The Dragon Games

The Rules

I was pacing my cell when Leon stormed in, backed up by three knights. Accepting the parlay was worth it, if only to see the look on his face – darker than the grime coating my handcuffs. 

I don't take pleasure in the despair of Court officials – well, I try not to take more pleasure than I should – but it's not every day that a man devotes the past five years of his life to hunting you down, only to set you free within days of capture.

"Morning, Commander," I said.

Leon grunted and chucked a balled-up leather jacket between my cell bars. It landed in the muddy puddle, splashing my shins, and looked exactly the same as Cassian's, except for the empty patches where his had two symbols.

"Hey, what happened to my symbols?"

"Not my concern," Leon replied flatly, gesturing for my hand.

"I did not steal my own symbols." Scowling, I splayed my bare palms to prove my point.

Leon grabbed my wrist, jerking my hand through the bars. Then, to my surprise, he began removing my binds. I thought he would stop at my wrists, but he did everything – wrists, ankles, shins, fingers – and no doubt died a little more with each freed limb. 

Once my hands were free, I flexed my fingers for the first time in ages, letting the divine rush back in with a crackle of static electricity. With one swipe, I could throw Leon and his knights against the dungeon wall and book it to freedom. The knights must be aware of my power, yet none of them looked nervous. They looked calm. 

Too calm.

"Follow me," Leon ordered, striding for the dungeon steps. "Cassian awaits."

"Is he taking me to the Blood Moon Festival?" I shrugged on my new jacket, folding the sleeves to hide the mud stains.

"No, he's taking you to Skydescent. It's a castle where contestants train and form allies leading up to the festival. Though I doubt you'll have much success in either."

As I left my cell, one the knights shoved me in the back. I stumbled back, banging my head against the iron bars. On instinct, I whipped around, fists high, only to realize that the knight didn't want to fight. He was biting his lip as if trying not to smile, his arms hanging limp by his sides, and his head tilted down, as if to give me better access.

I dropped my fists and turned to Leon. "Does the Blood Moon Festival have some rule against violence? Like if I give your man a bruise, l get disqualified?"

Leon's face darkened. Without another word, he turned on his heel, and as he led the way down the building's long stone corridors, his knights were relentless. Obviously, the game was up, and I wouldn't give them an excuse to disqualify me. 

Now they played a new game, one called 'look how fun it is to strike someone who can't strike back.' They pulled my hair, shoved my shoulders, kicked my heels, and hissed all kinds of colorful names.

It was a relief to finally step outdoors. The last of summer had faded into fall, turning the willow trees lining the courtyard red and orange. Across the lawn, Cassian leaned against the side of a carriage, awaiting my arrival. 

He jerked up right the instant he saw me and strode toward us, rushing but trying to look like he wasn't. I peered over his shoulder, expecting more guards, but he was alone, with nothing to protect him except a horse and a driver... 

 Once again, it seemed too good to be true. Too easy to toss Cassian out the carriage, steal his horse, and take back my freedom. A knight smacked the back off my head, forcing me to look away.