Just then, Steward Soloman came forward. He raised his hands, and all conversation fell silent. “We’ll be drawing the order for the competition, as well as the match-ups for the joust. Gentlemen, please come forward and take a number.”
An official held out a velvet bag for us to draw from. Elijah shoved his way to the front and went first. I got in line and ended up taking the last number from the bag.
The numbers were etched onto antler fragments from deer. I turned the fragment over in my hand and read the number on the front. Number eight. Emma and I were going last. Splendid, as usual.
I looked around for who our opponent was, which would be number seven. My stomach sank when I saw it sat in the palm of a giant shifter, Romari Zajac. He was a dragon, and a senior. His mate, Ada, was an advanced sorceress. She hadn’t even brought a sword because she was so confident in the power of her magic. What tough luck.
“Who’d we get?” Emma asked curiously. I pointed. Emma let out a gagging sound when she saw the dragon mark on Ada’s hand.
“Thoseare our competitors?” Emma yelped.
“Yes,” I said glumly. “They are.”
“How do you expect us to joust against adragon?” Emma hissed.
“We have no choice.” At this point I was doubting we’d make it past the joust, but too late to go back now.
The doors to the Field opened. Steward Soloman raised his voice and said, “The first four competitors, hold back for the beginning of the joust. The rest of you, proceed up to the competitor booth and wait your turn for the joust.”
Emma shivered next to me. The thousands of people in the crowd reflected in her gaze. “Ethan, I don’t think I can do this.”
“Just keep your eyes on me,” I told her. We strode forward, and a wave of nerves washed through my stomach as loud cheers shook the stands. Trumpets sounded, and confetti fell to the ground as applause swallowed up every other sound. Emma floundered for my hand. I took it tightly and squeezed it as we followed the other competitors up the stairs and to our designated box.
A long wooden barrier that looked like a fence divided two sides of the jousting field. The first team was a griffin and his Marked. He’d already changed into his shifter form. His sorceress sat on his back holding a long golden lance in one arm and a shield in the other.
On the opposite side of the arena was a dragon couple. The dragon was on the smaller end, twelve feet tall or so, but still had an obvious advantage of height over the griffin. The Marked that sat on his back held a red lance and a shield she could barely lift.
The two riders squared off on opposing sides of the fence. A bell rang, and the shifters stampeded forward.
The dragon lowered its head as it charged toward the griffin with its teeth bared. I was sure that the dragon had the advantage as they approached, but the griffin Marked leapt into the air as it came near the dragon.
The griffin Marked aimed true. The dragon sorceress lowered her lance a second too late, and the opposing rider’s lance knocked right into her. She barely managed to hang on as her shifter ran toward the other end of the field.
The griffin Marked won that round. The two riders rounded the fence on the end of the field and turned around to go at it again. Lances lowered, the competitors raced onward. The griffin rider was preparing to strike the dragon Marked just as she had before.
But the dragon Marked was waiting this time, and slammed her lance into the shield of the griffin rider before she could raise her lance in attack.
A point for the dragon. They were neck and neck.
I was on the edge of my seat the third time they charged at each other, not sure who would win. The dragon rider carried her lance clumsily, as if it bothered her to hold. I was certain the griffin rider, who looked more experienced, was going to knock her off.
The two opponents met in the middle of the field. But instead of using her lance to force the enemy rider off, the dragon Marked tossed herself off of her dragon’s back and tackled the griffin rider to the ground. The crowd groaned, and the two sorceresses wrestled upon the earth. Emma gasped in surprise.
The dragon and the griffin both turned on each other. The griffin took to the skies just as the dragon shot out a jet of flame. The griffin’s feathers barely got singed as he turned around and lashed out with his talons. His blow caught the dragon’s eye. The dragon stumbled backward, blood dripping from the wound. Before the griffin could fly away, the dragon brought his tail up and smacked it into the griffin. He went tumbling through the air and slammed into the boards with a horrible crunching sound. The crowdooed, and the griffin changed back into a man. His shoulders trembled as he attempted to force himself to get up, and failed.
Satisfied, the dragon transformed back into his human form and turned to observe the sorceress fight. Per rules of the tournament, he couldn’t interfere at this stage, but he could watch.
The two sorceresses had drawn swords and were dueling fiercely. Loud shouts and yells from them rang through the arena, along with the sound of clashing steel. Both of the Marked were skilled swords women, but the dragon Marked was obviously better. The griffin sorceress struggled to keep up as she dodged slashes and jabs from her opponent.
The griffin Marked searched for her mate frantically. When she saw him lying helplessly at the other end of the field, she let out a cry and dropped her sword, leaving an opening. The dragon Marked saw her advantage and kicked the other girl’s feet out from under her, pointing a sword at her throat.
The griffin Marked raised her hands in surrender. The Field erupted into thunderous applause, and the two dragons raised their hands in victory. The griffin Marked got up and ran to the other side of the arena. She pulled her mate to his feet before putting his arm around her shoulder and helping him limp off the field.
Personally, I thought he had it lucky. A hit like that was enough to break a shifter’s back. The two winners strode to the competitor’s box and sat on the stand below us with huge smiles. An official called names, and four more people left the stands.
The joust went on. Every single one ended in a bloody duel, though nobody had died yet. There were a few broken bones and many grievous injuries, but none significant enough to cause death. A griffin couple and an alicorn couple won the next two rounds.
Eventually, it was Elijah and Gabby’s turn. They were up against the other alicorn couple, Albin and Krystyna. The two squared off before charging at each other full speed. Albin lowered his horn, and Elijah bared his fangs as the opponents drew closer and closer.
