Wings Of Fire; The Fate Begins: The Dragonet Prophecy

Chapter 15: A Death And Jeopardy's Infliction

Clay didn't want to watch the fight. But he knew that if he might have to fight Jeopardy someday, then he should studied her technique. He glanced at the distant figures of Tsunami, Starflight, Aria, Glaze, Bubble, Ember, Caribbean, and Brightglide. It looked like they were watching intently, too, along with with most of the prisoners above the arena.

One of the SkyWing guards stood in the center of the arena and clapped this wings thunderously until the audience was quiet. He bowed to the ex-queen and announced, "After four wins, Horizon the SandWing—formerly, and unwisely, a soldier in Blaze's army—has been challenged to a match with the Ex-Queen's Champion, Jeopardy. Claws up, fire ready! Fight!"

He sprang out of the arena, leaving Jeopardy and the SandWing facing each other. Horizon shrank back against the wall, hissing.

Jeopardy stalked slowly toward, tilting her green wings to reflect the sun. Her long tail snaked across the sand. It still looked like smoke was rising from her scales.

Horizon crouched, then suddenly leaped over Jeopardy's head and fled to the other side of the arena. He didn't claw her or strike her on the way past; he didn't even lash out with his poisonous tail. He just ran away.

'Why is he so afraid of her?' Clay wondered uneasily.

Jeopardy turned in an unhurried and smiled at Horizon. His black eyes darted left and right, searching for an escape. Suddenly he made a dash for the tunnel.

All at once, Jeopardy was in his way, lashing her claws across his chest. It didn't look like more than a scratch from what Clay could see, but Horizon screamed in agony and fell back, scrabbling across the sand.

Jeopardy followed, slashing another scratch along his side, Horizon screamed again. His banded wings flapped desperately, as if he were still trying to fly. Calmly, almost gently, Jeopardy reached and touched one of his wings, pinning it to his body.

Horizon's screams intensified into one long ear-shattering wall.

Clay couldn't understand it. She was only touching him—nothing more.

Then Jeopardy let go, and as she stepped back, Clay saw the zapped talon print that she left behind on Horizon's scales. It looked as if she branded him, shocking his skin without ever breathing electric. Clay squinted and realized that there was smoke rising from Horizon's scratches. Did Jeopardy have electric in her claws? How was that possible?

He looked across at Brightglide's slump form, wishing that the DayWing was close enough to explain everything to him.

Suddenly, Horizon attacked. He flung himself at Jeopardy, slashing at her eyes and jabbing his tail at her heart.

Jeopardy whirled, avoiding his claws, and knocked him to the sand. His barbed tail bounced off her scales with a spark like miniature lightning, and then burst into volts. Electric engulfed the poisoned tip, and Horizon howled in pain. Clay had never seen anything like that. He'd never heard of dragons setting other dragons on electric just by touching them.

Horizon beat his tail against the sand, trying to put the electric out, as Jeopardy feinted around him. She darted in to give him another scratch, but before she could dart away again, Horizon turned and grabbed her forearms in his talons. He threw his wings around her and buried his face in her shoulder with a high-pitched keening sound.

Jeopardy froze. Smoke billowed off the two dragons and black marks crawled along Horizon's wings until they started disintegrating into ash. He crumpled slowly to the ground, and Jeopardy crouched with him, holding him up with her wings.

A violent shudder went through the SandWing's whole body. He let go of Jeopardy and flopped slowly onto his side on the sands. Disfiguring shocks had melted his facial features and his were charred into black strands between holes. His talons had shock marks in the center of their palms.

Clay had a sudden, quick flash of memory. Kestrel had the same shock marks on her talons. Had she fought with Jeopardy, back when Kestrel lived in the SkyWing Kingdom and visited this island? How had she survived?

Jeopardy stood up, looking down at the dead SandWing. A disappointed murmur was starting to spread around the stadium. Her green wings wavered, and she turned to glance up at Ex-Queen Saffron.

The ex-queen sighed and stood up. "Well, that was boring," Saffron said. She raised her voice to address all the prisoners. "I hope some of you are braver than this pathetic creature."

Clay had never felt less brave. Jeopardy was clearly a whole new category of a monster. If Horizon couldn't beat her, then perhaps forcing a quick death—even a horrible death—was better a better choice than being slowly killed for the ex-queen's entertainment.

"Don't worry," the ex-queen said to the crowd, shaking out her wings. "We have a special treat tomorrow. Something that we have never seen before! Hopefully this time someone will at least try to amuse me unlike some dragons." Ex-Queen Saffron gave Horizon's body a stern glare, turning her frown on Jeopardy as well. Jeopardy bowed her head and stared at the sand.

"Dismissed," said the ex-queen with a wave of one talon. She turned and swept away. Clay leaned out as far as he dared, watching Glory sleep while the soldiers rolled her back into the tunnels.

Maybe she was drugged. Maybe the ex-queen had threatened her somehow. Maybe she was sick, or there was something else terribly wrong.

He didn't know who to worry about more—Glory, Sunny who was still missing, or Brightglide, who might be thrown into battle tomorrow. Was that what the ex-queen meant by "something we have never seen before"?

Brightglide was good at maps, dates, facts, and tests, but his claw-to-claw combat skills were tragic.

Clay wasn't at all sure that Brightglide could survive in the arena.