Dragon Master (Dragon Collector Book 2)

by Simon Archer

  But you wouldn’t know it from looking at the girl.

  Em had pursed lips and hard eyes. She seemed to be looking at something beyond Korey, beyond the horizon. It was a determined, concentrated look that would have scared the pants off anyone, except for the fact that it came from a relatively crippled girl who wobbled on her feet.

  Korey, on the other hand, was unreadable. However, this was nothing unusual for the guard. I found that most times I looked at her, Korey’s face was rather flat. She never gave away anything… so that was why it was all the more shocking when, after the trumpet’s starting honk, Korey took a knee.

  The crowd gasped. One woman straight up fainted in the stands. King Atlus rose to his feet and leaned forward, almost to the edge of his viewing platform. Maria’s eyes popped from her head, quite like Ursaman’s had done just moments ago when I was choking him. Instead of turning purple, though, Maria’s face went so white, it was practically translucent.

  I didn’t know what to think. I had a guess as to what just happened, but all I knew for sure that it was unprecedented. I thwacked Maria’s arm a couple of times with the back of my hand, breaking her stupor.

  “What just happened?” I asked. “What just happened?”

  “Korey resigned from the match,” Maria whispered.

  “What?” I looked from Maria to the bowed Korey and back to Maria. “She did what?”

  Maria’s arm rose and stiffened, pointing. “She forfeited the match. Em won.”

  Em stood up straight. She walked to Korey and held out a hand. From her place on the ground, Korey reached up and shook Em’s hand, but the guard did not get to her feet.

  “Why would she do that?” I whispered, my voice sounding like a shout against the stunned silence.

  “I do not know,” Maria said back, matching my volume. “It has not happened in several years. It is…” Maria’s voice trailed off, unable to say the word she was thinking.

  “Unprecedented? Unexpected? Unorthodox?” I supplied.

  “All of those and more,” Maria breathed. “But Em is moving on. She is in the top eight.”

  My head whipped to the scoreboard to the left of the arena. It was not so much of a scoreboard as a sports bracket. Each of the thirty-two names was listed on the outer columns, with the winners of each individual match moving on to the next column of names. Each batch got smaller and smaller until there was only one name in the center.

  Sure enough, Em’s name moved forward, signaling her victory, while Korey’s family flag was removed and laid on the ground, signaling her defeat.

  It was a bit of an awkward transition to the next match. The crowd was still in shock from Korey’s forfeit, so all the shifting from one match to the next could be heard. Servants ran a quick rake over the grass, and the announcer proclaimed the next two competitors into a thick silence.

  When Emerald was wheeled back to her flag, both Maria and I tried to catch her eye, but she wouldn't have it. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to hold back a tear or a shout. I had no idea if she was excited about the win or disappointed by how it had happened. It easily could have been both. Honestly, if I couldn’t sort out my feelings about it all, there was no way to tell what was going on in Em’s mind at that moment.

  Nevertheless, the tournament continued. All the inductees made it to the second round. Next, I fought a petite blonde guard who hit surprisingly hard despite her stature. I ultimately knocked her out of the circle, but I knew I was coming away from that fight with a couple of bruises.

  Maria and Kadir ended up facing each other in the second round. To no one’s surprise, Maria kicked Kadir’s ass, and he was knocked out of the tournament and consequently out of the introduction process. His defeat meant he did not make the top eight, and he would have to try again next year. It would have taken some dumb luck for Kadir to make it because he never seemed to find his courage over the course of our short training.

  The biggest surprise, again, was Em’s match. This time she was paired with a willowy guard I knew as Zensa. She worked with Diana often and was in the original group I met in the woods when Ffamran and I first met. Her Merkin was a horse which made her rather speedy. I held my breath once more, as Em lifted herself from the chair and walked into the circle.

  Zensa had to only race around her once, and Em would go down. Instead of Em falling, however, it was Zensa who fell to one knee. She, too, forfeited the match, giving Em the victory and making it to the top eight.

  After the second forfeit, suspicion grew in my chest. Why were these guards, especially these well-trained fighters, giving up the fight to Emerald? Had someone bribed them? Were they coerced into this? Or was the whole thing a courtesy? Did they recognize Em’s disadvantage and nobly agreed not to fight her?

  Whatever the reason was, no one seemed to know. That didn’t stop the rumors from spreading, though. It was all the crowd would talk about. They weren’t even trying to be quiet about it.

  One spectator even shouted, “What kind of tournament is this?” when Zensa’s flag fell.

  Luckily, the other fights made up for the two forfeit matches. The third round signaled that Maria, myself, Razia, Eamon, and Em got to move on in the introduction process. A small sense of pride swelled inside me when I realized I had gotten this far. However, that pride only lasted a mere moment before I was overcome with a competitiveness I didn’t recognize.

  I wanted to win. This tournament was the best chance I had to prove myself to the court. The Dinner and the Dance were still a ways away and completely out of my comfort zone, but I reassured myself that I was still in my element here. It was a learned element, sure, not as natural as drawing or flying with dragons. However, I knew I could do this.

  Ffamran and the other dragons had not been able to sit in the arena. Frankly, the whole structure was smaller than the seven of them. However, I did notice a flash of purple soar overhead right before I started my two matches. Right before I was set to face my third opponent, I saw the purple shape hover in the sky. I smirked and relished in the confidence my Merkin brought to me as he looked on.

  I was thrown off guard by my opponent this round. Before me stood a scrawny guard with a sallow expression. He had a small mustache poking out from his upper lip, which was rather distracting. I cocked my head and scoffed in surprise.

  “Travis?” I exclaimed.

  My favorite messenger guard stood before me, and before I had a chance to process the hilarity of the whole situation, Travis stepped forward and socked me right in the jaw.

  The unexpected blow made my head spin. It was the first time I’d been properly hit all day. All the other jabs had been below the neckline, but Travis was showing no mercy. His fists came at me rapidly, and I barely managed to duck out of the way, considering my vision still spun with stars.

  Apparently, Travis was a rather talented fighter. Who knew? I raised my arms to blow so that his strikes landed on my forearms rather than my face. I barely managed to get an attack in. I remained on the defensive, and Travis continued to jab at me with a flurry of blows. His aggression pushed me farther and farther back.

  It was the gasp from the crowd that ultimately alerted me to how dangerously close I was to the edge of the circle. One step out meant I lost, and this scrawny messenger boy would beat me. It was only the third round. I still had two more fights left to go.

  No, I refused to lose at the halfway point.

  In between Travis’s blows, I lowered myself to the ground, crouched on one foot, and swept the one out and around. While that leg technically glided above the line, my foot never touched the ground as I channeled the physical manifestation of Ninji’s gift of grace to maintain my balance. Then, using the momentum of my spin, I whipped about and knocked Travis’s feet out from under him.

  The guard went down like a house of cards. He crumpled into a heap on the ground, landing hard on his side. A moan of pain escaped his lips as his shoulder slammed hard into the grass.

  I landed with
my right leg outstretched to the side, toe pointed like a dancer in order to keep my balance. As I flattened my foot, I pushed off the ground to the side, rolling on my back and tucking my legs underneath me so I could pop up onto my feet.

  Suddenly, the tides of the fight had changed. I lorded above Travis, who still crouched on the ground. I bent my knees, ready to pounce and pin him when Travis unexpectedly moaned. His face crumpled in pain, and I realized that he hadn’t moved since I first knocked him over.

  I paused and eyed Travis. His breaths were sharp and short, and he was curled into a ball as he cradled his shoulder. Slowly, I bent down to Travis’s level.

  “What is he doing?” someone called out from the crowd.

  “Why doesn’t he finish him?”

  “All he has to do is pin him, and it is over.”

  I wanted to heal him, but I recalled Madame Lilysmyth’s words from training. We weren’t allowed to use our gifts or merkins to fight. And even though I wanted to use my gift to heal and not fight, I knew they wouldn’t see it that way.

  So I did the next best thing I could. I placed my hand firmly on Travis’s back and pinned him. The trumpets sounded out, indicating my victory, and I quickly got off the messenger boy.

  Then, since the match was over, I reached out my hands and touched Travis. He kept his eyes closed and only flinched slightly at my touch. Probably thinking I was going to keep fighting him. I doubt he’d heard the trumpets when he was in such pain.

  Calmly, I called to the light and asked it to assess the damage. It swirled and extended from me, reaching out to Travis’s body. He was in such agony that he didn’t seem to notice what was happening around him.

  For the first time since the tournament had begun, I couldn’t hear the chittering from the crowd. It was like the world was underwater. It was just me, Travis, and the light. When the light hit his body, Travis opened his eyes for the first time.

  “It’s okay,” I reassured the fear that exploded from behind his gaze. “It’s okay. I’m here to help.”

  “Help?” he croaked.

  “Uh-huh,” I murmured as I noticed what the light had discovered. “Your collarbone is broken, but I’m going to fix it, okay? I just need you to stay still.”

  Travis blinked a couple of times at me, amazed but weary. Then he nodded, giving his permission.

  With his consent, I went to work. I pictured a healed collarbone, strong and sturdy. I imagined the broken pieces coming back together and solidifying. The light complied and worked to complete my vision. A warmth flowed between the two of us as the light did its job.

  Soon, I saw the bone as it should be and thanked the light. It responded by retreating back to my hands and growing dim. When the light disappeared, I could see Travis’s face once more. It was soft, no longer struck with pain, and smiling. It was the first time I had ever seen another expression on the messenger’s face, save for boredom or pain.

  Someone grabbed me from behind and yanked me away from Travis.

  “What the…?” I screamed as I kicked out my feet, trying to stop whoever was dragging me along.

  I quickly realized it was two someones carrying me off the field and back into the tent. I watched the arena shrink from view as I wiggled and pulled and protested.

  “Let me go!” I shouted. “What is happening? What are you doing? Let me go!” I didn’t understand why I was being dragged off the field. I had won, hadn’t I?

  They eventually did let me go once we were inside the tent. It was more of a throwing rather than a release, but I was free all the same. I scrambled up to my feet, ready to attack, but I saw it was Rebekah and Korey who had dragged me away.

  26

  “What the actual hell?” I shouted at the pair of them. “What was that?”

  “You are asking us ‘what was that?’” Korey’s voice was a hoarse whisper, showing her worry. “We should be asking you.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said honestly.

  “What do you think you were doing, using your gift on the field like that?” Korey asked, her voice still holding notes of light fear.

  Her question surprised me, and I took a step back. “I was healing him.”

  “Exactly!” Korey sighed. “Was or was that not supposed to be something we were keeping secret?”

  “Oh shit,” I whispered, realizing my mistake. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Clearly!” Korey blew air out of her mouth, exasperated. “It was great that you won the match, but now, you have told the entire court that you are a healer.”

  “This whole thing is ridiculous!” I proclaimed. “I just wanted to help him.”

  “We know that, Martin,” Rebekah said reassuringly. “But now, so does everyone else. That puts you at risk.”

  “How so?” I asked, not remembering the answer. “Great, now the court knows I can heal. They already knew I had light abilities. Now they just know what they are, big deal.”

  “It is a big deal, Martin,” Korey growled lowly. “They just thought you could destroy the corruption, not heal in general. Anyone smart enough will be able to figure it out.”

  “Figure what out?” I questioned, my frustration hitting a boiling point.

  “Insomier has not seen healers since King Garham and the false King Hennar himself,” Korey spat, her own irritation matching mine though her tone was still tinged with worry. “There were already rumors because of the dragons, but now they’ll be sure of it.”

  “Sure of what?” I countered, sick of her playing this pronoun game with me.

  “Sure that you are the King of Dragons,” Korey said.

  I pursed my lips and shook my head. “I’m still not sure what the problem is here.”

  “The last time this kingdom encountered a foreigner who also bonded with a dragon who could also heal was Hennar,” Rebekah explained, “and he created the corruption which we have feared for decades now. Now, here you are, displaying the same characteristics. Needless to say, they will either welcome you with open arms... or fear you.”

  “Basically,” Korey said with an unnecessary amount of sass to cover her fear, “you just made it a lot harder for the court to trust you.”

  Rebekah came up to me before I left the tent to return to the matches. She kissed my lips softly, barely a butterfly touch of lips, but I melted against her all the same, not realizing I had missed her touch.

  “You will get through this, Martin. I know you can.” Her eyes glinted with trust and courage, and I did not have the heart to argue with her.

  So I simply gritted my teeth and made my way back out onto the pitch.

  When I stood by my flag, I saw how the people who had lost, sitting on the bench not that far away, stared at me in a mixture of shock and awe. Still, it was time to focus on the upcoming matches. The final four came down to Razia, Maria, Em, and me.

  I ended up beating Razia. Since I trained with her and knew all her moves, it was over pretty fast. Therefore, the next two were Em and Maria, a match-up that was going to be painful to watch as the two were close friends.

  The question on everyone’s mind was, would Maria forfeit to Em? It seemed like the pattern but, the audience was torn because they wanted a fight, but many were unsure if Em could provide one, especially since she hadn’t fought her previous matches.

  Instead, Em surprised us all. After the trumpet signaled the start of the match, Em spoke to Maria directly.

  “What would you like to do, Maria?”

  “What do you mean?” Maria asked her opponent with a shaky voice.

  “Would you like to fight me, or would you like us to forfeit?” Em clarified the question. “Because I have been done a disservice so far today.”

  “I do not understand,” Maria replied, clenching her fists nervously.

  “I have not been given a fair chance to fight,” Em said sternly, with a clenched jaw. “Everyone has taken one look at me and compassionately bowed out. I do not believe anyone meant to insult
me, but it was difficult not to take it as one. Instead, I wish to offer you a choice.”

  With a furrowed brow, Maria nodded, allowing Em to continue.

  “We can fight properly, or we can forfeit together, at the same time. Which would you prefer?”

  At her mention of forfeiting together, I felt bitterness crawl up my throat as I began to realize what that would mean.

  “This is ridiculous!” a noble shouted. “The tournament is not for civility. It is for fighting.”

  “While you are correct, sir,” Em called back to the spectator, “I believe this situation warrants a different tactic.”

  “Sire,” someone pleaded to the king. “You cannot let this continue. It breaks with the tradition of the tournament and the introduction process.”

  “They should be banned from being introduced!” someone else shouted harshly.

  The suggestion made Em visibly flinch. Her shakes worsened when more nobles agreed with the suggestion of banishment. It was on the verge of becoming a chant when King Atlus held up his hand. The crowd fell silent.

  “I would argue that this is not the only unprecedented thing about this tournament,” Atlus stated matter-of-factly. “I am not opposed to the idea of letting the tournament continue down this route. It is full of surprises, no? Please, ladies, continue with your match.”

  Both women curtsied up at the king, and it took all my self-control not to jump in and say something. The whole situation was amazing and ridiculous, and my emotions were all over the place at what the implications of the two of them forfeiting would mean, but it was also more than I could have hoped for. A surge of pride also hit me at King Atlus’s defiance of the court. Maybe some of our chess sessions were rubbing off on him too.

  Maria looked at Em incredulously. “How would that work? If we both forfeit?”

  “On the count of three, we would both kneel,” Em explained. “It is a sign of forfeit from both of us, declaring it a draw. Martin would then be declared the winner.”

  Upon hearing those words, the crowd tittered again. More whispers, which sounded more like regular conversation, traveled around the stands. It was a scandal to the juiciest degree, and the court lapped it up.