Dragonslayer

Chapter One

I close my door.

It's the only thing I can think to do. There's nothing left to say.

My heart pumps faster and faster. I can hear it prowling the corridors, hissing, breathing, living. It's going to kill me.

I draw my bow and nock an arrow in place. If I die, I die fighting.

I hear it stop outside my room and I open my eyes as wide as I can. It will not go down in history that Kai Sequetur died a coward.

I hear claws scraping on stone. It's over. I lift my bow and focus down the shaft of the arrow. I lost my quiver somewhere in the maze of corridors, but I'm not worried. One more shot is all I need to go down like the hero I am.

Something throws itself against the door. The hollow sound echoes like a pulse through the room. What a way to go- trapped in a room like a rat. I've never been so disappointed in myself.

The door shudders against its hinges. I brace myself for the battle and for the agony that will follow.

But it never comes.

A trapdoor opens at my feet. The growling from the corridor has not got any quieter, but I have a way out. The question though- do I take it?

Would that make me a coward?

But I wouldn't have won this fight. I knew that when I was going in. It was pointless fighting, but I did it anyway for my pride. Ten days in this new hell. Ten days evading the monster. Ten days without proper food. Ten days of pure tortue.

I take a deep breath and step into the trapdoor.

***

I wake up in the hospital feeling like I've been run over by a truck. I instantly register the straps around my wrists and the collar around my neck. Not a good sign. I clear my throat. "Um. Request for service." My voice sounds hoarse.

Within a few seconds, a nurse arrives, tucking a light brown strand of hair behind her ear. "Kai Sequetur," she breathes in awe, before giving herself a slight shake. I knew it- I'm in a normal hospital. No one would react like that to see me in my usual place.

"That's me," I answer tiredly. "Dragonslayer. Speed Demon. Whatever you want to call me."

She blushes. "I'm so sorry! It's just so surreal to have you here. You're normally always inside your campus."

"Don't I know it," I mumble. I'm wondering why I'm here too- the owner of my campus never lets me go to places like this. Obviously, it's got something to do with my last fight. "I'd like to request to meet Markus Haryson. I assume he's been in already?"

"Oh," the nurse falters, "he has, yes. But he seemed in a foul mood, especially when he found out you were still unconcious."

"I see." I ponder that for a moment and refrain from telling her that Markus is always in a foul mood."How long has it been since the fight?"

The nurse checks her tablet. "You were brought in at eleven o'clock in the morning. It's coming up to midnight now."

"So I've been here over twelve hours."

The nurse nods. She looks young, only about twenty at the most. No doubt she got a job for the same reason I did- to support her family. It doesn't take a genius to work out which of us got the better deal.

"Send for Markus, please. He'll want to speak with me," I decide eventually. I'm not looking forward to this- it's not going to end well. I have what people tend to call a 'smart mouth', and Markus hates being answered back to.