The Dragon Games

Chaos

In less than five seconds, all hell broke loose. The dragons reacted first, having a visceral response to the wyvern. One took off into the sky, its wings clipping a group of rookies and throwing them into the stands.

The rest rose on their hind legs and screeched, the awful, high pitched noise of a freighted animal. The stands' cheers turned into screams, but they couldn't run to the exit. Too many bodies blocked their path, trapping them in amphitheater of wild dragons.

Even the pledges, rookies, and grads didn't know what to do. Some tried to drop to their knees for code red, only to be thrown to the ground and trampled by a mob of runners. Most had not seen the wyvern and had no idea what caused the chaos.

"We're under attack!" a rookie screamed, clutching his face. "The Yurkins have declared war!"

Which only ramped up the mass panic from ten to a hundred.

"Black!"

I whipped around, just as Cassian broke free from the crowd, shoving rookies and grads aside in his rush to get to me. He clutched my shoulders, his eyes bright, his face flushed.

"You bonded with the wyvern?" Then, unable to contain himself, he roared at the top of his lungs, "You bonded with the bloody–!"

I clamped a hand around his mouth. "Have you noticed the wyvern's size?" I hissed. "I have a hatchling."

Cassian pulled my hand aside, grinning ear to ear, missing my point entirely. "I figured! The wyvern has a long life ahead of it. It will be in your bloodline for centuries to come."

"You think I'll keep the wyvern that long?" I hissed. "That someone won't try to take it away within the hour?"

Cassian stared at me, his mouth bobbing up and down. He had no time to consider the implications of the wyvern. Hell, just a few minutes ago, he probably thought I was dead.

"Sure, they'd all want your dragon, but no one would dare challenge a ..."

His face dropped as he remembered that I did not have a wyvern. I had a hatchling wyvern, at a fraction of its true power. He shot a panicked look around the arena. It was still in chaos; dragon and rider running wild.

Cassian steeled his jaw, his eyes darkening. "Let's go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here. The way things are unfolding, I wouldn't be surprised if a group of ambitious pledges tried to beat the wyvern's true name out of you."

Together, we ran to the tunnel, weaving through a group of rookies running in the opposite direction, unnoticed in the chaos. I gripped the back of Cassian's jacket, so I did not lose him in the crowd. Rainfall followed, largely unnoticed thanks to its small size.

Outside the amphitheater, Cassian scanned the surrounding wilderness, his eyes skipping over the carriage to land in the thick of the trees.

"My dragon's resting in the woods," Cassian said. "Take to the sky, I'll be there a minute after you."

"I can't – I don't –" I stumbled, tripping over my words. I couldn't fly. Not yet. Not so soon.

"Of course you can, you flew on the way over here." He reached for me, and Rainfall growled. Cassian reeled back.

I step in front of Cassian, holding up my hands. "He's a friend." Then I tell Cassian, "I can't."

Cassian still wanted to argue, or at least ask a few questions, but we didn't have time. Every second we reamined at the amphitheater put us in danger. Cassian turned to the carriage, his eyes landing on a driver. The driver gaped at the amphitheater, his face pale and waxen at the sound of screaming crowds and roaring dragon.

"Ready the horse!" Cassian shouted.

"I can't drive anyone until I am given an offical –" When the driver turned around, spotting Rainfall, his jaw slackened, and the words fell off his tongue.

Cassian tossed the driver his coin purse — not a couple of coins from his purse. The whole purse. "Get me to Duke Tudor's Manor within the hour, and I will get you another bag twice as big."

"Yes, sir," the driver said, pivoting for his horse.

"Tudor's Manor?" I said.

"They'll be looking for you at Skydescent. Tudor's Manor is the safest place we can go on such short notice."

As the carriage took off, Rainfall flew overhead. I pulled the velvet curtains back to keep an eye on the sky, then sank into the plush cushions, a month's worth of exhaustion catching up with me.

Cassian threaded his hands through his hair, his chest rising and falling with rapid breaths. "The whole kingdom would kill for a wyvern."

"Kill me, you mean."

"How did this happen?" Cassian exploded. He had been holding on to the question since the moment he laid eyes on me. "Did you solve the clue?"

"I–"

But Cassian was on a roll, too excited to even realise I spoke. "Do you know how many times I have heard accounts of your death? First, the Balthasars say Edmond beheaded you, then the Windsors say Grace sacrificed you in some blood ritual, then Elio is in my ear, declaring his guilt over the wyvern killing you – the same wyvern you bonded with, I take it. Up is down, right is wrong, and I don't know what to think."

I sat up, my eyes bright. "Elio is alive?"

"He bonded with a dragon an hour before Blood Fest ended and entered the amphitheater moments before you did." Cassian stopped short, squinting at me. "What's that look on your face? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," I said, rubbing my temple. A headache had begun to creep up on me. "But that reminds me; I need to switch chambers. Elio's been trying to kill me since the moment I arrived. He's probably going to try again. Soon."

"I just – I spoke to him moments ago, and he had nothing but good things to say about you. In fact, he was sickened at the prospect of your death."

"Elio thinks Sammy killed his brother," I said.

Cassian stared at me for a long beat. He opened and shut his mouth a few times. Then he shook his head. "A new roommate it is, then."