The Firedragon Page 5

  It would materialize several feet behind her. She didn’t know how she was able to tell, but she could feel it in her bones, see it in her mind. Maybe she’d picked up on something from the crowd, their gasps of anticipation. Or maybe monsters were just that predictable. It didn’t matter; she knew.

  Taking it by surprise, like she had when she got its leg, was the only way to kill it. And she needed it to come close enough for her to reach its neck.

  “Oh speeeearfieeeend …” she called in a high, purposely obnoxious voice.

  Faint tapping sounds rattled against the arena’s floor behind her – the monster was approaching. But if it knew she was aware of its presence, it would vanish again before she could attack.

  So she waited, breathing as silently as possible and wishing her heartbeat didn’t thump so loudly in her ears. She needed to hear every little movement behind her. The tapping grew faster and louder – it was coming closer …

  And then it stopped.

  From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed the shadow of something long and pointed. Knowing it was the spearfiend raising its remaining front limb, she watched. And waited. Her whole body yearned to turn around and fight, but she had to make the creature think she didn’t know it was there. It had to think it was winning.

  The shadow rose higher and higher, until she couldn’t see it anymore.

  She held her breath.

  Then the shadow reappeared, and the leg came plunging down toward her. She spun and whipped her right sword through it, chopping it off, and sending the creature crashing forward onto the two stumps that had been its front legs. Its long neck stretched before her, and its beak opened in a great, earth-shaking cry.

  Now! There was no time to waste – half a second too late, and it would escape again.

  She sliced through its neck with her left blade, and the spearfiend’s head tumbled onto the ground, its green blood pooling around her feet.

  Her gaze fixed on its lifeless, unblinking eyes. Did that really work? Is it really over? For several seconds she just stared, almost expecting the head to jump up and bite her. But it didn’t, and she realized that she’d beaten it – actually beaten it. I survived …

  Though weariness weighed down on her, she’d never felt more alive, and an involuntary giggle escaped her lips as she stared down at her vanquished enemy. I win, sucker.

  She turned to the audience, who had been sitting in stunned silence, and raised her blades in triumph. “And that’s why they call me the Firedragon!”

  The crowd roared, jumping up in their seats and shouting with approval. The noise was so loud, it seemed to make the ground she stood on shake, and she wondered if the whole world could hear it. Then a red number flared across the air above her: A perfect ten. Her jaw dropped. A moment later a second number joined it: A second perfect ten. She blinked rapidly, wondering if her eyes were bleary from the tiredness. Then a third number exploded beside the first two: A third perfect ten.

  “What?” she screamed. She almost didn’t believe it. She’d known in her mind that she was the best, but she hadn’t realized she’d actually be … the best.

  And the whole world was cheering. They had all seen a Norm girl defeat a spearfiend – a creature so rare and dangerous that she hadn’t even heard of it before today.

  She jumped up and down, laughing with delight. She would win this Challenge, and she would change the world. The proof was in the air, shimmering in bright red numbers above her.

  No one could stop her now.

  “Contestant Twenty-Four!” a stern voice thundered toward her.

  Her eyes flew across the arena, and she saw a stern-faced Challenge official standing by the arena’s exit, motioning for her to leave. She wished she could stay and bask in the thrill of her victory, but she didn’t want to taint her big moment by being escorted off, so she flashed the audience one last grin before running out of the arena.

  She scampered backstage, skipping with glee, and rushed toward the waiting room. “Did you see me? I was amazing!” she shouted, bursting through the door.

  But her face fell as she looked at the sullen people around her. Professor Williams was still holding a wand to Vilk’s arm, healing one of his nasty-looking burns. The other Enchanter, a woman who went by Lauren or Laura or something like that, was staring at a picture of the fallen contestant – the man who’d been killed by the manticore. Her face glistened with tears, and Aurelia recalled all the times she’d seen her and that man together. He must have been her friend, she realized.

  Vilk glanced at Aurelia, his permanently scowling eyes meeting hers. “Congratulations,” he grunted. “You’ve signed your own death warrant.”

  “Huh?” She cocked her head, puzzled.

  Then it hit her. This was the qualifying round, meant to determine which ten contestants would stand up to the actual Challenge. Whatever that turned out to be would be much, much worse than what she’d just faced.

  And Vilk had already said that he suspected the Triumvirate of setting them all up. That he suspected they would all be dead at the end of this.

  Those thoughts made the victory she’d just felt dissolve like smoke in the wind, and her laughing and jumping suddenly seemed very foolish. Her heart sank. The Challenge wasn’t over yet. No, the worst was yet to come.

  Then another thought entered her head, and she dropped her swords and rushed out of the room. Connor …

  There was no way he could deal with something like a spearfiend. Even if he got a wimpy creature, that would only make the humiliation of not qualifying worse. And if he did qualify? Well, if manticores and hellhorns were the freaking qualifying round, the actual Challenge was going to be bigger. Far too much for Connor to handle. And no one would save him. Even though he was the Gold Triumvir’s son, the world would stand by and watch … and do nothing.

  He would die. His own father had set him up for it, and wouldn’t lift a finger to save him. But she wasn’t going to let that happen.

  There was only one way she could think of to save him. She wished she could make him back out of the competition, but he’d be too stubborn to do that. All eyes were on him, and she was sure that he’d rather die in the arena than forfeit and live with the shame of being branded a coward. She understood that. In some ways, he was as proud as she was.

  That meant she had to force him out. Do something that would make him unable to compete.

  After sticking her head in every entryway in the backstage area, searching for him, she finally tore open the door to a storage closet. Connor was in the corner, sitting with his face buried in his knees. The cloak of his uniform was bunched up on the floor, as if he’d flung it down in anger.

  She darted into the closet and dropped to her knees. “Connor!”

  He looked up with a start. “Oh, it’s you. I thought it was my turn.”

  “Almost. Not yet.”

  He stood up. “How’d it go? Sorry I couldn’t watch. I … needed to practice.”

  Normally she would have called him out on such an obvious lie, but for once she held back. All she said was, “I’ll tell you all about it later.”

  She got up, ready to go through with her plan, but then hesitated; she knew what she had to do, but it would cost her the only real friend she’d ever had. Still … if he went out into the arena, she’d lose him anyway. He might as well be alive and hate her.

  So she held out her hand for a handshake. “I just wanted to wish you good luck.”

  The corner of his mouth lifted, but didn’t quite manage a smile. Instead, his eyes searched hers, looking for a sign. “Thanks,” he said quietly.

  As soon as he clasped her right hand, she grabbed his wrist with her left, lifting his arm up and ducked under it, then pivoting so that she was beside him. She tightened her grip and twisted hard.

  He cried out as the sickening crack of bones breaking filled the air. Before he could do anything to get away, she grabbed him by the hair and slammed his head against the wall. He slum
ped to the ground, unconscious.

  Broken arm, concussion – they can’t make him compete, now.

  She felt an unexpected stinging in her eyes, though, and knelt down beside her friend. “I’m sorry. But it’s for your own good. Really.”

  Her breathing became ragged gasps, and try as she might, she couldn’t stop the tears from escaping her eyes. She couldn’t believe she’d just hurt her friend so badly. He’d never forgive her. She wouldn’t, if she were in his place.

  She buried her face in her hands, certain that she’d just lost the only person she’d ever cared about.

  When she broke Connor’s arm and knocked him out, all Aurelia had thought about was that she had to get him out of the competition. It hadn’t occurred to her that she might get in trouble for attacking him.

  But here she was now, staring up at a panel of judges behind an elevated table covered in a gold cloth. She watched them nervously, telling herself that they wouldn’t disqualify her just for injuring a fellow contestant. Even if they didn’t buy her story about accidentally breaking his arm while sparring, they needed her to stay in the competition. She was, after all, ranked number one among the Challenge contestants. Vilk was number eight, and with dozens of contestants left to compete, he could easily be knocked out of the top ten. Connor was injured, one Enchanter was dead, and the other so shaken that her performance had been lackluster at best. Aurelia’s inclusion had been the Triumvirate’s idea to begin with, and surely they wouldn’t risk the embarrassment of not having their contestant qualify. They had to keep her around.

  And she had to stay in it. Even if what Vilk said was right, about the Triumvirate setting the contestants up to die, she was on a mission bigger than herself, and she had to do everything she could to succeed. If she survived the Challenge – which had already killed several Enchanters in the arena – and beat the Triumvirate at their own game, then no one could ever look down on Norms again. And she would be untouchable.

  “Aurelia Sun, Contestant Twenty-Four, from the Triumvirate of North America,” one of the judges – a woman with cropped blond hair – said in a stern voice. “Tell us, what happened when you injured Contestant Seventeen?”

  “It was an accident.” She spoke with as much confidence as she could muster. “Connor and I were sparring. Warming him up, you know? I guess I was still pumped up from my bout with the spearfiend, and I went too far.”

  She paused, unable to find the words to describe how awful she felt about hurting her friend, how she’d felt the break within her own heart. She’d broken a few bones herself in the past, but nothing had ever caused her as much pain as when she heard Connor’s arm crack. But she couldn’t tell them that. She couldn’t tell them that she’d cried for several minutes before getting up and looking for help. That would make her look weak.

  So she just added: “I feel really bad about it.”

  “Professor Williams,” the judge said, turning to the older man.

  Williams, who had been standing behind Aurelia, along with a handful of other representatives from the Triumvirate and the Academy, stepped forward. “Yes?”

  “How long will it take for Contestant Seventeen to be healed?” the judge asked.

  “At least three days. The arm will be fine, but head trauma of this magnitude should not be taken lightly.”

  Aurelia stared at Williams. What are you doing, Professor? I didn’t whack him that hard. You make it sound like I broke his melon!

  The judge pressed her hands together. “We cannot delay the Challenge. I’m afraid the Triumvirate must forfeit Contestant Seventeen. The question now is whether they must forfeit Contestant Twenty-Four as well.”

  “Before you make your decision, I have something you should consider.” Williams approached the table, leaned forward, and said something to the judge in a low voice. Aurelia strained her ears, but couldn’t make out any words. When Williams finished, he straightened and regarded the judge with a questioning look. The blond judge nodded, then waved him away and motioned for the other judges to come closer. As they whispered to each other, Williams returned to Aurelia’s side.

  “You’ve put me in a difficult position. I’d rather you not enter the Challenge, for your own safety, but for that to happen, we’ll have to admit that you did this on purpose. And if that’s true … you’ll be arrested. He’s the Gold Triumvir’s son, Aurelia. Attacking him means life in the mines … or worse.”

  She gulped. She hadn’t realized she’d committed a crime, and now that she did, fear gripped her insides. “I just wanted to keep him safe,” she whispered in protest. “Better a broken arm than getting his throat ripped out.”

  “I know.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “That’s why I defended you just now … and reminded the panel that the Triumvirate must have a contestant qualify. Since the Gold Triumvir is the one who initially proposed the Challenge, he’d be humiliated if no one from his own nation entered the final game. It would make the whole country look weak, and he can’t allow that. You’re lucky Vilk’s not ranked higher. I have no doubt that what you did saved Connor’s life, but it may have cost you your own.”

  Now the gravity of her actions sank in, making her sick with nervousness. All she’d wanted was to keep her friend from facing a monster that could kill him. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that by forcing him to forfeit, she’d be breaking the law.

  But if it came down to her life or Connor’s, well, she would accept whatever consequences she had to face. Because before meeting him, she’d never known what it was like to have someone she cared about. She’d seen and heard plenty, but she’d never actually felt the glow of companionship until he’d come into her life. No matter what happened next, she wouldn’t change what she’d done.

  So she met Williams’ gaze and nodded. “Okay.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “That’s all you have to say?”

  Firming her expression, she said, “If I have to go to jail for Connor to live, then yeah, I’m okay with that.”

  He looked at her as if he had something to say, but she couldn’t interpret what other thoughts might lay behind the strange expression on his lined face. Whatever it was, she was glad he was helping her, which was far more than she could have expected from a teacher. Maybe he was impressed that she was willing to sacrifice herself to save her friend. Or maybe he just thought she was crazy. He wouldn’t be wrong, if that were the case. But if there was anyone in the world worth doing something crazy for, it was Connor. Even if it meant sacrificing her mission. She wouldn’t give that up to save her own life, but to save his … yes. The world was bigger than she was, but he was more important to her than every Norm on earth. Maybe it wasn’t a particularly logical way to think, but it was what she believed.

  Meanwhile, the panel of judges had finished their discussion.

  The blond woman turned her severe eyes toward Aurelia. “Aurelia Sun.”

  Aurelia widened her eyes. “Yeah?”

  “We have decided that your statement about Connor Salvator’s injury being an accident is indeed true. While unfortunate, it is clear to us that your actions were not intentional, and consequently, you cannot be held accountable for the consequences. Therefore, you will be allowed to proceed with the Challenge.”

  A wave of relief flooded through Aurelia. Though she’d been willing to go to jail for her actions, she was really, really glad she didn’t have to. In fact, she didn’t even have to give up her chance at beating the Triumvirate’s game. She’d actually gotten away with what she’d done.

  The judge sternly reprimanded her for her actions, but Aurelia barely heard her words. She just kept her eyes wide, putting on the most innocent expression she could muster, and nodded regularly. She’d gotten what she wanted – Connor was out of the competition, and it had cost her nothing.

  Nothing but his friendship. The relief left her as quickly as it had come, and a new kind of distress overwhelmed her. He’d never speak to her again; she was sure of it. He’d a
ccuse her of seeing him as weak, and be furious that she’d cost him the competition. That was what she would do in his place.

  She clenched her jaw, refusing to let out the tears that stung the corners of her eyes. She might have lost her only friend, but at least she wouldn’t have to watch him die. And she’d be damned if she’d let anyone see her cry.

  When the judge finished her lecture, she dismissed Aurelia. Sighing in relief, she started to leave the room, but was stopped by Williams’ hand on her shoulder.

  “Aurelia,” he whispered urgently. “Do not try to win this competition. Half the reason the Triumvirate’s willing to let you go is because they think the Challenge will kill you anyway. Your best chance for survival is to forfeit. You’re so young – if you cry for help, the Sentinels may rescue you from the supernatural being they throw you against, to show the people how merciful they are.”

  She raised an eyebrow. Clearly, even after seeing her in class every day for six months, this teacher didn’t know a thing about her. “Cry for help?” she scoffed. “If there’s anything this exercise has shown me, it’s that it pays to be a winner. You said it yourself – if I weren’t ranked number one, I’d … I’d be in so much more trouble. There’s no way I’m backing out.”

  She started to walk away, but Williams pulled her back. “Listen!” he whispered, his voice so soft that she could barely hear him, even when he was speaking right by her ear. “You’re not supposed to know this yet, but the creature you and the other champions will be hunting is a fangbeast. Do you know how many Norms have survived an encounter with one? None. Believe me, I know how skilled a combatant you are, but even you can’t defeat this creature. So I beg you, if you want to live, swallow your pride.”

  He let go of her shoulder, gave her one last stern look, and then walked away.

  Aurelia remained where she was, standing as if her feet had frozen to the ground. A fangbeast … the one monster she truly feared. So they weren’t extinct, after all. Williams was an expert in all things monster-related, and if he didn’t see a way for her to beat the creature, there likely wasn’t one. The lore books taught that when the Lord of the Underworld had released his monsters one hundred years earlier, the fangbeasts had been his favorites. And for good reason – they were lethal. She’d heard stories about entire squadrons of Defenders being mauled by a single fangbeast. How was she, a lone fighter, supposed to handle a creature that could split itself into infinite clones?