by Lily Graison
“It’s almost showtime.” The girl with the pixie cut came to stand beside her. “Now things will get interesting for you.” She looked over at her. “My name is Krista, by the way.”
“I’m Sara.”
The aliens who walked into the arena headed straight for the cages. Krista grabbed her arm and pulled her back. She saw why a moment later. The aliens gathered around the cages, pressing close while looking inside at them. A few scented the air before their mouths spread into what she assumed were smiles and many of them made no secret to what they’d do to them. She wasn’t even sure how some of them would even do it, not that she wanted to think of their genitalia, but with some of the more horrid looking one’s it was hard not to.
They ranged in sizes and colors and she was reminded of the Cantina scene in an old Star Wars movie as they stood there gawking at them. All that was missing were the aliens playing a jaunty tune in the background.
All afternoon, aliens filled into the arena and wandered to the cages. They were ogled and told in graphic detail what would be done when they were won as a prize and Sara realized how lucky she’d had it. As terrified as she’d been in the beginning, compared to what these girls had gone through, she’d been treated like royalty here on Prison Moon One. Toren had gone out of his way to make her happy. He’d hunted for her, cared for her when wounded, and had treated her as if she were precious. Her heart hurt just thinking about it. What if they didn’t give her back to him? What if they made him fight and he—
She swallowed back the anguish trying to claw its way up her throat. She’d not think about an outcome other than him ripping this place apart to get to her and she had no doubt he would. He’d protect her, he’d—
Tears misted her eyes and she closed them to keep from crying. The noise the aliens were making, coupled with lack of food and comfort, Toren’s arms holding her and letting her know everything would be all right, caused the panic to set in. Anxiety unlike any she’d ever felt stole her breath, her eyes burning until she knew she was about to lose her shit.
She scrubbed at her face and walked to the far side of the cage, her head filled with thoughts of Toren. Every moment they’d spent together came back to her in flashes of moving pictures in her mind’s eye and the thought of no longer having him—
She loved him too much to lose him now. The moment the thought popped into her head, her heart ached. She loved him. Had no idea when it had happened but she knew why she was so crazy out of her mind with worry and despair, her heart aching at the mere thought of him. She loved him. And he loved her. She filled his heart. He’d said it so many times and deep down she knew what he’d meant. He loved her. It might not have been the same words, but his actions alone were enough to let her know. Toren loved her.
The noise inside the arena grew and Sara turned around to see what was going on. Wyvern by the dozens started filling the arena, all of them armed. The long shiny cylinders hanging from belts looped around their hips were the same as the weapon they’d shot Toren with.
They spread out around the parameter of the arena. The aliens who had been milling near the cages started climbing up onto a plank walkway that ran around the edges of the circle. It raised them off the ground enough to see over the heads of the wyvern.
The wyvern closest to the cage next to the one she was in opened the door and stepped inside. The girls scrambled toward the back wall, turning their faces away, some openly screaming or crying. The wyvern grabbed one and carried her out, another wyvern shutting and locking the door behind him.
The girl was screaming as she was taken to the platform and carried up those three steps, then made to stand in the center. She was wearing a dress much like the one the Big Heads had dressed them in but hers was not see through.
A booming voice filled the arena. The aliens were shifting on the platform, most of them looking at the girl. The disembodied voice said, “Lot one. Those who wish to claim her, step into the ring.”
Sara watched in horror as half a dozen aliens stepped off the platform and into the ring. The crying girl they were going to fight for was a sobbing mess, but she was still on her feet. Dozens of the small prism-shaped orbs filled the air overhead, recording, she assumed. A drumbeat loud enough to make her flinch sounded from somewhere and the aliens in the ring fighting for the girl all jumped at once.
She’d seen enough movies to know this was playing out a lot like the old gladiator movies did. The aliens fought amongst themselves, testing to see who was stronger, the weaker ones running back for the platform in disgrace while being laughed at for their failed attempt. The fighting aliens tore into each other with nothing but bare fists, claws, and pinchers, whatever that particular species had until blood flowed. Two aliens were on the ground unmoving, the others fighting around them. When only two remained, all activity stopped as the drum was once again hit.
The aliens that were too injured to move or dead were dragged out of the ring. The two remaining aliens were matched in size. They were bulky with insanely muscled limbs. One was a dark shade of royal blue. He was free of hair, lipless and had eyes so orange they seemed to glow. The other alien stood a few inches taller but was thinner. His skin a soft shade of green, hair black as night hanging halfway down his back. His hands were disproportionately massive. Small horns jutted from his forehead and curved around the back of his head and he showed a mouth full of teeth as he smiled. They faced off, the crowd cheering and chanting what she assumed were names until the drumbeat signaled for them to start.
The fight was brutal, blood flying as they slashed at each other with claws and teeth. The girl on the platform still cried, her shoulders so low she looked ready to melt into the floor. Sara stared in stunned silence as the aliens sliced, kicked and rolled across the arena. The green alien lowered his head and ran as if to ram the other with his horns but the dark blue alien grabbed them, staggering back from the impact but didn’t let go. Three sharp jerks on those horns and the green alien’s neck cracked, the bone popping so loud it sounded like a gunshot. The blue alien flung him to the ground as if he were nothing.
Shouts and cheers filled the air, the prism-shaped orbs darting around the arena in a frenzy. The blue alien turned to the platform, the girl finally falling to her knees. Her arm was jerked up an instant later when the wyvern standing behind her lifted her and practically dragged her to the edge of the makeshift stage before tossing her over the side. Long, lanky arms caught her, the blue alien picking her up to the cheers and laughter from the others. The girl screamed, her cries growing in volume as the alien tossed her over his shoulder and headed for the doors on the other side of the arena. When they were gone, Sara turned and went to the back wall, her knees so weak she sank to the ground uncaring what she may be sitting in.
The screams were still echoing in her head, the laughter of the aliens watching what was happening thunderously loud. This place was a nightmare. Would they barter her off before they made Toren fight? Those burning tears were back. She didn’t even try to hide them this time. There wasn’t a girl in any of these cages who wasn’t crying to some extent. As the drums banged again, the wyvern grabbed another girl, dragged her to the platform signaling the next fight to begin.
Toren paced the small cell he was in. He’d listened to the sounds filtering in from above for hours, the screams and yelling, the taunts and laughter and knew the arena fight he’d have to participate in to get Sarra back was drawing closer. He’d been told what to expect, had even seen a previous battle on the same handheld image maker the female had shown him Sarra the day before. From what he’d seen, others would challenge him for her. The thought stretched every muscle tight, the collar still around his neck choking him as the dragon tried to claw its way free at the thought of someone else touching his mate.
Voices and the shuffle of feet echoed down the hall. Toren hurried to the door, peering out of the small opening to see two males walking his way. The scaled patches on their skin, and the stench of them told
him they were wyvern. His claws started to lengthen. The wyvern were the reason the Draegon were near extinct. They were traitors. They betrayed the people who lived here for power and enslaved an entire planet in the process.
They approached the door, their faces blank of emotion. Toren’s claws lengthened more, the muscles in his neck straining against the collar.
The tallest of the two males approached the door, the flash of a metallic disk shining in one of his hands. “Your fight is about to begin.” He raised the card and moved it toward the door but stopped at the last moment. “I don’t suggest you do anything stupid when I open this door. The guards outside have been given permission to do as they like with your pretty little female should you try anything heroic.” He smiled, his yellow teeth dull inside his mouth. “And trust me when I say they’re all looking very forward to you doing something stupid.”
Metal locks inside the door clicked when the wyvern slid the disk in his hand over the locking mechanism. Thoughts of ripping their throats out the moment the door opened turned his vision red. The wyvern’s threat of what they’d do to Sarra was the only thing holding him back and they knew it. The smirk on the face of the wyvern who unlocked the door said as much.
He stepped out of the cell and the scent of blood, unwashed flesh, and bodily waste hung heavy in the air. The wyvern who had yet to move held out a pair of wide metal cuffs. “Raise your arms.” Toren did as told. The cuffs were attached to a short chain that kept his arms close together. Another short chain dangled from the other and was raised and hooked to something on the neck collar. His arms were bent, hands near his face. The restraints rattled the dragon enough he felt his chest heat as fire burned up this throat.
They led him down a long corridor, the noise from outside growing as they approached a set of doors. Two more wyverns stood by them. They exchanged looks with the two flanking him before the doors opened.
Bright sunlight temporarily blinded him as he was grabbed and led outside. His vision slowly returned. The arena was filled with others in every shape, color and species one could imagine. Cells to his left were filled with females who looked much like his Sarra. He searched the faces of those staring back at him.
“Toren!”
Her voice sent a jolt of need racing through his limbs. He searched the cages and saw her in the one farthest from where he stood. She was pressed against the bars, a smile on her face despite their circumstance and even though he knew it was useless, he raised his hands to the collar and gave it another yank.
A wyvern guard standing next to her cage opened the door, another walking inside and grabbing Sarra’s arm, jerking it violently as he started to drag her out of the cage. A growl crawled up his throat at the harsh treatment, his hold on the collar tightening as the wyvern on his right gave his arm a tight squeeze. Something in the way in which he looked at him told him to keep quiet. That threat they’d made against Sarra was still whispering through his head and as much as he wanted to kill every last one of the wyvern in the arena, he clenched his jaw and locked eyes with his mate and willed himself to calm down.
Sarra was led across the ring to where he stood, and for reasons he couldn’t explain, the wyvern holding them both let go. Sarra ran the short distance between them and threw her arms around his neck while frustration at his bound arms rattled that growl in his chest louder.
“I was so scared of what they were doing to you.”
“I am fine, Sarra.”
She kissed his neck, his jaw then clamped his head between her hands and kissed him so hard on the mouth his entire body jolted. She was pulled away from him an instant later.
Toren scowled when the wyvern who now held Sarra squeezed her arm hard enough she hissed at him in her strange language. The wyvern’s scales ran down the length of his face on both sides and the majority of his bald head was covered as well. He’d not forget him, nor his rough treatment to his mate. He bit his tongue and watched him lead Sarra to a wooden platform at the end of the arena where she was high enough off the ground to be seen by everyone. He didn’t take his eyes off of her as the gathered crowd’s yells grew louder. The wyvern holding his arm walked him to the center of the ring, then let go of him. He turned to face Sarra as a loud drum beat gonged a few times, then a voice filled the air.
“This fight will be special for those who wish to participate. Not only will you win the girl, but a dragon’s hoard of treasure the likes you’ve never seen, a hoard of dragon scale by the thousands, precious metals, and gems. The dragon scale alone is worth its weight in Ancagon steel as they’re the most valuable currency in the galaxy. With enough of them, you could almost buy your way off this moon.”
A hushed whisper rippled through the crowd. Toren watched their faces as they stared at him. How many would he have to fight? How many would he have to kill?
He turned in a slow circle and met as many gazes as dared to look at him. Many were eager for a fight. He could see it in their eyes and his dragon was screaming to be let out of its cage.
The wyvern on his right stepped in front of him and released the cuffs on his wrists and unchained them from the collar. Anticipation flared through his veins. Once that collar was off, he’d burn this place to the ground. When the thick metal wrist cuffs were off, the wyvern stepped back.
“You’re leaving the collar on?”
The wyvern on his other side laughed. “You don’t think we’re stupid enough to let the beast out of his cage, do you?”
Several of the aliens along the perimeter of the ring stepped down, wide feral smiles lighting their faces.
The person announcing the fight was still talking, explaining the prize as more aliens stepped down into the ring. Nearly thirty in various sizes were staring back at him, shifting their weight from foot to foot. They were ready for a fight.
“Is that all brave enough to fight a Draegon for his mate and treasure?”
“A Draegon?”
Toren wasn’t sure who yelled the question but the low murmur of voices started to rise in volume until they were so loud, they drowned out the announcer.
“Silence!”
Everyone stopped talking. The announcer said, “He is collared. The dragon is well restrained.”
The aliens who’d stepped down into the ring were once again looking at him. They thought they’d tamed his beast? He smiled and let his fangs grow longer, the sharp tips sliding past his lips as his claws extended, his body bulking until the collar cut into his throat. He might not be able to shift completely, but he wasn’t harmless.
That low murmur of voices rose in volume again. Several of the aliens who’d stepped into the ring retreated, jumping back onto the platform the others were standing on. Slowly, the aliens stepped away until only three remained.
Toren raised his arms, his claws gleaming in the sun. “Even restrained, I have more strength than ten males combined. I will destroy you.”
The three who remained looked at each other before turning their attention back to him. Toren smiled when they all three turned and stepped back onto the walkway.
The announcer said nothing for long minutes, nothing but the sound of the wind rattling the tree limbs heard. Toren turned back to Sarra. She was smiling at him.
Soft voices once again filled the arena. Those aliens on the walkway were all watching him, shifting on their feet. When the speaker the announcer was using popped as if they were going to speak again, Toren stilled.
Two more wyvern jumped onto the platform with Sarra, the one closest to her grabbing her from behind, his large hand banded around her throat. Toren’s body went rigid, fire burning in his chest as the announcer said, “Careful, Draegon. One false move and you’ll be executed on the spot and your precious mate given to our enforcers as a special treat.”
Fire blazed in Toren’s eyes. Sara stared at him, trying to reassure him she was all right despite the thick hand wrapped around her throat. The other two wyvern jumping onto the platform with her was not a good sign. No
r were the three new wyvern entering the arena from the same door Toren had been led through.
Feedback from the speakers whistled as the announcer said, “The rules have changed. We have new competitors entering the ring.”
The wyvern? Sara watched them walk to the center of the arena, making a wide circle around Toren.
“Since the Draegon race is much superior to the average species, the rules will change for this fight. Draegon, in order to win your mate, you will battle them all—together.”
The hushed whispers grew loud again as Toren turned his head to look at the wyvern at his back, then the two flanking him. All three of them wore nothing but pants. They were void of weapons and that small bit of knowledge made it seem more fair. Not that Toren having to fight all three of them at once was fairer but if they were all bare handed, then it evened the odds a bit.
As one, all three wyverns smiled, then removed their pants. The move drew a silent pause over the crowd. Sara was still trying to figure out why they were going to fight naked when the one to the left of Toren stepped back and shifted, then jumped into the air. The other two did the same and that small bit of relief she felt at them not using a weapon against Toren died. How was he supposed to fight three wyvern in their shifted form with his bare hands?
Another wyvern approached the center of the ring as the one who held her pushed her to the edge of the platform. The announcer’s voice filled the silence again. “Draegon, you will be released from your collar. One single move from you and your mate’s life is forfeit. Do you understand?”
Toren locked eyes with her as he nodded his head. “Yes.”
The wyvern who’d entered the ring and approached him lifted a small metal disk and laid it against the side of the collar. It snapped open a moment later. Toren’s muscles strained, small veins in his neck bulging as he physically restrained the dragon. The three wyvern climbed higher into the air. The orbs that tracked all movement here followed them, circling around the three of them while other orbs still hovered over the arena. Toren never lifted his gaze, never moved a muscle as he stared at her.
