I snuck out of bed early the next morning, leaving Kieran and Ronan snoring gently underneath the silk covers. I quickly donned a pair of the breeches Georg got me and a red dress that would be more fairly described as a shirt for how short it was. The sheaths went on one thigh and my upper arm, and then I slid on my boots. After a moment’s thought I attached a small sword to my waist as well, a gift from Ronan after the debacle in the training room. Today I had one goal. I was going to talk to Bair.
My nerves were frayed as I slipped out of my rooms. It was early, since breakfast had yet to be served. If Benedict found me sneaking around, it was unlikely he’d be pleased. Where was Georg when I needed him? He could probably navigate these halls with his eyes closed. The halls went on for long stretches before converging at crossroads, where more passages stretched on into the darkness. It was impossible to navigate, and I feared getting lost.
“Wandering dark halls alone?”
I jerked, and D’Arcy melted from the shadows, blocking the path ahead of me. I would not show him fear. “I can tell you’re related to Benedict, since you both prefer to skulk around in the dark.”
He barked out a short laugh, his black tunic effective camouflage in the dim lighting. I wondered again what the full story was behind his deadly brush with white magic. I straightened, refusing to be the same scared girl he met my first night here.
“I’m looking for Bair, actually. Can you assist me?”
D’Arcy’s head tilted to the side, and his lips parted in surprise. “Taken to him, have you?”
I shrugged, noncommittal. “He intrigues me. He has many . . . ideas.”
D’Arcy’s eyes sparked in interest, and he held out his arm to me. I didn’t really want to take it but decided to play nice.
“Bair has always been more levelheaded than Benedict. What were some of these ideas he had?”
His sudden interest and polite demeanor had me on guard. “Sabien should be able to tell you. They’re friends, aren’t they?”
D’Arcy walked at a brisk pace, unconcerned with whether I could keep up or not. Just another small thing that made him different from my men. Benedict could be an ass but was at least a polite ass. Usually. Sometimes.
“Sabien is not nearly as pragmatic as Bair. That boy gets the wrong ideas. I am surprised Bair puts up with him.”
D’Arcy didn’t seem on good terms with his own son. I made a mental note of that.
“He performed admirably at the last trial. I enjoyed meeting him very much.”
Flattery never hurt anyone, right?
D’Arcy’s chest did stick out for a moment, followed by a scowl. “He’s still lost.”
I had nothing to say to that, so we fell into an uneasy silence.
After a moment, D’Arcy leaned into me, much too close for my comfort. “Most of the drakens are preparing for the next task, which is where you should be. What would Benedict think if you were absent?”
I rolled my eyes. “If you think I care what he thinks, then you haven’t been paying attention.”
D’Arcy’s smile was an indulgent, condescending gesture that made me want to pull away from him. I resisted the urge. “Yes, I had noticed you two don’t seem to be getting along. That’s a shame.”
His tone made it sound anything but.
“It would also be a shame if Benedict were to find his little human late to the games because she was dallying with his uncle,” he added.
I grit my teeth, his grip iron around my upper arm. “We are not dallying.”
His nose was in my hair, nuzzling into my neck even as my fingers gripped the sword at my waist. Then he moved away, too quick for me to act and said, “No one will believe you.”
I took a steadying breath and met his eyes without flinching. “What will it take to omit that part of my tardiness?”
His fangs flashed, and I had the sinking sensation that I had just made a terrible, terrible mistake.
“I find myself bored in this mountain, as you can understand. The games have been a pleasurable enough diversion, but they’re hardly lively enough for my tastes, especially when Benedict insists on making them safe. What if you assist me in spicing them up?”
I didn’t have much of a choice, did I? I raised my chin, aiming for a bored tone. “And what do you suggest? Let me guess. Pick you as the winner?”
His eyebrows lifted in mock surprise, and as he smirked, I knew he was thinking back to my first night here, and the liberties he’d taken with me. I hid a snarl. “Not this time, though an intriguing possibility for the future.”
I pretended to be mildly interested, crossing my arms in thought. My fingers rested lightly on the top of my sword, and I kept my body loose and relaxed like Kieran had taught me.
“What did you have in mind then?”
He leaned in, his fangs getting closer. My hand gripped the hilt, ready to plunge it into his smug face if I needed to. It wouldn’t really hurt him, but hopefully it’d give me enough time to get a head start down the hallway.
“Wren! There you are!”
I sank in relief as one of the drakens from last night’s dinner appeared, the same two companions in tow. D’Arcy’s sneer only lifted minutely. “Elders.”
The three new drakens eyed D’Arcy with various levels of mistrust, and my opinion of them immediately rose. The first one approached me while the other two kept an eye on D’Arcy.
“Gelf, my lady.” The silver draken bent over my hand, grasping it carefully like it was made of porcelain. His companions seemed equally reserved, both waiting patiently for their turn to take my hand and greet me. Gelf gently laid my hand back down and backed away.
“Wyrren, at your service.” The second draken almost blended into the shadows, his dark obsidian scales gleaming and speckled with bits of red. His eyes were as black as his body, making the whites stand out even more.
“And I’m Pirth.” The final draken was the deep yellow color of saffron, fading into black on the lower half of his body. His bright green eyes reminded me of Kieran’s, but with more gold in them.
“What business do you have with the lady?” D’Arcy’s tone aimed for imperious but came off condescending.
“Our business, which is no concern of yours,” argued Gelf, his voice firm.
D’Arcy growled, baring his fangs. The three other drakens immediately went into a practiced defensive form, gently moving me behind them while flaring their large wings.
D’Arcy hissed at the three of them, and they took a step towards him. He backed away, tucking his wings into his shoulders. “Benedict will hear about this.”
Gelf snorted and swiped at the walls with his claws, and sparks flew. “Your nephew doesn’t give a shit what you think anymore, so go ahead.”
D’Arcy disappeared in a huff, and the sea of wings in front of me deflated.
“May we escort you to the games?” Wyrren offered.
I sighed. Bair would have to wait until later. “Of course.”
They took the lead, and I relaxed as my impromptu guard surrounded me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but these drakens didn’t set me on edge like the others did.
Pirth said as if he knew what I was thinking, “We were all mated before the war, so our instincts are not screaming at us where it concerns you, they’re simply yelling.”
I raised an eyebrow at Pirth, who merely grinned back. Gelf gave him a light shove.
“Don’t mind him. He’s over a thousand years old but acts like he’s in his first few centuries.”
“You are Elders then, like D’Arcy said?”
“Make that the only bit of information you pick up from him if you don’t mind. That draken has changed since we’ve been trapped here.”
“What do you mean?”
We paused at a crossroad of passages, and Wyrren pointed at a series of three horizontal lines etched at the level of my head on the wall. I’d never noticed them before. “The more lines you see, the further away from the entrance hall you are. If you keep taking passages with less lines, you will eventually find your way back.”
I ran my fingers over the crude markings, impressed with the genius of such a simple system. “Thank you, that’s quite helpful.”
We went down the hall marked with two lines.
“To answer your question, yes. We are the eldest remaining drakens who were fighting in the war yet didn’t perish in the eruption on Lyoness,” Pirth said quietly.
Wyrren snorted. “For all the good it did us; no one listens to us anyway.”
The concept of Elders was fascinating to me. I had never seen any elderly humans before, and the vampyres had immortal, unaging bodies. Lykoses did age, but I’d never seen any in person to make any judgements.
“We simply wish to warn you about those who would seek power for themselves.”
I frowned.
“You seem like a strong young woman. I want to encourage you not to let anyone push you around. Including a certain king.”
They all chuckled as if sharing some secret joke. My lips thinned.
“That certain king seems to regret ever bringing me here,” I said.
The ground beneath me began to slope, so I knew we were close to the arena.
Gelf gave a soft laugh, pushing me gently ahead. “He only wants you to think that. I’ve never seen him so distracted or riled in all our years here. You are the cause. Do not underestimate your strength.”
I pulled away and bowed to the other two drakens, who quickly bowed back. I couldn’t shake the image of Benedict’s tortured face above me, his fangs bared in a snarl as he thrust into my body. I shook my head.
“Enjoy the games,” I said, and they went off down a separate corridor.
Benedict barely even shot me a glance as I took my seat, his eyes trained on the pit. Not that I blamed him, there were much more interesting things on display in front of us. My days of never having seen a lykos were over: three of them were staked down in the corners of the pit, heavy chains leading to rough, iron collars around their necks. I couldn’t help but grab Benedict’s forearm in alarm.
“They won’t touch you,” his voice rumbled even as I frowned.
“It isn’t that,” I argued as the drakens in the bleachers sneered and catcalled the trapped creatures in the pit.
“You missed the introduction. D’Arcy was in his element.”
“I’m sure he was,” I said darkly as one of the lykos howled and yanked his chain, foam flying from his mouth.
They were in their wolfen forms, large, hulking beasts covered in fur and rippling muscles. D’Arcy must have planned this in advance to line it up with the lykoses’ moon cycles, or he knew where to get three lykoses on extremely short notice. Neither of those options brought me any source of comfort.
“Let me guess, the drakens get to kill them even though they’re already chained and captured?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You object?”
“Of course, I object!” I yelled. “The small one looks like a child!” I gestured to the smaller bundle of fur on the far left. It didn’t fight back like the other two lykoses did. Instead, it quivered and pulled itself as far into the corner as it could.
Benedict shifted uncomfortably. “D’Arcy would never—’
I silenced him with a glare, and Benedict waved a hand carelessly.
“If you protest it that much, then stop it. How many times must I tell you? All this is for you. If you don’t like it, stop it.”
He made it sound so easy, didn’t he? I had to at least try.
I stood as D’Arcy approached the small lykos with a sadistic grin on his face, moving to the edge of the balcony and flipping a dagger into my hand. The two adult lykoses howled in fury and fear, injuring themselves as they struggled uselessly against the chains that held them. I wasn’t overly confident of my abilities, but I had been practicing. I could do this if it were needed. And it was very much needed.
“Wren.”
I ignored Benedict’s irritated growl. He rarely used my name, but now wasn’t the time to revel in such luxuries.
Just as D’Arcy bore down on the young lykos, I let my dagger fly. It soared through the air and cleanly hit the pin that held the collar on the young lykos. The small ball of fur pulled free, running desperately towards the direction of the balcony and the black lykos chained directly beneath me. I jumped over the edge as D’Arcy lunged, careful of my sword as I tucked and rolled, disbursing the momentum of my landing. My blade was in my hand as I popped up, standing directly between D’Arcy and the two lykoses. I pointed my sword at his chest.
D’Arcy towered over me, and I was struck with the reminder that I was one puny, human woman in a pit with three lykoses and one bloodthirsty draken. My courage wavered and for a moment I considered backing away. D’Arcy smirked as if he could read my thoughts. I wouldn’t let him win, I couldn’t, not while I stood here with the ability to do something. I could choose fear, or I could choose something else.
If I was alive, there was hope.
I tightened my grip on my sword, swallowing heavily. Sweat beaded on my forehead.
“Release them.”
Gasps and grumbling reverberated around the stadium, before everyone fell into startled silence, wondering what would happen next.
D’Arcy laughed, a dark, patronizing sound that sent chills up my spine. “I highly doubt you want me to do that.”
I licked my lips, fear threatening to overwhelm me. The lykoses’ heads were bigger than me, their growls resonating deep in my gust. I questioned whether to call D’Arcy’s bluff.
He rolled his eyes and gestured grandly around us. “The moment I release them, they will rip your throat out.”
I turned and met the large golden eyes of the beast behind me, his black fur rippling with exertion. The smaller one whined from between his legs.
Choose fear or choose something else.
Right then, I was alive, and so were they. There was still hope, so I raised my head, easily meeting D’Arcy’s turquoise gaze.
“I don’t think they’ll attack me. The moment they do, hundreds of drakens will descend on them and shred them to pieces. Certainly, they don’t want that.”
I could have sworn the lykos chained in the corner on the right grinned at me, his large tongue lolling out of his mouth.
D’Arcy crossed his arms as if the whole affair didn’t concern him one bit. “What if I release the lykoses, and we will simply see what happens? They could choose to attack, or they could not.”
The drakens around me muttered, but no one objected out loud. My eyes narrowed. So much for being their honored guest. I heard two voices yelling before they were quickly muffled. At least Kieran and Ronan had my back.
D’Arcy eyed the lykoses as if they were nothing other than interesting toys sent here to amuse him.
“If you decide to attack the human, I promise that the last lykos left standing will be spared and released. If you do not attack, I will, starting with that one.” D’Arcy pointed one finger lazily at the small lykos behind me, and the ball of fur cowered deeper against the black lykos’ legs.
My daggers flicked into my right hand, the sword still in my left.
“I’ll gut you like a fish,” I snarled.
“Benedict won’t save you,” D’Arcy taunted.
The brown lykos on my right blinked slowly at me, his head tilting quickly to his left, towards the smaller lykos. The movement was so small I almost missed it. I blinked back. I decided to voice my thoughts from earlier.
“How’d you get the lykos here, D’Arcy? Quite a feat to bring in three by yourself. Got some friends on the outside?”
The other drakens eyed D’Arcy warily, hesitation written all over their faces. They hadn’t thought about that.
D’Arcy’s face flushed in anger. “How dare you. You’re nothing but a spy sent here to try and kill us all.”
Gasps greeted his accusation and my lips twitched. At least the cards were out on the table, now.
“Takes one to know one,” I countered.
“Enough.” He snarled, apparently sensing he was losing the crowd. He jerked towards
the lykos. “Choose.”
With a flick of his wrist, the chains were gone, and several things happened at once. The black lykos pushed the cub between my legs, and I crouched defensively in front of him, his reddish fur soft as he huddled against me.
“Don’t move,” I ordered. The black lykos towered over me, placing himself between me and D’Arcy. The brown one joined him calmly as it was now three against one. It was tempting to glance at the balcony, but I wouldn’t. I believed D’Arcy when he said Benedict wouldn’t save me.
“They are protecting their young. Surely that’s something a draken understands above everything else?” I pleaded.
The mood in the arena shifted, and the ugly look on D’Arcy’s face told me he sensed it as well. He seemed ready to explode at the loss of control over his own event. The black lykos growled, but I moved forward and put one hand gently on his massive head, my fingers grasping the soft fur between his ears. I walked between him and his companion as the small cub stayed behind us. With a massive beast on either side of me, I felt invincible.
D’Arcy was breathing heavily as he took a step backward. “If you don’t get the hell out of my pit, I will snap your neck.”
I met D’Arcy’s icy stare with a gaze full of fire. “No, you will not.”
“The lykoses have always been our enemy—”
Not before the war.
I stiffened along with every other draken as the black-furred lykos spoke, his voice reverberating inside of my head.
The massive creature pinned D’Arcy with his golden stare, and D’Arcy changed tactics, his face twisting into a look of polite helplessness. “You are allies with the Overlord, the one who destroyed our race. If we let any of you go, the Overlord will find out and he will attack us. We can’t risk it.”
My fingers tightened around the hilt of my knife. “So, your original offer of freeing the last remaining lykos was a lie, then?”
The crowd mumbled angrily, and I nearly had them, so I pushed forward. “And if that is true, then the one who has risked our safety is you then, not them.”
My hands with my weapons rested on the head on either side of me, and the two lykoses sold it further by leaning into my side, growling.
D’Arcy tried one more time. “Only a spy would protect allies of the Overlord! What other purpose could she have?”
He spit on the ground, gesturing his arms grandly. Indecision hung heavily in the air as the drakens didn’t know who to believe. D’Arcy pressed his point further, his body quivering with rage. “Again, what other purpose could she have?”
Creating an alliance between the drakens and the lykoses. The black-furred lykos stepped forward, his words effectively wiping the smug grin from D’Arcy’s face.
Benedict stood in a flurry of motion, grasping onto the balcony’s edge as his face paled dramatically.
“You lie,” D’Arcy accused.
After you, the lykos responded, lowering his head to the ground in challenge.
“On whose authority do you dare speak of an alliance?” D’Arcy’s voice was low, and I wondered if it was on purpose, to keep the drakens in the bleachers from hearing him.
Release us, and you may find out.
The tension was so thick I could have choked on it. One wrong move, one misinterpreted gesture, and someone would die. D’Arcy and I had both drawn a line in the sand. It was time to find out which side Benedict stood on since in the end only his word mattered.
I said, “If the king would weigh in on this matter, we could all find a more useful way to spend our day.”
I didn’t need to turn around to see Benedict burning a hole in my back with his gaze. He didn’t appreciate being brought into our conflict, forced to choose between the two of us. No one made a sound. It was likely the entire arena held its breath, waiting for the decision of its king.
After an eternity, Benedict spoke. “Do you offer the alliance in good faith?”
The black-furred lykos bowed his head, lowering it to the ground. Benedict glared at D’Arcy. “Escort them to the outside.”
He turned away from the balcony and vanished. D’Arcy shot me a murderous glare that promised retribution.
“He won’t choose you next time,” he grumbled.
I didn’t let the anxiety show on my face. I lowered my voice to a low hiss, so the others wouldn’t hear. “We’ll see. You’re not the one in his bed.”
It was childish of me, and undoubtedly would be reported back to Benedict, but I didn’t care. For the first time in my life, I had taken control, and it felt glorious. The lykos at my side twitched in humor as the cub nipped at my pant leg.
I reached down and he stood on his hind legs, licking my face. “May I?”
The black lykos nodded, and I picked the cub up in my arms. The other lykos flanked me protectively, and I resisted the bubble of laughter that welled up inside of me. Who exactly was saving who?
“I require assistance with the escort.” My eyes scanned the bleachers, not surprised to find Kieran and Ronan immediately standing. After a beat of silence, Sabien and Bair reluctantly stood, along with another draken with maroon and indigo coloring.
I nodded my head, and the cub in my arms made a happy sound. “Congratulations, I declare you five the winners of the day. After the escort, join me in my rooms. I’m always happy to receive drakens who understand the concept of brain over blood.”
My voice sounded oddly high, full of false cheer, but the audience slowly began to clap, until they started cheering and hollering in triumph at the drakens chosen. I rolled my eyes, anything for men and their sport. I turned towards D’Arcy, a small smirk on my face as I reveled in my victory. He disappeared in a wisp of black.
