The Dragon Games

Stars

My new roommates' faces dropped when they saw my name tag, and the knife twisted further when they saw the color of my key. For a second, no one moved.

Then Bianca offered her hand, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm Bianca Tarth."

I shook. "Raven Black." When I tried to shake Gordo's hand, he did not move.

"You're the raider, right?" His eyes bore into me, then dipped to my high collar, as if he was trying to see the tattoo through the leather.

"Ay," I said.

Gordo turned to Bianca and Elio. "Do you feel comfortable sharing quarters with her?"

"What we think of her doesn't matter," Bianca said in tone that made it perfect clear what she thought of me. Harsh, but true. In the other pledges' eyes, associating with a raider was only a few steps away from being a raider. "Cassian made himself clear on the room change policy."

Gordo turned to Elio, whose stare had never left my face, his expression unreadable. "Unbelievable," Gordo huffed and stormed downstairs. Bianca followed after him, leaving Elio and I alone. The silence stretched.

I cleared my throat. "Guess I didn't get the chance to curse your name after all, but there's always next time, right?" My laugh trailed off with an awkward cough as Elio continued to stare at me, his mouth drawn into a hard line.

"So you're not a knight, I take it?" I said.

"Leon's the knight. He dragged me on the mission, figuring it'd be a good training experience for Blood Fest."

Elio stabbed me pretty enthusiastically for someone who had just been 'dragged along' the mission, but if this was his way of easing the tension, I wasn't going to call him out on it. "Did your father tell you who I am?"

Elio nodded. "Crenshaw's –"

I coughed loudly, and he took the hint. The other pledges already knew I was a raider; they didn't need to know which. Lets not unbury all of my skeletons on night one.

"I respect the king's law. If he gives you a parlay, so be it. But to be frank, I don't see how this is going to work." Elio gestured between us.

"Look, I hear ya, but Cassian said that we can't — "

Before I could finish my sentence, Elio strode off in Cassian's direction. I rubbed my temple, feeling a headache coming on, then followed Bianca and Gordo's voices to the nicest chambers I have ever seen. Marble pillars held up the high wooden ceilings, dividing the floor into a chamber and a common space. 

I set my jacket on one of the sofas, my eyes flickering around the fully stocked bookshelf, the crystal fruit bowls, and the fireplace, which was sculpted into the wall in the shape of a roaring dragon head. 

The windows alone cost more than my whole tenant, the fine crystal glass outlooking the night sky. I drew closer, trying to spy the stars above. Inevitably, my thoughts turned to Sammy.

"A word of advice? Don't."

I noticed someone's reflection in the window. Bianca stood in front of one of the the bedposts, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Wh – " I cleared my throat and tried again. This time, with a voice that did not sound five seconds from something very pathetic. "What?"

"Even if you manage to escape the hundreds of guards posted on the night watch, you'll never make it past the city walls without documentation."

My eyes narrowed. Was that supposed to be helpful? Warning me not to flee while Gordo was in hearing range? If word got around that I tried to escape on my first night, it wouldn't be long before my parlay was revoked.