Stoking The Embers

The Dragon Duels #1

Laura Greenwood

Contents

Keep Up To Date

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Author Note

Also by Laura Greenwood

About the Author

© 2021 Laura Greenwood

All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address; lauragreenwood@authorlauragreenwood.co.uk.

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Cover Design by Ryn Katryn Digital Art

Stoking The Embers is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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Blurb

Two hundred and fifty people go into the Dragon Duels. One in fifteen come out.

When Raine finds herself part of the quarterly Dragon Duels, she has to do everything she can to survive without losing herself in the process. Teaming up with a volunteer from the White Towers is the last thing she thought she'd do, but Cobalt has the information she needs to live to win, and she isn't about to let that slip through her fingers.

Escaping from the dragons is only half the battle - does she have what it takes to win the rest?

-

Stoking the Embers is book one in the Dragon Duels series, an urban fantasy adventure with a dystopian flare and a slow burn m/f romance.

Chapter One

Ash rains down from the sky. Somewhere, a fire is blazing and someone is losing another attack. I stare out of the window, searching for the silhouette I know will be there.

Even from this distance, I can see the creature is huge. Large wings flap against the clouds. It gives out a roar and fire spurts from the dragon's mouth, turning the grey sky a burnt orange. I should feel shock, or outrage. Instead, all I have is resignation. This is the way the world works now. We're slaves to the dragons, kept in line by all the things they do.

And there's only one way to escape it. I glance longingly over at the White Towers in the distance. The dragon will be heading back there in a moment, but not to destroy it. It will nest in the mountains on either side.

"You're never going to get there, Raine," my sister says, knowing what I'm thinking before I even say it out loud.

I turn to face her. The beautiful blonde hair falls down her back and frames her perfectly formed face. She's everything I'm not. She could get to the White Towers via the Marriage Market, though I know she refuses to go there. Me on the other hand, it's not something that's open to me. I'm not pretty enough, nor am I timid or obedient. Both of those are an issue for the market, and reduce my value too much for it to be worth it. It's a stupid system.

"There's nothing for me there anyway." No one ever comes back from the White Towers, and I have too much to live for here. I don't want to leave Mila on her own. If the wrong person catches her, then she could end up at the Marriage Market through no choice of her own. No one checks whether the woman is a willing participant. They don't care.

"You're not still thinking about volunteering for the Dragon Duels again, are you?" She sighs with exasperation.

"No." It's partly a lie. If she wasn't here, then I probably would try and join the mysterious competition. I've heard that winners get the option to join the Dragon Defenders, the guard who help defend the city. They're not very good at it, but something is better than nothing when it comes to the dragons.

But it's not something I'm seriously considering. The chances of me dying are higher than I'm comfortable with, especially when I don't personally know anyone who has come back from the Duels alive to ask about it. No way can I put Mila through that.

"Good, they're dangerous."

"I know, Mila," I assure her. "It was only an idle thought I had years ago. Can we drop it?" I'm not sure why she brings it up so much when I've constantly said I'm not going to go through with the plan. As tough as our life is, I enjoy having it.

I try not to let relief show on my face when she nods. I don't want to argue with her.

"What do you want for dinner?" she asks.

I shrug. "What have we got?"

"Some old rice and maybe some dehydrated chicken."

I wince. That's hardly enough to feed us both and still be healthy at the end of it. "Give me a couple of hours, I'll go get some bread."

"We can't afford bread," she points out.

"Then I'll make a trade with the baker. I'm sure there's something I can do for him."

"You're not supposed to use the Arts," she hisses. "It's illegal."

I roll my eyes. "Everyone does it."

"I don't."

I bite my tongue, not wanting to point out that the only reason she doesn't use her Arts is because she doesn't have access to the same powers as I do. Anyone who can use the magic given to us by the Arts uses them. We'd be idiots not to when it's such an in-demand quality.

She shakes her head, but doesn't say anything else. I can understand that. It must be frustrating to live with someone like me. But when the choice is eat or not break the law, I know which one I choose.

I grab my jacket from the table and zip it up, and I'm out the door before she can truly stop me. She'll eat the bread when I get back too. And thank me. This isn't a world where standing by your morals always pays off.

Rather, it never does.

The ash lands on me, dusting my jacket with the stuff. I roll my eyes at it, and push a stray lock of pale blue hair behind my ear. The streets are teeming with people, but that's to be expected. Everyone who lives around here is used to the ash. We may hate it, but there's nothing unusual about it.

Something is always burning, the ash always falls.

I dip into a back alley and along the paths that'll lead to the closest bakery I know of where the baker will deal with the Arts in exchange for bread. Everyone learns who is willing to make a trade and who is more likely to hand someone over to the enforcers, never to be seen again. People change their minds all the time, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. Especially if it means feeding my sister tonight.

My knock echoes loudly on the bakery's back door. It swings open, revealing the portly baker with his ruddy red cheeks.

"Raine," he says as a way of greeting.

"Smythe," I return. "Need anything?" There's no point beating around the bush. Even without saying the words, he knows what I mean. Anyone living in the city knows how to talk about illegal things without saying it.

"No. And you shouldn't be asking, there are enforcers around tonight." He slams the door in my face.

Great. There are other places I can try, but it's going to get risky if I have to ask more people.

I set back off into the darkening evening. The ash has that effect, making it difficult to make out what's happening in the gloom.

Main street is lined with boarded-up shops. No one wants to own them here, not when there are enforcers walking up and down at all times of day.

I scan the street for them. Smythe says they're out in force, but I can't see any more than usual. There's two over by the old boarded-up tavern, but they're hardly paying any attention to the people on the street.

Hardly out in droves.

A scowl crosses over my face. If Smythe has found someone who does a better deal, then I'm surprised. A loaf or two of bread in exchange for using the Arts is nothing.

I push those thoughts to the side. What does it matter if Smythe has changed his mind about the Arts? The reason behind it isn't important to me, and it shouldn't be.

The most important tip to staying alive in the city, is to keep my attention on my own problems, and my own interests. No one else's.

I turn down the next street, wrinkling my nose at the size of the ash pile which has made itself known outside the miller's house. I don't know him very well, but I've heard he's willing to trade when the occasion calls for it. Given the size of the pile, it does.

I take a deep breath to steady my nerves and rap on the front door a few times.

It swings open almost instantly, and a thin wiry man looks at me with leery eyes.

Neither of us say anything, but that doesn't mean a transaction isn't taking place. He nods once, then shuts the door again.

I turn back to the pile of ash and roll up my sleeves. I check around for any enforcers, but they don't seem to have come into sight of the street I'm on. Hopefully it'll stay that way. I'm not in the mood to get hurt. I touch the Nazar charm around my wrist for good luck. Grandfather gave it to me before he disappeared. He said he got it from an old woman who claimed to have travelled around the entire world. I'm not sure about that. Or about the protection powers she told him it has. But it reminds me of him, and sometimes, it's nice to think he's watching over me, particularly when I'm about to do something dangerous.

The Arts crackle to life, covering my hands with the sizzle of power. I'm not sure where they come from, or how it works, but I never feel more alive than when I'm calling on them.

I check for guards once more, before turning my attention to the ash. It only takes me a few minutes to get into the swing of things, and the ash soon changes form into a pile of dark grey bricks. I can't make it disappear completely, that's not how the Arts work, but I can change the ash's shape so it isn't in the way as much. And so that it can be moved when the time is right.

Once all of the ash has been turned into bricks, I step back and dust off my hands, letting the Arts fade away. Yet another day breaking the rules and not getting caught.

The door opens behind me, and I turn around in time to find it closing already. But that's not what is important. A bag of flour sits on the doorstep, not yet covered in ash. It isn't bread, but it means we can make it, and that's the next best thing.

I hurry over and scoop it up, hiding it inside my jacket. I doubt anyone will try and steal it on my way back home, and I know for certain that no one will bother asking me where I got it from, but sometimes it's better to be safe than sorry.

The ash is falling thicker now. The dragons must have burned a lot tonight. A shiver runs down my spine. It's only a matter of time until they move on to our part of the city. Hopefully when they do, it will be over quickly.

Despite curfew approaching quickly, there are just as many people around as before. No one listens to that law anyway. To be honest, there aren't many laws any of us listen to. When everyone breaks them, what's the point?

I don't talk to anyone as I pass. I don't know any of them, and they don't know me, which leaves us all as nothing more than a threat to one another's way of life. Anyone can be an informant, and anyone can be dragged off. Where they go is a mystery to us all, but they never come back, and that's all we need to know.

I turn my thoughts to the bread Mila will make once I'm home. I hope we have some spare raisins in the pantry, or any at all. I love it when she bakes them into the bread.

My mouth begins to water at the thought and I speed up in response. It'll take a while for it to bake, so the sooner I get home, the better. Besides, once I'm behind the safety of our front door, I can't do anything that'll get me into trouble.

I hope.

Chapter Two

I glance longingly at the last of the raisin bread. It's already a couple of days old, and we'll need to eat it today before it goes stale anyway, but that doesn't mean I should gobble it up without thinking. I should wait and...

"Have it,” Mila says, pushing the two slices towards me.

“I…”

"No. Have it," she insists. "You're only going to regret it if you don’t.”

My gaze flits between her and the bread, trying to decide what the best course of action is.

Mila shakes her head in bemusement and wipes her hands on her apron, turning away to get the pot of soup she's made from the stove. Not for the first time, a wave of guilt floods through me at how much she looks after me. I know there are things I do to help her too, but that isn't the point.

"Don't start with me, Raine," she says in the stern voice she learned from Grandmother. "You need it more than I do."

"That's not true," I protest, somehow feeling like I'm a child again. I'm only eighteen months younger than her.

Mila sighs as she peels off her apron. "You're the one who goes to do manual labour. All I do is sit around and sew all day."

"Why do you make it sound as if your job isn't hard work too?" I cock my head to the side and study her.

She doesn't look twenty. She's too tired for it. I don't imagine I look like most eighteen year old's should either. We've been looking after ourselves for too long and it shows.

Mila shrugs. "I enjoy it. And if I work hard enough, I can get some kind of scholarship. If you get the promotion you were talking about, then our whole lives could change."

I snort without meaning to. "I think that ship sailed long ago."

I grab the raisin bread and tear off a hunk anyway. It's already dry, but I still like the taste of it. And there's the added benefit of it filling my stomach. Sometimes, all we have to live off is a handful of berries or something similar, and it's not enough. Even an hour or two after eating, my stomach starts to growl.

A bell starts to toll throughout the city. I wince. I'm not sure what they use to make the sound, but it goes right through me every time. I suppose there are some advantages to that, but only because being late to work is grounds for instant dismissal. The jobs here pay so little that even missing one day's pay can end up causing more problems than anyone would like.

"I have to go," I tell Mila, jumping to my feet.

She grabs my coat, and hands it to me, before turning back to our rack to get her own.

The comforting weight of the heavy material is enough to guard me against the world outside. I'm not sure how anyone in my family even saved enough money for a coat like this, especially as Mila has one that's almost as good. But whoever it was, I'm grateful to them. The coats have served us well, keeping the ash from our clothes, and the cold at bay.

I pat myself down to make sure I have everything I might need for the day. Not that it's much, but I at the very least need to have my ID card with me in case I get stopped by any of the patrols. I blow my sister a kiss and step out of the front door.

Ash drifts through the air, thicker than yesterday, but not as bad as it can be. That's what happens when it rains. The ash and water mix into a thick sludge that's hard to get out of things and difficult to walk through.

A shiver runs through me at the thought. I pull my coat closer to me, though it isn't going to stop the ash that has already made its way inside. It doesn't matter. My clothes and skin are already stained with the stuff. There's no escaping it.

The brisk walk to work passes in a blur, though that's not necessarily a good thing. I have an entire day of back-breaking work ahead of me, with no chances to use the Arts to make it easier. Our foremen spend too much time looking over our shoulders for me to be able to get away with it.

Dull metal gates appear in front of me before I'm ready, but I can't be late. There are bad consequences for anyone who is. I dig around in my pocket for my ID and swipe it across the dock on the gates, clocking in along with dozens of other workers.

We line up neatly as we wait for our assignments. Several trucks sit idling at the other side of the yard, waiting for anyone working offsite. I'm not sure if it's my imagination or not, but I think there are more than normal.

"Raine Mason?" one of the foremen calls.

I step forward, not nervous in the slightest. Sometimes this happens. They call upon individuals because of whatever their skill set is. Not that I have one in particular, but they must have something in mind.

"Follow me," he says without even introducing himself.

I roll my eyes, but don't say a word. I know how to stay quiet when I need to. Most of the time. And only because I got into trouble a lot at school for having a smart mouth.

I expect the foreman to call out other names, but he doesn't even pause as we walk through the assembled workers.

It's only when we pass into the admin building that I start to worry. Have I done something wrong? I run through the past week or so, but can't pinpoint anything in particular. Certainly not something at work, and it wouldn't be my boss disciplining me for using the Arts, it would be the guards.

"Sit and wait to be called," the foreman says, pointing to an empty chair."

I nod, not daring to ask about what's happening in case whatever it is gets worse. The only thing I know for sure is that it's never good to be singled out. I've worked here for years and have only been inside this building once when I first started. Being back either means I'm about to be fired, or get a promotion to a position higher than I'd ever imagined possible. Something tells me it isn't going to be the latter.

Chapter Three

When my name is finally called, I'm escorted further into the building towards an office I never even knew existed. Something about it is more off-putting than I want to admit. I think it's because everything is too lavish, especially after the dreariness of the ash. I have to hand it to whoever keeps the place clean, they've done an admirable job of making it look as if the constant raging fires don't affect anything inside. The deep red of the curtains is completely unblemished, and the pale wooden desk doesn't appear as if it's even had a day's wear.

But nothing about this room tells me anything about the person who works here and what to expect. I've never heard of anyone being called into this office before.

That's because none of them come back.

I push the thought away, refusing to accept the possibility. If there's anything I can do that means I won't have to leave Mila alone to fend for herself, then I'll do it. I hate the idea of my sweet sister going it alone and becoming as jaded as the rest of the city is.

The door behind me creaks open. I try not to turn around to see who walks in. They want me to be on edge, and I'm determined not to let them see how much they're getting to me.

"Raine Mason, you have an interesting file," a woman's voice says.

I bite my lip to stop me from saying anything I shouldn't. I'm not sure what this situation is, but I don't want to make whatever is coming worse for me. Especially if it might get back to Mila.

The woman walks into view, and she's nothing like I expect with her power suit and her hair in a tight bun. She's the kind of woman who likes to torture people for fun, which doesn't bode well for me.

"I'm sure you know why you're here," she says, slapping my file down on her desk. At least, I assume it's my file. Maybe it's full of blank sheets of paper so she can do this for dramatic effect. I wonder how many people it gets to?

I can count myself in that number.

"I don't," I admit honestly.

She raises an eyebrow, but stays silent. Is she trying to smoke me out and get me to admit to something? It's not going to work. If I know what she wants me to say, then I'd say it. Unfortunately for me, I don't.

"I really don't," I assure her. "No one's told me anything since I got called out of line." Other than a few one-word commands.

"I see the guards need to work on their manners," she says, though her tone of voice suggests she doesn't particularly care whether or not they do.

I try not to fidget as she jots down some notes. Why have they brought me to this woman if she isn't going to do anything?

As if on cue with my thoughts, she sighs and sets down the pen. She links her fingers and folds them together, using them to appear as if she's a stern headmistress about to kick me out of school. It takes everything in me not to squirm in my chair. Instead, I settle for touching my fingers to the charm around my wrist, glad I didn't forget to put it on this morning. This woman has got to be evil, so perhaps it can help me against her.

"You've been selected for an opportunity," she says firmly.

"Oh?" Why do I get the impression her words aren't as good as they sound?

"You've been selected to be part of the Dragon Duels," she says as if she's commenting on the weather.

I frown. "Selected?" That's not how it works, is it? I don't know much more than is publicly available about the legendary duels, but I do know they can be gruelling.

"Selected," she repeats, as if it'll make more sense the second time.

"How long do I have to decide if I want to accept?" I shouldn't dismiss this opportunity out of hand, but I'm reasonably sure I want to say no. I'm not in the market for premature death.

Her cold gaze pierces into me. "You don't. This isn't optional."

"But..."

"Your options are the Dragon Duels, or death, Miss Mason. Though I suppose if you're really inclined, we can transfer you to the Marriage Market."

I grimace, that sounds even worse than potential death by dragon.

"And my sister?" I whisper.

"She'll be sent the standard payment given to any participant's family."

"But she won't be brought into the Duels?"

"No, Miss Mason. You're the one who has been selected."

"But how? I didn't put my name in anything." I struggle to understand how this has happened. Did I sign up for something accidentally and forget about it?

The woman flicks open my file and pulls out a sheet of paper, pushing it towards me. I scan it, recognising the words, but not what they mean. According to this, I filled out an application for the Dragon Duels two months ago. Except that it's not my handwriting on the page in front of me.

"I didn't submit this..."

The woman scoffs. "The number of times I've heard that is unreal. The facts are the facts, Miss Mason. You filled out this form, now you've been selected and you must go. Your sister and your employer will receive the standard compensation owed to them for this."

"My employer?" I squeak.

"Yes. They lose an employee, they are compensated. That's how it works."

Horror wells up inside me as I realise what's happened. Someone in the company filled this out so they'd get a payment for me going. And now I'm trapped.

The woman takes my silence as agreement, though at this point, I'm not sure what else it can be. It seems I don't have a choice about any of this.

"You'll be taken directly to the holding facility for the Duels. They begin in a week, and you'll have time to rest and eat between now and then. You are not to try and escape. Any attempt to abandon the Duels will result in your immediate execution. Should you win the Duels, you will be offered a position with the Dragon Defenders."

"And if I turn that position down?" I ask.

"I wouldn't worry about that," she dismisses.

Ah. I see. If I turn down the position, I'll end up dead. If I even get there.

"Can I say goodbye first?"

"There is no time for goodbyes. Your transport is waiting for you in the yard."

My eyes sting with the threat of tears, though I try and fight them off. I refuse to let her see my true emotions. She doesn't deserve them, especially because I'm certain she'll enjoy them too much.

"Can I at least write a letter?" I ask.

She considers for a moment, but to my surprise, hands me a pen and paper.

"Thank you."

She shrugs. "It's nothing to me. You have three minutes."

I consider how to explain the situation to Mila, but I don't want them to take the letter away for saying the wrong thing. Instead, I scribble down something vague about doing this for us, and that I love her and I'll see her soon.

I hope I'm not lying. To my sister, or to myself.

Chapter Four

The numbness of what's about to happen starts to fade around the same time I'm herded into a reception room and abandoned. There's nothing around except for some paper cups of water. I hope someone tells me what to do sooner rather than later. I don't want to spend the next few days doing nothing except contemplating my fate.

And whether Mila's going to be okay.

I close my eyes in an attempt to chase away the pain of abandoning her. I haven't done it on purpose, but that's not the point. She's going to come home from work later today and find that I'm not back. Hopefully, they'll actually deliver the letter I wrote, but if not the first explanation she's going to get is the payment for me taking part in the stupid Dragon Duels.

At least that's something. The money will make her life easier, which she's going to need if she's lost my income.

The door opposite me crashes open, finally chasing away the thoughts of home. If I'm honest, I'm grateful for the distraction. If I spend too much of my time fixating on what I left behind, then I'm going to drive myself crazy.

A pair of guards march into the room, dragging a girl in rags behind them. She doesn't look much older than me, but it's hard to tell through the matted hair and thick layer of grime covering her from head to toe. I'm guessing her story isn't like mine.

Without saying a word to either of us, one of the guards shoves the girl down into the seat next to me. She winces as her back hits the hard plastic of the chair, but doesn't make a sound. She's probably trained herself not to so she doesn't attract the wrong kind of attention.

The guards march off, not even bothering to give her instructions about what to do next. I suppose I haven't had any of them either, but somehow that doesn't seem as bad as what's happening to the other girl, even if I haven't had a choice about coming here.

A violent cough racks through her, as if she has something stuck in her throat.

"Do you want some water?" I ask her, gesturing to the paper cups.

She nods through another bout of coughing.

I smile uneasily at her and get to my feet. The water sloshes against the flimsy container. Why they think it's a good idea to use paper for something like this is beyond me. Maybe everything is going to be like this once we're outside this room in case we make any of it into a weapon we can take into the Duels. I hope not, it'll make the next few days far more tedious than they need to be.

"Here you go," I say, offering the girl the cup.

She takes it, clasping it between her still handcuffed hands and drinking it down quickly.

"Do you have a name?" I lean back in my chair and wait for her to answer.

"What does it matter?" Her voice cracks, as if she hasn't used it in a while.

I shrug. "I suppose it doesn't." But there are multiple winners to the Duels, so it's not like we have to be one another's enemies, and there's no harm being nice.

"Marina," she says after a moment's contemplation.

"I'm Raine."

"What are you in here for?" she asks.

"Here?"

"Preparing for the Duels. If you're here, then there must be a reason."

"Oh, my employer filled out the forms for me and I got picked." Even though it stings that they did this, a small part of me understands it. All the people running the company are trying to do is keep as many people paid as possible. Maybe I'm being too lenient on them, but revenge isn't exactly something I should be focusing on right now. I'm sure I'll feel differently if I survive the next part of this.

She snorts. "That tracks. I've heard it happens a lot."

"What about you?" I don't want to dwell on why I'm here, especially not when she clearly has more to tell.

Marina sighs, a haunted look crossing over her features. "I ran away from the Marriage Market."

My eyes widen. "It's that bad?" I whisper.

She nods. "Awful. I thought it'd save my sisters from it if I went and they got the money. But it's awful in there. They control everything. The food we ate, the dresses we wore. If you can call them dresses. Most of them revealed too much skin and made us cold..."

I shudder at the thought.

"...but worst of all was the way they let men treat us when they came in. They always talked above our heads, as if we weren't worth anything. They said we'd have a choice in who we ended up marrying, but when it came to it, that wasn't true."

"I'm so sorry," I whisper.

"Don't be. It is what it is. We don't get a choice in any of this." She waves her hand around the holding area. "The Dragon Duels, the Marriage Market, the ash...it's all things we have to put up with because we're not part of the elite. We get chosen for things, or given too little until we volunteer ourselves, and by then, the system is in place."

"That's true," I admit, even if I hate it.

The door swings open again, drawing our attention away from our conversation. A woman in a stark white uniform steps through with a clipboard in her hand.

"Raine Mason?" she asks.

"That's me," I answer, standing up.

She looks me up and down over the rim of her glasses. "Follow me."

"I'll see you around," I say to Marina, having no idea if I will, but it seems better to act as if we will. For both of us.

I make my way across the waiting room quickly, and follow the woman out into the hallway. Just like all the other people who have shepherded me around, she doesn't say anything as she leads me through the building. Everything around us is squeaky clean and borders on boring, but there's something off about it. Other than the threat of death hanging in the air.

It takes me a moment to realise what it is.

The ash. Over time, it's tracked into all of the buildings in the city, even if people try to clean their boots. But here, there's nothing of the sorts. I'm not overly dirty, but I'm starting to feel that way now I'm here.

"This is your room," the woman says, pushing open another door.

"My room?"

She nods. "You'll be staying here for the next few days. This is where you must stay during lights out, and where you can sleep and bathe." She wrinkles her nose at the last statement.

I bite my lip rather than say anything that may offend her further than my appearance already does. I wonder if it's the blue tint to my hair, or the general grubbiness she's most opposed to. Judging by the way she's presented, it really could be either.

She steps into the room, leaving me alone in the corridor. I glance longingly back the way we came. As much as the idea of trying to escape is tempting, the last thing I want is to make things more difficult to Mila. For all I know, they'll insist she comes in my place, especially if they've already paid the fee.

With nothing else for it, I step into the room. It's not as bad as I expect, with a standard-sized bed and a set of blankets and towels perched on top of it.

"While at the Facility, you may do whatever you want so long as it is not trying to leave, or harming another person here. There is a canteen and break room down the hall you may use as you wish up until orientation."

I nod, but don't look at her, I'm still trying to take in everything about the room I'm in. It's bigger than the one I have at home, but not by much. The only real difference is how clean it is. That's a good thing. I don't think I'd be able to stomach it if this place dripped in luxury.

"When will orientation happen?" I ask.

She points to a stack of papers on the small desk. "Everything is explained in there."

Which meant nothing is. They'll try and tell me the least about of information possible. They don't want anything more than entertainment with the Dragon Duels. And potentially a way to appease the dragons. I'm sure they keep them in check with something like this. Human sacrifice sounds about right.

"Thank you," I say instead of voicing my thoughts. I'm not an idiot. I don't want things making worse for me before they get to the point where I'm about to die anyway.

She doesn't respond, and walks out of the room, leaving me to look through the papers and make an attempt at readying myself for what's to come. Not that I think anything can, but it's nice to at least pretend for the short time I have left.

Chapter Five

The lights sting my eyes with their brightness, like they have since I arrived. I never thought lights out would be my favourite time of the day, but it gives me a chance to rest from the awful intensity of them.

At least the canteen is a big room, it somehow manages to dull some of the pain in my eyes. So long as I keep my eyes on the plate in front of me and not on everything going around. Though that presents its own problems, mostly that the soup makes me think of Mila and how much she'd enjoy the herbs in it. A pang of longing shoots through me at the thought of my sister. I wish I was home with her.

"Raine?" a small voice asks.

I glance up to find a mousey girl with dark curly hair standing in front of me. Something about her is vaguely familiar, but I can't put my finger on what.

"Marina," she says, holding a hand to her chest.

Oh. Oops. I hadn't recognised her without the caked-on dirt and grime.

"Do you mind if I sit?" she asks.

I shake my head. "Be my guest."

She sets down her bowl of soup, then climbs in opposite me. We're not the only people sharing a table, so no one thinks twice about her doing that. For the most part, everyone seems to keep to themselves or the people they already know. Though the latter category seems to be in small supply.

"How many people do you think are here?" she asks, glancing around the same way I did when I came in here yesterday. It was the first time I got a sense of the true scale of the Dragon Duels. Everyone knows that a lot of people go in, but the number has meant very little to me until I can see them all around me.

"A couple of hundred? I'm not sure. I'm only guessing based on the amount of food," I admit.

"That seems about right."

"What I don't get is how this many people go into the Dragon Duels every quarter and no one really cares," I muse. A small twinge of guilt accompanies the words. Before this, I counted myself in that number.

Marina snorts. "You know how it is. People only pay attention to themselves. Between the prisoners no one knows are there, and the people who are volunteered and unable to set the record straight, I doubt they have much problem with it."

"Ah, true." My shoulders slump. "I wish I could talk to my sister before whatever this is kicks off." I don't know why I'm telling her this, but it makes me feel less alone than before.

"Same. Well, my Father. He's all on his own now."

I sigh wistfully. "At least we can have some proper food." I nod towards her almost overflowing bowl of soup. It's better than anything we've had before.

"Until they throw us into an arena full of dragons and watch as we all die," she points out.

I sigh. She isn't wrong there.

"The guards that brought me here were bragging about how I wouldn't last five minutes." Her entire face falls. "They're probably right. I doubt a couple of days of good food can make up for months in that cell."

"Months?"

"Mmhmm."

"Anything else they told you?"

"Nothing useful," she admits. "They were mostly describing how much dragon fire burns."

"I guess it's too much to ask for everyone to be forthcoming."

"You don't seem as freaked out as you should be." She dips her spoon into her soup and blows across the top of it before eating.

"If I freak out, then I might miss them telling me something important that might save my life."

"I suppose that's true," she agrees reluctantly. "But what's it matter when we'll be dead in a couple of weeks."

"That's still better than dead today." At least, I think it is. I actually find it hard to know if I've made the right decision. There's a good chance I'll feel differently about it in a few weeks when I'm actually faced with the chance of it. But for now, it's better to put off the inevitable.

"I wish I had your optimism," she mutters.

"Didn't you choose to be here?" As far as I know, prisoners are given a choice whether to come here or not. I'm not sure what the other options are, but they still have a say in it. More than I had.

She laughs bitterly. "The choice is only an illusion," she counters. "Going back to the Marriage Market was out of the question, and dying right then and there seemed like no fun. So here I am."

I lean back in my chair, trying not to focus too much on what she's saying for fear it'll break me. She isn't the only one facing certain death. I may be good at surviving, but that's because I've never been up against a dragon before.

Something clatters to the floor behind me, and on instinct, I twist in my seat. Two of the other prisoners are shoving at one another and grunting. I roll my eyes. Is it not enough that the White Towers is after us, we have to turn on one another too?

One of the guards storms into the room blowing a whistle to try and stop the commotion. Somehow, I managed to forget they're still monitoring us all. I don't know how, when I know we're trapped here.

"Do you want to get out of here?" I ask Marina.

She nods enthusiastically, pushing her empty bowl away from her.

We rise to our feet and make our way across the dining hall so Marina can drop her soup at the disposal station. No one notices us leaving, they're all too focused on the fight going on and the entertainment it provides. It seems as if the guard has made matters worse and not better. Somehow, I'm not surprised.

The stark white hallway we turn into is empty of anyone else, which is fine by me if it means we can go without causing a fuss. Some of the people here like to cause trouble no matter how little we're causing to start with.

"What do you want to do?" Marina asks.

Hmm. Good question, I hadn't thought about anything other than keeping ourselves out of trouble up until now.

"We can head to the games room and play cards?" I suggest. It's a little lame, but there's a good chance we'll never be able to play again, so taking this chance is worth it.

"I don't know how to play," she admits.

"That's okay, my sister always struggles. I simplified the rules to Gin Rummy for her so she could win sometimes. I'll teach you that."

She lets out a grateful sigh. "That sounds good."

We turn the corner to head towards the room in question, but stop in our tracks when we come across a group of two dozen men and women, all dressed impeccably and being escorted into a different part of the holding centre. None of them say anything, but somehow, they manage to move perfectly in time with one another.

Only one of the men turns to look at us, his gaze locking with mine. Instantly, I know they're younger than I thought. He can't be more than twenty. Are they transfers from another prison? I guess we'll find out soon enough if they join us for breakfast tomorrow.

"Arnolds, face forward," one of the guards barks.

The man rolls his eyes, but does as commanded anyway.

"Who are they?" Marina whispers.

"No idea," I admit needlessly. She's well aware that I know as little as she does. "But I think they're trouble."

She squeaks. "Do you think they'll be hunting us in the Duels?" Her voice shakes as much as mine would if I'd asked the question.

"I don't think so. Why would they need other people when they have dragons? Won't they do enough damage?"

"I don't know." She whimpers.

I shuffle from side to side for a moment, realising I have no idea how to deal with someone so upset. Except, that isn't true. I've comforted Mila more than once after our family passed away.

Reluctantly, I reach out and put an arm around the other girl, pulling her in for a hug. She buries her face in my shoulder and lets out a loud sob, her whole body shaking.

I bite my lip, trying to stop my own tears. I can comfort her and be scared at the same time. Maybe if we work together, both of us can get through this with our lives.

Even as I think it, I realise how unlikely it is.

Chapter Six

The auditorium fills with the people I've been spending the past few days with. I haven't asked for anyone's name, other than Marina's. With what's going to happen next, I figure it's best if I don't know them. Even knowing one person is dangerous enough.

My new friend sniffles next to me. I reach out and take her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. Her smile is as shaky as I expect it to be, but I don't say anything about it. She doesn't need to know that her emotions are obvious on her face. There are only thirty-six hours left until the Dragon Duels start, and they're finally about to tell us how the whole thing works. Well, probably not all of it. Somehow, I feel as if they'll see that as giving us an unfair advantage or something like that. As if being around dragons was ever going to be a fair fight.

"Welcome all," a man says, calling our attention to the front.

His freshly pressed suit is at complete odds with how everyone else in the room looks. Most of the assembled contestants are wearing clothes similar to mine. They're brought from home and have seen better days as a result. Others are more like Marina, and have clearly spent some time in one of the numerous prisons around the city. They aren't really known for keeping things clean. The only exceptions are those that come from the White Towers. They're as impeccably turned out as they were on the day they arrived. I suppose that makes sense. It's much easier to keep things clean than get them clean from constant wear and tear.

Despite most of us not being here willingly, or at least not if the rumours spreading around are to be believed, everyone pays attention to him instantly. I suspect it's the chance that we can live through this.

Mila's face springs to mind as I consider going home to her and how it's going to feel to be able to talk to her again. I really hope she got my letter, I hate the idea of her thinking I've abandoned her after everything we've been through together, I'd never do anything of the sort.

"The Dragon Duels will start tomorrow," the man says needlessly, pulling my attention back to him. "There are no rules once you are inside the arena. You can make alliances, find shelter, kill anyone you want, with no repercussions should you survive."

A brutish man a couple of rows down from us bumps his fist against his buddy's arm in excitement.

My stomach flips at the sight. How are either of us going to survive when there are people like that going to be in the arena with us? Both the men look as if they could snap me in half like a twig, and I hate it. But there's nothing I can do about it. I simply have to carry on and do the best I can to survive this.

"You will be released into the arena individually..."

"No," Marina whispers, shaking her head.

I reach out to give her hand a squeeze. "It's going to be okay."

My words sound hollow, even to me, so I'm not surprised when she doesn't answer. I've been secretly hoping I'll be able to enter with Marina. I don't think she's the best tactical partner, but it would be nice to be in there with someone who has my back. Hopefully, we'll be able to find one another once things get going.

"The next ten days are the toughest job interview you'll ever take part in," he says.

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 and I try running back inside. I step through and find myself in a second room with the weapon I chose sitting on a platform.

Moonslinger. I'm not sure where the name comes from, but it feels right for the weapon in front of me. I grab hold of it and swing it over my back using the attached strap. It's not the most practical way of carrying something like this around, and I can see it causing problems if I have to draw it in a hurry, but for now it's the only system they've given me to do it.

With nothing else for it, I leave the safety of the building and walk out into the arena.

I suck in a breath as I take in my surroundings. Everywhere I look there's something different, from boulders to trees. But most striking of all is the huge dragon skeleton right in front of me with colossal white bones bleached from spending a long time in the sun.

I'm not sure if it's there to inspire me into thinking anyone can kill a dragon, or there to scare me into playing the role they want me to take.

If it's the second one, then they've achieved exactly what they set out to do.

A dense copse of trees catch my attention. If I can get to it without finding any trouble, then I should be able to lay low there for a while. The challenge is going to be if anyone sees me. I keep half an eye on the area surrounding me. I doubt most of the contestants would do anything to anyone else so soon into the Duels, there are others I don't feel so confident about, especially when I recall how excited the two guys in the briefing were about the fact there are no rules.

I wrap my arms around myself, wishing I could have set off with Marina instead of on my own. A friendly face wouldn't go amiss right now.

But that's not how this works. Hopefully, I'll be able to find her over the next couple of days. While I'm not crazy about teaming up with anyone, the idea of either of us being out here alone doesn't sit right with me. I want someone who will watch my back. And if what she told me is true, and she got away from the Marriage Market, then she must have some skills she hasn't told me about yet. They could come in handy.

I make it to the trees without any incidents, and search around for somewhere to set up a small camp. All I need is somewhere enclosed enough that I can keep two sides safe. I don't even need it to be big enough to sleep in, I can't imagine feeling comfortable enough to let myself be unconscious. Maybe in a few days when the real exhaustion sets in, but not right now.

It takes me an hour or so to find the perfect spot. An old tree rises far higher into the sky that I'd like to fathom, but I'm not interested in the high reaching branches. It's the roots that hold promise for me. They've twisted around one another and formed a small pocket of space underneath them. It's actually more secluded than I first imagined.

I check over my shoulder to make sure no one has appeared in the past few minutes, and duck inside. It's a tight fit, but it should keep me warm from the encroaching wind, as well as keeping me out of sight. The only problem might be if someone else has the same idea as me and wants to hide in the same place.

If they do, maybe I could make an ally.

I push the notion aside. I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to survive, and that'll be easier on my own or with Marina.

I lean my head against the roots and try not to dwell on the situation I've ended up in, but it's impossible not to. No one has prepared me for how boring it actually is to be in the Duels. I'm sure that won't be the case if I end up fighting for my life, or running from a dragon, but right now, it's pretty dull.

It isn't even nightfall, but I already find myself longing for dawn. Once everyone is in the arena, I can set out trying to find Marina. There's no point doing it now. I don't know how many of the other contestants are already inside the arena, and that makes it dangerous. For all I've been told, I could be the first one released, or the two-hundred-and-fiftieth. Though I doubt it's the latter. If I was in charge of this whole thing, I'd be releasing a dragon the moment everyone was inside the arena, just to remind us all of what's possible.

The cold sets in before I know it. I pull the fingerless gloves from my pocket and slip them on. They won't give me a huge amount of protection, but some is better than none. I pull my coat closer to me, grateful they let me keep it and didn't make me put on something different. Freezing to death is even further down my wishlist than being eaten by a dragon.

I strain my ears in an attempt to find out if there's anyone else around, but can't hear anything over the sounds of the mini-forest around me. I should get used to the idea of not knowing what's happening. That's going to be the case for the next ten days anyway. I won't know how many people are still alive until the very end.

If I make it that far.

I close my eyes and try to chase away the thoughts of impending doom. Instead, I fall into a fitful doze despite the surroundings. I didn't realise I was tired enough to sleep, but apparently, I am. I better make the most of it before something changes and I end up thrown into the middle of something I don't want to be part of.

Chapter Eight

A loud bang wakes me from my sleep, followed by a familiar crackle and pop. My eyes snap open, and I'm scrambling out of my root cocoon within seconds.

I consider leaving Moonslinger behind, it’s too ungainly to move quickly and was a poor choice if I think about it logically. I’m not the kind of person who does things like picking a weapon because it feels right. I dismiss the idea almost instantly. Whether or not it’s a bad choice, it’s the one I made, and leaving myself without a weapon is also foolish. In the end, I push Moonslinger in front of me as I leave the roots. It may not be useful against the approaching fire, but I don't want to be caught without it if I'm forced out into the open.

Heat from the flickering flames bounces against my skin as I make my way out into the open. I guess I'm not the only one who thought releasing dragons once all the contestants are in the arena was a good idea. If the fire is anything to go by, one is very much on the loose already. Or someone got careless with their cooking fire.

An ear splitting roar sounds from above the treeline.

I guess that answers that then.

There's no time to work out precisely where the dragon is. I have to get out of here before the fire gets any closer. For now, it's close enough for me to feel the heat, but not close enough to burn. I want to put more distance between me and the burning trees.

I retrace my path back to the open space of the arena, glad to find the flames haven't come this way yet.

Though that doesn't mean they aren't going to. The dragons are already dangerous enough on their own, but what makes them even worse is how fast and unpredictable their fire spreads. One spark can wipe out an entire neighbourhood in minutes. Or a wood, as the case may be.

A loud scream breaks through the tension. I freeze. That isn't a dragon.

My head wars with what to do. Should I go find the person and help them get to safety, or put myself first and get out onto the plains so I don't burn into a crisp?

The adrenaline surges, pushing away my fear even though it could help me stay alive. I turn around, knowing deep down that if I don't go back, but still survive this, I'm not going to be able to live with myself. Supposedly, I'm competing against two-hundred-and-fifty other people, but there are multiple winners, and helping others is never a bad thing. If they also get through to the end, then they'll have my back once we're in the Dragon Defenders.

I know I'm rationalising my recklessness, but I don't stop. It will make me more comfortable to act on the feelings I have than not, which is a good enough reason for me.

I step deeper into the woods, only for a screech from above to stop me in my tracks. A stream of bright orange flames cut through the air and hurtle towards me. It takes a second for me to realise what's happening.

The dragon found me.

Either that, or it just likes that particular bit of forest. I don't have time to guess which, especially when the result is still the same. I have no desire to be a giant reptile's lunch.

I spin on my heels and start to run, trusting my instincts rather than my vision to stop myself from tripping and hurting myself. Much to my surprise, it works.

My hand grows sweaty, making it slide up and down Moonslinger's handle, but I still hold on tight. I don't want to lose it on the second day.

A shadow appears in front of me, followed by the silhouette of a man with a machete raised above his head. He steps towards me, though he doesn't seem to have noticed me in front of him yet. Something about him is familiar. He turns and I catch a flash of his face. It's the punching man from the briefing. Fear stronger than that the dragon is causing thrums through me. Somehow, I know what this person is going to do to me if he catches me is worse. I set off in a slightly different direction as quickly as I can, knowing I need to get out of the way before he sees me. I'd rather face the dragon than the man.

I stumble as I leave the forest, but regain my footing easily enough.

Another screech cracks through the air. The dragon.

I take a deep breath, knowing I have to stay calm if I stand a real chance of getting away.

Air buffets against me as I move. Am I running that fast?

Horror sets in as I realise what's causing it. I slow myself and turn in time to see the dragon descending through the sky towards me. It's not as big as the skeleton when I entered the arena, but that doesn't stop it being huge. And definitely not what I want to see right in front of me.

My whole body shakes despite the adrenaline. I've never been up against a dragon before, and my chances of surviving the attack seem slim.

I glance around me in an attempt to find something I can hide behind, but there's nothing around. The mini-forest is the only shelter in the immediate vicinity, and that's burning down right now. Not exactly a good place to hide.

I touch the charm around my wrist, wishing I'd sent it to Mila with the letter even as I'm glad I have it for luck.

With nothing else for it, and the dragon moving closer, I swing Moonslinger up into both my hands. It's not going to do much, especially if the dragon breathes fire, but I want to go down fighting if I can.

An odd feeling comes over me now I'm holding Moonslinger with the intention of using it, but that's probably just fear over what's going to happen next. I don't close my eyes, I want to try and face this head-on, even if it is what kills me. I don't fully know how this works, but if I do, maybe there will be some kind of bonus payment for Mila. Either that, or she'll know I died bravely, which also works for me.

I fling out Moonslinger, pointing it in the dragon's direction.

Something tightens within me, almost like pins and needles, but not quite. It travels from my core and down my arm. Moonslinger starts to vibrate.

What's happening? I haven't felt anything like it before. I've been scared before, and it never felt this way.

A sharp crackle of electricity shoots from the tip of Moonslinger, heading right for the big green dragon descending towards me.

My eyes widen as whatever I sent towards it hits the dragon's chest. It stumbles. Kind of. I'm not sure what it's called when it seems to have trouble flying.

I pull Moonslinger back, wondering if I can try whatever that is again and scare the dragon away. I thrust the weapon forward with even more force, jarring my shoulder slightly in the process. I won't do that again.

But sure enough, the pins and needles feeling is back. It shoots down my arm and out through Moonslinger, hitting the dragon.

It screaks in pain, a very different sound from its battle cries.

I repeat the motion a couple more times, and to my surprise, it keeps working. I have no idea what I'm doing, or how I found a secret setting on Moonslinger, but I don't care so long as it scares the dragon away from me.

The beast opens its mouth, and I know instinctively that it's about to spew fire at me.

I push Moonslinger forward with even more force than before. Something big builds inside me, and the biggest crackle of power I've created so far splits the air, hitting the dragon square in the chest.

It shuts its mouth and quivers in the air for a moment, before crashing to the ground. The loud thud reverberates through the ground. Anyone within a few miles will have felt it. Hopefully, none of them know what it means and come to investigate.

Wait. What does it mean?

Dragons don't do just fall from the sky. Not unless they're...

I'm not sure I dare to check. But I have to know if I really did kill a dragon. By accident. That part is important to me.

Even though it's foolhardy, I make my way towards the towering lump lying between me and the burning forest. I'm lucky it didn't fall on me.

The dragon doesn't stir as I approach, and I can tell from the angle of the neck that it's dead.

I killed a dragon.

I stare down at Moonslinger. It seems like I picked a good weapon to bring with me after all.

My heart still beats a mile-a-minute, but most of the adrenaline from facing a dragon has worn off. Out of curiosity, I thrust Moonslinger forward, aiming up into the sky. The pins and needles feeling is there in an instant, and a small bolt of power leaves the top of Moonslinger.

Hmm. So it doesn't just do it in the presence of dragons.

"You're using it wrong," a man says.

I spin around and point Moonslinger at him, instantly on guard.

He doesn't have a weapon drawn, and is mostly looking at the dragon curiously, but I'm not willing to take any risks.

"What do you want?"

"You're using the weapon wrong." He points at Moonslinger.

Is he serious?

I narrow my eyes at him. "What does it matter?"

He cocks his head to the side. "It matters because you're using it wrong."

"I just killed a dragon, didn't I?" I nod towards the corpse beside me. It's small, but I don't think that makes it a less impressive feat, especially when I have no idea how I did it. I won't mention that detail.

"I suppose. But you're still..."

"Using it wrong. Yes, I know." I sigh loudly and swing Moonslinger over my shoulder, walking away from the man. I don't have time to deal with some guy in White Tower clothing who thinks his way is the only way.

I'm here to survive the Dragon Duels.

Chapter Nine

I try not to think about the man following me. He doesn't seem to be very dangerous, but I have no way of being sure. Maybe he's trying to lull me into a false sense of security about him and then kill me in my sleep. It's much easier to hurt someone who already trusts you.

I squeeze my eyes shut in the hope of chasing away the tear that wants to fall at the idea. I've been in here less than a day and I'm already turning into a distrusting killer. So it may have been a dragon and not another person, but that doesn't matter to me. It's still a death.

I stop in my tracks and turn around.

The man almost crashes into me, having not expected me to change my pattern.

"Why are you following me?" I ask.

"I want to work together."

I eye him up and down. "Because I killed a dragon?"

"If I say no, will you believe me?"

"Probably not." Especially when I know he saw me do it.

I eye him up and down. His clothes are sturdier than mine, and far better quality. Not to mention cleaner, though I can see signs of ash from the arena getting stuck to the cuffs of his jacket. It won't be long until he's caked in the stuff.

"Why don't we find shelter and then talk about this?" he asks me, glancing around as if to draw my attention to the fact we're completely out in the open.

I grimace. I shouldn't have focused so much on getting away from him more than where I was going. With the mini-forest still burning, I couldn't go back there, so didn't think about it.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I respond, still shaken by the idea he'll kill me in my sleep.

"Okay. We'll talk here then. Hi, I'm Cobalt," he says brightly, holding out his hand to me.

I frown. Is he serious?

When his hand has been hanging long enough for me to be sure that he is, I take it in mine and give it a shake.

"Raine."

"Nice to meet you."

I raise an eyebrow. "Is it? I wouldn't call this situation nice."

He chuckles. "You have a point."

"So, you get a dragon slayer..." I wince at my choice of words, but need to use them to remind him I'm capable and deadly. "What do I get out of this?"

"I have food," he offers.

The rumble that tears through my stomach at the mere thought of food is almost enough for me to say yes.

Almost.

"I can just go and get some dragon meat," I point out.

"What if it's poisonous?"

"I can use the Arts to change it just to be safe." I can't make meat out of things that aren't meat to begin with, but dragon shouldn't pose too much of a challenge.

"Fine. Then I can teach you how to use the weapon you've got."

"Moonslinger?" I ask, before cursing myself for revealing the now silly-sounding name I thought up to it.

Cobalt chuckles. "If that's what you're calling it."

"I am."

"It's a good name," he lies.

"I don't care what it's really called." Especially because in my head it's not going to change. "But you can teach me how to use it properly?"

He nods. "If you want. My Arts aren't as strong as yours..."

"It uses the Arts?" It's impossible to keep the surprise out of my voice.

"Yes...what did you think you were doing?"

"I wasn't really thinking," I admit. "More waving it at a dragon and hoping that was enough to keep me alive."

"It worked."

"It did."

"Didn't you feel the Arts building up inside you?" he asks.

I frown as I think about it. The feeling hadn't been recognisable to me, but I suppose that doesn't mean anything. "I did, but I didn't know it was the Arts," I admit.

"But you know you can use them?"

"I'm not sure which bit is tripping you up," I snap.

"I'm sorry, it's just strange you don't know how to use something you were born with."

"It's illegal to use the Arts in the city. The small mounts I do know, I learned through breaking that law. So excuse me if I don't know anything fancy like how it works with a weapon."

Not wanting to listen to any more of whatever it is he wants to make me feel bad for, I turn around and stalk off. I don't have to listen to any of this I don't have to. They may want to kill most of the people they put in here, but I don't have to have a miserable time other than that.

"Raine, wait, please," he calls, running after me. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise."

"Of course you didn't," I mutter.

"But I mean it, I can teach you how to use Moonslinger. With what you've already worked out, I don't think it'll take very long."

"Shouldn't you be telling me it'll take eleven days so you can keep me on your team until the end?"

He chuckles. "Maybe I should. But I don't believe in lying. Especially if I don't have to do it. I really do have food I'll share too."

"Is that what you took for your one item?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I set a trap last night and cooked a couple of game birds who fell into it. Nothing fancy, but..." He digs around in one of his pockets and pulls out a leaf-wrapped package, handing it to me.

I take it gingerly. There's a small chance it's poisoned or something like that, but the smell of the cooked meat makes my stomach rumble too much for me to be able to ignore.

"Thank you." I take it from him and unpeel the leaves to reveal the meat within. I eat it quickly, enjoying the taste as much as possible when I'm as hungry as this.

"So, you'll agree to an alliance with me?" Cobalt asks, a hopeful look on his face.

I sigh. "Yes, okay. But if you so much as try to hurt me, then I'll kill you."

He chuckles. "I'd expect nothing less."

"Good. Then we're in agreement. Welcome to the team."

"Team Raine?" he asks, a hesitant tease in his voice.

"Team Dragon Slayer," I correct. "We can only have the coolest names here."

He snorts. "I can be on board with that."

Despite myself, a small smile stretches over my face. It's nice to know I'm not alone, even if this can only be temporary. Hopefully, I can find Marina soon too. There's still space for three people to win the Duels, so I don't have to worry about choosing between her and my potential new ally, though I hope it never comes to that.

Chapter Ten

I thrust Moonslinger forward and do my best to control the stream of the Arts through me and out of the end, just like Cobalt has been teaching me over the past few days. Much to my surprise, he's actually helped a lot when it comes to working on the Arts. I always knew I was missing the knowledge I needed to truly make the Arts my own, but there wasn't any chance of me ever finding the information out in the city.

It's funny how the Dragon Duels are actually teaching me useful skills.

"That's much better," Cobalt says from his spot by the fire.

"Thanks."

"Dinner's ready by the way."

"And by dinner, you mean roast pheasant again?" I check.

He chuckles. "What else? There isn't much roaming around that I can trap with what I've got. Now, if I had a bow and arrow, it'd be a whole other story."

"Why don't you?"

He picks up his poking stick and prods it into the fire. "Why don't I what?"

"Have a bow and arrow? You could have picked it as your item."

He shrugs. "A knife is more useful."

"Then you must think I'm extra ridiculous for picking something I don't even know how to use," I mutter as I sit down next to him.

"Actually, I don't. It may seem like an out-there choice, but sometimes, the Arts have a mind of their own. I imagine it was a choice you had to make in some respects."

I'm amazed by how accurately he's describing how the choice felt to me.

"Something like that," I admit.

"Exactly." He hands me a leaf topped with steaming pheasant.

The two of us eat in silence, both lost in our own thoughts. I think I've eaten better in the past couple of days than I have in the entire year prior to that. I thought Cobalt would be useless at surviving thanks to his White Tower upbringing, but I'm wrong. He's probably even more prepared than I am in a lot of ways.

Something brushes up against the bits of old metal we hung up in the trees in a radius around ourselves as an early warning system, making both of us freeze.

We listen again for any hint of what might be coming towards us. If it's just an animal, we shouldn't hear the metal pieces clanking against one another again. But if it's a person...

Clink-clink-clink.

We're both on our feet in seconds, Moonslinger in my hands, and Cobalt's knife in his.

"Do you think it was the Arts that made them come?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "The people who know what it means will stay away because they don't want to be caught up in that much power. I doubt anyone from the city will come to find out what's going on if they don't understand it. They might even think it's a dragon."

I nod, not completely convinced, but his logic does make sense.

"Should we..." I'm about to suggest we go and check out what's coming when a lone figure stumbles into the clearing.

The person keels over almost immediately.

Despite knowing it could be a trap and that I'm putting myself in danger's way, I rush over, dropping Moonslinger down beside me as I turn the person over.

"Marina," I whisper, recognising the person. "What are you doing here?"

She groans and opens her eyes. "Raine?" At least she's as surprised to see me as I am to see her, though it doesn't explain much about what's happening.

"It's me," I promise. "What are you doing here?"

She frowns. "I don't know," she admits as she pushes herself up into a sitting position. "I've been stumbling around for a few days trying to find something to eat."

I gesture for Cobalt to bring over some of the pheasant.

He doesn't seem impressed by the turn of events, but he does it anyway.

"Eat this," I instruct, taking it from him to give to her.

"Thank you."

"Cobalt, Marina, Marina, Cobalt," I say, introducing my two allies.

He eyes her warily, as if he doesn't trust what she's doing hee. I don't blame him. If one of his friends showed up like this, I don't think I'd trust them either.

"Marina is my friend," I tell him, daring him with my gaze to challenge that and tell me to send her away.

But Cobalt is too good of a person for that. Instead of doing anything of the sort, he smiles at her and gives her a half-wave. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she says through a mouthful of pheasant.

"Is anyone following you?" he asks.

She shakes her head. "I don't think so. I haven't seen anyone else for days."

He purses his lips, but doesn't point out that's meaningless. From what he's told me, most of the White Tower volunteers have so much training before they come in here, that they can be sneaking up on you without you even realising it. That's one of the reasons for our warning system. It's not foolproof, but anything is better than nothing, especially when we've been staying in one place for a few days.

"What have you seen?" I ask, wanting to learn more about the Duels without going out into the main arena itself. I'm perfectly content to stay in the second patch of mini-forest we've found, so long as this one doesn't burn down too.

She shudders. "Too many things. No dragons yet, though. I'm starting to wonder if there are any."

Cobalt and I exchange a glance.

"There are," I confirm, but don't tell her I've killed one of them. I don't want to make things weird.

"I don't think they're our biggest problem though," she admits. "I saw some of the other contestants do unspeakable things." A tear runs down her cheek and splashes to the floor.

Cobalt grimaces, but doesn't say anything. I'll ask him about what he's thinking once Marina is asleep. She looks about ready to collapse.

"You don't have to tell us about that now," I reassure her. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable by the fire and we'll keep watch." A small pang of guilt builds inside me at the knowledge that part of me wants her to go to sleep so I can ask Cobalt what he's thinking. That doesn't feel very fair to Marina, but at the same time, he knows more about this than both of us combined.

She nods, and crawls over, before collapsing in a heap. It takes mere minutes for snores to start coming from her exhausted body.

"Can we trust her?" Cobalt asks before I can pose any of my own questions. "Yes."

"How well do you know her?"

"Well enough to know she could be an asset. She managed to escape the Marriage Market." I hope she doesn't mind me telling him, but he needs to know what she's capable of so he accepts her.

"Interesting."

"She's my friend."

To my surprise, he smiles at me. "It's okay, Raine. I trust your judgement. If you say she's good, then she's good." "Thank you." I'm surprised by the way his affirmation makes me feel. He really does have a way of making it feel as if we're a team, even though he has a lot more knowledge and skills than I do. "What were you thinking? When she talked about what the other contestants are doing?"

He sighs. "Ah, that. I'm guessing you know that they film the Dragon Duels?"

I nod. "We don't watch it in the city. I'm not even sure they stream it to us. But we know that there are cameras."

"I thought as much. From what we're told in the White Towers, some of the contestants are picked because of their violent tendencies. I think they assume that a lot of the people who volunteer to come in will do what Marina has and run away from everything."

"Isn't that what we've done too?"

"Technically, I have. But you've killed a dragon," he counters.

"Oh. Right." Somehow, I've already sort of managed to forget that. It's almost as if it happened in a dream, though I suspect it makes great viewing. A sick feeling settles in my stomach at the idea of my life-or-death situation being used that way.

"They say that the violent prisoners are brought in to make the Duels more challenging, but I've always suspected that's a lie and they're doing it more for entertainment."

"Why am I not surprised?" I mutter.

"I mean, you are in an arena with a lot of things that can kill you. I doubt there's much surprising anyone after that."

I sigh. "Can we win by sitting her for the rest of the week?"

"That's a good question. But not one we can find out the answer to. We're running out of water. We need to go find more tomorrow, especially with a third person to look after." He glances at Marina as if to prove his point.

"Great, just what we need. Would it be too much to ask to have all of the resources we need in one place?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I wave away his apology. "You're not the one who designed this place. Nor are you the employer who filled out my volunteer form. The only thing you're to blame for is me still being alive. And it may be surprising, but I'm not mad about that."

He chuckles. "I can see that."

"We should go at dawn," I say. "Dragons are reptiles, right?"

"Yes."

"That should make them slower in the mornings when it's been night and their blood isn't warm yet."

"You're forgetting they can create their own warmth," he points out.

"Eurgh. Why are dragons so overpowered? It's ridiculous."

"Says the Dragon Slayer."

"You were there, you know as well as I do that it was an accident that I managed to kill the dragon. I doubt I could do it again if I tried."

"You have Moonslinger, I suspect you could do it," he counters.

"Well I'm not in a rush to find out if that's true. We should avoid dragons if we can."

He nods. "I like that plan a lot."

I smile easily at him. A small part of me hates that I like him. He's from the White Towers, and he really volunteered to come here. Everyone knows they have all kinds of advantages when that's the case. But nothing about Cobalt makes me feel as if he thinks he's better than me. Far from it. If I'm not careful, I'll have ended up coming out of a deadly competition with more friends than I came in with. That's not what I expected when they told me I was entering the Dragon Duels.

But I guess it's better than dying alone.

Chapter Eleven

I'm constantly on edge as we make our way out of the mini-forest and enter the main part of the arena. It stretches for miles, and while I can see a few other patches of trees, and some boulders, there doesn't seem to be much of anything else around. Including people, though I'm not an idiot, I know that can change in nothing more than the blink of an eye.

"Do you know where we're going?" Marina asks. She's perked up a lot after eating and sleeping, which is a good thing in some respects, but not so much in others. She's surprisingly peppy for someone who has spent so long in prison.

Though I suppose that's part of the reason. No matter what happens next, she's able to leave that part of her life behind. She'll either die, and be free of it, or she'll win the Duels and become a Dragon Defender along with the other winners. I can see a clear winner of those two choices, but both of them are better than going back to prison, especially from all the things she told me about what it was like when she was there.

"Yes," Cobalt responds, stopping to point out a cluster of rocks a little way off. "There's a small lake behind there, we'll fill up the containers we found and then get back to our camp."

I nod along with what he's saying, grateful he's telling us the plan and not just making us follow him blindly. I know it's a small thing, but it means a lot to me.

"It's lucky you found those containers," Marina muses.

"Yes," he agrees. "But not surprising. As far as I know, they don't remove the items other contestants bring in with them."

From what I've seen, that also includes the bodies. Though the place isn't littered with them, which I'd have thought would be the case with a thousand contestants coming through each year. Maybe the dragons eat them. Bones and all.

A shiver runs down my spine at the realisation. It's best if I try not to think about that too much.

We lapse into silence as we make our way down to the lake. It only takes another half an hour until I'm able to see the sun reflecting off the surface of it. A chill wind whips up around us and I pull my coat tighter in an attempt to ward it off. it's still early in the day, so it'll probably warm up soon, but it's safe to say I'm missing the fire.

Once we're almost level with the rocks, Cobalt reaches out an arm to stop us. "Let me go ahead and check the coast is clear before we go down to the shore edge."

I nod, not particularly wanting him to risk himself like that, but realising the necessity of it. If someone is waiting for us there and we walk in completely unaware, then we're going to end up in trouble.

"It'll be fine," Marina dismisses. "There's not been anyone else around the entire time. Why would there be someone waiting at the lake when there are other places they could attack us?"

My mouth drops open at the naivety of her comments. Up until now, she's always seemed world-wise to me. Far more so than I am, even if I like to think I know how things work. The Dragon Duels are teaching me the error of my ways in that respect.

"It would be the perfect place to set up an ambush," Cobalt points out. "We can't see them from here, but they can almost certainly see us. They have access to a resource we need and can't do without, and the rocks protect them from an attack on this side. Even one person waiting there could do a lot of damage to us."

I want to tell him that he shouldn't go either for exactly those reasons, but I know it's foolish. I can already feel my mouth drying out, and if we let dehydration get too bad, there can be some very serious consequences within a short space of time.

We need water, or we're going to die of something that could have been prevented. I suppose there's an argument for all of the deaths in the arena to be avoided, but it's not worth thinking on that too hard right now. I'll deal with the encroaching frustration I have about it when this is all over and I can do something about it. For now, I have to focus on the problem right in front of me.

"You two are impossible," Marina announces, then storms past us without even drawing her weapon.

I exchange a worried glance with Cobalt before the two of us chase after her.

"Marina, stop!" I shout after her.

How can she be so reckless? She isn't normally like this.

Except that isn't true. Everything I've seen from her was in a controlled environment with very little chance to do anything out of the norm. But what she's told me is the complete opposite. She escaped the Marriage Market, probably on a whim, and didn't have enough of a plan to avoid getting caught.

Reckless Marina is a real thing, and we're about to witness the fallout from it.

"I really hope you're wrong about what could be waiting," I mutter.

"Believe me, I do too," Cobalt responds, real concern in his voice.

Marina reaches the boulders and charges around, only to stumble back a moment later with an arrow protruding from her knee. She stumbles and falls as I let out the loudest scream I've ever made.

I lurch forward, determined to get to my friend before the worst can happen, but Cobalt seems to have worked out what I'm going to do. He sheathes his knife and latches his arms around my waist, tugging me back. He's stronger than I expect, and I have no chance of getting free of him. Deep down, I know it's a good thing.

"Marina!" I call, even as I know she's beyond help. Whoever it is who attacked her is still there and waiting. And he's probably not alone.

"We can't do anything," he tells me.

"But..."

I'm cut off by another arrow shooting out from the direction of the boulders and hitting her in the chest. Tears blur my vision as I lose her.

I turn in Cobalt's arms, no longer fighting to get free. I know there's no point now. Even the off chance of her being alive is slim. Without knowing what we're up against, it would be a fool's mission to go down there, even with Moonslinger.

"I'm sorry, Raine," he whispers.

I nod into his shirt as the tears start coming faster. I know we need to get out of here, but I also need a chance to process everything that's happening and not completely break down. I know it's selfish to risk Cobalt's life like this, but I can't help it.

It's only when I hear the telltale snap of wings that I manage to get my emotions back into check. I pull away from Cobalt and meet his gaze, seeing the same fear I'm seeing in his eyes.

"We need to run," he whispers.

I nod. There's no way I'm going to argue with him on that one. The dragon must have been summoned by the screaming. I curse myself for being so foolish, but it's too late to dwell on it now.

"Don't run next to me," he instructs. "If we're not in the same fire range, then maybe the dragon will be preoccupied with catching us both at the same time and we won't both be fried to a crisp."

"Do you think that will work?"

He chuckles uneasily. "Not really, but the alternative is accepting that we're about to die."

"Running far enough away from one another it is," I announce. "To the trees?"

He shakes his head. "Too flammable."

Isn't that the truth?

"There's another cluster of boulders about a ten-minute run that way." He points. "If we can make it there, we should be okay."

I bite my bottom lip, unable to fully accept that. But we don't have time to argue about it. This is what's happening, and we need to get going or we'll lose any advantage we've got.

Thankfully, the dragon seems more preoccupied with the people by the lake, which should give us a couple of minutes to get a head start.

"Good luck," I whisper.

"You too. I hope to see you in ten minutes."

Me too. I don't want to die, and I don't want to be alone. Which means I hope he survives too.

With nothing else to say, and no time to say it anyway, we both set off in a run, trying to keep a good distance between us just to be safe. I hope it's enough to keep the dragon at bay.

Chapter Twelve

I stumble over a protruding stone, breaking up my run. I'm getting tired, and it shows. Normally a ten-minute run isn't a problem for me, but with the hike to the lake and the emotions of the day, that's not the case. But I need to keep going, we're nearly there. I can see the boulders in front of us.

"Raine!" Cobalt shouts as it happens again.

On instinct, I glance in his direction, even though I should be paying more attention to the dragon circling above us. I don't know what it did at the lake, but apparently it wasn't enough to satisfy the huge beast.

A blur of black comes towards me, and the next thing I know, the two of us are tumbling to the ground. He pins me there, the weight of his body pinning me there.

"What the..."

I'm cut off by a stream of flames from the dragon above. I bring my arm up to protect my face.

The flickering fire, but the heat is enough to make my mouth dry and threaten to singe the hairs on my exposed forearms. The sound is the worst of all. I knew what dragon fire sounded like already, but nothing prepared me for how loud it is up close. I'm not sure I could hear anything else over the thunderous din of it hitting the ground and the roar of the dragon above.

We're not even in range.

Though I would have been if Cobalt hadn't jumped me.

"This way," he whispers, though maybe he's shouting. It's hard to tell over the sound of the attack.

But it's impossible to miss him getting off me and moving away. There's an overhanging rock a few feet away, which is probably where he's going. If the dragon decides to attack that particular boulder, we'll be toast, but hopefully, it'll be distracted by where it thinks it's attacking and won't notice us going there. If it doesn't know where we are, then it won't attack. A sharp sting comes from my leg as we crawl inside. The pain is gone a second later, it must just have been a sharp bit of rock I caught myself on.

In theory. I have no idea if that's actually going to be the case. It turns out that everything I thought I knew about dragons is wrong. Not that it was much to begin with.

The shade is welcoming in its coolness compared to the way the fire felt against my skin.

Almost as suddenly as the dragon appeared, it goes away, leaving a real chill in the air. It's a welcome one after the heat of the fire, but could still be a problem. We have to stay here a little longer, though. The dragon won't have gone far, and if we start running around and presenting ourselves as targets, then it's just going to come back and finish us off.

"Why did you do that?" I ask Cobalt once we've both had enough time to compose ourselves. My breathing is still a little ragged, but it's nothing I can't deal with now I know I'm not about to be burned to a crisp. It's amazing what a little bit of safety can do to the mind.

"Do what?" he asks, picking off a piece of burnt debris from his coat.

"Save me."

He shrugs, then leans back against the boulder, closing his eyes and soaking up the more pleasant temperature. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because then it would be one less person to stop you from winning the Duels," I point out, even though I know it's not how he feels.

"You really have no idea what's going on here, do you?"

"Only what you've told me," I admit. "They don't tell us anything in the city. Remember?"

"Sorry, I'm still coming to terms with what you're not told. It's horrible."

"You're not wrong," I mutter. "But that's a problem for another day."

"Hmm true. I can tell you what I know, but I suspect there are still gaps in that."

I nod. That makes sense. The longer I spend getting to know Cobalt, the more certain I am that the White Towers can't be as bad as I think they are. But that means they probably don't tell people everything they need to know either.

"There aren't a set amount of survivors," he says. "You dying doesn't help me at all."

"But they said that only a certain amount of us would survive," I remind him. Wasn't he there at orientation? I don't remember seeing him, but that doesn't mean he wasn't, just that I didn't pay enough attention.

"It's a statistic," Cobalt responds, his voice a lot calmer than mine would be in his place. "Normally, about one in fifteen of the contestants win the Duels, but that's different from the number of people who survive."

"Oh." I still don't completely understand, but hopefully, he'll be able to fill me in on what I'm missing.

"Each of us is given a points total at the start. I'm not sure how they calculate it exactly, but it takes into account your age, health, and where you're from..."

"Where we're from?" I echo.

He nods. "Prisoners have the smallest starting points. And people from the city always have fewer points than people from the White Towers."

People like me. I push the thought away. There's no point dwelling on it when it won't change anything.

"How do the points work?" I ask instead.

"Anyone with a points total above three hundred at the end of the Duels wins."

"But surely they'll know who has how many points before they start?" I ask.

Cobalt turns to face me, a serious expression on his face, like he realises the gravity of what he's saying to me.

"They change while we compete. We can lose and gain points as we go through the Duels."

"What kind of things change points?" I ask, sitting up straighter as I run through everything that's happened to me in my head.

"I don't know," he admits. "Even in the White Towers they don't show us the totals. All I know is that it's easier to lose points than win them, and that's a problem for anyone who didn't have as many to begin with."

"What happens if you don't have enough points?" The question comes out like a whisper. I know the answer isn't going to be good. Anyone who puts a load of people in an enclosure with a bunch of murderous dragons is probably not the kind of person to let losers off nicely.

"I don't know," he admits.

"There's a lot you don't know about this." Though it's still more than I've been told in the past.

He chuckles nervously. "Yes."

"I thought you volunteered for this?" I make sure to soften my voice.

"It doesn't matter," he says hastily. "We're not told much more than you, but I can make guesses from watching the Duels. It's rare that someone who kills a dragon doesn't win the Duels."

"Unless they die."

"And most of them do. You're a rarity."

"Is that why you stuck with me?" I regret the words the moment they've left me. Why would I ask that?

"No. You're still a risk to spend time with. How many winners from the city have you heard of?"

I shrug. "None. But that's because we never hear about any of the winners. But we barely know anything about the Duels, except that they exist and that people get to join the Dragon Defenders at the end. I don't even know many people who have volunteered to take part." Though that could potentially be because a lot of them had situations like mine where they simply weren't aware of volunteering.

"Ah. I can see how that's a problem."

"So that's why you saved me? Because you would gain points?"

"I'll probably lose points for it," he admits.

I frown. What does he mean by that? Is there something he isn't telling me?

"I don't want you to lose points because of me," I counter.

"And I want to be able to live with myself when all of this is over," he responds. "Sometimes, that means making decisions that may not go down well with someone else. But I don't care. The only person whose opinion I care about is mine. And maybe yours."

I smile at that. "Well, I appreciate it. Thank you for saving me."

"Any time."

"I hope I don't have to hold you to that," I quip.

He snorts. "I'm almost certain you will. And that you'll return the favour." He leans back against the rock. "I'm sorry about your friend."

The moment he says it, I'm reminded of every moment of losing Marina. I close my eyes and let a couple of the tears there fall.

"I'm sorry too," I whisper. "But she's still in a better place than she was before she came here. That counts for something, right?"

"I don't know," he admits.

I sigh and attempt to pull myself together with a touch of the charm around my wrist. The bracelet is certainly lucky to have survived this long with all of the running. I focus on getting my emotions under control. I know I can't let them get to me. If I do, then I could end up putting us both at risk, especially if Cobalt is going to keep trying to save me every time I get into trouble.

"We should be able to get out of here in about ten minutes or so," he says. "There's another lake close by, we can get water there."

"Okay." As much as I'm not crazy about the idea of ending up back at another lake in case the same thing as last time happens, I know we need water. There's no choice about going to it.

"Are you hurt?"

I frown. "I don't think so." I start patting down my body to check. Adrenaline can do amazing things, especially when grief and the risk of death are in the mix.

I pat my lower leg and wince. I reach forward and pull part of the torn fabric away.

"That doesn't look good," Cobalt says as he examines the graze on my leg.

"It'll be okay once we can clean it." I think. It doesn't look any worse than dozens of other wounds I've had over the years, which gives me hope that it'll be an easy fix so long as we can wash it out.

"But..."

I reach out and put a hand on his leg. "There is no but. That's the only thing we can do right now. We'll get some water and wash it out once we're back at our camp." At least that hasn't been compromised through all of this.

"All right. But we're keeping an eye on it. Infections can kill."

"I know." I don't point out that I've probably seen it happen more times than he has.

"Then let's get going. I don't want to give an infection time to actually set in."

He's crawling out of the rock shelf before I can say anything to the contrary. But I have to admit I'm glad for the idea of getting back to our camp and to things that are familiar. I guess for now, it's the closest thing I have to home. Getting back there will be one step closer to winning this infernal contest.

If Cobalt is right about the points system, then so long as I'm alive when this whole thing is over, I should be a winner. But what about him? He may be okay with losing points by saving me, but what if it means he loses and has to face the punishment? I don't think I'd be okay with that.

Which means we need to work out how to make sure he wins too. Preferably sooner rather than later. If I'm tracking my days right, we're about halfway through.

Right now, five days sounds like an eternity. One I'd rather not face alone.

Chapter Thirteen

I wince as Cobalt rubs an antiseptic wipe over the cut in my leg. It's deeper than we first thought, and needs more cleaning, which hurts worse than doing it in the first place.

"Where did you get the first aid kit from?" I ask. He chose to bring a knife in with him, so this doesn't make much sense.

"I spent the first day or so searching for items left behind by other contestants," he explains.

"Is that how you trapped the pheasant?"

He shakes his head as he dabs at the wound again. "I made a trap with my shoelaces. There's a certain amount of luck involved to trapping in an unfamiliar environment, but they were fairly noisy. I think because they're left alone for three months at a time."

"Oh."

"Anyway, I found a first aid kit with a few antiseptic wipes and a bandage." He motions to the sealed pack sitting on the forest floor next to us.

"You shouldn't waste that on me," I start to protest.

He fixes me with a don't-kid-me look. "If we leave the wound open, then it's going to get infected. Do you want to die that way?"

"I don't particularly want to die at all," I mutter. "Though maybe that will get some decent money for Mila," I muse.

"Your sister?" he checks.

I nod. "I have no idea how she's taking any of this. Just a few days before I was volunteered, she made me promise I wouldn't sign up for the Duels."

"Why would you want to do this on purpose?" he asks, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Why did you?"

"I asked first."

I chuckle. "You've got me there."

He dabs against my wound again. I suck in a breath through my teeth in pain. I'll be glad when he's done with the antiseptic.

"Because the way they position the Dragon Defenders, it would be a better life than the one I had before. We had to scrape by for every penny. We always managed to have stuff to eat, but it wasn't always nice food, and sometimes it would make us sick. The wages they pay us are so small that it barely covered our rent, especially after our family died. The Dragon Defenders would have been a way to change that."

"Even if it would have taken you away from your sister?"

"Yes. The money I got would mean that Mila could have a different life. A better one. She's always talking about wanting an apprenticeship, and if I earned more money, then I can help her focus on that. Knowing she was happy would have been enough." Even to me, the words sound a bit hollow. I'd prefer to have both the financial security and Mila.

"I feel the same about my sister," he admits softly. "She's the youngest of my siblings and wants so much from life."

"What's her name?"

"Emerald. We call her Emmy." He smiles as he says it.

"And you have other siblings?" I ask, pushing the subject. He hasn't spoken much about his family since we met. Certainly not as much as I have about Mila.

"Two older brothers. Jett and Roux."

"Are you meant to all be named after colours?" The question spills out before I can stop it.

Cobalt chuckles. "Good catch. Yes, it's on purpose. Around the time we were born, it was common for parents in the White Towers to pick themes for their children's names. I know a pair of twins called Silk and Hessian."

I grimace.

"See, I got off lucky."

"You did. I like Cobalt. It suits you, even if your eyes are disappointingly brown."

"They were blue when I was born," he counters.

"Most babies are born with blue eyes," I point out.

He finally pulls the wipe away and throws it into the small fire we have burning in the same place we did before we left for the lake.

"Do you think it's safe for us to stay here?"

"I think so. The only person who found us was Marina, and that was an accident. With what happened to her, she can't tell anyone about where we are either," he reassures me, his voice catching ever so slightly as he says her name. It seems as if he isn't as oblivious to her passing as he's acting.

I try not to focus too much on her loss. If I do, then I'm not sure how well I'm going to be able to deal with the rest of the time here in the arena. At least I'm not going through all of this alone. I'm surprised by how much comfort being around Cobalt brings me. As his sure hands wind the bandage around my leg, I realise I can even go as far as saying I trust him with my life.

"There, that should hold you for a few days." He ties off the bandage and tucks it into place.

"What do we do after that?"

"We either hope we find another first aid kit with a bandage, or we boil the bandage in water. I'm sceptical about whether or not we can get it hot enough, but there's very little other choice if we can't find another one."

I nod. "I'm definitely starting to regret not picking a first aid kit as my item."

"Even over Moonslinger?" he points to the weapon lying next to me.

"I don't know," I admit. "It's been kind of useful..."

"That's one way of saying it stopped you from becoming dragon food."

"Well, yes. But at the same time, I didn't know what it did when I picked it up."

"Then why did you choose it?"

"Something about it spoke to me. It sounds ridiculous now I'm saying it out loud," I admit sheepishly.

"It'll have been your Arts. It happens more often than you think."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

He sits back and stares into the fire. "There are several weapons that channel the Arts. Some are like this one and are a bit unwieldy. Others are more like what you'd expect. I didn't see any of those in the choice room, though. I suspect they want the only Arts channeller to have some serious drawbacks."

"Like being big and weirdly shaped."

"And hard to wield."

"I didn't find it that hard to use," I muse.

"Except that you didn't use it right."

"I killed a dragon with it," I point out. "How much more using it right do you want?"

He chuckles. "You have a point there, I must admit. What you did wasn't the official way of using Moonslinger."

"That doesn't explain why I chose it."

"Oh, right. Sorry. So there are different levels of Arts user. And those in the middle tier normally show a preference for an Arts channeller. I suspect it's about what part of the Arts is strongest in them," he explains.

"But that doesn't make any sense. The Arts are just used to change one thing into another similar thing?" I pick up a pebble and call up the Arts, transforming it into a piece of coal with ease. It's not a particularly challenging thing to do, but it demonstrated what I need it to.

"True." He holds out his hand for the lump of coal. The moment I drop it into his palm, it turns into a glittering opal.

My eyes widen. I've never been able to make a transformation like that before. "How did you do that?"

"Practice," he responds. "And someone actually teaching me how to use my Arts. There's a lot more to it than you think there is."

"I guess that's the price of making it illegal in the city."

"I think it's the point," he counters. "What would the city people do if they knew the Arts could kill a dragon when they're used right?"

Understanding dawns on me. "They'd use it against them."

"And the White Towers would lose some of their control. Not all of it, I'm sure they have other systems in place to keep everyone in check. But the dragons are a big part of it. Giving people the ability to fight back against them would ruin that."

"Huh."

"Have you never thought about any of this?" he asks, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"I guess I've never really had a chance to," I admit. "Most of life in the city is focused on surviving to see another day. We don't have a lot of time to sit around and think about the way the world works, even if we should so we can turn the system around."

"I'm sorry." The sincerity on his face almost chokes me up.

"Don't be," I assure him. "It's not your fault that we were born in different places."

"True, but it doesn't stop me being sorry that the system favours one of us against the other."

"Maybe if we win this, we can think of ways to change that," I propose.

"We can try," he promises. "But we need to survive the next few days to do that."

"What are our chances?" I almost don't want to ask in case they're that bad, but I know I have to. It's better to be prepared.

"That's a good question. So long as your leg doesn't get infected, yours are pretty good, especially with killing a dragon."

"And yours?"

"I don't know," he admits. "I don't think I've done very much to either gain or lose me points."

"Other than saving me."

"Other than that," he agrees. "But I did survive a dragon attack in the process. So that should have gained me more points than I lost."

"Promise you're not just saying that to make me feel better?" I'm not sure how I know, but that feels like the kind of thing he'd do.

"I promise I'm not just saying it."

"Okay. Then we should focus all of our energy on staying out of trouble."

He grimaces but covers it quickly.

"What?"

"It's not as simple as that. The last day often devolves into a bloodbath," he admits.

"You'd have thought that would be the first day."

He shakes his head. "Everyone comes in separately and has to work out what they're doing and how they can set up a camp. I think if everyone was sent in at once, then that would be the case. Thankfully, that's not how it's done. But everyone knows that only one in fifteen people survive, and most people don't know about the points system, so they go around trying to kill as many people as possible to make sure the odds are there that they're going to be one of the survivors."

"Ah. I can see how that's going to be a problem. We have a couple of days until that kicks off though, right?"

He nods.

"Maybe you can teach me more about how to use Moonslinger? And we can come up with a plan on how best to survive?"

"Don't forget you need to heal," he counters, pointing to my leg.

"I haven't forgotten. But a wound on my leg is something I can recover from. Being dead is pretty permanent."

"Hmm, good point. We'll do our best to be in a good position when the final day comes around. But for now, you should sleep," he instructs.

"I am feeling tired," I admit.

"I'm not surprised. I'll keep watch and wake you when I'm starting to get too tired for it."

I don't protest. My head feels heavier than it should, and a good chunk of sleep should help my leg recover sooner. It isn't until I'm starting to drift off that I realise Cobalt never told me why he volunteered, we got sidetracked by the rest of our conversation. It doesn't matter, I'm sure he'll tell me at some point.

The thoughts drift out of my mind as the welcome dark of sleep takes hold.

Chapter Fourteen

"The Dragon Duels has five hours remaining," a voice booms through the sky, making both of us jump. "To be considered as a winner, you must be present in front of the holding facility when the timer ends."

"Is it that time already?"

"Apparently," Cobalt says. "I didn't think we were that close."

Me neither, but it's difficult to keep accurate track of time inside the arena. I've been able to keep a rough track of the day number, but the hours are different.

I suppose it doesn't matter. The countdown has started and the Duels are nearly over. I wish I felt relief about surviving this far, but it's just not possible when I know there's a points system. Being alive at the end of the day isn't enough.

"What happens to the people who survive but don't win?" I ask Cobalt.

"I don't know," he admits. "I wish I did."

"Maybe it's better that you don't," I counter. "That way we'll try our best to make sure we get on the win list." Though hopefully we can do it without hurting anyone.

He nods.

"How far away are we from the facility?"

"Far enough that we're going to have to leave now."

"Great," I mutter.

"It wouldn't make a difference if we were closer," he points out. "I'm not the only player from the White Towers. The rest of them will be prowling around the area closest to the facility in an attempt to pick off other survivors."

"Even though they know about the points system?"

"The point threshold still affects us. Some people will have more than others, even among those of us who came from the Towers. No one is guaranteed anything. They don't know it yet, but you've taken one of the spots that they assume will go to them."

"Oh." While I want to win, the idea of someone else losing so I can doesn't sit well with me. I know that's always been the case, but it's more obvious now than it has been before, and I'm not sure how to deal with it.

"Leave everything we don't need," he instructs, breaking through my thoughts. "We'll take the food and water. There's no point taking anything else with us."

"Should we scatter it, or leave it here for the next person?" The question leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I hate the idea of another two-hundred-and-fifty people coming through the arena in three months time. It's been going on my entire life, but somehow it feels different now I've been part of the broken system.

"Leave it. We could save someone's life by doing that."

I nod, liking that idea more than spreading it around.

We set off, neither of us saying a word as we make our way through the arena, keeping to tree groves or clusters of boulders, anything that'll hide us from anyone looking for those to pick off their competition. I hate that this is the way to play the game, but recognise there's very little I can do about it right now other than try my best to get through this. And Cobalt too.

"Are we nearly there?" I ask after what feels like hours. I don't recognise any of the places we've walked past, which makes it much harder to judge. I suppose I didn't pay much attention when I was running from phantom men and raging fire.

Cobalt nods. "Once we're past that patch of trees, we should be able to see the building."

"Should we have a break so we don't turn up exhausted?" I ask.

He considers for a moment, no doubt feeling the same as me. We had five hours when we set off, but have no idea how long we have left now. No doubt the lack of timer is to make it more exciting for anyone watching. Or to make it more tense for us. That's not a good thing at all.

"I don't know," he admits. "Both options are a risk."

"We could try getting closer and seeing if there's anywhere we can get a good view from. Will they give us a timer when it's closer to the end?" I ask, hoping the answer is going to be yes.

"That's a good idea. But I don't know about the timer. I have to assume they will."

We find a small hill with an outcrop of boulders on the top of it. There's nothing special about it, but it should give us a view of what's going on beneath. I'm panting by the time we reach the top of it. We've done okay for food and water over the past ten days, and even managed to sleep fairly regularly, but it's clear it's taken a toll on both of us.

I pull Moonslinger off my back so I can crouch down next to Cobalt.

Just as he said we would, we can see the building we have to be in front of when the Dragon Duels comes to an end. When they let me out into the arena, I never turned back to look at it, but now I am, I'm surprised by how normal it looks. Ivy climbs up the outside and over a balcony that I doubt is used any more. There's no one in it now, which is enough of an indication for me.

But that isn't what holds my attention. Down at ground level there are at least three dozen contestants. I can spy a few of them hiding in covered places, but most are engaged in some kind of fight. I don't recognise any of them, but that doesn't mean anything. I didn't look closely at anyone's faces while we were inside the facility, and ten days of living like this can make anyone unrecognisable.

What I can distinguish, is the black uniform style clothes of the White Tower recruits who came with Cobalt.

"How many people came with you?" I ask him.

"Twenty-four."

I do a quick count. "I can see twelve down there. Is that about right?"

He shakes his head. "There should be at least three more around at this stage in the game."

"Including you?"

"No."

Hmm. So that means more people from the city or the prisons have survived. Or maybe they always do and then they...well, something happens to them. I'm going to choose to believe they have to go and work somewhere undesirable as a result of losing, rather than the alternative.

Why would anyone choose to come here?

I turn to Cobalt to ask what we should do next, but a flashing timer appears projected onto the building before I can.

"There are ten minutes left in the Dragon Duels. To be considered as a winner, you must be present in front of the holding facility when the timer ends," the same voice as earlier announces.

"We need to go down there," I whisper, already hating that we have to endanger ourselves like that. But we can't risk staying here too long.

"We do," he agrees. "We should go down together. Try to watch one another's backs. Don't engage with anyone unless we have to," he recites as if he's been thinking of the plan for a while.

We rise to our feet and both pull out our weapons, readying ourselves for what's to come. I can tell from his expression that he holds as much distaste for this as I do, which makes him the perfect partner to go down there with.

"And hope for the best," I add. That's the main thing we're going to be trying. I just don't see any kind of alternative.

"Yes, and that. Are you ready?"

"Will saying no make a difference?" I quip.

He flashes me a tight-lipped smile. "You know it won't."

"Then I'm ready."

We turn to make our way down the hill, going steadily so we can draw out the next eight minutes. The less time we spend out in front of the building, the better.

Cobalt goes around the corner first, then stumbles back as a sword slices through the place he was before. I jump forward, determined to protect him despite knowing what it'll do to my points.

I call on my Arts the way he taught me, making Moonslinger hum into life. The flow of magic between me and the weapon feels so much better this way, as if we're working as one.

Right now, that could make all the difference.

I block the sword as it comes towards Cobalt again, taking the wielder by surprise. I don't look them in the eye, or do anything else to put a face to the attacker, that'll only make what I have to do harder.

I swing Moonslinger around, pushing more of the Arts through it. I'm sure there are more refined ways of doing what I'm trying to, but for now, this will achieve my goal.

I thrust it towards the man and let the power go. I close my eyes as he slumps to the ground, no longer able to attack either of us.

My breathing is fast and furious as I glance up at the timer.

Three minutes. And we're not in front of the building.

"We need to go." I reach out for Cobalt's hand, but he's still stunned.

"You saved me."

"And you saved me, now we're even," I point out. "But we can talk about that later. Come on."

I pull him along behind me as I rush into the area in front of the holding building. A few of the contestants are still fighting, but most of them seem to be fixated on the timer counting down to zero.

I'm dreading what happens when it gets there.

Chapter Fifteen

"Thank you for your participation in the Dragon Duels. You must now put down all weapons," the voice announces.

Cobalt and I exchange a glance, but do as instructed, and drop Moonslinger to the ground. I'm almost sad to see it go.

I glance around to see everyone else doing the same. It's only then that I notice everyone has at least one weapon. I don't know if it's because they all picked them, or if they managed to get a weapon off someone who did. I haven't seen many discarded ones around, so have to assume that they come in and pick them all up when the Duels are over. They must not think that the first-aid or food supplies cause the same kind of problem.

"What happens now?" I whisper to Cobalt.

"I have no idea, this bit is never shown."

Great. We're going in completely blind. That's just what I want when it comes to a deadly competition. For all I know, they're going to set a dragon on us now and we're all sitting ducks.

I eye up Moonslinger, wondering how long it would take me to pick it up and use it against an attacking dragon. Probably longer than I'd have, especially if there's more than one released.

It's probably best not to think about it.

"Please proceed to the open doors. One contestant must enter at once for debriefing."

Four doors on the outside of the building open up. Likely the same ones that they let us out of in the first place.

In complete contrast to the random attacks of before, the contestants all start lining up to go through the doors.

"I'm nervous," I admit.

"Me too. I have no idea how we've done points-wise."

"That is making it worse." I try and do a quick count of the people left standing, but too many people are moving around and disappearing into the building. "Do you think they realise there are more people than there should be?"

"I don't think so," Cobalt responds.

We move forward in the line.

"Most people are probably thinking about the fact they've survived and nothing else."

"That's true. If you hadn't told me what you did, then I'd be one of them." A shiver runs down my spine at the thought.

"But you'd still have killed a dragon. You'll be fine, Raine."

"I hope you are too," I whisper. "I don't want to go on to the next bit without you." I'm not sure what makes me say it. Maybe the fact we're not going to be together for whatever is coming in a moment. But I need him to know that he's had a good impact on my life and I appreciate it.

"The same back to you. We make a good team."

"We do," I agree.

Before we can say anything else, it's our turn at the door. As much as I don't want to leave Cobalt behind, I know I have to.

"I'll see you on the other side, I'm sure of it," he promises.

I nod and smile at him even though I'm not really feeling it.

I slip through the door and into one of the pristine rooms the facility seems to be comprised of. There's an empty podium standing in the middle, clearly meaning I should go and stand by it.

Nerves flutter in my stomach. I wish there was another person in the room besides me, it would make things a lot less lonely. But it's too late for any of that.

"State your name," the same voice as outside says.

"Raine Mason." There's a shake in my voice that I hate, but at least it's a computer listening to me.

A screen flickers on in front of me with the information from my ID card, as well as a scrolling list of actions accompanied by numbers. That must be the score Cobalt told me about. It takes me a moment to locate the total.

Five hundred and seven. It's higher than even he predicted, but there's still a part of me that worries I haven't done enough.

"Return to your previous room," the computer says, not giving me any indication of whether that's a good thing or not.

I touch the charm around my wrist, hoping this will lead to good things rather than bad. Staying alive has been hard, especially when I've also been trying to avoid doing anything I don't morally agree with.

Except that I killed someone.

Nausea floods through me at the thought. It's barely been twenty minutes since that happened. How am I supposed to cope with the knowledge and carry on with my life when that's the case?

I push the thoughts aside. Hopefully, I'll have time to deal with that in the next couple of days, otherwise, I think I'll go crazy.

But for now, I need to do what the computer voice says and go back to my room. At least I'll be able to jump in the shower. And if I'm lucky, they'll have provided us with new clothes. The ones I'm wearing are more than a bit ruined.

I race out of the room and into the abandoned corridor. It's odd to be so alone after the arena. Other than the first day, I've been with Cobalt constantly. And even when he wasn't awake, there were all the creatures living there to keep me company.

I push open the door to the same room I used before the Duels started. Everything is exactly how I remember it, though the cleanliness is even more jarring than before.

As soon as the door is shut behind me, I start stripping off my clothes, not wanting to track any of my dirt into the room.

My coat thuds to the floor, confusing me with how much sound it made. I crouch down and search through the pockets until I find the opal Cobalt made with the Arts. I'd forgotten I'd put it in here before we left our makeshift camp. Something inside me didn't want to leave it behind. I touch the smooth surface of it, bringing a smile to my face. I hope he's doing okay. He has to get enough points. I don't know how I'm going to cope with the next bit if he doesn't get into the Dragon Defenders too.

I set the Opal on the bed, along with the charm from around my wrist. I don't want to lose either of them.

I move into the ensuite bathroom and turn on the shower, stepping in before it's even hot. At this stage, anything is better than staying caked in dirt. The moment the water hits my skin, I tip my head back and close my eyes. It washes away the physical aches and pains but does nothing for the mental ones.

Everything that happened in the arena flits through my mind.

Marina's death.

The dragon.

The man I killed.

Tears begin to stream down my cheeks as I try to process all of it.

I may have survived, but at what cost?

Chapter Sixteen

A knock sounds on my door, pulling me out of the lull of sleep. I swing my feet off the bed and potter over to it. I'm only wearing an oversized shirt the facility provided me with, but at this point, I don't particularly care.

"Raine," Cobalt says the moment the door is open.

I let out a surprised laugh and throw my arms around his neck. He wraps his own around my waist and holds me tight. We didn't do this in the arena, but somehow it feels natural to me now.

"I'm so glad you're here," he says into my hair.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I ask.

"Only people who won the Duels are still here," he points out.

I pull away from him and gesture for him to come into the room and shut the door behind him.

"I didn't know that," I admit. "No one's told me anything."

"I'm not surprised. I'm guessing they've just forgotten that you don't know how things work. They don't normally have city contestants who win."

"Well, you know me. I always end up being different."

The two of us sit on the bed, close together but not touching. I'm not ready to admit it to him yet, but I feel a lot better with him in the room beside me. I've been lonely for the half day I’ve been here.

"How are you?" he asks.

"Exhausted. Emotionally and physically. I killed someone." I can't get over that fact, no matter how many times I cry in the shower. I've tried that three times so far.

"I'm sorry. If I'd been paying more attention..."

I reach out and put my hand on his to stop him from talking. "Please don't be sorry. I don't regret it exactly. More, I wish it had never happened."

"Isn't that the exact definition of regret?" he jokes.

"Technically, yes. But that's not what I mean, and you know it."

He chuckles. "I do, yes. I'm just teasing."

"I wish I hadn't had to do it, but I'd have regretted it more if we weren't able to have this conversation." Does that make me a horrible person? I'm not sure, but I'm not in any hurry to figure it out.

"I wish all of this hadn't happened," he admits. "Except meeting you."

"That was a silver lining," I agree. "But I have a question for you."

"Yes?"

"You never told me why you volunteered to do this?"

The silence between us builds until Cobalt sighs.

"I didn't."

"But you're from the White Towers."

"I am."

"I thought all of the White Towers contestants volunteered." I think back through everything I've learned about them from both Marina and Cobalt, as well as the gossip I overheard between the other contestants.

"Some of them do," he explains. "But the rest of us, not so much. We're given the choice of coming here, or working in the mines. If you're ever given the option, never pick the mines." A shiver runs down his spine.

"They're worse than the Duels?"

He nods. "Much. Sometimes, people come back from there after finishing their sentence, but they're never the same again. It's like they've seen things that haunt them. I've never seen the same look from someone who has been in the Dragon Duels. Their pain comes from different places. It's hard to explain."

"What did you do to be made to come here?" I whisper, worried about what he's going to say. Did he kill someone? Or commit another horrendous crime?

He sighs. "I'm not supposed to tell you this."

"Are you supposed to have told me any of what you have?"

He considers for a moment. "Potentially not. But that's not stopped me yet."

"Thankfully. I don't think I'd be here if you hadn't explained how some of it works."

"You would have, you..."

"Killed a dragon. Yes, I know. But that's not what we're talking about now." I cross my arms over my chest and attempt to look stern, but I suspect my wild pale blue hair and oversized shirt detract from the image I'm going for.

"I disagreed with Father about the way he did something. He thought this would be a suitable punishment to teach me that it's not my place to have opinions."

"That's awful," I whisper.

He raises an eyebrow. "More awful than having your employer volunteer you?"

"They're both awful in different ways," I counter. "One being wrong doesn't make the other less wrong."

"I suppose." He glances away, not looking me in the eye.

"I'm sorry that he did that to you."

Cobalt shrugs. "It's done. Now I'll be living at the Dragon Defenders barracks with everyone else. I'll only have to see him when I go to family dinners. Honestly, it's a good thing in some ways. He'd never have let me move out otherwise."

My heart breaks for him. I can't believe he listened to me complain about how I came to be part of the Dragon Duels and never told me his own sad story.

"So, what happens now?" I prompt to try and take his mind off his family.

"We wait, and in a couple of days, they'll load us all up and take us to the barracks."

"How many people have won the Duels?" I'm not sure why I want to know, especially when it doesn't make a difference to anything.

"Fourteen. It's less than normal."

"But they didn't move up some of the people with fewer points?"

He shakes his head. "I don't think that's how it works."

"And the people who didn't win? Do we get to find out what happened to them?"

"I'm sorry, Raine. I have no idea. Maybe we'll find out once we're in the barracks with winners from previous years," he says.

Huh. I never considered that all the winners would be there.

"Are all the Dragon Defenders winners of the Dragon Duels?"

"As far as I know."

"I guess this really was a job interview," I mutter.

Cobalt snorts. "Not the kind I ever want to take again."

"Definitely not." I lean back against the headrest and close my eyes.

In a few days time, I’ll start the next chapter of my life as a Dragon Defender. And something tells me that’s going to be even more dangerous than the Duels.

Thank you for reading Stoking The Embers, I hope you enjoyed the first part of Raine's story. If you want to continue her adventures with Cobalt once they join the Dragon Defenders, you can in Igniting The Coals: http://books2read.com/ignitingthecoals

If you haven't picked up the free prequel to The Dragon Duels, which features the first-ever Duels (when they were still yearly!) then you can here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/fy4j08jq8w

Author Note

Thank you for reading Stoking The Embers, I hope you enjoyed the start to The Dragon Duels series. I've long been a fan of dystopian young adult as a genre (I'm the first to admit I'm a rather eclectic reader - I also love fluffy paranormal romance, urban fantasy, high fantasy, and Regency romance!) and I've always toyed with some dystopian ideas but not published them until City Of Blood last year (though that was only a dystopian city, the rest of the world was pretty normal!) The moment I saw the Stoking The Embers cover, I knew what I wanted the concept of the series to be, though it's gone through a bit of development since then.

This story has been a rollercoaster for me to write. Normally once I've plotted things out, it's reasonably straightforward to write, but with this one, that wasn't the case at all. I'm very grateful for the help of my partner on this one, who not only read the first draft (and pointed out what was completely wrong about it) but then read each chapter as I rewrote it into something different to reassure me that I was going in the right direction. I'm very lucky to have someone so supportive in my life to begin with, but without their help on this series, there's a good chance it would have never seen the light of day. My partner is also responsible for the name Moonslinger, as that's what they called the weapon on the cover when they first saw it - the name just stuck.

If you want to know if you'd survive the Dragon Duels? There's a fun quiz on my website you can take that will let you find out! Please feel free to tag me on social media if you share your results.

If you want to keep up to date with releases, including the other two books in The Dragon Duels series, as well as similar books I also have coming out, then you can join my Facebook Reader Group where there are plenty of games, giveaways, and teasers, or you can sign up to my mailing list which I keep up to date with new releases and sales.

Stay safe & happy reading!

- Laura

Also by Laura Greenwood

Books in the Obscure World

Ashryn Barker Trilogy (urban fantasy, completed series)

Grimalkin Academy: Kittens Series (paranormal academy, completed series)

Grimalkin Academy: Catacombs Trilogy (paranormal academy, completed series)

City Of Blood Trilogy (urban fantasy, completed series)

Grimalkin Academy: Stakes Trilogy (paranormal academy)

Supernatural Retrieval Agency (urban fantasy)

The Black Fan (vampire romance)

Sabre Woods Academy (paranormal academy)

Scythe Grove Academy (urban fantasy)

Carnival Of Knives (urban fantasy)

Books in the Forgotten Gods World

The Queen of Gods Trilogy (paranormal/mythology romance, completed series)

Forgotten Gods Series (paranormal/mythology romance)

Forgotten Gods: Origins (mythology romance)

The Grimm World

Grimm Academy Series (fairy tale academy)

Fate Of The Crown Duology (Arthurian academy, completed series)

Once Upon An Academy Series (fairy tale academy)

Books in the Paranormal Council Universe

The Paranormal Council Series (shifter romance)

The Fae Queen Of Winter Trilogy (paranormal/fantasy, completed series)

Paranormal Criminal Investigations Series (urban fantasy mystery)

MatchMater Paranormal Dating App Series (paranormal romance, completed series)

The Necromancer Council Trilogy (urban fantasy)

Standalone Stories From the Paranormal Council Universe

Return Of The Fae Series (paranormal post-apocalyptic, completed series)

Other Series

The Apprentice Of Anubis (urban fantasy in an alternate world)

Beyond The Curse (dark fantasy fairy tale)

Untold Tales Series (fantasy fairy tales, completed series)

The Dragon Duels Trilogy (urban fantasy dystopia)

ME Contemporary Standalones (contemporary romance)

Standalones

Seven Wardens, co-written with Skye MacKinnon (paranormal/fantasy romance, completed series)

Tales Of Clan Robbins, co-written with L.A. Boruff (urban fantasy Western)

The Firehouse Feline, co-written with Lacey Carter Andersen & L.A. Boruff (paranormal/urban fantasy romance, completed series)

Kingdom Of Fairytales Snow White, co-written with J.A. Armitage (fantasy fairy tale, completed series)

Twin Souls Universe

Twin Souls Trilogy, co-written with Arizona Tape (paranormal romance, completed series)

Dragon Soul Series, co-written with Arizona Tape (paranormal romance, completed series)

The Renegade Dragons Trilogy, co-written with Arizona Tape (paranormal romance, completed series)

The Vampire Detective Trilogy, co-written with Arizona Tape (urban fantasy mystery, completed series)

Amethyst’s Wand Shop Mysteries Series, co-written with Arizona Tape (urban fantasy)

Mountain Shifters Universe

Valentine Pride Trilogy, co-written with L.A. Boruff (paranormal shifter romance, completed series)

Magic and Metaphysics Academy Trilogy, co-written with L.A. Boruff (paranormal academy, completed series)

Audiobooks: www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk/p/audio.html

About the Author

Laura is a USA Today Bestselling Author of paranormal, fantasy, and urban fantasy romance (though she can occasionally be found writing contemporary romance). When she's not writing, she drinks a lot of tea, tries to resist French macarons, and works towards a diploma in Egyptology. She lives in the UK, where most of her books are set.

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