Jasyn tried not to roll his eyes. “I’m aware.”
“As evidenced by where I sit, that’s not an easy feat, but it’s not impossible.”
When his father watched Jaymes die during the Undertaking—the one his father had hoped would have crowned his eldest son as king—his father had stepped up and started training more. He wanted to compete in the Undertaking using only his sword to see if Jasyn had a chance of winning in case Dahlia didn’t survive. His father had won the Undertaking after doing exactly that. Two years after Jaymes’ death, Dahlia entered the Undertaking along with their father, and she died while King Aleks prevailed. He had been so badly injured, his legs no longer moved; this family’s legacy only continued because other competitors decided to offer a helping hand to his father out of loyalty to the throne. Now, it was up to Jasyn. Unlike his siblings, his father wouldn’t be competing alongside him as back up.
“I’m ready to slay the dragon and win this family the crown again.”
His father patted his arm. “Good. I expect nothing less.”
Four
Iskra coughed as she entered the tobacco-scented shop. Kryth dangled a mouse in front of one of the cages, and Iskra saw one of the small dragons eyeing it, growling with starvation. She gulped, knowing exactly how it felt.
“I’m back,” she announced, but Iskra had no doubt Kryth felt her presence as soon as she had turned the corner to this street—not only because of the brand on her skin, but because of his Sight. Kryth could only see what the Gods wanted him to, but for whatever reason, his gift also made him extra sensitive to his surroundings. Perhaps those enhanced senses were what allowed him to find a hoard of dragons to capture.
Kryth peered outside the window to where the sun was on the edge of the horizon. The sky was almost completely blue for the night.
“Just in time,” he said simply as he approached the empty cage and opened the door for her. It was a humiliating sight. “We can’t have a dragon on the loose.”
Iskra wanted to protest, even if she knew it would be in vain. She had always wondered why Kryth didn’t let the dragons livein their full sizes in some secluded cave as they awaited their doomed fates. It was already cruel enough that the shifters were stuck in their dragon forms. Locking them up like that took it to another extreme.
“How’s our future king?” Kryth asked as he puffed on his pipe. He didn’t seem excited by the prospect of Jasyn winning. Iskra wondered then where Kryth’s loyalties lied. Was it with the Gods, or did he want to see someone succeed each year and take the crown?
“He’s still mourning.” Iskra felt like that was a safe enough statement to make. Both of his siblings had died within the past three years, and his father was now disabled because of the Undertaking. She didn’t dare utter a word about the light that had flooded from his hands. Even if Jasyn didn’t tell her to keep it to herself, the last person she would pass the information to would be Kryth. She realized then, though, that Esi needed to be informed so she wasn’t surprised by it later.
“He’ll need to toughen up if he expects to kill you.” Kryth’s sharp words pierced something within her.
She knew Kryth said the words as a reminder.This was temporary. In a few weeks, she would be in that Undertaking cave, protecting the ruby Heart while Jasyn and other competitors fought to kill her to claim the throne.
Decades ago, it was required that the king or queen participated in the Undertaking. One year, the king at the time refused and begged the minister to speak to the Gods about opening up the pool of competition. He would give up his title so he didn’t have to risk his life anymore. The Gods obliged him—with a catch. Since then, anyone over the age of twenty could enter, but whomever won the Heart was crowned ruler. King Aleks had been competing and winning for almost two decades.
Each year, a new dragon was picked to protect the Heart. This year, Iskra had the honor to do it. It was why she was allowed this sliver of freedom before her slaughter.
“He’ll do it.” Iskra didn’t know if she believed the words. Jasyn seemed nervous, soft. That wouldn’t bode well when a dragon was coming at him, especially if he didn’t have a lick of flame in his veins.
“I hope you’re right.” Kryth gestured for her to get in the cage. “It would be a shame if this court burned to the ground.”
Iskra reached, and as the last bit of light disappeared for the night, she morphed into somethingother. Her body flew inside the small cage, and Kryth locked her inside for the night.
Cherry blossoms guided him to his least favorite place. Jasyn passed by the headstones of all the competitors who had died during the Undertaking. They were honored with a burial on the castle grounds for their bravery. Many of those deep within the ground were the reason his father still ruled today. Yet, he barely spared them a glance. He had one destination in mind.
The sun had set for the night, engulfing the gazebo mausoleum in darkness. Esi had gone to bed early. His parents decided to go on a short trip to the border with the Lightning Court.
Although Jasyn thrived in the sunlight, the quiet of night always provided him a sense of peace. Even as a child, he would sneak out to explore the castle grounds, and sometimes, he even went as far as going into town. It was on one of those occasions when he was alone, weaving through the pebbly streets, when he manifested his powers in front of people outside his family.
He had stumbled upon a large crowd and hid behind a carriage as he watched a group play some game with a ball until itlanded close to another, smaller ball. Jasyn had been intrigued, so he hadn’t been paying attention. Someone grabbed him from behind, but before Jasyn even caught a glimpse of the person, he had beamed with light. The person had let go of him as they yelled about their eyes, and Jasyn ran home without looking back. Thankfully, no one seemed to tattle about what they saw.
Perhaps he was never scared of the dark because of the light inside him. If he was alone, he had his power to depend on, even in its weaker state. Every day, he attempted to beam like he once could and failed, just like he would fail as king if he won the Undertaking. What court would want a man who preferred plants over humans as their ruler? He ignored those thoughts, like he had for the past year after Dahlia’s death, when he realized he was the last option for this family to continue their legacy.
Jasyn didn’t need that light now anyway. He opened the door to the enclosed gazebo and shut it behind him. Smoky incense hit his nostrils in a wave. Heading deeper inside, he didn’t look at the bronze plaques on the floor. He had memorized the names and placements of the former Sun Court rulers, so he headed directly to the two who had meant the most to him.
Jaymes and Dahlia.
Technically, since Jaymes and Dahlia had never actually ruled, they weren’t meant to be honored with their names in the mausoleum, but they had been part of the royal family, so it only made sense they were remembered here. Their bodies were now burned to ash and lost to the wind, but they would forever be stamped in memory.
Would Jasyn’s name join theirs in a few weeks? Or would he live long enough to see his parents’ names? He didn’t know what option sounded better, but he did know he wanted to make his parents, siblings, and the court proud. All it required was slaying a dragon and swiping the Heart it protected.
Jasyn placed a bouquet of flowers on each of the plaques.
