Uncrowned (Cradle Book 7)

by Will Wight

  Sophara was the real problem.

  The champion of the gold dragons maintained a strong lead. If Charity hadn't known better, she would have suspected the woman had actually reached Overlord. Her madra was so dense and powerful that, combined with her strong dragon's body, she simply tore through most tests.

  She held onto first place with an iron grip, which was inconvenient for Charity. If she actually won the tournament, Sophara’s name would become commonplace all around the world, which would make it difficult to assassinate her.

  In second place was Sha Miara. She publicly claimed to be an Underlady from a distant branch of the royal family, but Charity doubted that. Based on her level of command over royal madra, she suspected the girl might be the Monarch's daughter.

  The only other one Charity spent time contemplating was Yerin Arelius from the Blackflame Empire team. The real House Arelius had caused a stir when Yerin and Lindon were revealed as adopted members of their clan, and she was sure they were watching intently.

  No fewer than three members of their Blackflame branch were participating in the tournament. Even if two were only adopted disciples, the Arelius clan wasn’t in a position to turn down any potential source of strength.

  Yerin had cut her way to eleventh, coincidentally only one place behind Lindon. She flagged on the tests that required flexibility but excelled in anything that could be solved with combat. That boded well for future rounds.

  In all, Charity was pleased with her faction competitors. The Frozen Blade students were ranked in the thirties, except for their one replacement, who was struggling to maintain eightieth place. He wouldn't make it into the second round.

  Their second Akura team was, on average, doing well enough. Grace held on to thirty-second place while her teammates were fifty-third and fifty-eighth. For a team Charity had arranged at the last minute, they were doing her proud.

  All in all, she was satisfied.

  If only the dragons hadn't been performing so well.

  Only two of the twelve total dragon competitors were even in danger of elimination. The gold dragons were all in the top sixteen, and led by Sophara...they would be a deadly force in the second round.

  That would be the real test. The first time when her humans would come to face their enemies.

  She ran her eyes down the list, looking at the last person who was currently in a position to pass. Eithan Arelius.

  Charity had thought his potential would be much greater than this. His command over his bloodline ability alone should have gotten him a higher position, but he was staying in sixty-fourth. He had been sixty-fourth in the ninth trial as well. And in the eighth...

  Raising an eyebrow, Charity looked back over the results. In the eighth test, he’d been sixty-second. Seventh…sixty-third.

  Eithan had bounced between sixty-fourth and sixtieth since the beginning of the round.

  ~~~

  In the fifteenth and final trial, Lindon was forced to use the Void Dragon's Dance.

  He fought five of the masked giants this time, in a wide-open arena that shot bursts of flames randomly from the ground. The air was full of fire aura, so it was easy to use his Ruler technique, but he had been determined not to.

  After failing to clear all five enemies the first time and being painlessly sliced in half—a disorienting experience—he had decided he couldn't waste any more time. As far as he knew, he was ranked near the bottom, and he had a clear method of winning. He only had to reveal one more of his abilities.

  Reluctantly, Lindon gathered up the fire and destruction aura in the air, calling down a swirling vortex of flame. It consumed three of the giants, scorching the other two, leaving Lindon to slice them in half with dragon's breath.

  As soon as they fell, a pair of golden characters appeared in the air.

  “The End,” they said.

  Then the gold fire grew. It swallowed everything in an instant, erasing the world.

  Lindon emerged, blinking, into the sunlight of the arena. He was seated on his knees, just where he had begun.

  Less than a dozen people sat around him.

  [Huh. I guess we didn't manage to avoid attention, did we?]

  Lindon's heart fluttered with nerves. He had stood out. Now they were going to look him up. He'd have a harder time from here on out because he had misjudged his timing.

  But then again...he had proven himself. Even if he failed in the next round, he had shown that he could compete with some of the best in the world.

  It was a rush of emotion that Lindon had never felt before.

  The crowd erupted into cheers, and the Ninecloud Soul shouted his name, but he was looking around at his competitors.

  Sophara, the gold dragon, fixed him with the eyes of a serpent. She looked ready to blast him apart from there.

  The red-haired girl from the Ninecloud section ignored him, cycling on the ground, but once again he had missed the announcement of her name. He turned to look at the list, to see the names of the people who had ranked ahead of him.

  Then he heard a familiar shout from behind him, and he turned in place. From her knees, Yerin slapped her palm into the ground. “Bleed me! I was stone-certain I'd beaten you. How long have you been here?”

  The arena rang with the sound of Yerin's name, and Lindon swelled with pride, but he answered modestly. “Only a few seconds. We practically finished together.”

  As Lindon looked to one of the glowing golden lists hanging in the air and saw his name in tenth place and Yerin's in eleventh, he had to remind himself that this was only the first round. It was meant to test their flexibility and to weed out those who were fundamentally unfit for the rest of the tournament. It didn't necessarily reflect those who would win the fights later.

  [And look who beat you!] Dross said.

  Lindon's eyes crawled up to eighth place, where Mercy's name rested. It was still bizarre to think that she was more capable than he was, as he had mostly known her as a Lowgold, but she was a Monarch's daughter. That was to be expected.

  Seated in a cycling position on the ground, Mercy leaned over to exchange excited whispers with Yerin.

  Lindon didn't see Pride's name, which made the day seem even brighter.

  [I wasn't talking about Mercy,] Dross said, just as Lindon looked up to check the top of the list.

  Sopharanatoth, gold dragon team, the board said. First position.

  He looked down, and Sophara once again had her red-hot gaze on him.

  Lindon's mood sunk, but not too far. His earlier reasoning came back to him: this was only the first round. Just because she’d ranked higher didn't mean that there was an impossible gap between them.

  The thought comforted him until he noticed the second name.

  Sha Miara, Ninecloud Court team.

  He felt as though he'd been speared through the chest. He had already seen the red-haired girl seated calmly nearby, ignoring those around her, but he hadn't given her another thought yet.

  His eyes moved involuntarily to the Ninecloud Court viewing tower, a crystalline structure of Forged madra and delicate stained glass. Their Monarch platform was a jeweled palace resting on top of a rainbow-colored cloud.

  There was no way they could sneak their Monarch into this competition. It wasn't possible. The other Monarchs wouldn't be deceived, and surely she would gain nothing from pretending to be an Underlady.

  [That's not even the worst part!] Dross said cheerfully. [She's only in second place.]

  Lindon calmed himself. He hadn't even known what a Monarch was when Suriel first showed him Sha Miara. He had obviously misunderstood the situation.

  He had to be wrong.

  ~~~

  Back in the amethyst spire where the entire Akura faction stayed, Yerin and Lindon visited a tablet library. The second round wouldn't start for another week, and participants were encouraged to examine the records of their competition. The entire first round had been recorded, and they found dream tablet recordings of many opponents f
rom before the tournament started.

  Together, Yerin and Lindon sat on a couch and watched as a sculpture of light showed them Sophara's performance. They watched all the way through the first round in silence, and when the illusion finally faded, they both remained quiet.

  Finally, Dross spun out of Lindon's spirit and sat on his shoulder. [Good news! I can build a decent model of Sophara now. The bad news is that it will absolutely destroy you.]

  Lindon wasn't surprised. If he hadn't sensed Sophara's spirit for himself, he would have assumed she was an Overlord.

  She was physically stronger than Yerin, her dragon's breath came out faster than his, her techniques were smooth and precise, and she reacted so quickly that he wondered if her senses were as sharp as Eithan's. Watching her in the first round was almost hypnotic; she seemed to dance through each trial as though she'd known its contents in advance.

  “At least you can train against a model,” Yerin said bitterly. “Let's see how I stack up.”

  Lindon had explained Dross' models to Yerin months ago through the sound transmission construct. She'd been understandably jealous.

  Yerin removed the dream tablet and replaced it in the projection construct with another they'd retrieved before: Yerin's own record of the first round.

  Her weaknesses became apparent almost immediately.

  “As long as it's not a fight, I'm as useless as feathers on a fish.”

  She'd torn through every combat, but had struggled to deal with anything else.

  “Good thing the rest of the competition is a series of fights,” Lindon said.

  [As far as we know.]

  Yerin sent out a sliver of madra and froze the image as a wave of sword aura devastated a line of Forged soldiers. “I wouldn't say no to a heavier weapon. I'm good enough against a batch of servants, but it'll take me a year and a day to cut through decent armor.”

  The illusion skipped ahead to her battle against one of the large gray-skinned warriors, and she had to dance around it until she eventually brought it down with enough cuts.

  Lindon scribbled down some thoughts on a scroll that he'd brought for just this purpose. “I need something to defend myself.” He blew on the ink. “Dross and I have been working on this. I brought the armor from the Skysworn and from the Seishen Kingdom, but armor is against the rules of the tournament.”

  [Also, the Akura Soulsmith library is virtually empty of any relevant information,] Dross said. [Each of them has their own suit of armor built in.]

  “That too,” Lindon admitted.

  Yerin leaned forward to inspect Dross' round purple body. “You think you could run me through one of those models?”

  [Maybe with some more of the Sage's madra. How about you ask her for more, Lindon?]

  “She's already suspicious.” Lindon had asked for as many scales from Charity as he dared, but it had eventually become clear that she thought he was spending the scales. She was sure that his mind-spirit couldn't be processing the power so fast.

  Yerin brushed hair away from her face. “I've got some things I want to try. I know my Path is worth more than this; my master placed fifth in the first round.”

  She didn't sound too bothered, but Lindon could feel her disappointment. She'd let herself down in her own eyes.

  His brush stopped, and he looked up at her. “If it was about where you started, I would never have caught up to you. The only thing that matters is where you end up.” He returned to the scroll. “And our paths don't end with this tournament.”

  She didn't respond for so long that he stopped worrying about his notes and started worrying that he'd said something wrong. By the time he checked her expression, she’d sat down on the couch beside him again. Her hair hung down so that he couldn't see her face, but she sat closer to him than before.

  [I think you've offended her,] Dross whispered into Lindon's mind. [Quick, throw yourself on the floor and beg forgiveness.]

  Lindon swallowed. I don't think so, he responded, but before he could say anything to Yerin, rainbow light filled the room.

  Both of them stood abruptly, staring into the ceiling from which the light streamed.

  “Number ten, Wei Shi Lindon Arelius,” the Ninecloud Soul said, her voice warm. “I have come to deliver your prize for the first round and information about the second round. Yerin Arelius, would you please leave the room for a moment?”

  The viewing-rooms were essentially private booths, so it would be easy for her to step outside, but Lindon bowed to the Ninecloud Soul. “Pardon, but if it isn't too much trouble, would you allow her to stay?”

  “No trouble at all. I needed to speak to her next, so this only saves me time.” The rainbow light coalesced into an image floating in midair: a castle of blocks and mortar floating on a cloud. “As your reward for successfully passing the first round, our team of artisan Soulsmiths and architects will design for you a floating fortress according to your preferences.”

  The castle shifted into a more luxurious housing compound surrounding a courtyard, filled with trees and a shining pool.

  “We can tailor the facilities to your style and needs, and even your Path.” Now the house became a network of rocky hills and caves, with vents in the ground spewing jets of fire into the sky.

  Lindon could practically feel the aura of fire and destruction even from the illusion.

  He and Dross stared speechlessly at the image. Lindon felt a pang of regret that Orthos wasn't here to see this.

  “Will we be able to use this prize in our next round?” Lindon asked when he had recovered himself. Dross was still staring, his mouth hanging slack.

  “Regrettably, no. It will not be ready until the completion of the tournament, while the next round is in one week.”

  They had already been told that the second round would take place in a week; the rest of the city was in a non-stop festival until the end of the Uncrowned King tournament, but the participants were expected to spend their time training and preparing—which was what Lindon would have chosen to do anyway.

  “And the nature of the next round?”

  “A team elimination match between all teams at once,” the Soul said serenely. “Those teams who survived the first round with all three of their members will therefore have an advantage.”

  “That's a lot less than a map,” Yerin said. “Where are we fighting?”

  “I cannot give you any more details until the day of the competition. However, I am permitted to say that you will be allowed to fill your soulspace, but can carry no other weapons or void keys. Any constructs you bring will be inspected to ensure that they fall within appropriate power parameters, which are contained within the tournament rules and can be reviewed at any time.”

  Lindon stored that away. He couldn’t fit anything too powerful into his soulspace, but he and Dross should be able to make some preparations. “Gratitude. Now, the fortress...is that allowed weapons?”

  “The fortress naturally includes a battery of defensive scripts and constructs, as it is intended to be a secure retreat. For the same reason, however, our intent is not to design you a weapon of war, but a safe place to live or travel.”

  Lindon asked further questions about the power source, guidance system, requirements for piloting, and maintenance. Most of them were standard systems, and the one consistent restriction on the fortress was size. The size of the Thousand-Mile Cloud construct remained constant for all participants. Dross fed a few questions through Lindon, rather than addressing the Ninecloud Soul directly, and Yerin piped up with a few as well.

  “What do you plan to do with yours?” Lindon asked her. “Maybe they could complement—” He held out a hand, interrupting himself as an idea sparked in his mind. He spoke before he thought. “Wait! If you'll forgive another question, honored...Soul...could we combine our prizes? Would you allow us to have one fortress that's twice the size?”

  “If number eleven agrees to it,” the rainbow light said.

  Yerin frowned at h
im. “Don't you think we'd be better off with two?”

  “We're always traveling together anyway. We can make ours better than anyone else's.”

  She stared at him quietly for a long moment, which gave him enough time to realize what he’d said. He had essentially asked her if she wanted to build a home with him.

  Heat rushed to his face, and she noticed, because her own cheeks flushed red and she hurriedly looked away. He almost apologized to the Ninecloud Soul and took back his words. He really hadn’t been thinking. This could ruin his whole relationship with Yerin.

  Mercy’s voice echoed clearly in his mind. “And you’re okay with that?”

  Then his own: “I don’t know.”

  [Look at that!] Dross said proudly. [I can play memories back for you! It’s just like you’re hearing it for the first time, isn’t it?]

  Lindon’s heart pounded, and he looked back at the rainbow light so he didn’t have to see Yerin’s expression, but he didn’t say anything. His proposal stayed on the table.

  After the longest handful of seconds in Lindon’s life, Yerin made a quiet noise that he thought might be approval.

  But she hadn't said anything. Maybe she felt like he was pushing her into it. Suddenly his self-consciousness spilled over and out of his mouth. “Or not,” he added, “if you don't feel comfortable with it. We can wait to decide.”

  The Ninecloud Soul twinkled. “Number eleven, no one can determine the nature of your prize but you. If you are afraid of reprisal outside the competition, you are entitled to the protection and enforcement of the Ninecloud Court.”

  Yerin coughed. “Who's telling you I'm afraid of anything? I agreed, I agree, I'm agreeing now.”

  “If you would perhaps let number ten leave, so that I can hear it from you without the possibility of coercion...”

  “Did I say there was a need for that? Get it done.”

  Yerin looked away from Lindon, and the back of her neck was scarlet. He knew his face had to be even brighter than hers.

  Chapter 12

  Eithan tapped his fingers together as the Ninecloud Soul produced another floating model of his flying fortress.