“Where is he?” Chris bellowed, glaring at the far end of the inn, at the place where Oliver and his friends had previously stood.
Malcolm turned too, gaping at the open window. “They escaped!”
Chris turned and thumped his fist against the wall of the inn. He immediately winced and pulled it into his chest to cradle. He was so furious. Mistress Obsidian had given him an amazing opportunity to pulverize Oliver once and for all—and a whole gang of seers to help—and yet somehow he’d escaped. Right when they’d had him cornered! It was too infuriating.
He turned back, directing his annoyance at Malcolm. “How could you let this happen?”
Malcolm’s face turned rageful. “Me? What about you? What did you do? You just stood there!”
Chris glowered at him. “I used up my powers earlier. When will I get more? Why did they fail so quickly?”
“It can take up to a day to digest a star,” Malcolm replied. Then with a sneer of disgust, he added, “Longer for those of a tubbier disposition.”
Anger flamed in Chris’s stomach, racing through his body and into his face. How dare he?
He grabbed Malcolm, his rage boiling over, and shoved him back against the brick wall, pinning him there.
“Did you do this on purpose?” he demanded. “Did you make it so my powers would weaken like that, so you could lead?”
Malcolm pushed back with his arms, but Chris barely moved an inch. He was far bulkier and physically stronger, even if his powers were weak in comparison.
“You’re an idiot,” Malcolm said. “Your powers come from the universe. It’s got nothing to do with me.”
“Don’t you dare call me an idiot!” Chris bellowed.
He slammed his palm into the wall right next to Malcolm’s head, making him flinch. But Malcolm wasn’t going to just stand there and take it.
Using his powers, Malcolm pushed Chris backward. He went flying across the room, smashing into a table. It crashed beneath him, sending him sprawling to the floor.
All the Obsidian spectators gasped with excitement.
Chris groaned, winded from the blow. But he wasn’t giving up that easily.
If they want a fight, I’ll give them one, he thought.
He pulled himself up to his feet and charged Malcolm like a bull at a matador. But Malcolm held his hand out, pushing out with his invisible powers. Chris ran headlong into some kind of barrier. He felt his head slam into it, as if he’d run straight into a brick wall. He fell to the ground in agonizing pain.
From all around him, he could hear the Obsidians laughing. He wasn’t going to stand for it. No one laughed at Christopher Blue.
He tried to get up but his head was spinning. Black stars swam in his eyes. He couldn’t get his balance enough to push himself to standing.
All at once, Malcolm was looming over him. He crouched down on one knee and grabbed a fistful of Chris’s T-shirt. Then he yanked it toward him in one sharp movement, lifting Chris clean off the ground. Their faces were just an inch apart.
“I think you’re forgetting who’s leader here,” Malcolm said in a sharp whisper.
Chris’s head was still swimming but he was just able to formulate a sentence. “The strongest leads. That’s what Mistress Obsidian said.”
“And the strongest is me,” Malcolm replied.
Then he pulled his fist into the air and brought it crashing into the side of Chris’s head.
Pain bloomed across Chris’s face . He’d never felt anything like it. In all his years as a bully, NO ONE had succeeded in beating him up.
Another blow came from Malcolm’s bony knuckles and this time Chris tasted iron in his mouth. The weasel had split his lip!
He tried to shove Malcolm off but Malcolm must have been using his powers to keep him bound because Chris seemed unable to move.
He’s cheating, he thought to himself. It’s not a fair fight.
Chris spat to the side, his lip stinging from the split in it. Then a third punch got him right in the ear, making it ring. It was so painful, Chris wanted to scream. But he wasn’t going to give Malcolm the satisfaction.
If only I had my powers, Chris thought. Then I’d show him who was strongest.
He watched, completely helpless, as Malcolm’s fist came toward his face for a fourth time. But before it made contact, Chris felt a sudden change come over his body. It only took a split-second for a sudden ripple of power to emanate from his heart. It was a surge of his powers. They’d come back to him.
Chris jerked his head sideways and Malcolm’s fist missed him. His movement had been agile, instinctive, and lightning-fast.
Malcolm only had time to flash Chris a perplexed expression of confusion before Chris retaliated.
He jabbed forward with his hand. The heel collided with Malcolm’s chin. The boy went arching back through the air. He flew all the way to the other side of the inn and slammed into the wall so hard he left a dent.
The Obsidian students descended into excited hollering, like spectators at a sports match.
Chris felt the invisible chains Malcolm had bound him with disappear. He leapt up to his feet, suddenly as light as a feather, and looked down at his hands. He could feel a crackle of energy in them. His powers had rejuvenated and they were stronger now than before.
He grabbed a pint glass from one of the tables. This time it didn’t automatically melt in his hands. He squeezed and the glass shattered.
“Perfect,” Chris muttered with a grin.
He locked gazes with Malcolm sprawled on the floor. The boy’s eyes were suddenly filled with shock.
Chris thumped over and looked down at him.
All the Obsidian kids started to speak in excited, hurried whispers. This was exactly the sort of thing they loved, Chris could tell. He loved it too. It was time to take his position as leader.
“Strongest is leader, right?” he said, looking down his nose at Malcolm’s heaped form. “Then I challenge you to a fight. Let’s find out who’s strongest once and for all.”