"What's in the packs?" she asks.
I refrain from rolling my eyes. I know as little as she does, which is something she's well aware of. "Why don't you open it?" I suggest.
I have to admit, I'm curious too, but I don't want to be the first one to open mine in case it's something bad.
She frowns, but tears at the brown paper surrounding it. Her package is fatter and shorter than mine, but I'm not sure if that means anything. She picks up the items one by one, and turns them over in her hands, confusion written all over her face.
A dagger, some crackers, and a water canteen. None of it tells us anything about what we're expected to do next, all it does is raise more questions.
Like who decided it was a good idea to give a bunch of criminals a weapon?
"Attention, attention."
I jump at the sound of the man from yesterday's voice coming in over the loudspeakers above our heads.
"Welcome to the inaugural Dragon Duels. When the klaxon sounds, the Duels will begin. If you survive the next ten days, you will be pardoned for your crimes against the White Towers. There are no rules within the Dragon Duels. You can do anything you wish to survive."
A shiver runs down my spine.
Anything.
That's not good.
I catch one of the bigger men leering at me and look away as quickly as I can. At least my instinct to take Joseph up on his offer is a good one. If I do that, then perhaps I'll have a little bit of protection against some of the other people taking part in this farce.
We all wait, expecting some other instructions, but none come. When the klaxon rings out, hurting my ears in the process, I'm relieved. At least it'll mean an end to the waiting. Now I just have to find a way to get through the next ten days while staying alive. Somehow, I think that's going to be easier said than done.
The sound of rippling fabric snapping in the wind sounds from overhead, and I look up, along with half of the other prisoners.
A lump forms in my throat. A dragon.
As if surviving isn't hard enough already.
The woman next to me and screams, before starting to run off in the direction of the house.
I close my eyes, not wanting to watch what's going to happen next. Anyone living in the White Towers knows better than to run away from a dragon. It catches their attention and makes them go into hunting mode.
Sure enough, the gigantic black beast dives, coming in far lower than I expect. The wind from its wings nearly knocks a few people to the ground, but the dragon doesn't care about them. It has the woman in its sights and it won't stop until it's made a meal out of her.
The woman stumbles, dropping the stuff from her package to the ground. She scrambles back to her feet, terror written all over her face.
The dragon screeches and lets out a stream of fire. Even from here, I can feel the heat on my skin.
"Piper," Joseph whispers as he closes a hand around my wrist. "Come on." He tugs me in the opposite direction.
It takes me a moment to respond, even though I know I have to. It's time for us to get away from the horrors in front of me.
Once I've regained control of myself, I follow him as he leads me behind a set of boulders off to the side. It won't offer us protection for long, but it gets us out of the dragon's line of sight when it's finished with the woman.
"How are we going to get through this?" I whisper, horror creeping into my voice. All I did was steal some bread, and now I'm fighting for my life? It hardly seems fair.
"I don't know," Joseph admits. "Maybe we need to pretend this is a game, like when we were kids," he suggests.
"When we were kids, there wasn't a dragon trying to kill us."
"I don't think it's just one," he counters, pointing up at the sky.
Sure enough, there are three more dark shapes circling high above.
"Why aren't they all attacking?"
Joseph shrugs. "I guess us all getting burned to death on the first day isn't enough entertainment," he says bitterly.
I grimace. That's true.
"What's in your package?" I ask instead of focusing on his statement.
He rips it open without answering, revealing the same crackers and canteen that the woman had, along with a crossbow and three bolts.
"I'm guessing they're not strong enough to bring down a dragon."
He shakes his head. "Definitely not. What's in yours?"
I follow suit, opening up the brown paper. I have a sword instead of a crossbow, but that's the only difference.
"What do they want us to do with these?" I ask, even though I think I know the answer already.
"I guess the Duels aren't just with the dragons." He nods back to the other prisoners.
Two of the bigger men are already fighting over the woman's abandoned pack, even with the dragon a couple of feet away enjoying its meal.
I swallow nervously.
The next ten days just got even worse.
4
I resist the urge to leave the cave and look for Joseph. He's only been gone an hour or two at the most, and that's not enough time for me to put myself in danger to find him. Besides, if I leave and he comes back, he won't have any idea about where to find me, which is as much of a problem as anything.
I pick up my sword and poke it into the small fire we have going, moving one of the smouldering logs around so it won't go out. It's mostly for warmth. We haven't eaten anything in a couple of days since the crackers ran out. Even with careful rationing, they didn't last very long. I'm sure that's the idea.
A scuffling sound at the entrance of the cave calls my attention and I rise to my feet, sword still in hand. I don't raise it yet. It's probably just Joseph coming back, and that would be a waste of energy if anyone else is there.
"Piper," he calls.
My whole body relaxes as I realise I'm right about who it is. It makes sense, no one else knows where we're hiding, and we haven't seen anyone in days. I'm not even sure how many people are left still alive. It's better if I don't think about it.
"You're back," I say needlessly, slipping my sword through the length of rope I've tied around my hips to act as a make-shift scabbard. I guess it would have been too helpful for them to include one when they gave me the sword.
He smiles through the smudges of soot covering his face. I'm sure I look the same. If there's one thing in abundance here, it's soot and ash. The dragons have burned everything over the past few days, several times over.
"Did you find anything?"
His hands appear empty, but maybe he's squirrelled something away in his pockets. It's wishful thinking at best, but that's all I have right now, so I'm going to do it as much as I can.
"Yes, but we need to go and fill up the canteens, and then carry some of the food back."
"You found that much?" I try to stop my jaw from dropping open, but it's hard not to when he's talking about that much food.
Joseph grimaces. "There's a dead dragon."
"Dead how?" What does it take to bring down a beast like that?
"It looks like two of them got into a fight. But I don't know enough about them to be sure about that."
I nod. I can't say I know enough about dragons either. I wish I did, it would make all of this a lot easier. Then again, how much more than stay away from them do I really need to know, given the circumstances.
"Let me put another log on the fire, then we can go."
He waits for me while I do it, then grab the single burlap sack we managed to salvage from a heap of wreckage. There isn't much of use in the arena, but there are some things. Probably just enough for some of the fifty of us to survive.
"Is dragon meat even safe to eat?" I ask as we make our way out of the cave and out into the open.
"No idea," he admits. "I was going to use the Arts to change it into something different."
"Ah." That sounds like a good idea. I don't know exactly how the Arts work, not having access to them myself, but I think it's something to
do with transforming things from one state to another. I don't know how it'll work on dragon meat, but I guess we're about to find out.
We lapse into silence, but mostly because now we're out in the open, we're both on high alert. We haven't had any trouble with any of the other former prisoners yet, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. I'm sure more than one of them is enjoying the freedom this is giving them to be cruel. And then there are the dragons to contend with. They can appear out of nowhere within seconds and burn us to a crisp, or scoop us up to save for a tasty snack later. I don't fancy either of those fates.
Joseph carries his loaded crossbow in front of him, poised to defend us if he needs to. It's easy to admire the grace and surety of his movements, even in the midst of a terrible situation like this one. If this was a different situation, perhaps I'd pluck up the courage to ask him on a date. I always wanted more when we were teenagers, but always felt too awkward to.
If we survive this, I'll do it.
What have I got to lose? I'll have faced down certain death, asking someone I've known most of my life out on a date shouldn't be too hard after that.
"We're here," he says, pulling me from my thoughts.
Guilt floods through me. I'm supposed to be staying alert and protecting him from any dangers, and instead I'm thinking about a future we may or may not have.
I push it aside. Nothing's happened, and we're both safe. For now. The massive dragon carcass in front of me isn't making me feel that way though.
"I need your sword," he says.
"Oh, right." I draw it and hand it to him, taking his crossbow in its stead.
I perch on a nearby rock, scanning the surrounding area in case anyone decides to attack while he's carving up bits of dragon. I'm not as good with the crossbow as he is, but I'll be able to shoot a bolt at someone if they come too close.
Parts of the dragon are starting to rot, and the putrid smell assaults my nose and makes me want to gag. It's got to have been here for longer than the few days we have been, surely? Has the dragon been planted here as part of the Duels? perhaps it's safer if we don't eat it.
My stomach growls at me, as if reminding me how long it's been since I had anything to eat. We have no choice. It's eat the dragon or starve.
A movement to the left startles me, and my first thought is that the dragon isn't actually dead. But that isn't possible, not when it smells as bad as it does.
But that means the movement is even more dangerous. A dragon can be predicted, a person can't be.
"Joseph!" I call, realising a moment too late that in doing so, I've revealed my position.
The man who leered at me as the Duels began jumps out and rushes towards me.
Fear thrums through my entire body and I pull the trigger of the crossbow without thinking. The bolt sails past him, not even close to hitting the mark, or even distracting him.
I scramble to my feet, knowing I don't have time to reload before the man gets to me. I still pull one of the bolts, I can use it as a crude dagger if I have to, it's certainly better than not having any weapon at all.
Before I can do anything else, Joseph jumps in front of the guy with my sword raised. The two of them begin to parry back and forth, but it's easy to see who is going to win. The man is much stronger than Joseph is, and it seems as if he's had more to eat since coming into the Duels too, though I dread to think what he's been eating for that to be the case.
With nothing else for it, I slot the bolt into the crossbow and level it. I take aim, my hands shaking ever so slightly from nerves. If I get this wrong, not only will I harm my only ally in this forsaken place, but I'll leave myself defenceless against someone who quite clearly wants to kill us all.
I take a deep breath, then pull the trigger.
The bolt flies through the air, narrowly missing Joseph's ear as it passes him. I let go of the breath I'm holding, grateful I haven't injured him. But that's only half the battle.
I'm not sure if I'm more relieved or horrified when the bolt hits the man square between the eyes. Time stands still for a moment as he wavers, then falls to the ground with a loud thud.
Nausea spreads through me, and I want to stuff my hand in my mouth to stop myself from throwing up.
I killed someone.
"Piper," Joseph says in a soothing tone. "Piper, listen to me, we have to get some water, then we can go back to the cave. It's going to be okay."
I nod, but I'm hardly paying any attention. I can't believe I did that. I've never even thought about killing anyone before, not even when I'm angry at them.
But the Duels have changed everything. Now I'm a killer.
5
The cold is a constant companion, even with the fires we've been able to build. It's not so bad during the day, or even when the dragons are on a rampage, but at night, it's almost unbearable.
"How long has it been?" I ask through chattering teeth.
"I lost count," Joseph responds, lifting an arm and holding it out to me so I can lean into him and we can share our body heat.
A few weeks ago, I'd have considered the act intimate. Now it's simply a necessity. He pulls me closer, and I rest my head on his shoulder.
"Maybe eight or nine days?" he adds after a moment.
"It feels like longer."
"Like years," he agrees.
"But at least if we're right, we don't have to go through this for much longer." But the last few days are going to be the worst. Especially as we're running low on food and water. At least the dragon meat didn't make us sick, though I'm not sure if that's because Joseph used the Arts to make it resemble chicken more, or if it is because the meat wasn't poisonous anyway.
"I can't wait." The earnestness in his voice echoes my own feelings on the matter.
"How many of us do you think are left?"
"I don't know," he admits, which isn't a surprise answer. How is he to know any better than I do?
"What will they do if most people survive?"
He chuckles darkly. "I don't think most of us will be," he responds.
"We only know of two deaths," I say weakly, the customary guilt over killing the other prisoner flooding through me. I still can't believe I did that. What this stupid game forced me to become.
The warmth of his body, and the comfort of his body make me feel drowsy, and I start to doze off. A part of me feels guilty for it, but there's nothing to do here. We've been in the cave for days, and no one else has found it. We haven't heard any dragons either. It's just been the two of us, our fire, and the occasional trip back to the dead dragon for more meat.
Not that it hasn't been exhausting still. Constantly being on alert is no good for me, or for Joseph, and it's getting to be too much to cope with. I want a good night's sleep. Even a night back in my cell will be preferable to this.
I drift off, lulled into sleep by the warmth of our fire, and the feel of Joseph next to me. I'm glad he found me the first day, and that he asked me to partner up with him. It's so much better than having to go through all of this alone.
A loud klaxon pulls me from my dream, and I sit bolt upright.
"What's happening?" My words slur with sleep.
"I don't know," Joseph responds. "It's like the sound from the start of the Duels."
"Is it over?" I ask, hope welling up inside me at the thought of this ordeal being part of the past. I don't want to be stuck here any longer than I can help it.
"I don't know," he repeats.
The klaxon keeps going, and the two of us exchange a worried look. At least the sound isn't as shocking when it's continuous.
"Should we go look?" It feels too dangerous to, but at the same time, something is happening out there, and I don't want to be left in this forsaken place because no one knows we're here.
Even as I think it, I realise how unlikely that seems. They've probably got trackers in us, or something like that. They'll know more about our current state of being than we do. It's not reassuring to think that.
&nb
sp; "I don't think we have much choice," he admits. "But we should be careful, keep on high alert."
I nod. It'll be especially important with the klaxon limiting our hearing. I don't want to rate our odds of hearing someone sneak up on us.
It only takes us a couple of minutes to get our things together. Mostly because we don't have a lot to begin with, but also because we've been practising in case we ever have to leave our cave in a hurry. Neither of us know how the Duels are going to end, or who is going to turn on us. Though it hasn't crossed my mind since the very beginning that Joseph will turn on me.
I'm glad I have someone to trust through this craziness.
We walk slowly, leaving the cave behind us. Joseph reaches out and takes one of my hands in his, giving it a squeeze.
I return the gesture, enjoying the intimacy of the moment between us. Perhaps it's strange to feel this way when our lives are in danger like this, but I think it makes sense to be this way. We need to take what we can, before it's too late.
Once this is over, I'm definitely going to ask him out on that date. That can't be any more nerve-wracking than walking around a deserted place with the threat of imminent death a constant companion.
I shiver at the thought.
"You okay?" he asks.
"Just ready for this to be over." The words couldn't be more true if I tried.
We arrive at the dragon carcass and come to a stop, though neither of us have talked about doing that, so I'm not sure what makes us.
Movement on the horizon catches my attention, and I tug on Joseph's sleeve, wordlessly pointing it out to him.
He nods then gestures towards the dead dragon's wing.
I grimace, not wanting to be so close to the rotting flesh, but knowing we need to get out of view. At least Joseph was kind enough to burn the body of the man who attacked us so I don't have to face him. Maybe that's a coward's way of dealing with killing someone, but right now, I don't feel like I have a better choice. Not when this is about surviving more than anything else.
We duck under the wing and are shrouded in darkness. There's only one way in and out now, but hopefully, with the crossbow, sword, and the ability to see someone coming, we'll be okay if we're attacked. Not that I'm feeling particularly confident about that. Quite the opposite if I'm honest with myself.
Striking The Flint Page 2