by Simon Archer
I, myself, still stood shocked off to the side. My feet seemed rooted in their place, unable to move. A win I had not won? I wasn’t sure if I wanted to win that way. But I also knew I had no real say in how Em and Maria chose to do during their match. Especially since King Atlus himself agreed to let them figure out their match by themselves.
“Alright,” Maria proclaimed with a nod. “On the count of three.”
I tensed. Was this it? Was this how I won the Tournament round?
Em smiled and already started kneeling, knowing it would take her a little longer to get to the ground safely. Maria crouched a bit too, lowering herself.
“One,” Em began the countdown, “Two. Three!”
Em’s words rang out through the arena, and she collapsed to the ground on one knee. However, Maria hadn’t moved a muscle. She remained crouched over the grass, but her knee didn’t connect. Maria hovered there and waited.
It took the court a solid thirty seconds to realize what had happened. I was right there with them, deciphering the sight in front of us. Despite their agreement, Maria hadn’t forfeited. While Em’s knee rested on the ground, Maria remained upright and standing.
Maria won their match.
The trumpets stuttered for a moment before they blared out, signaling the end of the match. A roar exploded like fireworks over the crowd. Maria was quickly ushered back to her flag. She never once looked back at Em, who remained crouched on the floor.
Since a match wasn’t in progress, I figured it would be okay to run and check on Em. I lowered myself down to her and gripped Em’s shoulders.
“Emerald?” I said, shaking her slightly. “Em?”
“Leave me alone,” Em’s voice was so quiet against the last of the cheers from their match I had to lean closer to hear her.
“Let’s get you onto the bench, okay?” I offered. I gripped her arms now and tried to lift her back into her chair, but she threw me off with an incoherent shout. I fell back onto my behind and stared at her.
Tears ran down Em’s cheeks in deep streaks. Her eyes remained closed, but I could see the hurt all over her face. It was etched into the lines on her forehead and the tight jaw muscles. I tried one more time to touch her but was met with a fierce buzzing sound in my ear. My shoulder rose to my ear to shoo it away, but the buzzing just grew louder. It zipped around my head and landed on my outstretched hand.
It was a bee that glared up at me, vibrating so violently that I could barely see its wings, they flitted so fast. The sensations rippled up my skin, and I stilled. The insect’s stinger narrowed into a beautiful point that threatened to penetrate my hand if I moved it another inch. I got the merkin’s message loud and clear. So I retracted my fingers into a fist, hoping it would get the signal.
The bee launched off my hand and zoomed to Em’s side. It swirled around her head twice before settling somewhere around her ear. During my standoff with the bee, Em had made it back to her chair. She put her hands on the wheels and made her way across the grass.
She didn’t stop once. Not even when some of the losers called out to her, gesturing for her to come over to them.
I didn’t know the consequences of not taking a defeat with dignity, but I also understood where Em was coming from. A defeat like that was not one I would dignify by watching the victor move forward.
I watched her go as a dark thunder cloud rolled in. The sun suddenly left the sky, and it was clear that rain was inevitable. The ominous weather matched my disappointment and hurt. But I couldn’t allow myself to sink too low in those emotions. I had a match to win after all.
I was already going to win for myself, to prove that I was worth the court’s respect, especially after they now saw my healing abilities and might possibly correlate me to the horrid King Hennar. Now, though, I would also win for my friend Em, who was disgraced and betrayed… even if that meant fighting, and possibly ruining whatever Maria and I had been starting after that afternoon in the greenhouse.
I moved from my spot where I had knelt to comfort Em, stood at my mark, and waited for Maria to move to hers.
I don’t know what she saw in my eyes, because my emotions were a whirlwind and flooded me with anger, fear, stress, and worry for my friend. But whatever she saw made her flinch back… hard. I had a small flash of regret as I recalled the way she would arch up into my touch, the sweet moans that had echoed around us not too long ago, but I shook those thoughts out of my head. This was a tournament, and I would not be distracted.
The trumpets sounded, and she opened her mouth, no doubt to try to talk to me. But I wasn’t falling for it. I was not going to dignify her with the opportunity.
In a flash, I was across the field, right in front of Maria, causing her eyes to widen and her arms to pinwheel as she tried to get her balance back.
I pulled back my arm and, using the flat of my hand, thrust forward right at her sternum. The whoosh of all her air leaving her lungs blew into my face. I did a quick step to the side and caught her before she could fall.
She couldn’t fight my grasp since she was still struggling to get air back into her lungs.
“This isn’t how I imagined getting you in my arms again would go,” I said as I looked down at Maria. Trying to ignore the pinkness of her cheeks, the rosy lips that were open so invitingly, the heaving of her chest, or the way her blonde curls fell as I held her... or well, I tried to ignore those things.
“Me either,” she replied. Her wide baby blue eyes stared up at me, the surprise in them mingled with a hint of something that made my pants a bit tighter than they’d have otherwise been.
And then I dumped her out of bounds.
The trumpets sounded, and almost as if coming from a distance, I heard King Atlus’s voice call out, “And the winner is Martin Mark Anthony, son of James and Nina Anthony!”
There were cheers, but I simply stared down at Maria for a moment, but before I could think to help her up, people rushed the stadium, cheering my name.
I smiled wryly. Guess they hadn’t minded my little light show earlier. I stayed for a few minutes basking in the crowd’s adoration before heading back to my rooms. After all, while I liked the praise, having a bazillion people talking to me at once was too much. A crack of thunder was heard overhead, and right as I made it to the palace, the sky opened up, and the rain fell.
Safe in my chambers, I slammed the door behind me and slid down to the floor. I rested my head against the door.
“Martin?” Ffamran paged.
I groaned audibly. “Hi, Ffamran.”
“Are you alright?”
“Honestly?” I asked.
“Always.”
“Yeah, I am, but…” I sighed. “I feel like shit about Em and Maria, though.”
“I have to admit I do not know what shit feels like,” Ffamran said, attempting a joke.
“You know what I mean, Ffamran,” I replied with a laugh.
“Quite a tournament, huh? You won. Congratulations!” Ffamran tried his hand at changing the subject.
“Yeah, though I’m surprised at how easy it was,” I griped. “At least the end, anyway. The guards were pretty tough, but Maria… well, I don’t know what she was thinking.”
“Probably that she wanted to see your big, strong muscles firsthand,” the dragon said coyly, and that thought brought heat to my cheeks. Despite what the noblewoman had done to Em, I couldn’t help but remember that she’d felt nice in my arms, both times that I had held her.
“Do you need company?” Ffamran offered. “I would be happy to pick you up at your window.”
“Thanks, but I think I want to rest actually,” I admitted. “I’m kinda tired after healing Travis and competing in the tournament.”
“As you wish, Martin,” Ffamran relented, “but remember, I am here if you need it.”
“I appreciate that, Ffamran, I really do,” I tried to put some sincerity into my voice, knowing it was rather infected with exhaustion and crabbiness.
“You kno
w how to reach me,” the dragon said, and then I sensed him slip out of my consciousness.
It was comforting to know that he was only a thought away, but at the same time, it was nice to know I had my thoughts back to myself. After a minute with my thoughts, however, I realized I didn’t want to be with those either. They were a carousel, spinning without any intention of stopping. They analyzed everything from today, and I couldn’t get off the ride.
So, I crawled, hands and knees over to my bed. I hauled myself onto the mattress and snuggled under the covers. I placed a pillow over my head to block out any excess light. I begged for sleep, and after some time, I got my wish.
Surprisingly, I slept a dreamless sleep. The swirling thoughts seemed to stay with the daylight because when I awoke sometime in the middle of the night, they stalled.
Grateful, I stretched out, enjoying the pops from my stiff joints and the pull against my muscles. I snuggled into my fluffy blankets and pillows and simply laid there for a moment until I noticed something glittering outside my window. I squinted, trying to get a better look at it. Something shone against the moonlight, reflecting a triangular face of a dragon that I recognized.
“Johan?” I breathed.
27
I threw the covers off me and rolled out of bed. I rushed to the window, throwing it open. There, hovering outside of my chambers, was a dark green dragon with crystalized scales. They looked sharply cut emeralds as they glinted off the light from the moon, like ripples in a lake.
“I almost didn’t recognize you,” I admitted.
“It is the nighttime,” Johan said with a smirk. “It is where I belong, and this is the first time you have seen me in it.”
“It suits you,” I complimented.
“A little birdie told me that you had a rough day,” the dragon said with a sympathetic pout. “And by a little birdie, I mean a rather large and hairy dragon.”
I scoffed. “Rough is one word for it.”
“I am sure you have many words for it,” Johan said. “Why don’t you hop on out here and tell me all about it?”
“What? Now?” I asked, baffled. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“Exactly,” Johan said temptingly. “It’s the perfect time for a ride. Have you ever been on a midnight flight, Martin?”
“No,” I admitted, drawing out the word.
“Then you do not know what you are missing,” Johan said as he shifted around. He turned so that his side was closest to the window, intending for me to climb through and onto his back.
I opened my mouth to protest, but Johan cut me off.
“I am telling you, this is not an invitation you want to refuse,” Johan said with a wink.
“I feel like I don’t have much of a choice here,” I said, putting my hands on my hips.
“Truthfully, you do not.”
I puffed out a blast of air, making my lips flutter. If I were honest with myself, I wasn’t tired and had no idea how I was supposed to go back to sleep after that long-ass and unplanned nap. Maybe a moonlit flight wasn’t the worst idea.
“You are thinking about this too hard,” Johan scolded lightly. “Get your bony ass out here and hop on.”
“Hey!” I said, taking offense to his comment about my butt.
“Another birdie told me you had a bony ass,” Johan confessed. “Luckily, I have a rather rough exterior. Now, come out here already. Don’t make me stick my head in there and drag you out because I will.”
“Alright, alright,” I relented. “I’m coming.”
It took some finagling to get me out the window and onto Johan’s back. Once I was there, I realized he wasn’t kidding when he said he had hard scales. It was like sitting on a bunch of pointy pebbles, completely contradictory to Ffamran’s softer scales that molded to my body. Johan’s shell had no leeway and remained firm the entire journey.
Luckily, the thrill of the evening flight took hold, allowing me to forget about my sore bum. The stars were out in full. They twinkled and shone in all their splendor. The night air was crisp and fresh. My lungs welcomed the sensation, almost like a cleansing. The ground below glistened in a silver hue, bathed in the shiny gray light.
Johan knew what he was talking about. Night riding was a whole different experience, and I relished in it. As we soared through the evening, the worries of the day fell off me. They peeled off like a worn skin and retreated back into the darkness.
It was almost as if the dragon could feel the release because he said, “Tell me about your day.”
I recounted all the events, from the nervousness in the tent to trying to comfort Em after her defeat to my own victory.
“I still can’t believe Maria did that,” I whispered into the night air. A weird shiver receded up my arms, and I knew it wasn’t from the wind. “It seemed so out of character for her.”
“Not to point out the obvious, but she is a noble,” Johan said. “It seems quite in character for them. She did what she had to do to win, and frankly? So did Em. It just worked in Maria’s favor. At least you won in the end.”
“I guess,” I muttered, still not satisfied with that explanation. “I would have hoped there was more to her than that.”
“People have the tendency to disappoint you,” Johan said grimly.
“Sounds like you have direct experience with that,” I said, seizing the opportunity to talk about something else.
“Ah, yes.” I could feel Johan’s deep sigh beneath my legs as his chest deflated a little. “I am sorry to disappoint you, my lord, but I do not have as tragic a backstory as the others in our clan. It was more of a comment on the nature of man than anything else.”
“Okay,” I said, not knowing how to continue the conversation after that. I thought of the only question that seemed to make sense. “Where are we going anyhow?”
“You will see when we get there.” Johan turned his head around to face me and flash an annoying smile.
“Wow, cryptic much?” I teased.
“I like surprises,” Johan admitted. “You will find that I am a private being. While I am not as carefree as Sayles or as empathetic as Ffamran, I have my own strengths. Keeping others on their toes is one of them.”
“Alright then,” I accepted. “I am prepared to be surprised.”
Johan laughed at that. “That is quite an oxymoron, Martin.”
The dragon and I flew on for so long that I started to get sleepy again. The discomfort of Johan’s scales, though, made it impossible for me to ease into a proper position fit for rest. I tried to move as little as possible, knowing from experience with Ffamran that it was troublesome for a dragon’s equilibrium if you moved too much.
“You aren’t built for riders, are you?” I asked as I kicked out my legs to get some blood flow to my lower limbs.
“No, we are not,” Johan confirmed. “We are not even really built for flight.”
I recoiled at that. “How does that work?”
“The Lomta Clan are heavier than other clans,” Johan explained. “Our scales, as I am sure you can feel, are sharper and crystallized.”
“They remind me of ice, but green,” I commented as I stroked said scales with my hand.
“Yes, but they are sturdier, more like gemstones if you desire to compare it to something.” The dragon slithered his neck back and forth so I could see the full splendor of his outer coat. The individual scales worked together, bending but never breaking. They interlocked like chain mail and united at the crown of Johan’s head. There was a sense of artistry that emanated from the sight.
“So, what’s your weak spot?” I asked, not sure if the question was rude or not.
“I do not have one,” the dragon said indignantly.
“Oh, come on,” I said, not buying it. “With all of this gorgeous armor, you have to have a single spot where you can be hit. An Achilles’ heel.”
“Tell me yours, and I will tell you mine,” Johan bargained.
“Uh… I don’t have scales like you.
I’m squishy.” I poked at my stomach to demonstrate my point.
“Interpret the question another way,” Johan instructed. “What is the one place your enemy can always get to you without fail?”
I fell silent. It wasn’t easy to think about one’s weaknesses. Flaws were not something readily admitted. This was especially true for me. I had never been good at anything. Even as a child, I struggled with excelling at many subjects in school. I didn’t have a propensity for any sort of sport, though now I wondered if I should have tried a martial art, considering how much I’d grown in physical combat. Past that, the only real skill I possessed was my art.
I was lucky to have parents that supported my craft. They came to every art show, replenished my supplies, and encouraged my improvement. The thought of them revived that familiar piercing sensation. While duller with time, it never went away when I recalled the most important people in my life.
Unconsciously, I reached up and touched that spot, right underneath my heart, that pulsed with pain. I realized, then, that it was the same place that warned me when Diana went down today. If I thought about it long enough, I knew that it was the spot that ached at the thought of my loved ones getting hurt or suffering.
During my internal musing, Johan began our descent. We headed towards a rock structure enclosed in a shroud of trees. The dragon circled the area, steadily lowering with each rotation. His legs braced our landing, and he lowered the front ones so I could slide off.
Our new environment was rather dark, as the canopy of trees blocked most of the moonlight. However, any silver that caught Johan’s scales radiated back with a visible glint. It looked like a broken green disco ball that flickered randomly. A couple of feet away was the entrance to a cave, large enough for even the dragon to fit through.
“Do you have an answer for me?” Johan asked, raising back to his full height.
I wrapped my hand to the place beneath my breast. I tapped it twice and then pressed my palm to it, applying a slight pressure to ease the ongoing ache.