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"Nothing,"I said. "Because I would've found you again anyway. Loch knew that you were back in town. He told me that day. He'd heard it fromDimitrius."

"Really?"

"Yeah.I definitely didn't expect to see you at the track. I didn't expect to see you that day. But you were on my mind, and I was planning on showing up at your family home to see if you were there. So, no matter what, fate meant for us to meetagain."

"Ididn't know that,"he said. "You're right. I guess we had no choice in the matter,huh?"

"Nope.But I'm not going to get complacent, thinking that fate is on our side. I know what Gregor can do on thattrack."

Inside,we were greeted by one of the track managers, who showed us down to the garages. The arena was spectacularly impressive during its operating hours, filled with the noise of a stadium filled with people and the roar of the bikes, but it took an equally awe-inspiring state when it was empty. Workers picked through the stands, cleaning them, but otherwise we were the only people inside. It felt like being alone in a city. Having such silence in so huge a place gave it a mystical quality, like the temple that was not too faraway.

"We havea database of records of the races run here," the track manager said. "If you wish, you can pull them up and run time trials against ghosts. The arena's system will network with your bike, and display a ghost racer of whoever you want to try runningagainst."

"What does that mean?"Perry askedhim.

"It meansthat Mr. Luna can practice against Gregor Houndfang's previous races," the manager said with a slim smile, obviously proud of his cutting-edgesystem.

Isearchedthrough the computer and found Gregor's records. I'd seen them before, but I still felt nervous looking at them. He was fast. Damn fast. He was a pro. I called up the race that I'd studied on my computer, and locked it into the track'ssystem.

"Now what?"I asked themanager.

"Go to your bike,"hesaid.

Perry tookup his position at the monitor, and I jogged out to the track, dropping to my paws as my body shifted into wolf form. I drew in a deep breath, pre-visualizing what the race night would be like. The house would likely be packed. It wasn't a publicized event, but people knew who we were, and it was apparent that the reason for the challenge was spreading quickly by word of mouth. I smelled the lingering pang of burnt rubber and gasoline from today's races, and I could almost hear the roar of a crowd. Excitement coursed through my body. I was going to push my skills to the very edge. I was going to get better. And in two days, I was going towin.

Iclimbedinto the cockpit of my bike and sealed the door, shrouding me in momentary darkness until the bike's electronics activated and the window illuminated with the heads-up display information. I locked my paws into the control ports, and lit up the engine. The bike shook to life, like a creature waking from an angrysleep.

"Monitor’s up,"Perry said, through the radio. "This iscrazy."

"What is?"Iasked.

"This ismy first time doing this on a proper system. Everything is so much more... overwhelming. And it literally looks like there's another bike on the track withyou."

Ilooked to my right,and was surprised to see a shimmering, spectral looking bike waiting next to mine. It was the training system that the manager had mentioned. Despite all the years I'd raced at White Tree, I'd never had a chance to use something like this before. This was going to vastly improve my skill level. I could actually study Gregor's driving styleup close, as if he were really on the track withme.

"Ready?"Perryasked.

The bike'ssystems flashed green: all safety and system checks completed. "Ready," Isaid.

"Countdown. On your marks."

The lightsabove the track flashed red, then yellow, and finally... green. I opened the throttle and shot forward like a missile, the arena around me streaking into a blur. For a moment, I was startled by the grip I had on the track, like my bike was latched onto the asphalt with glue. I'd gotten used to practicing at the abandoned proving grounds, riding on unmaintained track that made my bike feel like it was going to spin out at any moment. But that was a good thing. I'd done so many practice races there that I'd developed a much more delicate sense of control because ofit.

Ilookedto my right and saw the ghost bike flying along right at my side.Come on,I thought.Let's dothis.

By the endof the practice run, I was panting to catch my breath. My body shook with adrenaline, and I stumbled out of the cockpit onto wobbly legs. I'd expected the first run to not be so great, but I hadn't expected to get my tail kicked so fucking thoroughly. I'd kept up with Gregor's ghost run for the first half, even pulling ahead of him several times, but as soon as we entered into the major obstacles--the ones that the abandoned track didn't have—I completely fell behind, to the point where catching up was just adream.

Perry ran over to me,and I collapsed onto the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Shift back. Cooldown."

"No,"I grunted. "It's just the first run. Just somewater."

He lookedlike he wanted to argue, but he knew I was right. Time was really precious now. There'd be little room for rest thistime.

Ilappedup water from a watering station in the pit, and then trotted back to my bike, sealing the door behind me. I fired up the engine, settled into the controls, and narrowed my eyes on the track.Again.

"Watchyour speed when entering The Dog's Eye," Perry said. "Don't rush it. If you rush it, you'll end up losing time trying to correct for smallmistakes."

"Right,"I growled. "Let's dothis."