Valance inclined his head, his dragon eyes hard. “I’m with you.”
Noir opened the door. “We need to leave if we’re going to get there in time.”
There’d be no fragmenting to our destination. The Arcana Institute had sent a limousine. We’d be arriving in style and hopefully not leaving in a casket.
This was it. Azren, I’m coming to get you.
17
Noir held my hand the whole way, his robin-blue eyes dark in the gloom of the limo. There were no words, just the contact. His fingers, warm and reassuring, gripped mine. But his body was all tension and his face all harsh lines. He looked good, though, golden boy in a navy blue designer suit cut to love his every plane and dip. He looked ... sharp. Yeah, that was the word, and he smelled divine, something citrusy and totally edible.
Urgh. Okay, distraction was not working. We’d slipped into Draconi territory a few minutes ago, and the terrain was already on an incline.
“You’re not alone,” Noir reminded me.
“God, Noir, I’m fucking terrified.” There, I’d said it.
“Yeah. So am I.”
“Not helping. You’re supposed to say something like, don’t be stupid, you’re totally gonna kick Elora’s dragon ass.”
He leaned in. “Wila, don’t be stupid, you’re totally going to kick Elora’s ass.” There was sincerity and conviction in his tone. “I mean it. I know it. And me and the guys are going to make sure of it.”
Heat bloomed in my solar plexus. Seb’s way of providing comfort and letting me know he was still here.
The moon winked out.
Fuck.
We were headed into the Keep. This was it. Oh, God. Breathe. You can do this, Wila. You can fucking do this. I summoned Azren’s face in my mind, his sparkling jade eyes, his hard, full mouth, and his insanely long lashes. I’d see them all again soon. I just had to get through the next few hours to get my reward.
Yeah.
Piece of cake.
The limo came to a smooth halt.
Noir opened his door, got out and then walked round to open mine. A total gentleman. So many cars and limousines and people, actual neph not just Draconi. How huge was this event?
“She likes to show off her power,” Noir said. “It’s grown each year.”
Figured. “She’s bound by treaty, so this is her way of reminding everyone that she isn’t a pussy.”
“It keeps her people in check. Power means everything to the Draconi. It was why Ivan’s bloodline was chosen to rule. They were the most powerful.” He hooked his arm around my waist as we joined the neph heading toward the entrance to the Keep. “Remember that, Wila. You’re his daughter, that blood runs in your veins.”
A lot of reassurances had been bandied about over the past few days, but this—this one tiny fact—did what all of those couldn’t, it straightened my spine and soothed the panic bubbling in my throat. Ivan was my father. Gilbert was my father. His blood was my blood. I could do this.
We slipped under the arch, passed the guards and into the Central Keep.
Showtime.
“Where is it? Where’s the board?” I scanned the ballroom. It looked larger tonight, but there were definitely more people here. Food and drink were in abundance, and Draconi mingled with neph, their hungry expressions speaking of what they’d really like to do to them. There was no sign of Elora or the damned board. But a familiar figure from the media caught my eye. I tugged on Noir’s sleeve.
“Isn’t that …”
“Kelter? Yes.”
The tech wizard was here for the games, surrounded by Draconi and basking in the attention. He wasn’t much to look at, slender, sharp-featured, and overall unmemorable, but his brain made him a commodity. His intelligence made him an enemy to us and an ally to Elora. The urge to go up and speak to him was a tugging in my abdomen.
“No.” Noir steered me away. “Bad move. Elora will have eyes on him.”
And we didn’t want my presence announced to her just yet, not until I had my name on the board.
Noir walked us away from Kelter’s groupies, and over to two neph and three Draconi. “Pleasant evening,” he said.
“It is indeed,” one of the female Draconi replied, eyeing Noir as if he were a delicacy on the buffet table. I stepped closer to him, tightening my grip on his arm.
Her gaze flicked down to me. It sucked that despite my little growth spurt, I was still tiny compared to the Draconi.
“So ...” I widened my eyes. “When do the games begin?”
The Draconi female didn’t even bother to do the blinking thing, obviously not concerned with appearing more human. “In an hour. Is this your first time?” She sipped her drink.
I nodded. “I don’t want to miss a thing.” I pouted up at Noir. “I really wanted to see the contestant board everyone is talking about, but Noir here won’t find it for me.”
“I can show you.” The Draconi male in the group’s smile was pure predator. It sent a shiver of apprehension across my skin. “Although I won’t be staying to watch. It’s the same old thing every year. The queen is undefeatable.”
I plastered an answering smile on my face. “Oh, could you show me?” I looked up at Noir. “See, now that is a true gentleman. Lead the way.”
The Draconi male led us through the crowd toward the back of the room to a set of crimson drapes hanging off the wall, a thick golden rope ending in a tassel hung to one side. He gave it a tug and the drapes parted to reveal a neat notice board edged in gold. Names glowing silver were etched into the black slate, and balanced on a slender ledge beneath the board was a quill.
“It’s enchanted,” the Draconi male said. “The names of the liege’s opponents have been added.”
“Volunteers?”
He snorted. “Hardly. No sane Draconi would voluntarily enter the Triumph Games. There is only ever one victor. The opponents are drawn by lottery.” He leaned in. “Or so they say. Personally, I think they’re picked in order of who’s beginning to pose a threat, or who’s been the most annoying. Regardless, once a name is etched, it cannot be removed until the named Draconi has fought. They’re in a holding cell right now awaiting the games.”
Interesting. I reached for the pen and picked it up. “So, if I was to do this ...”
I stepped forward and wrote my name onto the board. His exclamation rang in my ears, although he made no move to stop me. My name settled into the slate and began to glow.
I turned to look at him, eyes wide and innocent. “What does that mean?”
He stared at my name then back at my face, and then he shook his head. “It means you’re dead.”
Of course, I knew what I’d done, but hearing him say those words brought back the panic. Noir pulled me away from the board and kissed my temple.
The Draconi male was watching me warily now, probably realizing he’d been played, that I wasn’t some doe-eyed neph like I’d made out, and his next words confirmed it.
“Who are you?”
“Someone who’s about to kick your queen’s arse.” I turned away. “Stick around for the show, why don’t you?”
His eyes were hot pebbles on my back, and Noir’s arm was a sturdy support, because damn if my knees weren’t ready to give way with nerves.
We hovered from group to group, and nope, it wasn’t my imagination, but more and more people were turning to look at me now, and then a male in livery approached us.
Noir gripped me tighter.
“Wilomena Bastion?” He looked at me warily.
“That’s me.”
“Your name is on the board.”
“That’s right.”
He stared at me for several long beats. “The board of the liege’s opponents for the games?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You understand you have volunteered to enter into combat with the Draconi liege?”
“I do.”
More eyes on us now, and conversation dropped in volume as nearby guests tuned in.
/>
He smiled sympathetically, his gaze flicking to Noir. “Is your companion well?”
Noir looked down at me. “Are you feeling well, my darling?”
“Tip-top condition.” I grinned. “In fact, I’m beginning to wonder why we’re standing here wasting time. Aren’t you supposed to take me to the cage to prepare for my shot in the ring?”
“You’re not Draconi.”
“Do the rules say I can’t compete if I’m not Draconi?”
He looked taken aback and then he leaned in, blocking me from the crowd. “You can still walk away, claim incompetence, claim you weren’t aware what you were doing. You’re a neph, I can disqualify you on my discretion.”
He was trying to be helpful, trying to save my life, and the gesture was appreciated but there could be no show of weakness. These people needed to know who I was, what I was. They needed to begin to see the truth.
Sebastian stepped into the doorway of my mind and my dragon awoke, surging to life across my skin and in my eyes. The others were there too, waiting, connected, and ready for me to open the channels to their power. My talons broke free, and I held up my hand to examine it. “I’m no neph, and I’m not afraid to fight. Take me to the cage.”
He stared at me in shock and then nodded. “Follow me.”
The crowd parted as we strode through. Noir walked with me as far as the exit and then the liveried guard turned to him.
“You stay here.”
But he wouldn’t be staying, I’d be taking him with me in my mind, in my blood. He kissed me hard on the lips and stepped back. Tearing my gaze from his beloved face, I followed the guard through the door and into the corridor beyond.
The guard led me through spacious, rock-hewn tunnels into a barren chamber holding only a single cage. Wall sconces lit the room in amber light. Two brunettes, a blonde, and a redhead sat on benches in the cage. It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke, but this was no joke, this was reality.
The guard gave me a wary look and then unbolted the cage, stepping back and indicating I enter. The women studied me with open curiosity as the clang of metal and the scrape of a bolt echoed in the sudden silence.
“Choose your order of battle,” the guard said. “You have fifteen minutes before the games commence.” He strode away, leaving me to the mercy of these powerful women.
One of the dark-haired females stood, towering over me. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
“Name’s Wilomena Bastion, and I’m here for the same reason you are—to fight Elora.”
She looked me up and down. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“Wait,” the slender blonde said. “I know you. You were the neph who stole the private tribute from the equinox celebration.”
I grinned at her. “That’s me.”
She frowned. “She put you on the list?”
“Nope, I did that myself.”
There was another bout of stunned silence. I sighed. “Look, long story short, I don’t want to be here either, but someone has to take her royal highness down a peg or two, and I had a free evening so ...”
“What are you?” the dark-haired female asked. She stepped right up to me and sniffed me. “Not neph.”
“No.” I smiled up at her. “I’m something else.”
“It doesn’t matter what you are,” the redhead said. “Elora will kill you. I don’t know why you’d put your life at risk like this.”
“I do,” the blonde said. She met my gaze, her brown eyes soft with understanding. “You’re here to win the boon. You’re here for Azren.”
A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed it. “What do you know about Azren?”
“I know he’s alive. I also know he probably wishes he wasn’t. The pit is a horrific place filled with the screams of the eternally tormented.”
“You came here for Elora’s pet Shedim?” the redhead asked, her lip curling in disgust. “The one who failed at bringing in the rogue Shedim and fell out of favor?”
Azren was more than that. He was a warrior, loyal and true, and he was mine. “I’m here for my kindred.”
“And you’re going to die for your efforts,” the redhead replied. “Elora didn’t put your name on the list, you did that, and she does not like surprises. She’ll make an example out of you.”
I pressed a hand to my chest. “Hey. I’ll have you know I have some excellent ninja moves. She won’t see me coming.”
The blonde stood up, shaking her head. “Kindred … you called him your kindred. What are you?”
A bell began to toll, and the final woman, the one who’d sat silent and watchful all this time, spoke. “We’re about to find out.”
The new guard entered the chamber, his face as blank as a piece of paper. “Have you chosen your order of combat?”
There was a moment of silence and then the watchful brunette stood up and made to step forward. I beat her to it.
“I thought I’d give these ladies a break and go first.” I winked. “Hopefully when I’m done there won’t be anything to go up against.”
The redhead let out a bark of laughter. “I like you, Wilomena Bastion. I hope she kills you quick.”
As far as compliments went, that wasn’t so bad, considering the circumstances. “Um, thanks. I think.”
The door to the cage opened with a creak and I stepped out, my mind no longer on the women behind me but on the Draconi queen waiting for me in the arena.
18
The guard led me through tunnels big enough to house dragons, airy and well lit, and up a flight of steps with the sound of cheering growing louder and louder in my ears as we ascended.
My escort didn’t speak. He simply led the way and then paused halfway up the steps.
“You go alone from here,” he said. “The hatch leads to the pen in the arena. When the pen opens, you fight.” Was that a flash of sympathy in his eyes?
No. I didn’t need to see that. Taking a deep breath, I began to climb, reaching out to my lifelines, scrambling for the connections that would get me through this. My dragon was ready, waiting under my skin, waiting for my mates to inject it with the extra power it needed to overcome a queen.
I’m here. Seb settled around me like a welcome blanket on a chilly evening. Let them in.
I exhaled and reached out to my mates. Noir was electric Arcana, Tay was the unshakeable earth, sturdy and immovable, and Valance was blue fire wrapping around my heart in an intimate hug. Power surged through my veins—their power and their endurance.
Yes, Seb said. I can feel it too. We’re ready.
His confidence nudged mine, and the power surging through me carried me through the hatch and into the pen. The roar of the crowd surrounded me, and there, through the bars to my temporary holding cell, stood Elora in all her finery. Tight gold pants and a crimson bodice hugged her like a second skin. She stalked the arena, her arms raised as she basked in the adoration of her people, basked in the farce that these games were.
She dropped her arms to her sides, and the roar immediately subsided. Her back was to me now, her large frame dwarfed by the mammoth stadium, an area built to house dragons. The Draconi watched her in silence from the ascending bleacher-style seating. Was Noir out there?
Yes. Seb replied. He’s here. He’s watching. We’re with you.
“Welcome to the Triumph Games.” Elora’s voice carried easily up to the crowd. “This is my gift to you, my assurance that I am fit to lead and that my power is incomparable. You chose me as your queen because I brought peace through an act that required great physical and mental force. And, once again, I will prove to you that I deserve to rule.” She turned to face me, her emerald eyes locking onto mine. “But it seems that someone has decided to make a farce out of our long-standing tradition, to play games with an event we hold dear.” She strode toward the pen. “A neph has dared to put her name on the board, to claim that she could equal the power of a Draconi.”
A low hum passed over the gathered and then a
series of boos were taken up, rippling through the spectators.
Elora shook her head, her mouth making a tutting motion. “I am not unreasonable, and she was given the opportunity to recant. Yet, here she stands.” The doors to the pen trundled open. “But I am willing to offer her one more chance to walk away.” Elora beckoned me forward. “Come out, Miss Bastion. Say hello to the people you’re disrespecting by being here.”
I strode out of the pen, head held high, and a cry of outrage rose up to greet me, pushing at me like a physical force and turning my stomach inside out. Their derision—their hatred—was a living thing. What was I doing? How could I possibly win this? Azren, think of Azren.
“You don’t belong here, Miss Bastion,” Elora said, her words covered by the commotion.
I met her gaze head-on and unflinchingly. “And neither do you.”
She smiled thinly. “And you think you can take me on? What have you brought? Hidden weapons, potions?”
I stripped off my skirt and held out my arms. “Nope. Just me.”
Her brow furrowed slightly as she studied me. The commotion finally died down, and the arena fell into a murmuring hum.
This was my chance. I lifted my chin. “I challenge you, Elora Drako. I challenge you freely.” I dropped my chin. “What’s the matter? Afraid to fight someone who hasn’t been handpicked by you? Afraid to fight someone who’s actually here of their own free will?”
There was pin-drop silence as the crowd absorbed this, as they were reminded of the reality of these games, about the women who’d been chosen to fight their liege against their will.
Elora’s eyes glowed, and her body began to ripple. “Up until this day, I have shown mercy to every opponent, but not for you, Miss Bastion. You, I will devour.”
She burst from her skin, crimson scales and flashing emerald eyes. My bowels turned to water, and my ass hit the ground.
City of War (Chronicles of Arcana Book 4) Page 12
