The Dragon Games

The Long Hike

Rainfall bowed its head, stooping low. Instantly, I recognized the stance from Instructor Gallagher's lessons. Rainfall was inviting me to climb on its back, so it could fly me to the amphitheater. 

I took one look between the mighty drop below and the wyvern, and then I turned on my heel to scale down the mountain by foot. My fear of the wyvern had nothing on my fear of heights.

As I made my way down the steep rocky decline, Rainfall prowled a few paces back, no doubt waiting for me to change my mind and climb aboard. I did not. I was too busy wondering if there was enough time to find another dragon. A tamer dragon, one less prone to bouts of –

Rainfall growled. I tensed, throwing a glance behind my shoulder. Bloody hell, was that a coincidence, or did it just read my thoughts? Regardless, trying to find another dragon this late in Blood Fest was a losing game. 

The best dragons – the ones Cassian would let me keep my parlay for – probably already had riders. Even if by some miracle they didn't, if Rainfall already considered me its rider, it might kill any other dragon I tried bonding with.

As the sun crawled across the sky, chasing the morning chill away, Rainfall grew bored following my human pace. At first, huffs warmed my back, as if Rainfall was sighing with exasperation. Then Rainfall began flicking its tail at my heels to trip me up. 

Meanwhile, I was shocked. Utterly amazed at how quickly blind terror could shift into burning annoyance. With every passing second, Rainfall was less of a wyvern and more of a pestering younger brother.

"You can fly ahead, you know," I muttered, jumping as Rainfall's tail once again swept across the ground. "Stretch your wings, stop bruising my shins."

The pathway twisted, nearing the ledge of the mountain. Despite Rainfall's antics, we had made a good time, now less than a couple of stories off the ground. 

We'd be off the mountain before dark, even though I had to slow my pace. Near the bottom of the valley, the rocks were smaller, ready to slip from my boots at a moment's notice. Rainfall was no help.

Its tail clipped my boot, and my heart lurched. I nearly plummeted off the side of the mountain, but I windmilled my arms, catching myself just in time. I whirled around, my eyes wide. 

"Bloody hell! You could have killed me!"

Rainfall huffed a few times, low and in quick succession, a noise that sounded suspiciously like snickering. Heat flooded my face. I yanked off my boot, but before I could hurl it at Rainfall's head, Rainfall took off. In an instant, it was soaring through the clouds. And no matter how far Rainfall flew, it always kept me in its sights.

That night, I gathered some twigs, and Rainfall huffed up a blaze. Then Rainfall disappeared into the woods, returning a couple of hours later with a deer, thankfully not pre-eaten this time. I went to sleep with my first full belly in a month.

Or, I tried to sleep. The temperature had dropped to a frigid chill, cold winds scraping at my skin. My jacket had been torn to ribbons, offering me no protection against the cold. I shivered violently, my teeth clattering together, until a leathery tarp blocked out the sky. 

Rainfall had thrown a wing over me, creating a cocoon to protect me from the chill. I was uneasy to be so close to the wyvern and then I was too warm to care. My chattering eased, and my eyelids grew heavy...

The last stretch to the amphitheater was a pain in the ass. If I thought my injuries were bad before, they were nothing compared to the fresh hell I woke up to. My blood was still far more black than red, and every bone in my body was stiff. Pangs rattled up my legs with every step I took.

It didn't help that the amphitheater was a four-hour walk from the mountains, and six hours using my route. I traveled deep through the trees to avoid crossing paths with any other pledges. Rainfall lingered a few paces behind me, snorting its hot breath against my back.

"Your breath reeks," I said.

Rainfall swatted the top of my head with its ear.

"Ow, you –" I broke off, staring at Rainfall. I knew Rainfall must know my inventions on some level, but surely it did not understand human language. We were different species, after all. "Can you understand me?"

Rainfall stared back at me, not so much as twitching. I felt a little moronic for trying to hold a conversation with a dragon in the first place, but I swallowed my pride and tired again. "Blink twice if you can understand me."

Rainfall's snout twitched.

"Does that mean you can't understand me? Or do you refuse to take orders from puny humans?"

Rainfall prowled forward, ignoring me. I tried repeating the question a few more times, but it was like talking to a wall.

Soon, the ground lifted into a hill, and from the top, I could see the amphitheater rising in the far distance, towering above the trees. I should be jumping up and down with joy. The finish line was close, less than a few miles away. But instead, my stomach twisted.

According to the books, when past wyverns entered the amphitheater, their riders gave grand speeches to the crowd, outlining their plans to shape Scaldril for centuries to come. 

Polixenes changed everything we thought we knew about dragons. Torrance promised world domination. Geralda spoke of liberating the masses from foreign conquest. What grand words did I have? Guess who's alive and kicking, cunts?

And who would listen to me speak? 

Who would want the most powerful force in the kingdom – in all the kingdoms – in the hands of a criminal, a lowborn orphan from the burrows? 

Past wyvern riders answered to no one, but Rainfall was just a hatching. No doubt a fierce dragon, but not quite the kingdom conquerer just yet. It was years away from its ancestor's level of power. 

 I spent so much time worrying that I wouldn't bond with a powerful enough dragon, that it never occurred to me worry if my dragon was too powerful. 

With a snort, Rainfall prowled forward, toward the amphitheater. I swallowed hard and followed suit.