Page 183 of Powerless

I know I only have time for one hit before she recovers and throws me off with her mind. So I make that hit count.

I slide my father’s ring onto my middle finger and send a hard right hook to her temple, hitting that sensitive spot on her head with very little sensitivity.

And just like that, she’s out cold.

But not for long. She’ll wake within the next couple of minutes, and by then, I’ll be lost in the maze and hopefully far away. Because next time we meet, I have a feeling she’ll crush my heart on sight.

I stumble to my feet, body aching. Every inch of me screams in protest, staggers with each step. But I force myself forward, force myself to pick up speed.

I’m lost in the madness of the maze again, second guessing each path I take, wondering if the other would have led to my victory.

Left or right?

Left. Definitely left.

Definitely not, seeing that it’s a dead end.

Every few minutes I hear a cry of pain or sounds of a struggle blending with the shouts of the crowd far beyond these walls. Sights stand in the paths, startling me so much that I nearly punch half of them. But as soon as they see me coming, they move out of my way as best they can. I feel sorry for them, sorry that the things they have witnessed have been permanently burned into their brains.

The maze rearranges itself for the dozenth time, forcing me off my closing path and onto a new one.

I want to scream.

I turn right down a path at random before skidding to a stop.

There, at the end of this narrow path, is a sandy, open circle.

The center.

The victory.

Myvictory.

ChapterFifty-Eight

Kai

The very earthis under my control. One could say I hold the world in the palm of my hand, though it’s a very dramatic interpretation of my power. Well, the power I’m borrowing.

The maze wall before me collapses. The vines and foliage that make up the hedge sink back into the ground, slipping beneath the sand. I run forward, reaching out with the Bloom’s power to tear down walls or split them in half.

I’m destroying every bit of the maze near me, unraveling vines and branches.

I create a clear and wide path all while hoping I’m running in the right direction. And I don’t slow. Hedges melt apart for me to run through while others slither back into the earth where they sprouted from.

The shouts of the crowd amplify with each wall I tear down. The sound of my name echoes through the audience but I ignore it, focusing on my ability.

Focusing on the ability that is flickering.

The power inside of me dims.

The Blooms have finally figured out what I’m doing and are no doubt running away from the maze, trying to get out of my range.

I split a wall in front of me, creating a path for me to run through. It grows and grows and then—

Stops.

The ability seeps from my bones, leaving me powerless and pointlessly holding an outstretched hand at the hedge. I push my way through the hole I created, thorns and branches clawing at me.

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