by Gage Lee
Only the smallest dragons were shorter than Taun, and most of those were girls. The dragons of average height had a full head on the young knight, and the ones with tails, wings, or horns were half again as tall as he was. He wracked his memory for the dragon physiology lessons he'd had with Sage Lantan back home. Dragons were born in soft-shelled eggs and hatched looking mostly like human infants. As they aged, scales appeared on their skin and they grew quickly. With each stage of maturity they gained more dragon features, until they fully transformed into flying lizards who could breathe fire and soar over mountains.
We could do a lot more than that, man-child. But these whelps are far from their final maturation. There is still hope for you to prevail in challenges against them.
A hand on Taun's shoulder interrupted his thoughts before he could ask more about these challenges that Axaranth had mentioned. “There you are,” a young dragon said, then spluttered when he saw Taun's face. “You're not Tors.”
“I'm not,” Taun said, then introduced himself. “Taun Koth'tok, dragon knight of the Ruby Blade Keep.”
“Kam Geth,” the dragon said, adjusting the wire-framed spectacles perched on his nose. “Koth'tok?”
Sage Lantan had taught Taun all about the names used within the dragon empire. Surnames weren't based on families, but on lines of duty. Koth meant Taun was tied to the Ruby Blade Clan of the Sunrise Mountain Kingdom. But the secondary surname, tok, identified him as a dragon knight.
A human.
“That's right,” he said.
Kam eyed Taun with lopsided grin. “I've never heard of a human attending one of our schools. Hope you're ready for the beatings you'll take in the challenges.”
“You're so sure it won't go the other way?” Taun didn't like the disparaging tone he heard in Kam's voice. “Dragon knights train hard to defend the lands of the empire. We're not pushovers.”
He does not have much of a size advantage on you, and he seems to have spent far too much of his life in a library. Knock him in the dirt to establish dominance.
Taun did his best to ignore the dragon in his head. He was here to learn how to harness pneuma so he could save his family's keep from the troubles it faced. If a dragon started a fight, he'd do his level best to finish it, but Taun had no plans to instigate any conflicts.
“Sorry, sorry,” Kam said, holding his hands up to show he meant no offense. The pair hustled to catch up to the other dragons. “I've just never met a human before. You don't have scales or claws. How do you fight?”
“With armor and a saber,” Taun said with a chuckle. A massive stage loomed ahead of them, multicolored lights sweeping back and forth across its front edge. “Looks like the show's about to start.”
A female dragon with long, gray hair hanging loose past her shoulders had taken her spot behind the lectern on stage in front of the school's inner wall. She had wings, horns, a tail, and her nose and mouth had merged together to form a long, draconic snout.
The gathered dragons clapped, and Taun joined in. Only Kam Geth had noticed he was a human, so far, and he wanted to blend in for as long as possible. His life would be far easier if he learned the rules of the game before he started playing.
“That's Horsa Vash'nan,” Kam explained. “She runs this place.”
A tall dragon with golden scales across his cheeks and forehead glared at Kam's words, and pressed a finger to his lips. The spectacled dragon raised his hands and bobbed his head vigorously, a sign of submission that Taun found irritating. He didn't know much about the class and social structures of dragons, but he wasn't about to bow and scrape just because someone had a little gold on their face.
You may just stand a chance among dragons after all.
“Welcome, students, to the three thousandth class of the Celestial Mountain Dragon Academy,” Horsa said. She hadn't shouted, but her voice still boomed across the courtyard, and Taun wondered if it was amplified by her pneuma. “We will begin the ranking challenges shortly, but first it is my duty to inform you all of the rules of the Glory Chase, our most ancient and honored tradition.”
Oh, this will be good. Pay attention. To succeed at the Academy, you must master the Glory Chase.
The mention of the Glory Chase earned an explosion of cheers and thunderous applause that reverberated from the Academy's walls. Kam winced a little at the noise, but the gold dragon who'd chastised him whooped and clapped like he'd just won the harvest lottery for a prize calf.
“The instructors here at the Academy will provide you with the best training available to dragonkind,” Horsa continued. “The knowledge they will impart to you provides the tools needed to succeed in draconic society. But knowledge and training are not enough. To reach your true potential, you must use what you have learned. The Glory Chase will provide you with that opportunity.”
Horsa raised her right hand and Taun's jaw dropped as an immense glowing wall appeared beside her. “While the adepts and devoted amongst us already know this information, it's tradition to explain it to our new initiates. You will all begin with zero Glory. You earn Glory by doing well in your courses, as you see here.”
Lines of text appeared on the glowing wall, blood red against its deep, blue surface. Taun was glad he'd studied draconic runes enough to make out what the wall said.
S Rank = Five Points
A Rank = Three Points
B Rank = Two Points
Taun felt a tingle of excitement. The dragons were bigger and stronger than he was, but he was a good student who worked hard. He was confident he'd hold his own in the classroom.
“But there is another way to earn Glory, as well.” Horsa said with a smile that revealed far too many teeth for Taun's comfort. She looked ready to bite the head off any prey hapless enough to cross her path. “Challenges issued by the staff will earn between five and twenty Glory for the victor, depending on the difficulty.”
As Horsa spoke, more runes appeared on the wall beneath the class rank scores. Taun scratched his chin as he considered this new information. He'd hoped doing well in his classes, something he knew he could accomplish, would earn him enough Glory to get by at the Academy. Unfortunately, the challenges were weighted heavily against that plan. One good challenge would earn as much Glory as four S ranks in the classroom. If the young knight didn't win some challenges, the dragons would leave him in the dust in this Glory Chase.
Unacceptable. You will not just get by or stick to the middle of the pack. You are my host. Excellence is your only option.
Which was very easy for the dragon's soul to say, considering it wasn't Axaranth's flesh and bone on the line here. Taun reviewed the challenges, hoping he could find a way to earn Glory without being torn limb from limb.
Common Material Deposit: 5G
Uncommon Material Deposit: 10G
Rare Material Deposit: 15G
Exotic Material Deposit: 20G
Common Harvest: 5G
Uncommon Harvest: 10G
Rare Harvest: 10G
Tombkin Tokens: 5G
Tombkin Advanced Tokens: 20G
Tombkin Elite Tokens: 50G
“Sanctioned duels also earn glory,” Horsa continued before Taun could fully absorb what he'd read. “Odds and rewards for duels will be determined by the staff. Those not involved in the dual are permitted to wager Glory on its outcome, if they wish. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering what to do with your Glory.”
Taun focused all his attention on the speaker. Maybe he could use Glory to buy an edge he'd need to duel the dragons. If he didn't do something to even the odds, he'd have a target on his back the whole time he was at the Academy.
“First, be aware any Glory you spend on perks will lower your standings in the Glory Chase.” Many of the initiates groaned at this. Horsa raised her hands to quiet them. “I know, I know. But rest assured that spending your Glory can give you an advantage when it comes to earning even more. First off, you can spend Glory to purchase upgrades for your lodge or a move to a curren
tly unoccupied lodge. Enhanced meal passes are also available, as are material rations, tutoring, and enhanced supplies. In short, if there's anything you want or need, it can be had for enough Glory. And, of course, Glory can be exchanged with your fellow students as you see fit. You will need to purchase Glory tokens to trade, but any professor or proctor can assist you with that purchase.”
With that, the elder dragon snapped her fingers and another wall of glowing text appeared. This one had the Glory prices for a handful of items.
Tier 5 to Tier 4 Lodge Upgrade: 50G
Tier 4 to Tier 3 Lodge Upgrade: 100G
Tier 3 to Tier 2 Lodge Upgrade: 200G
Tier 2 to Tier 1 Lodge Upgrade: 500G
Common Materials Ration: 20G
Uncommon Materials Ration: 40G
Rare Materials Ration: 100G
Common Meal Pass, 1 Week: 10G
Enhanced Meal Pass, 1 Week: 20G
Infused Meal Pass, 1 Week: 50G
Tier 5 tutoring: 5G/hour
Tier 4 tutoring: 10G/hour
Tier 3 tutoring: 20G/hour
Tier 2 tutoring: 50G/hour
Tier 1 tutoring: 100G/hour
Taun's analytical mind chewed on the information on the walls in front of him. Doing well in class, which was the closest thing he had to a guarantee in all this, would earn him Glory at a slow, but steady pace. He'd earn more by harvesting or depositing materials, whatever that meant. And then there were duels and Tombkin tokens. Those were the fastest way to earn Glory, but also the most dangerous. Taun was no slouch when it came to saber fighting, and he even had some skill when it came to unarmed martial arts, but without Axaranth's help he had no chance against even young dragons. Tombkin might be an easier fight, but Taun doubted it. The flight over their world had filled him with dread.
Taun mulled over his problem while the speaker continued discussing all the glorious traditions behind the Academy. Glory was important, not only as a means of ranking students, but also as a way to get ahead at the Academy. The best lodgings and food would help in every other aspect, and tutoring would be key to staying ahead in the classroom. He wasn't sure what materials or infused meal passes were, but there was no doubt in his mind they would be helpful, too. If he wanted to do more than survive his time at the Academy, Taun knew he would have to figure out how to climb the ranks in the Glory Chase. And that meant competing against dragons like the gold who'd already given Taun the evil eye.
As if drawn to the young knight's thoughts, the gold dragon looked over his shoulder. Pure malice burned in the young dragon's gaze, and his lips curled into a hateful sneer.
Golds are nobility. They see humans as servants and fodder for war. He will make your life here very interesting.
Great, Taun thought. That's just what I need. Any suggestions for how to deal with him?
Yes. Kill him. Do it in a public space and you will have no further challenges for several days, at the least.
Taun couldn't disagree with Axaranth's logic. Taking down the gold in front of all his dragon friends would give the rest of them pause. And with Axaranth's help, he could dispatch a young dragon. The two of them had annihilated an eldwyr raiding party. The gold couldn't be tougher than that.
“I, uh, wouldn't look at him like that,” Kam whispered.
“What?” Taun asked, feigning confusion. “Who?”
“Auris Vash,” the bespectacled dragon whispered, his voice barely audible. “If he catches you staring like that, he'll challenge you to a duel.”
“So?” Taun replied. “I've fought tougher opponents than that.”
Kam leaned back a bit and adjusted his glasses. He scratched at the patch of silver scales on one cheek while he considered Taun. “It's not his toughness that should bother you.”
The chill in Kam's voice caught in Taun's thoughts like a fishhook. “What does that mean?”
The young dragon let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head. “They really let you in here without giving you the slightest idea of what you were up against. Auris Vash is a prince of the Diamond Scepter clan.”
Those words hit Taun like a mule's kick. He was a knight. Nobles were dangerous, deadly things. Not because of their skill, but because of their families' power. Even if Taun beat the gold, there would be repercussions.
“Oh, well,” he said. “That's unfortunate.”
“You don't know the half of it,” Kam said quietly. “He's the crown prince.”
The emperor's son, Taun realized. If that dragon came after him, he was already dead.
Chapter 6
HORSA WOUND UP HER speech with another welcome for the new initiates, then clapped her hands together. “Of course, the greatest prize of the Glory Chase goes to the lodge who ends the year with the highest total Glory. The winners will be personally honored by a representative of the Scaled Council.”
That is how we prove who I am.
Taun didn’t like the sound of that. If the eldwyr returned to attack the Ruby Blade Keep before the end of the year, his family would be defenseless. He needed to prove to someone that Axaranth really had chosen him for a host. And soon.
But he didn’t know how to do that, so he’d just have to play along with Axaranth’s plan until he could come up with something better.
Whatever that might be.
“It is time to begin your lodge placement challenge,” Horsa Vash’nan called out. “Please go to the banner appropriate to your rank!”
Banners of light unfurled from the air above the courtyard's corners, and the gathered students split up. Kam grabbed Taun's arm and pointed to a green banner in the northwest corner. “This one's for initiates,” the spectacled dragon said. “Let's go!”
Roughly half of the students were headed in the same direction, including the gold who'd eyeballed Taun. The next largest group, about a quarter of the total students, headed for the yellow banner in the southeast corner of the open area. The remaining dragons broke up into two smaller groups under the red and blue banners.
“What do the colors mean?” Taun asked Kam.
“Green's for initiates, obviously,” Kam said, “and yellow's for adepts. The devoted are under the red banner, and the consecrated are blue.”
“Oh,” Taun said, glad he had a guide who seemed willing to share information. “That explains exactly nothing to me. Initiates are new students?”
“Right, and adepts are those who've reached the third stage of their attunement,” Kam continued. “You know, for their element.”
“Sure. Their element.” Taun wasn't above asking questions, but he didn't want to look like he knew nothing. Even a nice dragon could turn on him. “Why are there half as many adepts as initiates?”
“Not everyone makes it out of the initiate class,” Kam said. “Training here can be rough. Here we are. They're about to explain the challenge, so listen up.”
Taun guessed the young dragon on the stage beneath the green banner was about twenty winters old, though it was hard to be certain at this distance. Rather than hair, the male bore a widow's peak of silver scales that mirrored the metallic streaks across his cheeks and down the center of his chin. His robes were a brilliant amethyst threaded with streaks of white light that seemed to move of their own accord. When he spoke, his voice was smooth and deep, loud enough to be heard all the way to the back of the crowd of initiates without echoing off the Academy's walls.
“There are a lot of you this year,” he said, “so listen carefully because I will not repeat the challenge's instructions again. When I call your name, come up to the stage. I'll put a lotus pod at the base of this ramp. Your challenge is to harness the elemental motes in the containers to move the pod through the hole at the ramp's top. Your time and accuracy will determine your ranking. Ready? Good. Let's begin with our esteemed guest from the Shadowvale Kingdom, Auris Vash.”
The gold dragon who'd glared at Taun strode confidently to the stage, head held high. The sunlight streaming into the courtyard flashed off his s
cales, and he waved a dismissive hand at the applauding students as he climbed the stage. Auris paused next to the dragon who'd presented the challenge, his eyes scanning the crowd.
Taun wanted to crawl under a rock to avoid the gold dragon's attention, but it was too late. “Let me show you how it's done,” he said, his eyes locked on Taun in the crowd. “Take notes, human. You'll never live up to this.”
Auris accepted the lotus pod from the professor and placed it at the bottom of the ramp. The gold let the rattling pod settle in position. His eyes narrowed with concentration and Taun detected the flow of pneuma between the dragon and one of the ceramic cups at the bottom of the ramp. The brittle vessel shattered with a sharp crack and released a gout of yellow elemental essence. Auris guided the power around the pod, forming a tight noose of energy. The flowing power snapped forward, dragging the lotus pod through a narrow arc before slamming it through the hole at the top of the ramp.
He's very strongly attuned to the earth element. That binds him to the warrior's path. He will be a worthy foe.
“I'm not fighting him,” Taun muttered under his breath. “I'm here to get stronger, not get myself killed picking fights with dragon nobles.”
The professor called another gold to the stage. The new student paused to whisper something to Auris as the first dragon left the stage, and the two of them chuckled. When the second student reached the stage, he pointed at Taun and grinned wolfishly, showing every one of his sharp teeth. “We see you, boy,” he called. “Watch and learn. If you can.”
That got a laugh from most of the other dragons, but Kam put a hand on Taun's shoulder. “Don't let them get you down,” he said while the second dragon batted his lotus pod off the ramp as easily as Auris had. “Warriors are all talk and no fire. Besides, it's not as if they're allowed to kill you.”
“Really?” Taun asked. He didn't understand the rules of the duels that Horsa had told them about. After seeing the dragons in action, Taun had been certain murder was on the table.