“Just… maybe if you introduce me to some of the other drakens, it will make this easier. I would have someone else to bother and talk to.”
His mouth tightened.
“Fine. I will...introduce you to a few of the drakens I can actually stand to be around.”
I aimed for a lighter tone, feeling guilty for darkening his mood with such an unhappy story.
“Thank you, oh mighty king.”
I’d meant it in jest, but he closed his eyes and sighed. I put a hand on his arm, not sure why I’d felt the sudden need to comfort him.
“You will find her. You must. It’s a great story, and all great stories have happy endings.”
He leaned in, running his hand softly over my cheek. His gaze was searching, as if I were some great puzzle he had yet to figure out.
“My stupid little siren.”
It was tempting to punch him, but his eyes were too sad, taking all the venom out of his insult.
“There are no happy endings, just moments where the world doesn’t seem all bad.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.
“Do you know where she is, this lost daughter?”
Benedict nodded, and I prodded further.
“Do the other drakens know?”
A pause, then he shook his head no. I ran my fingers down his forearm, my nails scraping against his skin. To my surprise, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Then in one smooth motion, he stood.
“One more question,” I begged, knowing this tentative peace between us was unlikely to last. He shot me a resigned look, since both of us knew that was impossible.
“If this lost draken is still out there, why are you bothering with me? It can’t just be for your men. That’s only an excuse.”
He frowned as he contemplated what to say.
“You have shelter, food, and company, even if it is questionable. Is this life better than your previous one?”
I snorted. “Of course, it is—"
“Then don’t question it.”
I growled in frustration and turned to watch the task. Threatened by Benedict, D’Arcy had been forced to severely scale down his plans and had opted for a large obstacle course instead. The safety of the task meant nearly all drakens were involved, forcing D’Arcy to have to break the crowd into different groups. Each group would race at the same time, and the top two winners from each group would then face off in a winner-take-all race at the end. Knowing there was a distinct lack of danger, I was interested to watch. Hoops dangled from the ceiling, posts were set up around the pit, and narrow lines drawn in bright red to mark the path.
“This should be entertaining,” I muttered. Benedict grunted.
“On my mark….one, two, GO!”
The first group of drakens exploded into action, a few tripping and pushing others out of the way in order to get to the obstacles first. A large wall was the first task, and the first two drakens easily scaled it, dropping to the sand below and continuing onto the next obstacle. As more drakens clustered to climb, they pushed and shoved at each other, more focused on blocking someone else than just working on their own progress. The two drakens up front gained a substantial lead.
“Bair and Sabien are my remaining blood relatives, aside from D’Arcy.”
Benedict’s voice washed over me, obvious pride as he pointed out the two drakens in the lead. One obviously shared Benedict’s amethyst and obsidian coloring, the other D’Arcy’s bright turquoise scales and blonde hair. They easily hurtled obstacle after obstacle, and then took to the air. The other drakens were far behind, still more worried about taking each other out. They easily crossed the finish line first, the purple one inching out the turquoise draken by a hair. D’Arcy beamed in pride. Benedict stood and clapped for his brother. The draken turned and gave me a saucy wink, then flew back to the spectator area with his cousin.
“Lovely,” I drawled. Benedict sniffed, and I turned by attention to the next group. Seven groups later, there had been nothing too exciting except a few crashes and collisions, with no permanent damage. There was an excited buzz filling the arena as the last sixteen drakens lined up to compete in the final heat to win it all.
“Remember, two drakens tonight.”
I made a face at him. D’Arcy took to the air, hovering over the finish line.
“GO!”
Benedict’s brother immediately tripped D’Arcy’s son, causing the turquoise colored draken to fall face first in the mud. I scowled at the obvious foul play, but Benedict only chuckled. To his credit, the turquoise draken just got up and focused on getting through the obstacles as fast as he could, ignoring the other drakens. I couldn’t help but admire the grace and strength of D’Arcy’s son as he quickly caught up to the other drakens, then began to pass them. A draken with brown scales reached out to trip him, and he nimbly skipped away. My hands clutched the armrest of my chair as I silently cheered for him.
Benedict’s brother was in the air now, completing the last aerial part of the race. D’Arcy’s son gained on him, but I didn’t see how he could make it up the distance with Benedict’s brother just a few wing flaps from the finish line. D’Arcy’s son drew a claw across his throat and wrists, and suddenly his skin was covered in swirling lines that pulsated light. With a roar he beat his wings harder, and then suddenly was flying twice as fast, his body a turquoise blur as he narrowed the distance between him and Benedict’s brother. Ten feet, then five feet from the finish line, then they both had crossed the line together, flaring their wings to keep from smashing into the stone wall. Behind them the other drakens finished, though a few were in the pit, licking their wounds.
“Who won?” I asked as Benedict stood, drawing the attention of the crowd and competitors.
“It is too close to
