I snort. That's an interesting way of saying blood sport.
"At the end of it, one in fifteen of you will be granted a spot among the Dragon Defenders, who protect our city from the dragons."
It's hard to take anything he says seriously when he talks like this. If most of the people here haven't come voluntarily, why bother dressing it up? Unless they don't know the extent of it. There's always a chance they think we're all here completely voluntary. If they only hand down the payment, but don't do any of the initial recruiting, then I suppose there isn't any real way for them to know.
I can't let them off the hook, though. Not when they're doing something so horrible to us all.
"In a moment, you will be able to go through the doors at the back of the room." The man points to where he's talking about it. "You may choose one of the items to take with you into the arena. There are no restrictions on which you can pick, but you may only take one of them with you. Choose wisely."
He's only just finished talking when people start moving towards the doors.
"I guess we're going then," I mutter under my breath.
Marina chuckles. "Hopefully they have more than one of the best items."
"What do you think they are?" I ask as we make our way through the lines of seats so we can follow the other contestants.
She shrugs. "I guess we'll find out."
"Mmm. That was a shorter briefing than I expected," I admit.
"They probably ran out of ways to say we're going to die and don't want anyone trying to run away before the Duels start tomorrow. It's no fun for them if sixteen people win by default because they stayed."
"Sixteen..." I echo, only then realising that's how many people they're talking about. Out of over two hundred.
"Or seventeen. There's some leeway.”
"It's so few."
She shrugs. "That's the point. They only want the best of the best when it comes to the Defenders, and the only way to get that is to weed out the...not best."
"From the prisons and slums?"
Marina grimaces. "Yeah, that bit isn't so clear. I wish I understood it all, then maybe I'd have a better chance of surviving."
"You have as good a chance as I do," I counter, though I know it's a lie. While we never had much food, we had more than she did in prison.
"Let's not talk about it." She glances away from me, but doesn't say anything else as we make our way through the doors along with the rest of the crowd.
Most people are either keeping to themselves or having in-depth conversations with their neighbours. No doubt most of them are wanting to avoid putting names to faces, just like I am. It's hard to hope someone you know dies rather than a stranger. It's harsh, but true.
A small gasp escapes me as we step into the storage room. Every wall and several tables are covered in items ranging from tents, to weapons. It's hard to even know where to start when choosing my one item. A weapon could be handy, but at the same time, a first aid kit or food pack could keep me alive longer. Though somehow, I don't think that'll help much against the dragons.
"I'm going to go look at weapons," I announce.
Marina nods. "That's a good idea. I'll come with you."
We make our way over to the far wall, as do a lot of the other contestants. It seems that everyone wants something to defend themselves with over survival items. I'm not sure if that's good. But if there isn't any food or shelter in the arena, then giving most of us weapons won't work.
"What are you thinking of choosing?" Marina asks as she weighs up a set of knives.
"I don't know..." I trail off as my eyes land on the one I think I want.
No one else is even looking at it, probably because it doesn't look like it will hold up well, but I have a good feeling about it. I reach out and lift it from the wall. It's lighter than I expect, but the smooth black handle is perfectly balanced, with crescent shaped blades on either end.
I make sure no one is within cutting distance and twirl it around. My first attempt is a little clumsy, no doubt because I have no weapons training to speak of, but the second goes better. Something about this weapon connects with me on a level I can't explain.
But I don't need to. This is what I'll be taking into the Dragon Duels. If my gut is certain of something, then I'd be a fool to ignore it.
Chapter Seven
The waiting room is eerily similar to the one I sat in when I arrived here, but I'm sure it isn't the same one. My leg bounces up and down from the nerves. Somehow, the day is here and now I have to venture out into an arena that will probably kill me.
And I'm doing it without even protesting once.
I touch my charm, hoping it'll make me feel less alone as I go into this. The officials haven't even bothered to search me, or take any of my belongings from me other than my ID card. I have all the same clothes I arrived in, as well as the items in my pockets. Not that they're very useful, all I have is a pencil, a pair of fingerless gloves, and a few sunflower seeds Mila put in my pocket as a snack.
I close my eyes and try to push away the thoughts of my sister. I hope she's doing okay, but I have no way of knowing until I get out of here.
"You may now enter the Dragon Duels," an automated voice says, breaking through my thoughts.
I rise from my seat and make my way to the door before I let the nerves get the better of me
