by Sam Hall
Survive.
I straightened, looking over at my dragon. The word was a faint hiss in my mind; I wasn’t sure if it came from me or Miazydar. It didn’t matter; it occurred to me because that was all I could do. I had to get through this, get us home where I had the luxury of pondering the rest. Mentally, I packed up all my worries, frustrations and preoccupations and locked them up tight in a box inside me, marked ‘to open later’. Miazydar’s head lifted as I got to my feet, but I patted his shoulder as I passed, walking back into the cottage. I slipped in between the cool sheets, curled around Flea’s sleeping form and dropped off into slumber like a baby.
32
So survive I did.
My time leading up to the war games began to take on a reliable pattern. Keel and I trained before and after school; me refusing to get naked until we’d at least gone a few rounds with the spears. When he saw I was serious, he started me on some conditioning exercises as well, making sure I was hot and sweaty before my skin touched his. I don’t know how well I got acquainted with Keel the guy as I did his dick, but it was kind of a relief just to have someone who wanted nothing other than to prepare me for the challenges ahead and let off some steam afterwards.
I completed all my coursework, or rather Scalla and Miazydar did. I didn’t bother studying anymore, knowing my dragon would supply me with whatever information I needed in class. It got a bit interesting when we had to do experiments but he talked me through what I had to do and I manage to pass everything. Bhechro and his cronies kept their distance as did everyone really. There’d been a few attempts on my life, someone tried to set the cottage on fire and another tried to spill acid on me in the science lab, but neither had been successful. We’d had to move to another cottage where Fluffy had a great time decimating the spider population all over again and my newly honed battle instincts had had me ducking out of the way of the path of the acid. Keel turning up to all my lessons with a plasma spear in tow managed to keep the attacks down for the foreseeable future. I saw the other cadets in passing and in training, but as Keel used meal times to go over strategy and my schedule, we spoke little.
“So how long’s this fitting supposed to take?” Jez said. She’d come with me to the tailor who’d created a popup studio in one of the classrooms in preparation for the upcoming ball. Apparently all of us had to have regulation dress uniforms. I watched the woman measure up Alden, wrapping her tape around his most important parts in a series of quick movements.
“Royal insignia, yes?” she said. Alden nodded and gave her the relevant details of his parentage which she noted.
“So who’re you going to the ball with?” Jez said as I took a step forward when the line moved.
“Keel, I think,” I said, looking around the room. I didn’t see him, but then again there was no one from the ADC here but us cadets.
“Why Keel? Do you have to take a rider?”
“No, but—”
“Why not take Flea?”
I scanned the bolts of rich teal fabric and spools of gold thread. “Would he enjoy something like this? I’m not sure I will.”
“He would if he was with you,” she said. Her dark eyes bore into the side of my face until I turned to face her. “He’s into you, Tess, really into you. God knows I’d never criticise a woman for having more than one guy on the go, but him? You’ve got to decide if you’re in or out.”
The box I’d locked down inside me rattled at her words, something big and dark wanting to fight its way out. I pushed the feeling down, hard.
“I guess I’ve been so focussed on the war games I hadn’t really thought about it.”
“What’s to think about? You either feel the same way about him or you don’t. Once they get feelings, they’re out the door in my house. Is he out of yours?”
The day before we were due to leave for the capital I came to find Scalla in the lounge room with Miazydar again. “Hey,” I said, “you know I handed in the last assignment a week ago, yeah? I appreciate all the work you’ve done, really, but you must need to complete your own assessments.”
“Scalla’s here to ask for a favour, Tess,” M said.
“Oh, right, sorry. What can I do for you?”
“I want to come to the capital,” she said.
“Dying to see the war games, are you?” I said with a smile. They both sat there quietly. “No? So why do you want to…oh.”
What Greynell had told me, shown me, stuck in my mind, it just wasn’t in the foremost part. I’d gone through the usual phases of outrage, disgust, anger, frustration and a desire to do something about it like we all do when we watch those videos on Facebook of people hurting animals or environmental damage. But like most people when not presented with an easy to implement solution, it had fallen to the wayside. I knew Aravisia was full of dick bags who were turning their dragons into emotionally and intellectually stunted slaves for their pleasure, but right now I was focussed on performing a series of well-rehearsed arabesques and fight sequences for the edification of the masses. I’d gotten my transcripts from Bhechro yesterday. It seemed bizarre that I wouldn’t get my exist pass until I’d done so, but then again I hadn’t expected to get into a duel with a sentient wolf who’d been cursed to take human form either, so there you go. I told myself that I’d get right on to trying to unpick the oppression of dragons once I got out of Aravisia. Maybe I could organise a concert or something to raise awareness, or we could donate a percentage of all of our sales to Scalla’s organisation. But, with all of this in mind, my eyes were currently on the prize and Scalla was attempting to insert herself between me and it.
“I…”
We’re taking her, Miazydar said.
Seriously? So asking me was a formality you needed to get out of the way, was it?
What have I asked of you since we arrived?
You asked me to scratch that spot behind your jaw the other day.
That’s not a request, that’s your obligation as my rider.
I smiled at Scalla and nodded. “Yeah, of course. Just be here at first light with whatever luggage you want to take, OK?” This earned me a spontaneous hug. I was awkwardly patting her back when Jez walked in, dumping her bags on the ground. She cocked an eyebrow, waving her goodbye as the preppy looking girl went to pack.
“So, one last family dinner before we go?” she said, sitting down at the dining table. Flea came in and added his bags to the lot and then looked at the two of us.
“Lemme guess, you want me to cook?”
“Well, I have one last date with the dynamic duo: Buttman and Vag Boy, so I wouldn’t want to be all tired out for that,” she said with an evil grin. “And anyway, it’ll give you some alone time, so think of the payoff.” Flea didn’t respond so neither did I. Jez grabbed a couple of beers and plonked them on the table. “I’m gonna miss…I’m not sure what Buttman’s actual name is.”
“What about Vag Boy?” I said, popping the lid of my drink.
“Morreth,” Flea said.
“What?”
“Vag Boy’s name is Morreth, Buttman is Rab.”
“That’s right, Rab is my alterna-rabbit. This boy’s got quite the eye for detail if he can keep up with my love life. You need to lock that shit down, Tess.” I looked at her quizzically but she just waved me off. Flea brought over a bubbling tray of melted cheese on toast and placed it on the table. “Fuck, cheese toastie again!” She mimed vomiting and then laughed, “Ha ha, just joking I have no gag reflex left. You could put your hand down my throat and tickle my stomach and nothing.”
“I’m going to miss this, so, so much,” he said, flinging her a couple of pieces so they landed partway on her plate. “You think I’m cooking for you when we get back home, you’ve got another thing coming.”
“No way, baby. Uber Eats, here I come! A chocolate thick shake and a double side of fries.”
“Oh my God, shut up,” I said, throwing a crust at her. “Pizza from Giuseppe’s, deep-pan, super supreme, no anchovies.”<
br />
“Anchovies on my side,” Jez said. She held up two fingers and then flickered her tongue between them. “I don’t mind a bit of salty fishiness.”
“Or red chicken curry for Thailicious,” I said, “with rice and money bags. What about you, Flea?”
“Fuck, I just want a Jack and Coke and a snitty and chips at the RSL,” he said.
“Well, all this talk is making me hungry and not for yet more fucking cheese on toast,” Jez said getting to her feet. “Remember, don’t leave without me. You think I have no purpose, but really I’m the irreplaceable heart of this team and you’ll just fail at all your enterprises, only to come back and find they’ve crowned me queen.”
“How, in the name of fuck, can you think that’s a possible outcome?” Flea said.
“I’ve got skills you’ve never seen,” she said with a wiggle of her hips. “You leave me here, it’s the downfall of modern civilisation.”
“Just make sure your overworked arse is here in the morning. Say bye to Morrenth and Rab for me,” I said.
Silence settled over the house after Jez sashayed out. Fluffy came down the hall and chirped at me to pick him up. I wasn’t sure if he was domesticated or anything, but he definitely liked to be petted like a kitten. “So, you must be glad to see Ash again. She must be having a meltdown by now.”
I didn’t answer right away; I wasn’t sure how to. Survive, survive, survive, had been my mantra and I was just about to achieve my goal, which meant considering what came afterwards. I opened my mouth, closed it, then tried again. “I’m…I’m not sure I’m going home. I mean to stay. Of course, I need to see Ash and check in with her. I need some more gold at the very least, but… I’ll have Aravisian citizenship.”
“You’ve chosen,” he said.
“No, because this isn’t about a guy. I’ll be able to travel freely throughout this world, through all of the worlds connected to the portal. As a trained dragon rider, I’ll be eligible for a plasma spear. I’ve been training to fight for over a month now.” Flea’s eyes bore into the tabletop, the green depths coming to the fore. His mouth thinned down to a hard line as the muscle in his jaw worked. He pulled a cigarette from the hand-painted, flimsy, cardboard box and put it to his lips, lighting it with a quick jerk of his lighter. “Flea, I’m the girl who cut down Prince Damon. I can do anything now.”
He got to his feet, shaking his head, smoke exhaling in a stream from his nostrils. “You always were, Tess. I dunno what they’ve got you thinking here, but you’ve never needed anyone here to be that, none of them.”
He disappeared into the bedroom; the door shutting with a slam. I shook my head, dislodging a sleepy Fluffy who perked up when I put him on the table to finish off the leftovers. I gave the dishes a wash in the sink, putting them on the side to drain, conscious this would be the last time I’d have to here. I went to grab the tray from Fluffy but he hunched over it, growling as he gnawed at the crusty bits still stuck on it. I just backed away, ready for bed, but not sure where I should sleep when I heard a knock.
Keel’s grin was bright in the darkness. One arm rested on the door frame, the other held out a package. My eyes dropped down and I felt a flush spread from my chest, up to my face. My hands shook a little when I reached out for it.
“Hey, I thought I’d bring your dress greens over. We need to be in them when we arrive, so best to put them on beforehand.”
“Oh! Oh, yeah, of course. Will do.”
“So you all excited about visiting the capital? Ah, no, you’ve been there before, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, when I got sentenced here.”
“Right, I hope it hasn’t been too onerous?”
His grin was the smile of someone who’d worked hard for all he’d received in life but was enjoying the fruits of his labours. There didn’t seem to be any reticence or wariness in him and it was weirdly seductive. “Did you want to come outside for a bit?” I looked down at his hand and the offer there and without too much thought, took it.
He tugged me after him, laughing, forcing me to tuck the package under one arm or drop it. He stopped at some point in the clearing and we looked up at the moon, the spires with the sleeping dragons looking down at us like sentinels. “Tomorrow we’ll be at the Queen’s Showing. The place will be crawling with big shots and those who want to be one. It’s a waste of bloody time but Her Majesty likes it, mixing the powerful with those who protect that power. You’ll see Sephador, Her Majesty’s queen. She’s due to mate while we’re there, always does. Needs to make sure there’s enough eggs for the Choosing six months later.”
“I’m not all that concerned about a dragon getting laid. I’m more worried about becoming nothing more than a red smear on the arena floor.”
He chuckled and threw an arm around my shoulder. “Don’t worry about that. You’re a bloody natural, Tess. You’ve got this. Just trust the team and the team will look after you. We strike without warning,” he said, performing the rider salute. I mimicked the gesture, though with a lot less enthusiasm. “Look, I better go, we’ve all got a curfew tonight but I wanted you to have your greens, unless you want to go one more round of sparring in the classroom?” A welcome throb between my legs told me exactly what we’d end up doing if we did.
I shook my head. “If I don’t have it now, I won’t at all and it’ll be the sundering sword for me. I’ve just got to trust you’ve trained me well enough to survive.”
He dipped in close, placing a warm kiss on my forehead, then ruffling my hair briefly before stepping back. “You’ll be fine. I’ll see you at first light.”
I ended up sleeping on the couch that night, Fluffy curled up on my hip as I did so. I wasn’t sure what to do with him when we went, he really seemed to have bonded with us. I intended to leave a window open so he could sneak in and out, assuming he’d be able to fend for himself on the plenitude of spiders.
“Rise and shine-a, hands-off vagina!” My eyes jerked open to see a grinning Jez standing over me. “Flea’s already off but don’t ask him for a cup of coffee. I’m not sure when you had time to piss in his Wheaties, but they’ve well and truly been urinated in. Let’s get this show on the road. Dragons are dropping to the ground out there like flies and the prospect of all that big meat between people’s legs is making me twitchy.”
“When I wake up properly, remind me to punch you in the face,” I growled.
“In the capital baby, but not the face. I’ve decided I like this multiple partner thing and am going to form my own harem. Can’t do that looking like a poster girl for domestic violence, so below the belt only.”
I shook my head getting up, dislodging a cranky Fluffy as I did so. He grumbled at me as I reached out to pat him, finally relenting when I found the spot he liked behind his ears. “See ya, Fluff. You’ve definitely been the cutest and most useful pet I’ve ever had.” His eyes went wide and shining, his little ears dropping. “Maybe I’ll be back this way someday, drop in and catch up with you and Mr or Mrs Fluffy and the kids.” He made a quizzical sound but Miazydar interrupted my moment. The riders are forming and Flea has attached all the luggage.
Just got to pull on my uniform and I’ll be right out.
“Finally, cadet,” Captain Keya said as I arrived. Scalla waved enthusiastically, wrapped as she was in a thick scarf, a leather jacket and owl-like goggles. “Follow my lead and stay in formation until we land at the capital. Let’s show the country what the Fourth Wing of Her Majesty’s Dragon Corp has to offer!”
We took off in a series of whoops. Miazydar getting cranky that we were flying at the back, apparently due to my tardiness. I admit, I felt only relief as we flew up and away from Lorikham. While I’d definitely learned a lot, it wasn’t always what was in the curriculum. Now onto the final test.
33
“So this is the human rider?”
A slender woman looked down at me from her throne. This was Queen Mistral of Aravisia, apparently. Her throne looked like an Art Nouveau wet dream, tendr
ils of whippy, organic metal curled and twisted back on itself to create an almost ethereal seat of power. The lady herself was dressed in a floor-length silk gown of indigo, the bodice the result of no doubt thousands of hours of hand beading. Her skin was a flawless honey colour, her dark brown hair tumbled over her shoulders and her sharply pointed ears poking through the tresses. The Aravisian tendency towards angular ears seemed much more pronounced in royalty, and as I looked around the court and those gathered, I was willing to bet it was a sign of good breeding. Finally, on top of her head, Mistral wore a crown made from white gold filigree and a plethora of deep blue and purple stones.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Tess McKinnon of Earth,” Captain Keya said
. She shot me a side look and I bent into the bow we’d all practised over and over.
“Your Majesty, this is the girl with the unregistered dragon we found in Damorica.” Lord Graves, the douche who had dismissed me to the university in the first place had appeared. “As you might remember, I sent you that report on the possible development of a dragon corps by the Damoricans. So far the ambassador denies everything, though the girl and her beast were used to slay the remaining member of the Fenrisian royal family.”
Her Majesty waved her hand and Graves immediately halted in his recitation of the allegations against me. “Damon was ridiculous, in fur or cursed without it. The Damoricans should’ve done something about him well before now. Your dragon is red, yes?”
“Ah, yes, Your Majesty.”
She looked over my shoulder and said, “Put him with Sephador. All the reds were wiped out in the Succession. I’d like to bring that line back into the pool. With Sephador’s violet colouring, we may get some magenta or fuchsia offspring.”
“Of course, Your Majesty, though we were due to bring Baron Updike’s beast to stud…” The Queen’s violet eyes burned into the minion’s until their mouth finally stopped moving. “Right away, Your Majesty.”
