Frest consulted his computer. "Here is your key card. You're in the Silver group of rooms. Your luggage was automatically taken there when you landed." He handed Jory a silver card with a number on it and a yellow wristband from one of the many piles of colored bands he had stacked next to him.
With a shrug, Jory put it on his wrist. "What do the colors stand for?"
Frest looked back up as if surprised Jory still stood there. "Purple is for people who like the opposite sex, yellow is for people who like the same sex, green is for people who like both, and orange is for people looking for more than one mate. It takes away the first line of questioning and helps people identify those of a like mind."
Jory laughed. "I doubt I can handle more than one mate. I think finding one will be enough of an experience." Jory wondered if Val would be angry with him for having sex with another guy then he remembered this wasn't the first time Val participated. Surely he knew the rules of the contest if he'd been involved before.
The pair moved away from the table. Jory clutched the rules tightly in his hand to make sure he didn't lose them. If he was lucky enough to find his match, he didn't want to be disqualified for any reason. He noticed for the first time that Z was wearing a green wristband. "You're mate hunting too?"
Z nodded. "This is my fifth time around. I think I've slept with most of the men and women on the planet, but I keep hoping the next man or woman will be the one. Most people don't find their mate on their first hunt so don't be disappointed if it doesn't work out."
"I don't think I could handle going to five of these." Jory tugged on the yellow rubbery band, thinking of repeating the entire ordeal. He'd let his father set him up before he redid this whole procedure.
"Yeah, it's tough," Z agreed. "But I have a feeling you'll do just fine." Z gave him a friendly pat on the back. "Good luck."
They reached what looked like the center hub of the castle. From the circle in the middle of the floor, different colored lines led down each hallway in different directions.
"Following the silver line will take us to your wing. You got lucky. That wing is closest to the streets with all the nightclubs and has the best view of the dragon fields. You'll get to see them taking off."
"Can you shift into a dragon?"
Z shook his head. "My line isn't pure enough. My father was dragonkin, but not my mother. Only purebred dragonkin can shift, though I have enhanced sight and hearing. A lot of the dragons on the dragon field are real dragons, not dragonkin. Soldiers who pass the challenges and can't shift are offered the chance to train with natural dragons. The dragon breeders raise them from eggs."
"How can you tell the difference?" Jory found this peek into the dragonkin culture fascinating.
"You can't while they're dragons, but eventually they have to transform back. Most dragonkin can't hold the form for more than a few hours."
"Huh."
The pair reached Joriah's room; the number had been placed on the door in silver numbers.
"Z, just out of curiosity why are there room numbers and key cards in a castle?"
Jory's home was twice this size, and nothing was marked.
Z laughed. "The old king suffered horrible memory loss after an accident. They numbered and locked everything because he kept randomly walking into rooms and getting lost. "
"Didn't he have bodyguards to protect him?"
Z shook his head. "He always found ways to escape them, and since they always hold the mate hunts here, it made sense to go ahead and mark the rooms for guests. The royals don't use most of the castle anyway."
Shaking his head at the strange dragon people, Jory opened the door with his key card. An average room greeted him, done in luxurious furnishings, but still just a room.
"Wow."
"What?" Jory looked around but didn't see anything but his one piece of luggage sitting against the wall. It contained a scant amount of clothing and his pair of custom throwing knives. Once Z left, he'd have to check and make sure his knives were undisturbed. He never travelled without a weapon of some kind. Father would never forgive him if he went around completely unprotected. It was a miracle he'd escaped without a team of soldiers following him about.
"Frest must've really liked you. This is the nicest guest room I've ever seen."
"Oh." Jory hoped it didn't mean the registrar knew about him.
"Must be because Val accompanied you."
Jory nodded weakly. However, since his stuff was already here, he had doubts Frest had anything to do with his room choice.
"Is that all you've got?" Z nodded towards the case on the floor.
"Yeah. My ex-boyfriend burned most of my clothing."
