“How?” I whisper, pulling my body towards them to listen.
“It was storming last year when we fought. It rarely storms.” Kaine interrupts Theon. “I remember seeing Theon underneath the beast, the dragon's scales rippling with lava and its breath singeing the air we breathed. Theon was suffocating, he couldn’t move. I shot thousands of arrows towards it,if not more.”
“I thought death had finally come for me,” Theon exhales. “But lightning from above struck the dragon.”
“Around twenty times.” Kaine locks eyes with me. “The lightning repeatedly attacked the dragon, weakening it enough for the two of us to attack.”
“I had never seen a storm do that.” Theon leaps from the top of the bunk, his boots slamming into the ground. “If it weren’t for that storm, I’d be dead. I believe the Gods protected me that day.”
“It’s not storming today.” My chest rises as my voice stutters. My fingers curl into my palms, trembling.
Kaine rises as guards begin to enter the dormitory. “No. It is not.”
The guards beat their spears against the ground, creating a walkway for the first group to walk through, grabbing our attention and silencing the dark room. The fire of the torches flicker as one guard in a all-black suit makes his way to the arch door that will lead us out. Some will leave and never return, and the thought of that makes my eyes sting.
I swallow, forcing the nerves down deep inside.
I am Serene Quinnell. I can do this.
The guard steps forward, his voice resonating through the dimly lit dormitory as he starts to call out the names of those who will be the first to enter the game. The first twenty-five who will face the unknown dragon that awaits us. Or perhaps, dragons. With each name that echoes through the room, my heart beats faster, a pounding fills my ears. I’m unable to concentrate on anything else but the guard that stands in the center of the doorway. The air is thick with tension between us all,almostsuffocating,and as each silence stretches after a name is announced, I find myself holding my breath.Waiting. Dreading.But hoping to stay with Kaine and Theon.
“Kaine Theirar.” The guard continues to read from the onyx scroll, the gold lining of the paper and round knobs glinting from the fire that sparks in the gloominess.
My heart plummets like a stone, crashing into the pit of my stomach. I can’t catch a breath, hitching as I gasp.Don’t go.I become paralyzed, yet force myself to slowly turn myhead as he steps away from me. Desperately, I reach out, my fingers twisting with his to seize his attention. My lips tremble uncontrollably, and my eyes sting with tears that I force to stay in, silently pleading with every fiber of my being that this won't be the final moment I see my friend.
“Kaine,” I whisper, my voice cracking.
He gently smiles. “Everything will be fine.”
He turns, taking long strides down the walkway between the guards who stand at attention. The men and I watch as he ducks under the door frame. Kaine, my friend, the twenty-second name, called for the first group to fight.
Theon reaches out to take my hand, squeezing it tightly. “Three more names.”
My throat tightens, and nausea sits in the pit of my stomach. If my name isn’t called with theirs, do I have a chance? Will the Gods look over me?
Two more names are called. Before Skydance’s name is called, the auburn-bearded man with broad shoulders from the pit walks out, glancing at me with a grunt and a teasing grin before leaving the dormitory. I would be okay if the dragons took his soul today.
Skydance's curls spring with each step he takes, his hands clasped behind him, daggers strapped to his chest. The dark suit bulks against his body, the deep onyx color bold against his light brown skin. The eye patch shifts with his eyebrows as he glances my way, but he remains silent. His gaze lingers on me briefly before he moves on.
The guard clears his throat, the sound of saliva crackling between his dry lips. Will Theon’s name be called?Or will mine?Or will Kaine fight these dragons without the two of us?
“Theon Haeman.”
No.
No.
My eyes blur, darkness seeping from my edges as Theon releases his hand from mine. He leans over, gently pressing his lips against my head before whispering, “I will see you soon.”
I tremble uncontrollably.
My eyes are frozen wide, locked in a terrified gaze, unable to blink or look away. I feel paralyzed, every muscle tensing as my fingers lock into fists. It's as if the very air has been sucked out of the room, leaving me gasping, desperate for a breath that won't come. Reminding me of when I was suffocating, drowning in the frozen lake. But here, I have no one to save me. To rescue me. And Florian’s words come crashing in like a tidal wave—But you won’t ever need our protection once you unleash who you are. Don’t fight it. Give into it.
The world around me swirls in a blur. My feet falter, making me stumble backward as the ground seems to tilt beneath me, and just when I think I'm about to fall, broad arms wrap around me, catching me before I hit the ground.
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” he growls in my ear, a deep whisper that shocks me awake.
I breathe in through my nose. His voice is so familiar I don’t need to look his way…Koen.
