Dragon Games

by Marisa Claire

  My wildest dream already had come true. Her name was Thula.

  “What happened?” I snorted. “Did Kaelina manage to kill her dragon?”

  Lanthe’s face flushed red. “No, she did not kill her dragon. A couple of draughts and the beast is good as new. But unfortunately, that is neither very good nor very new. That particular dragon is over a thousand years old. She’s tired and cranky and—”

  “Yeah, I would be too if someone whipped me ‘til I bled.”

  Lanthe huffed. He picked at a thread of my quilt. “Perhaps a trade, then? You have such a spot for my daughter’s dragon, and perhaps you’d like to take her home? Not to your old home, of course, wherever that is. A nice house in the mountains perhaps? A little dragon cave out back?”

  For the sake of the dragon, I wished I had it in me to take that offer, but I could never betray Thula like that. Not after the way she flew for me, not after the way she chose me.

  “I’m sorry, but no price could make me give up Thula.” I sat up straighter in the bed, trying to seem regal for my dismissal. “Your daughter will just have to make do.”

  Lanthe reached into his cloak and produced a velvet bag. He loosened the drawstring and dumped the contents in my lap. Gemlinks. Hundreds of them. Maybe even enough to buy Pali a Purity Drought. The tiny pink crystals sparked on the threads that bound them together in groups of ten. A wave of guilt washed over me. Was I betraying my sister by refusing this man’s offer? A vision of Pali dying a painful death twisted in my brain. Did I just ruin everything?

  No. This was no man. This was a cold-blooded killer. The hand that offered this money was the same hand that held the sword that speared our father. Pali would die before she accepted anything from this man.

  “Peasant, you will die here. What don’t you understand?” He lifted his thin eyebrows. “I am offering you a life beyond anything you ever imagined. All you have to do is give Kaelina the dragon and walk away.”

  “Thula called me. If she wanted Kaelina, she would have called her. What don’t you understand?”

  Lanthe’s teeth bared. “Anywhere else, I would have you lashed for such audacity.”

  I curled my lip. “Guessing that runs in your family.”

  Lanthe stood in a swirl of his cloak. “Give me the dragon, girl. I won’t offer twice. I don’t have to offer at all.”

  The unsaid threat prickled the hairs on my neck. But it was an idle threat, wasn’t it? Dragons chose their riders, and Thula had chosen me. She would never let someone like Kaelina Lanthe on her back. Especially not after the stunts she pulled during the First Trial. There could never be any trust between them.

  “Thula chose me. Kaelina’s dragon chose her. I’m not sure how your money or your power could change that.”

  Lanthe worked his weak chin from side to side. He started to speak several times, but finally just settled on a sneer. “I see you are determined to die here. Very well. You will face Kaelina in the joust, and if that doesn’t take care of you, I’m sure the Second Trial will.”

  “Only if your daughter cheats better than she did last time.”

  Lanthe stalked to the door. He paused with his hand on the frame and turned his head to the side. “If you change your mind before the match, my offer will still stand. But if you choose to go through with it, I will never offer again. And mark my word, peasant, Kaelina will have that dragon. One way or another.”

  ***

  By the time I woke up the next morning, I had seen my father die a thousand times in my dreams. Sometimes I watched from Mother’s arms, the way I really had, and other times I watched from above as if on a dragon, or from the crowd as if I was one of the hundreds of people who did nothing that day. Sometimes I watched through Father’s own eyes, felt the slick metal slide between my ribs.

  And sometimes I watched through the eyes of Lord Lanthe, felt my own hand whisk the sword from its scabbard and thrust it through my father’s heart.

  “One more for the road,” Amelie chirped, lifting the spoon to my lips.

  I only gagged a little on the too-sweet liquid. Wiping my lips, I smiled and said, “Thanks for taking care of me.”

  Her eyes bulged, and she shook her head. “You mustn’t say such a thing, Miss.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry,” I mumbled.

  Amelie winced like I’d gone another step too far.

  “Help me dress,” I said, forcing myself not to make it a question.

  The girl smiled and reached for the fresh tunic and breeches she’d brought with her. Apparently, she’d gotten all my measurements while I was healing and these new clothes were tailored just for me. My armor was ready too, though I would have to retrieve that in the ‘War Room’ as they called it.

  After I was dressed, Amelie cleared her throat. “Miss?”

  “Yes?” I asked, distracted by the unfamiliar girl staring back at me from the small mirror on the wall. I’d been wearing my father’s baggy shirts and trousers for so long that I think maybe even I had forgotten there was a young woman under there. I touched my hair that Amelie had painstakingly combed out, and the color the healing draughts had put in my cheeks. Who knew?

  “If you win, I’m assuming you’ll want to be sending your gemlinks home, but…”

  I whirled around, my reflection forgotten. “They can’t stop me.”

  Her eyes darted around and then she whispered, “We don’t have to tell them.”

  My heart exploded with affection for this girl. I clutched her hands in mine. “You’ll do that for me?”

  Her lips twitched, even though her eyes looked absolutely terrified. I felt a pang of guilt—she could obviously get in a lot of trouble for helping me with this, and who knew what trouble looked like for a servant here, but… the gemlinks had to get to Pali.

  I lowered my voice. “And a letter? To let them know I’m okay.”

  She nodded. “But be careful what you say. In case…”

  I squeezed her hands. “I understand.”

  Amelie led me out of the infirmary and down a spiraling stone stairway. As we walked, I rotated my shoulder, marveling at the complete healing. Those droughts didn’t mess around. Perhaps there was one that could fix Mother’s back… if I won the Dragon Games, I could find out.

  Or if I sold my dragon to Kaelina Lanthe.

  I shook the thought out of my head. Lord Lanthe could make all the threats he wanted. Thula and I had something that apparently none of the other students had with their dragons—the ability to communicate. She wasn’t just some dumb hogsteed that could be happy with anyone who would feed it. We were partners.

  And we were going to win.

  Four days had passed since the First Trial, which meant Pali had missed her dose unless some miracle had occurred back at home. I had to joust Kaelina, and fast. Who knew how long it would even taken for the gemlinks to reach Pithe once I had them? There was no more time to waste.

  Footsteps tapped down the hall behind us. Turning, I found Arlen hurrying our way. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Amelie bite her lip and giggle. Um, what?

  “He visited you every day, Miss,” she whispered.

  But before I could ask why, Arlen fell into step beside. He gave Amelie one hard look and she vanished, just melted into the wall like some kind of ghost.

  I whipped my head around. “Where?”

  “She’s a good servant,” Arlen said. His blue eyes studied my face. “How do you feel?”

  “Why do you care?” I scoffed.

  “Because I’ve been waiting to ask you some questions,” he murmured, glancing around like he wanted to make sure we were alone. “And I’d like to be certain you’re of sound mind when you answer them.”

  I sighed. “Then I guess you’d better ask me before Kaelina knocks my head off.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” He smiled, and it was almost like… like we’d made a joke together. He quickly cleared his throat. “Tell me what you meant when you said that Thula—”

  I made myself
laugh, way too loud. “Oh, no. You didn’t think I was serious, did you? Have you been obsessing over that all this time?”

  He frowned. “You seemed serious.”

  Pausing, I touched his arm in a gesture I meant to be condescending, but once it was happening, it felt mortifyingly flirty. I yanked it back, and now it was my turn to clear my throat. “Seeming serious is what makes something a good joke.”

  Arlen narrowed his eyes. “That was a strange time to joke.”

  “Now you’re getting it.” I punched him on the arm, thinking that would work out better, but it backfired by producing a little thrill in my chest. Arlen had a very nice arm. Probably two. I mean, I guessed the other was equally well made. “You say something absurd in a serious manner at a serious time and… there you have it. A joke.”

  Arlen scratched the back of his head, drawing attention to his inky black mane. That was also nice. His hair. It went really well with his face. Better than most Nobles. I didn’t know much about the Centrival family, but just going by Arlen’s face, I’d wager they hadn’t married nearly as many cousins as the Lanthe family.

  “But what you said wasn’t funny,” Arlen said slowly. “It was just… strange.”

  I shrugged, and my hand accidentally brushed his elbow again. Damn.

  “I never said I was good at joking.”

  “Hmm.” His frown deepened, but then he lifted his chin. “Well, you are good at riding. In a very raw manner. No form at all. Nor any grace. But all the same. You stayed on.”

  “Um, thanks?” I said, feeling off-kilter. “Wait, am I allowed to say thanks?”

  He looked at me like I was an idiot. “I’m not a servant.”

  “That was a—”

  “Joke.” He smiled tentatively. “Yes. I see now.”

  We came to the end of the corridor and paused before the Dining Hall doors.

  “Hector says you’ll join the regular classes tomorrow, but I thought perhaps…” He looked down at his shoes, and his hair fell across his eyes. “Perhaps at some point you might like a few pointers on riding and such, to get you caught up with your peers.”

  I stared at him. Was this even the same guy? Did he have a nicer twin brother or something?

  “Why would you do that?” I asked cautiously.

  “Has no one told you?” His brow lifted.

  “Told me what?”

  “After your performance in the First Trial—you’re the favorite to win.”

  I scrunched my eyes at him. “The joust?”

  He shook his head.

  “The next trial?” I asked slowly.

  He tilted his head, exasperated. But he couldn’t mean…

  “The Games,” he snapped, and then followed with a dark laugh. “In fact, as of right now, my father’s planning to bet half my inheritance on you.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The first-years ate breakfast in dead silence. Everybody was accounted for, but nobody had forgiven each other for the things that had happened during the Trial. Although judging from the glares that flew like the crossbow bolts, most of their ire was also directed at Kaelina, who had been responsible for setting the fires.

  The other two sections of the table chattered away, which I found interesting since they had their own even deadlier Trials to contend with. Either they had made peace with the literal backstabbing the Academy required them to engage in, or they had just had more time to polish their masks of bravado. Among them, only Arlen sat in as much silence as my end of the table, his forehead creased with… what? Worry? Concentration? Anger?

  “It’s mountain boar,” Yarben leaned over and whispered. “I was suspicious too. But you should try it. Everything’s good here.”

  He snapped off a bite of the thin red meat and smiled around his full mouth. Several pairs of eyes landed on him, and he quickly averted his attention back to his plate. My stomach rumbled, empty but for the pints of drought I’d had poured into me over the last four days. Picking up one of the slices, I took my first tentative crunch.

  Fifteen minutes later, as Hector motioned us up from the table, I was still licking up the crumbs that floated in the runny yellow rookster egg yolk.

  “That’s one way to enjoy your last meal,” Kaelina said, faking a gag.

  Dropping the plate, I ignored her and took one last swig of the sweet, frothy bovo milk in my mug. I caught Yarben watching with an amused look in his bright green eyes. We fell in beside each other as the lines formed, leaving Kaelina alone at the end.

  “Told you it was good,” Yarben whispered and then tapped his upper lip where a thin mustache was trying to come in. “You’ve got a little…”

  I swiped my tunic sleeve across my face. “Better?”

  He nodded. “Now you look like a winner.”

  I couldn’t tell if Yarben was flirting with me or trying to fluster me before the match. If the Legion Academy obliterated friendships and family ties, I couldn’t imagine it was a conducive atmosphere for romance. And even if I did become a Legionnaire, I would always lack the pedigree to become a Noble wife and make Noble babies to carry on the Noble tradition of oppressing everyone who hadn’t been bred right. Oh, no, whatever shall I do?

  Hector led us out the castle doors just as Raff and Kaelina’s handler brought our dragons in through the iron gates. It took everything in me to stay in the line and not run to Thula and hug her. And Raff too, of course.

  Only a handful of Nobles lined the second-floor balcony—apparently the rest had seen enough already. This joust was really just to determine who claimed the gemlinks and who got official bragging rights. Kaelina had only brought in two medallions it turned out. The rest had been lost in the river when she set the shrubs that held them on fire.

  My eyes caught on Lord Lanthe’s, his odd face pressed against the iron bars that protected them from rogue dragons. He lifted his brow and tilted his head as if asking if he had reconsidered. Scowling, I turned away. Not a chance.

  The students spread out into a long horizontal beneath the balcony, and Hector paced in front of us, rubbing his beefy hands together.

  “We are here to determine the official winner of the First Trial by means of a joust. The purpose of a joust is to unseat your opponent, not kill them.” His eyes flashed to Kaelina. “You will keep your dragons thirty feet off the ground. No higher, no lower. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Kaelina and I said in unison, and then glared at each other.

  “Very good.” He beckoned us with both hands. “Kaelina of the House of Lanthe, and Dima of the House of Marren. Come forward and prepare to joust.”

  We stepped forward, and our hand servants appeared like magic, each girl wearing a helmet and light chest plate. Kaelina lifted her arms, so I did the same, and Amelie slid the metal shell over my head and arms. I rolled my shoulders, getting used to the sensation of being suddenly twenty pounds heavier.

  Make that twenty-five. Amelie plunked the bronze helmet down over my hair, and my head wobbled from side to side. I understood why it was necessary—Kaelina would try to smash my skull in, regardless of what Hector said—but if this was the light training armor, I was not looking forward to battle armor.

  Hector led us into the center of the courtyard where Raff and the red-headed girl faced off along with Thula and Traka—hadn’t that been what Thula called her? Unable to reach out or even speak to Raff, I tried to put everything into the way I looked at him. I miss you, friend. I want to talk.

  Taking the reins from him, I pressed my hand to Thula’s nose, and she emitted a rapid clicking noise that I interpreted as happiness. I didn’t speak to her though because I could feel Arlen’s sharp eyes on us.

  “Riders, shake!” Hector ordered.

  Kaelina and I both looked at him with horror.

  “This is a fair match,” Hector growled. “Shake.”

  We met between our dragons and thrust out our hands, barely slapping our palms together before yanking them away. Shuddering, I went back to Thula
and Raff.

  “Riders, up!” Hector shouted.

  This time, I let Raff hold the reins while I climbed up the stirrups of a saddle—slightly different from the one Thula wore before. I wiggled my butt as hard as I could, probably sealing everyone’s opinion that all peasant had worms, but the saddle didn’t budge.

  “It’s right.”

  I pat her shoulder to let her know I’d heard. Raff handed the reins up to me, and I looped them over the saddle horn. I still had no idea how actually to use them. It would have been nice if Arlen’s offered riding lesson could have happened before the match. But we couldn’t take away any advantage of Kaelina Lanthe’s now could we?

  “Riders,” Hector shouted up to us. “You will fly to the opposite walls and launch from there. Remember, the goal is to unseat each other only.” He once again looked directly at Kaelina. It warmed my heart toward him to know that he knew she was a steaming pile of hogsteed droppings too.

  Our hand servants appeared again, this time holding massive purple and white lances across their arms, which were passed to our dragon handlers, who then lifted them up to us. I took the long, unwieldy weapon and tried to knock Thula upside the head as I shifted it into position.

  Glancing down at Raff, I couldn’t resist saying, “This is not like jousting on cindragons at all.”

  He smiled. “Nothing like.”

  I looked over at Kaelina, perched lightly on top of Traka with what I guessed Arlen would call good form. She held the lance with confidence, but as the blunt tip wobbled in the air near Traka’s head, I noticed it was cracked. I couldn’t believe Little Lady Lanthe hadn’t complained, but perhaps that was normal for jousting lances. I couldn’t even see the tip of mine, floating way out there in space.

  Our dragon handlers and servants fell back against the walls, and Hector lifted his hands into the air. “Riders, to your places!”

  I lifted the reins off the saddle horn, and Thula’s wings unfurled—her right one good as new. We swung around and landed on the flat top of the white stone wall. Then we turned to face Kaelina and Traka. Even across the courtyard, I could see the tan dragon chomping nervously at her bit. Lord Lanthe was right about one thing—that dragon wanted to retire.