Ryns.
The soldier caste of dragonlings, a particularly vicious species of shapeshifters.
Dragonlings are dangerous.
Ryns are deadly.
Born and raised to be a bloodthirsty soldier, Anita's life has never been her own. She always knew her fa...
Dragonlings are not solitary creatures. We need our colonies and our families. To be an outcast is to be dead. No dragonling has achieved their goals on their own. They have been supported and helped by those who respect and love them. We honor this sacrifice of theirs through every action we take.
This is Our Law.
~ From the Dragonling Grimoire
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"What's the name of the Viperfang king?"
"Grigory Lytkin," I grunted as Dmitri swung his staff at me. The steel-capped tip barely missed my jaw as I ducked to the side.
"Correct." Queen Galina said as she turned the page of her book. "And the Queen of Rockfall?"
"Uh," I gasped as Dmitri's fist punched the air from my lungs, "Valeriya?"
"Natalya Levkin." Gvrilla corrected. She was sitting beside Queen Galina, outside of the sparring arena that King Andrei had provided us with, and watching as Dmitri beat the life out of me.
Dmitri darted forward, slamming his shoulder into my chest as he used his free hand to grab both my wrists and push me onto the ground. I huffed as his body landed on mine, the thrilling feeling of his bare skin against mine washed away by the solid block of muscle crushing me.
"Dmitri," I wheezed, "you weigh too much for this. Can't I fight Senya again?"
"No," Senya answered. He was sitting among a group of his courtiers, many of which who were shooting me angry glares as Senya held a piece of ice against the black eye rapidly appearing on his face.
With a snort, Dmitri let me up. "You can't expect someone to give up a fight just because they're bigger than you. What happens when you're on the battlefield and you come across someone twice your size?"
"I'll have you to defend me, of course," I replied, using Dmitri's hand to hoist myself up. "And if there's someone bigger than you, we're both screwed."
Dmitri rolled his eyes but handed me my staff without a word. I glared at the piece of wood, wondering if I could just set it on fire. "What about fighting in our drake forms? I'm better at that."
"That's the problem." Queen Galina interrupted. "Queen Dominika will be able to choose what form you will fight in. No doubt she'll attempt to fight in humanoid form since Ryns have the obvious advantage while drakes."
I sighed heavily and glanced at the candles. Twenty more candlemarks, then I go to Alek and Mako for etiquette for two sunleaps. This was such a mistake. When I'd agreed to fight Queen Dominika, I hadn't realized everyone would do their damned best to kill me before I even saw her.
You chose this. I scolded myself as I picked up the staff and turned to Dmitri. He had been very sullen and angry with me but still jumped at the chance to help me. You can do this Anita. They're all supporting you.
