Squawk: Beginnings (Book #1)

by Craig Halloran

  Gabe liked Jack and hated Jack. He was a friend one day and not the next. But he was still the best friend Gabe had. Still, he had no way of getting him into the games.

  “Sorry, Jack. I wish I could, but I can’t. I can’t even get in without my dad.”

  Fingers locked together, Jack begged Saul. “Take a chance on me, please, Saul. I can do whatever Gabe does. I can do it better. And I won’t ever leave the compound until I’m old enough. I swear I’ll never get you into the kind of trouble that he got you in.”

  Gabe clenched his fist and cocked it back. “What are you talking about, Jack?”

  “Your dad’s the Count’s new concubine.”

  Gabe slugged Jack in the jaw. The boy dropped like a stone. Gabe started kicking Jack too. “You take that back! You take that back!”

  Saul pulled him away. “Gabe, get ahold of yourself. Let’s go!” He shoved him along.

  Red faced, he did what he was told, stomping away like a maddened bull. He hated Jack. He hated what he’d said. He didn’t even know what a concubine was, but judging by the stunned look in his father’s eyes, it must have been bad. Gabe almost asked his father what a concubine was, but he held his tongue. Perhaps it was best he didn’t know, but all he could think of was the Count stroking Saul’s cheek.

  They made it back inside the dragon den with no more than a “Welcome back, whipping post” from Garland. Inside, the den had become a hive of activity. Several members of the dominion youth were within. They weren’t the same children as before, either. Some of them were younger, and others were older. Their dragons were perched on the handling gloves.

  The four dominion children, all about Gabe’s age, wore vest armor, each of a different color than the other. Their elbows and knees were covered in a special armor-like padding. It gave them a formidable look, much like the hunters but more ceremonial. In addition to the armor, each wore an ascot that matched his or her vest—deep blue, silver, gold, and black.

  They were known as the gamers. They were the children who had bonded with the dragons. With the help of a dragon-hunter assistant, the gamers fastened collars to the necks of their dragons. The collars had tassels on them, each in a different color to go with their gamers.

  A series of bell-like chimes echoed down one of the halls. The gamers—dragons roosting on their dragonry gloves—headed out of the den. One of the children was still there, except he wasn’t still a child. He was closer to the age of a man, as tall as Saul, with short, coal-black hair, and lean. His name was Strickland. His dragon, Lewis, was perched on his glove.

  Stroking the dragon’s neck, Strickland said to Saul, “I bonded with Lewis when I was twelve years old. This will be my twentieth battle, and I’ve never lost. I don’t think today will be a day of loss, either. Lewis is so strong. He’ll have another victory in him before they take him. I can feel it.”

  “He’s the best I’ve ever seen.” Saul started fastening the black-tasseled collar around the dragon’s neck. “You’re both truly something.” He handed Gabe a black cloth vest and donned one himself. He and Gabe put dragonry gloves on too. “The best.”

  “We are, aren’t we?” Strickland said. “Well, it’s not time to get all goose bumped about it. It’s time to fight, but when it’s over, Saul”—Strickland leaned over, speaking in Saul’s ear—“I want to hear about that dragon out there. Just between you and me.” He glanced at Gabe, who looked away. “Dragon slayer, huh? How humorous.”

  The three of them moved down the corridor. There were a couple of intersections and elbow turns. It was a long cinder-block tunnel. Oil lamps revealed the passageway all the way through until they came to the end. There were steep stairs the width of a man. Strickland went up them two at a time. He moved from the shadows into the daylight of what Gabe knew was a domeless arena, and he spread his arms wide. A thousand voices roared to life.

  CHAPTER 23

  The arena was a large circle that spanned no more than forty yards from one end to the other. The rambunctious crowd, hundreds of spectators, sat overlooking the arena bay. The bench seats were tall to give one an ample view of what lay within. An eight-foot-high wall of stone separated the people from the ground. A black iron fence was mounted on the wall to keep what was outside out and what was inside in. The dominion—walled off from any contact with the jeering crowd—consisted of dozens of men and women adorned in colorful robes. They gave haughty looks and frowns.

  “Take your position,” Saul said to Gabe.

  With the dragon on his shoulder, Strickland climbed a vertical ladder to the top of one of four platforms. The stage stood eight feet high. Black flags were hoisted in all four corners. A gentle breeze flapped them in the wind. All four of the platforms were spread out in equal distance and evenly spaced. The gamers of the dominion all faced each other. Each gave a quick bow to the others in a formal ceremony that delighted the crowd.

  Gabe stood on the left front of the stage, and his father was on the right. Gabe’s hands were behind his back, feet spread apart in a parade rest position. He’d taken part in the games a few times before, and all he’d done was stand there like some sort of decoration. It could be tiresome, but at least he got one of the best views of games.

  He leaned forward a bit and caught his father eyeing him. “Get back,” his father mouthed.

  With a smile, Gabe settled himself. The entire arena was charged with energy. The citizens were waving flags with the colors of their favorite dragons. Many of them chanted. One woman in particular, with hair like flame, let out earsplitting and horrendous screams. Some of the dominion shuddered in dismay, and others plugged their ears.

  Gabe’s giggles came to a stop. He noted the other citizens that were across from him on the other side of the arena. Malak stood there in a vest of gold with his son Jubal. His counterpart in previous games had been his son Ross, who’d died. Both father and son had sneers on their faces. Their eyes shot daggers at Gabe and Saul.

  Gabe looked away. They need to move on.

  A voice from above silenced the crowd. “Let the dragon games begin!”

  The people let out a thunderous whoop that shook the stands. They started banging and rattling the bars of the iron wall that held them back. It was the most insanely alive array of people that Gabe had ever seen. Every year, they became more and more boisterous.

  I’ve never seen them so wild before.

  The announcer, whose voice was amplified by a means that Gabe didn’t comprehend, spoke again. “Today we have competing among us our last champion, the black dragon, Lewis the Eliminator. The silver dragon, Maniac Mollie. The blue dragon, Svelte Sapphire. And finally, the gold dragon, Terrance the Terror. Which one of these dragons will prevail in the deadliest contest in all of the world? Place your bets, people, and see!”

  In the center of the arena, a trapdoor opened.

  The crowd hushed. Only the tremendous voice of the announcer spoke. “The dragon games have four stages, and we all know them well. The chase takes us from four contestants to three. The hunger takes us from three dragons to two. The battle brings us from two to one. Then we have the final match, the slaughter. The weakest dragon of them all faces his fate against the others. Are you ready for this?”

  The crowd chanted and cheered. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”

  The gamers stroked and whispered to the dragons that clung to their arms. Strickland was saying over and over, “Be quick, Lewis. Be deadly. Win this first round.” He set the dragon down in front of him.

  Gabe didn’t fully understand how the gamers kept command of their dragons. He wasn’t even sure if they had command of them at all. He’d asked his father before, but even he couldn’t explain it.

  In a new display of showmanship, all of the gamers lifted their arms high and spun around on their stage. The people jumped up and down, screaming. Next, the gamers hunkered over their dragons and held their palms out.

  Without warning, a twin-tailed, gray-black, spotted bobcat popped up out of the trapd
oor. It was bigger than any two of the dragons. Its green eyes darted from dragon to dragon, and it let out a hiss that was drowned out by the crowd. Its twin tails slowly lashed back and forth.

  The announcer said, “Let the chase begin! Go!”

  A gong sounded.

  Hands and lips moving, the gamers stirred their dragons. As if on command, the dragons all jumped from their platforms, wings flapping until they hit the ground. They gave chase, each making a straight line for the bobcat. The furry beast took off at a full sprint, snaking in between two of the dragons. Its paws were a flurry of white over the dusty bowl and patches of crabgrass. Fast, but not as quick and agile as the bobcat, the dragons converged. Heads low, they chased the bobcat in all directions to the delight of the screaming crowd.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Gabe could see Strickland motioning and pointing in a flurry. The dragon seemed to move in the direction of his commands. People in the audience were imitating the gestures. They shouted for their champion dragon.

  “Go, gold!”

  “Tear that cat apart, Eliminator!”

  “No dragon is greater than Lewis!”

  As the citizens of Newton went wild, the brood of the dominion remained still. Many of them casually chatted among themselves. Others scowled. As far as Gabe could see, one group couldn’t be more different than the other. Their clothing and cleanliness set them apart from the citizens.

  Lewis and Terrance, both giving furious chase, collided into one another. Wings beating in a show of puffery, the dragons tore at one another like ancient enemies who’d just awoken in the middle of a battle.

  Strickland was motioning with his hands and screaming, “No! No! No! Break it off, Lewis! Go!”

  The dragons continued their fight as the other two continued to pursue the bobcat. As Lewis and Terrance tore one another apart, Mollie and Sapphire chased the bobcat around the arena wall three more times. They bumped into and hissed at one another, each trying to edge the other one out. The bobcat, once quick and vibrant, started to slow. The tireless dragons started to gain.

  The crowd stood on their benches, hugging and screaming. The kill was coming. The dragons nipped at the bobcat’s legs. Sapphire edged out Mollie. She was one bite away from hauling the bobcat in.

  In one swift move, silver-clad Mollie snipped Sapphire’s tail, yanked it backward, jumped the blue dragon, and pounced on the bobcat. The dragon’s jaws locked on the big cat’s leg. The bobcat tumbled. The pair fought. Fur flew. Mollie tore it to pieces. The dragon dragged the dead cat back to the female gamer who controlled it.

  Waving silver flags, the crowd chanted, “Mollie! Mollie! Mollie!”

  Meanwhile, Lewis and Terrance were still fighting, locked up in a writhing knot of scales.

  Strickland started yelling at Saul and Gabe. “Go get my dragon, servants! Go get him now!”

  CHAPTER 24

  Strickland hurled his glove and hit Gabe in the face. “What are you waiting for, idiot?” he screamed. “Go get my dragon!”

  Gabe and his father trotted out onto the field.

  “Let me handle this,” Saul said.

  Even though the dragons were small, they were still more than capable of ripping a man’s flesh to the bone. At the moment, it seemed that Lewis had gone wild. Strickland’s lack of control was proof of that. It was normal for the dragons to get into scuffles during a chase, but they’d normally break it off to get back to the hunt and go after their prey.

  Gabe stayed close behind his father, and they crept up on the fighting dragons. Right across from them lurked Malak and his son.

  Saul said to Malak, “We need to peel them off. I’ll take mine, and you take yours.”

  Without a word, Malak marched up and locked his fingers on Terrance’s tail. Saul did the same with Lewis. The men tugged the dragons apart.

  The crowd started chanting, “Let them fight! Let them fight! Let them fight!”

  The dragons’ clutching claws and clapping jaws released one another and turned on the men who held their tails. Both men broke into a sprint, dragging each snapping dragon by the tail. With a heave, they slung the dragons away in opposite directions. The dragons’ necks rattled. Gold-clad Terrance returned to his station. His claws dug into the walls of the platform. He climbed up and took his spot on the arm of his gamer, a short boy who looked younger than Gabe.

  Lewis didn’t return to Strickland. The elder dragon had squared off on Saul.

  “It seems that the legendary Lewis still has plenty of fight left in him,” the announcer said. “Judges, what do you say? Shall we give him one? How about man against dragon? What do you say?”

  The crowd erupted in their seats in a maddened frenzy. Man versus dragon—the ultimate challenge. It even caught the dominion’s attention. Their necks stretched. They leaned forward. A new chatter started among them.

  In the front row of the dominion section were seated four judges, each with a paddle—gold, silver, blue, and black—resting against his or her chest.

  Lewis’s wings beat in a flurry. He rushed Saul on his hind legs. Saul glided back and away. He tripped and fell. The dragon’s jaws clamped down on his ankle.

  Gabe burst into action. Running at full speed, he grabbed the dragon by the tail and yanked back with all of his might. The dragon let out a hiss as Gabe dragged it over the ground.

  “What a turn of events,” the announcer said. “A battle of men and dragons! What say you, judges? How shall this battle end—with a battle or a slaughter?”

  The judges raised their paddles overhead to signal a battle royale—a dragon free-for-all. The crowd screeched with delight. On command, the gamers turned their dragons loose back into the arena. Mollie, Terrance, and Sapphire bolted right at Gabe in a streak of scales and colorful, jangling collars.

  Saul sprang to his feet, yelling, “Gabe, let go! Run!”

  Gabe released the tail. Lewis chased him. As the dragon gained on his heels, the other three dragons collided with Lewis. The dragons locked onto Lewis’s wings and neck. Their claws raked at the older dragon’s body. Lewis fought with ferocity. Jaws snapping and neck rattling, he squirmed and wiggled. Soon, the three competitors overwhelmed his efforts. Terrance tore Lewis’s wing off with his teeth. Mollie’s jaws locked on his neck. Lewis went into a spasm and died, and the dragons tore him apart piece by piece, scale by scale. It was over.

  The entire audience was standing. They were chanting and cheering.

  As the dragons broke it off, silver-collared Mollie had Lewis’s black collar in her mouth.

  Returning to his spot in front of the platform, Gabe stood with his hands on his knees. He huffed for breath. The crowd was so loud he could barely hear himself think as they headed back to Strickland’s podium. What just happened?

  Strickland stood with his hands behind his back, chin up, eyes hot with anger and wet with tears.

  The announcer’s voice broke through the clamor. “Judges, given the extraordinary events that just occurred in this arena, do we have a winner?”

  All four judges simultaneously gave a nod. The judge in the middle left held up the silver paddle.

  The announcer shouted, “Mollie is the winner!”

  ***

  Hours after the event, back inside the dragon den, the atmosphere was somber. Strickland sat on a stool by Lewis’s cage, face in his hands, weeping. His body trembled with wet and heavy sobs. What was left of Lewis was in the cage, a hunk of gashes and broken limbs. Only Gabe, Strickland, and Saul were there. The others were gone for celebration.

  Gabe was dressing the bite on his father’s leg. Strickland’s mourning shook his core. He seemed to be in excruciating pain. There was nothing worse than seeing a broken man. The dragon had been more than a pet—a part of that young man had died with the dragon. Strickland tore the bandage with his teeth.

  Gabe gave his dad a nod.

  “Why don’t you fetch us some water, Gabe?” Saul said with his eyes fixed on Strickland.

  �
��Okay.”

  “Okay?” Strickland choked out a sob. “Okay? Nothing is okay!” Face wet with tears, Strickland leered at Gabe and then his father. “What happened out there, Saul?”

  “Lewis fought with a will of his own,” Saul said in a sympathetic tone. “It happens when they get old and stronger willed. He fought like a true champion.”

  “He was murdered. I was murdered.”

  “The separation is always difficult. But you’ll have a will of iron to show for it.”

  Strickland rose from his stool and removed his dragonry gloves. He slung them to the floor. “I envy the both of you. You’ll never know a loss such as this.”

  “And we envy you for having had the sensation of commanding a dragon.”

  “Hah.” Strickland wiped his eyes. “I had no command once we entered the arena. I felt it in my bones. But those other dragons attacked Lewis as one. How did they do that, Saul? How did they know?” His hand fell on Gabe’s head. “Good-bye.” Then he left.

  Once Strickland was clear of the den, Gabe said to his father, “Am I mistaken, or was that dragon contest a complete disaster?”

  Saul shook his head. “The old ones used to have a word for something like that when it happened.”

  “Really? What was it?”

  “A duster cluck.”

  CHAPTER 25

  A few days later, after all the excitement of the dragon games had settled down, Gabe and Saul were back inside the dragon den. Garland was with them this time around, giving Gabe a hard time about anything that he could think of.

  “You’re bad luck, Gabe.” Garland drank from a little metal jug that smelled bad, and a rancid odor was on his breath. He teetered on a four-legged wooden stool. “Those dragons want to eat you. You know that, don’t you? Hah! They say the dragons tore ole Lewis to pieces. Many people said that it should have been you and Saul. What do you think about that?”