The Dragonrider Heritage Second Series, page 48
Minutes passed, and I heard the tell-tale sounds of that same process happening to other people up and down the row of cells next to ours. Sometimes there were shouts and struggling, like the people locked inside might be resisting. But it didn’t last. And after a few minutes, when I was finally able to see and breathe again, I managed to lift my head groggily and look down the long length of chain where ten other people were fastened just like we were.
They all looked a lot older than we were. Some were so skinny you could see the bones showing through their skin. Others were muscular and covered in battle scars. There were men and women. Elves and humans. But none of them seemed able to shake off the effects of that knockout powder. It took everyone at least five minutes to finally be able to stand, and even then, I had to steady myself against the wall to keep from swooning over and tripping. The heavy chains on my feet didn’t help, though.
Especially when they started making us walk.
“You’ll keep walking forward until you’re told to stop! Then you’ll turn right to face the cages. You’ll go straight in, no questions, and keep two per cage! Anyone puts a toe out of line, and you’ll have my spear in the back of your skull,” the guard growled as he stalked by, eyeing us all down one by one. “Now—MOVE!”
And we did. Step-by-step, our line of prisoners moved along the hallway, dragging the chains with us. All the while, more guards seemed to materialize out of the dark halls, joining the patrols that walked down our lines, watching our every move. They marched us to a longer, wider passage that had strange metal cages down one side, the doors were open and ready for us to go in.
The guards gave the order to stop and turn. Lukani and I faced a cage. No—wait. We were being shuffled apart, arranged so that we were going into two different cages.
Panic throttled the breath from my lungs as I stared at him, unable to stop myself from reaching out for his arm.
CRACK!
A guard behind me hit the back of my head with the dull end of his spear, barking for me to move forward.
No … No, no, no! I couldn’t go without him! We couldn’t get separated! I cried out for him, but the guard hit me again, this time bashing his spear across my cheek.
My vision scrambled and I staggered, nearly falling to my knees.
“It’s okay, Maylea,” Lukani shouted back at me. “Just go. We will be fine. Just do as they say!”
B-But … But what would I do without him? What if I never saw him again? Gods and Fates, what was happening?
The guard shoved me forward into the cage next to his, along with another prisoner—an older elven man with a deep scar over one side of his face. He didn’t say anything as the guards began walking down the line of cages, slamming the doors shut one by one. Once all the doors were locked and we were secured inside, they walked back down our row, barking for us to stand close to the side so they could unfasten all the chains around our legs. They had this down to a system, running with a military-like efficiency. Something about that chilled me right to the marrow.
“Lukani,” I cried out as soon as they had taken mine off, and I ran to the side of my cage that faced his. “What is this? What’s happening?”
He reached through the bars and grabbed my hand, squeezing it as he forced a smile. Before he could get a word out, though, the old man sharing my new prison cell muttered, “It is the end for all of us.”
I stared back at him, fighting for every terrified breath. “Wh-What do you mean?”
His eyes rolled back as he slowly looked upward, stretching out a finger to point at the ceiling overhead. “You hear that?”
I listened.
My heart dropped to the soles of my boots. A roar like the rushing rumble of the ocean echoed from somewhere nearby. But it wasn’t the ocean. It was sharper, with many different pitches all sounding at once. Screams. Cheering. A massive crowd right above us. And something else—the low booming of impact. The deep thundering bellow of a beast.
Gods … what was happening up there?
“Make your peace with the gods of your ancestors. It’ll be over soon,” the old man warned.
“What are you talking about?” Lukani demanded.
The elven man closed his eyes, but kept his head tilted back to listen to the muffled rumble and roar of what sounded like some sort of battle raging right over our heads. “They call it the Caldera.”
“The what?” I demanded. “What do you mean? What’s going to happen to us?”
He never replied.
But he didn’t have to. The more I looked around and took in our surroundings, the easier it was to guess that much. All the cages we had been divided into were built against the side of a smooth stone wall. That wall had the faint outline of hatch doors in front of each and every cage I could see.
That made our situation pretty obvious.
We were going up there. They were sending people, prisoners like us, to fight something—whatever monster I could hear roaring up there. Or maybe feeding us to it. Either way, it sounded horrible. And a crowd was watching it all happen. No, not just watching. They were enjoying it.
Oh gods.
I-I had to tell Lukani. He still had those shackles on his wrists that kept him from using his power. We had to get them off somehow! We had to—
CLAAAAANG!
Something mechanical groaned into motion overhead.
I pressed myself back against the bars on the other side of the cage, as far away from that hatch door as possible.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
One at a time, each of the hatch doors down our row of cages fell open. Brilliant sunlight poured in, blinding me immediately. My ears rang as the roar of the crowd overtook my senses. I tried to shield my eyes. To squint and adjust so I could see. I blinked hard, and finally saw it.
A massive arena towered around us with stands boiling with crowds clambering by the thousands. I choked on the stench of fresh blood that hung thick in the hot morning air. The relentless glare of the rising sun hit my face and I squinted, shielding my eyes for a moment.
I dared to take a step out, away from the cage. My legs shook with every step as I walked out of the dark and into the glare of the daylight. But everywhere I looked it was carnage. Bodies were strewn across the sandy arena floor, scattered and torn apart like broken toys. I couldn’t even tell who they were.
And in the middle of it all, a huge beast crouched, its scales already spattered with blood. I stood frozen, staring at the creature as its big, intelligent eyes fixed squarely on me. Its scaly ears slicked back as it bared rows of jagged fangs. The long spines cresting down its back bristled, and its long tail swished as it lumbered around on two muscular hind legs to face me. It let out a booming roar and shook the arena floor under my feet.
I knew what it was immediately.
Because I’d seen creatures exactly like this every day from the moment I was born.
It was … a dragon.
The massive dragon hissed, baring all its dripping teeth as it watched me. Then its gaze darted away, suddenly noticing all the other prisoners that rushed out into the arena. They began frantically snatching up weapons from the fallen bodies of other people, or prying them off hooks mounted on the wall all the way around the arena floor. Shields, swords, lances, daggers—there was every kind of weapon you could think of.
But I knew none of them were going to help us now.
Some of the other prisoners rushed the beast like a mismatched army. Others tried climbing the perimeter walls, only to have the crowds start throwing things at them—garbage, food, and anything they could get their hands on. Any that made it to the top were immediately struck by one of the many guards stationed there—run through with a blade, or simply kicked back down to the arena floor.
Gods and Fates it was … mayhem.
And we were trapped right in the middle of it.
“Maylea!” Lukani called out as he rushed toward me, face drawn into a snarl of desperation.
WHOOM!
The dragon’s massive tail hit the ground between us, throwing up rubble and dust. I stumbled back, barely managing to stay on my feet as I cried out for Lukani. Oh gods, had he been hit? I-I couldn’t see him anywhere!
The dragon rose up onto its hind legs, letting out a furious roar and spreading its wings. Its thick, plated scales of pearly white had a single black blaze down its back, dark stripes on its legs, and black horns that glittered in the morning sun—beautiful but deadly.
One look at the massive dewclaws on its hind legs and I knew it was a male. An older drake. He was every bit as big as my father’s mount, Mavrik. That meant his hide would be thick. He would be smart. And judging by the countless slash marks, scars, and blemishes across his muscular body, this wasn’t the first time he’d been set loose to hunt people. He was no stranger to combat.
Sweet Fates, we were in trouble.
My heart wrenched in conflict at the sight as the drake dove for a group of prisoners, another sweep of his tail sending them flying like ragdolls as they tried rushing him with spears and swords. Their frantic, dying screams pierced the air, accompanied by the screeching excitement of the crowds all around us.
I looked away, unable to keep myself from cringing. No. I had to focus. I needed a weapon. I looked up, scanning the wall and ground for anything I could find. No, not just any weapon. I needed a bow.
But where could I find—There!
A longbow and quiver lay on the ground near one of the stands of weapons not sixty feet away. It wouldn’t be as good as the one Judan had given me, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and neither could prisoners in the fight for their life.
So I started running.
Halfway there, a pair of other prisoners rushed at me, blades drawn and expressions crazed with terror. They both dove in, taking wild swings with a club and sword as they shouted in a language I couldn’t understand. Definitely not Sokraal.
“STOP IT!” I yelled back at them, ducking easily under their frantic attacks. Clearly neither of them had any experience fighting because they might as well have been swinging tree branches. “Fight the dragon, not me, you idiots!”
They didn’t stop.
I dodged backwards and sank into a crouch, preparing to retaliate full-force, but a dark shape suddenly stepped between us and let out a bellow like a lion’s roar.
Lukani bared his teeth, his tail lashing and his strong shoulders flexing as he dove for the two men with his wrists still bound in shackles.
What? No! He couldn’t fight them—not with his hands still bound like that. I shouted after him, begging him to stop, but Lukani didn’t hesitate. As one of the prisoners made another reckless strike with a sword, he snapped his arms upward and caught the blade against the chain between his wrists, immediately whipping around and wrenching his arms back down to yank the weapon out of the man’s grasp.
Whoa … I-I guess he was a pretty good fighter even without shifting forms.
Now it was my turn. I whirled around, my gaze locking back onto that bow still lying on the ground. My lungs burned and I pumped my legs as fast as possible. Just a bit more. I could get there. I could do this. And then—
“DUCK!” Lukani yelled from behind me.
I immediately dropped into a forward roll.
WHOOOM!
A huge scaly tail as thick as a tree trunk swung over us. I barely managed to hit the dirt before it howled by, smashing into the arena wall and crushing the pair of prisoners who’d been attacking us with a gory crunch.
Oh gods, this wasn’t going to work. What was I even thinking? Even if I got a bow, there was no way I could pierce the dragon’s thick plated hide. Curse it, I needed a new idea. I needed some way to get Lukani free. He could change forms into that golden dragon again, and then we might have a chance. We could at least get out of here.
I dared to look back, watching as the massive white drake tore into another group of prisoners trying to brandish swords and shields. Strange. I’d never seen a dragon act like this before. Why wasn’t he breathing flame? Or flying? Most dragons I had seen, even in the wild, avoided people when they could. They didn’t go looking for a fight unless they were trying to defend themselves …
Hmmm.
One glance at his legs, and I got my answer. The dragon was shackled at both ankles with massive iron chains that bound him to a single, big hook in the arena floor. He probably couldn’t get more than twenty feet off the ground, at most. He certainly couldn’t get away from the prisoners who kept rushing at him with weapons. But it gave him plenty of range to crawl around and rip people apart with his claws and fangs.
But still … why wasn’t he breathing fire at us? That’s what dragons did when they really wanted to kill. Their fire was their greatest weapon—their last real means of defense. Something about this wasn’t right at all.
I stumbled to a halt, looking toward the trapped beast as my heartbeat began to skip and stammer. Something warm thrummed right in the center of my chest, seeming to resonate in rhythm with my own pulse. I reached down and closed a fist around my father’s pendant. It felt hot to the touch again, just like after I had that dream and first saw Paligno.
Did that mean …. Was Paligno trying to tell me something?
BOOOM!
The dragon beat his wings, surging skyward until the chains went taught and he smashed back to the ground. It threw dust and sand in every direction. The crowd cheered again. More prisoners screamed as they tried to escape the beast’s snapping jaws and raking talons.
“He wants to escape,” I realized aloud. “H-He just wants to get away. They’re making him do this. They’re forcing him to fight, just like us!”
“What?” Lukani stared at me, eyes wild with terror. “Maylea, we can’t—”
“Find a spear or a halberd, even a longsword will do. We have to break his chains!” I screamed and bolted away, forging across the arena with purpose in every step … straight for the enraged dragon.
I could hear Lukani calling after me. Protesting. Panicking. I didn’t blame him. I knew I looked insane as I ran toward the raging beast with nothing in my hands to defend myself with.
But I trusted that feeling—that warmth against my heart. I trusted every story my father had ever told me. I trusted all the time I’d spent with the dragons at home.
And more than that, I trusted Paligno.
This would work.
It had to.
30
CHAPTER THIRTY
There weren’t many prisoners left alive now. Fresh blood pooled everywhere I looked, sloshing under my boots as I ran past the smashed, broken bodies of the others. I couldn’t bear to look at their faces. I didn’t want to see.
So I kept my gaze trained straight ahead—right at the dragon.
He still hadn’t noticed me approaching. He snapped his jaws and hissed, making swipes at a man brandishing a greatsword. Gods, it was the same old man I’d shared a cage with!
He was old and feeble-looking, but he must have had some combat experience, because he fought well. He landed a slash, scoring across the dragon’s chest and making the beast recoil and shriek in pain.
I saw it coming an instant before it happened. The way the dragon’s chest swelled with a deep breath. The way his nostrils flared and his jaws opened wide, exposing the two jets at the back of his throat.
Oh no.
WHOOOOM!
Fire and the acrid stench of dragon venom filled the air.
With a wave of infernal flame like a rising tide, the old man was instantly consumed. He didn’t even get a chance to run. The crowd in the stands all shot to their feet at once, screeching with enthusiasm so loudly my ears throbbed.
Then the dragon’s head swung around, burning venom still dripping from his jaws as his eyes fixed on me again. His powerful, plated chest still heaved in rapid, panting breaths, and every dark horn and spine around his head and down his back stood on end. His snout wrinkled, a faint growl thrumming low as his hair-thin pupils watched every move I made.
Or, rather, every move I didn’t make.
I stood perfectly still, staring at him from scarcely twenty yards away. Close enough he could have sprayed another plume of burning venom at me and definitely hit. But he didn’t. And second by second, the noise of the crowd began to fall silent, as though every soul in that arena were holding their breath. Watching. Waiting.
In the silence, a gust of wind blew through my hair, tangling it around my face and kicking up the sand. And deep down, I knew exactly what I had to do. This was the reason Paligno hadn’t done anything to let us out of our cell. This was why he had needed us to stay here.
We weren’t the only prisoners in this place crying out to him for help.
I kept my hand squeezed around my pendant as I took a step forward. Then another. And another. With every footfall, I felt the thrumming, radiant warmth in my palm grow stronger. Tingling warm heat spread through me, racing up and down my spine. It made my breath catch as I kept my gaze locked on the dragon.
His growling grew louder. He drew back, strong neck coiling like a serpent about to strike. He bared his teeth and snapped his jaws in warning as I came closer and closer.
Barely ten feet away, I stopped. My whole body trembled as I stretched out a hand toward him. “It’s okay. I know you’re scared. They’ve hurt you so much,” I said, my voice shaking as tears slipped down the sides of my face. Standing so close to him, I could see all the old scars. Marks from chains on his neck and wing arms. Holes in the leathery membranes of his wings. Broken horns and a missing toe. Even the end of his tail looked like it had been cut short by some weapon.
“I’m so sorry for what they’ve done to you. But I’m here to stop it. I can help you.” I tried to blink back the tears and force a smile, to show him I wasn’t afraid. “You just have to trust me a little. I know that’s a lot to ask.”
