, then her face dropped, and she stared at them both.

  Sam and Win looked at each other. Win paled and shook his head with vigor, and Sam threw up his hands in resignation. “Fine. You’ll owe me for this though, Nadia. Maybe I’ll need somebody to practice shooting lighting at.”

  Nadia stretched, cracked her back, and grinned. “Bring it on.”

  While getting ready for bed later that evening, Sam contemplated a question that had preoccupied him during dinner. Both Win and Nadia had faced opponents in the entrance exam that reflected their circumstances in life. In turn, both seemed to have gained catharsis from the experience. They’d arrived at the station less encumbered by the worries that had previously plagued their daily lives. In Sam’s case though, there was no obvious line to draw. It was hardly like he’d dealt with cows on a daily basis, or ghosts, for that matter.

  Or what if it’s less literal than that? The takeaway that stood out to him was his response to the denigrating words thrown at him. They’d stirred him to action, coming from society (the pompous noble) and an unbeatable opponent (Auroch, like so many opposing teams he’d faced). They’d given him permission to step outside his role as the dutiful son and put it all on the line. He’d gone into the exam under siege, full of self-doubt. His performance served as the reminder of the person he believed himself to be—a fighter.

  And hey, if he met an alien species of cow in the coming months, he’d know exactly what to do.