DARK DISCOVERY

Luke hesitated for a fraction of a second, then moved through the doorway.

Inside the small stone chamber, he saw what was left of the Jedi candidate. The body lay crisped and blackened on the floor, rising wisps of steam curling from the remaining fabric of a Jedi robe.

On the floor, the newly constructed lightsaber lay where it had been dropped, as if the student had tried to fight something—and lost.

Luke caught his balance by leaning against the cool stone wall. His vision blurred, but he could not tear his gaze from his student sprawled in front of him.

By now the eleven other trainees had gathered. Luke turned, trembling, and grasped the worn stone bricks at the edge of the door until even the rounded corners bruised his fingers. He applied a Jedi calming technique three times before he felt confident enough to trust his voice. The words tasted like wet ash in his mouth.

“The dark side is always with us,” he said.