Zariah’s magic surrounded the dragons, making them gnash their teeth and twist their necks as they tried to break free from their restraints. With her arms still raised, she slowly backed away and off the floor. As she stepped beside me, she lowered her arms and a red-glowing shield surrounded the inner floor to create a closed arena.
“Let them loose,” Jahr’ad shouted.
Sounds of snapping echoed through the domed room as several men unfastened the dragons’ chains. With a violent clash, the dragons attacked one another. I counted six animals altogether, and each one carried scars that marred their flesh. They fought with uncontrolled violence, lashing out as the magic goaded them. Wind brushed my cheeks from the dragons’ beating wings. I fought the urge to vomit as the red magic pulsed around me, forcing the animals into a rage.
Backing away, I found a spot under an alcove where the magic wouldn’t be so close. Sweat slicked my forehead, and I worked my hands open and closed to combat the magic tingling through my nerve endings. Closing my eyes, I tried to keep a calm mind and take deep breaths to combat the blood magic’s effects.
“Is something the matter?” Heidel asked.
I opened my eyes to find her standing next to me. She was talking to me now? I decided to play along. Perhaps she was ready to be reasonable.
“I’ll be all right once that magic goes away,” I said. “It’s not pleasant to be around.”
“Hmm, sounds like my brother.” She crossed her arms and leaned on the wall beside me.
The dragons fought with a wild frenzy that sickened my stomach. What Jahr’ad and his people had done to these dragons was inexcusable. Fan’twar would raze this place in a heartbeat if he knew about it, which was why Maveryck was so set on keeping me from revealing my identity.
“I wish I would have never come on this journey,” Heidel said. “I knew from the start it was a bad decision.”
“I’m beginning to agree with you. The only reason I did it was to save my stepfather. Let’s hope we get out of here with the information we need.”
“And let’s hope we do it while we’re still alive,” Heidel said.
“Yeah, that would be nice too,” I said.
“I…” she hesitated. “I apologize for what I said earlier. I know there is no excuse, but I have not felt like myself of late.”
“It’s okay. I certainly know what it’s like to not feel like yourself.” If only she realized how much I understood.
Two of the dragons clashed and fell to the ground. One made it back up and flew into the air, while the other remained on the ground. The creature struggled to get up, but even from this distance I could see deep gashes on its neck and hindquarters. Blood dripped from the gaping wounds. The glowing red magic dimmed around the injured dragon, and the beast limped out of the arena and back to its perch.
“It doesn’t surprise me that my brother chooses to wait to bed you,” she said casually, as if there weren’t a colossal dragon fight happening right before us. “He’s always been honorable to a fault, even if he doesn’t show it. And now, with the weight of the kingdom resting on his shoulders, he wants to do things the right way, even if no one notices.”
“If that’s the case, then you should know he does forgive you. He would never go back on something as important as that.”
She shrugged. “I still hate him.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes. He knows better than to bring up my past, especially with… other things troubling me.” Her gaze focused on Maveryck, who stood nearby, studying her. As soon as their eyes met, they looked away.
“Will you help me, Olive? I have to know what happened in Earth Kingdom. I hardly feel like myself anymore.”
“I can try, but I can’t promise I’ll be successful in restoring your memories, and it will have to wait.”
Several more dragons fell until only two remained—a small, blue-gray and a larger brown, diamond-backed beast. The blue-gray had speed and agility on its side. It moved with a lithe nimbleness and used its stealth to its advantage. The brown monster looked older, with barbs lining its head and running down its neck, ending with large spikes at the end of its long, snakelike tail. Its yellow eyes looked calculating and dangerous, as if it were only waiting for the right moment to strike.
The blue-gray snapped at the larger one’s neck, tearing the flesh, and the brown dragon shrieked and soared upward. Blue-gray followed. They clashed at the top of the dome, clawing and biting until they were both covered in open wounds.
Below the dragons, Jahr’ad’s people cheered, their shouts mingling with the dragons’ roars. In a split second, the brown dragon lashed out with a powerful burst of fire, blasting and singeing the smaller dragon, forcing it into a corner where the white-hot fire singed the blue-gray’s scales. The smaller dragon fell and landed in a bloody, smoking heap on the arena floor. The smell of burning flesh pervaded the air, and I watched in disgust as several men threw ropes around the dragon’s corpse and hauled it off the field.
The brown dragon watched from above like a hawk scanning its prey.
“We have a champion,” Jahr’ad shouted.
Clapping and cheering deafened my ears.
Jahr’ad pointed at Kull. “It’s your turn, Wult, but we can’t have you fight an injured dragon. It wouldn’t be fair. We’d like to see a fair match, wouldn’t we?”
“Yes,” the crowd cheered.
“We can’t have a healthy man battling an injured dragon. It wouldn’t be right, would it?”
“No!”
