The Spare Dragon

11. Number Six

***Vanessa***

Aroha looks at me and then Zahra before gazing up at the Tower of Jewels to think. The two dragons fly farther away, and we hear Juliana moan in pain as she rolls over onto her stomach and struggles to get up on her knees.

With time ticking away, Aroha growls in frustration.

“I swear if you two screw me over, I will kill you,” Aroha mutters under breath, pushing the boat onto the water.

I smile in relief, Zahra and I pushing the boat along with her and climbing inside. As we settle down, Aroha eyes our weapons apprehensively, so Zahra holds out a dagger to her.

“A sign of good faith,” Zahra shrugs, putting the dagger at Aroha’s feet, when she doesn’t immediately take it. “Now we’re all equal.”

A look of surprise washes over Aroha’s features, and she slowly reaches for the weapon, without saying a word.

Each of us grabs a paddle and starts rowing in unison, using all our strength to propel the boat towards the island. My lungs burn by the time we reach the island, my arms aching from the rowing and my thigh throbbing. I collapse on my knees once my feet touch land, and nearly burst into tears from the exhaustion, but Zahra gives me a warning look to get my s**t together.

Knowing she’s right, I take a few deep breaths and hurry after her and Aroha, looking up at the council of dragons, watching from a distance to see who among us will be their queen.

We reach the base of the tower, the door bolted shut from the inside.

“We either knock it down or climb,” Zahra sighs with annoyance as she steps back to think.

She looks up at the tower and begins taking off her clothes before handing me her key.

“Wait, what are you—”

“The queen said we could shift once we reach the island,” Zahra mutters, her hands shaking a little as she hesitates to take off her hijab. I want to tell her we can figure out another way, but she rips it off and tosses it to the side. “It’s fine,” she huffs. “Besides, I'm the only one here who can fly us all up there. So I need you two to get our jewels, and I’ll fly us to the finish line.”

She gets on all fours before we can argue with her, black scales sprouting on her bare skin. Her back arches and elongates as prickly spikes and tufts of black hair sprout along her spine, and her fingers morph into thick, heavy claws. Aroha and I step back as Zahra’s large black dragon lets out a mighty roar, and she slithers on her belly to let us on.

“Come on,” Aroha shouts, rushing over to Zahra’s dragon and climbing onto her back.

Aroha helps me up, and we grab hold of Zahra’s hair as she coils her body like a spring and jumps, her body undulating from side to side as it races upwards along the wall of the tower. When we reach the top, Zahra circles the tower until she sees a window, lowering herself so that she’s level with it, to let us off. I slip in through the window after Aroha, my eyes adjusting to the dimness of the tower.

The cylindrical room has a high ceiling with a large iron chandelier dangling down the center of the room. Just as Queen Evelyn has described, there is a table in the middle of the room with several indistinguishable boxes bolted in place. Each box looks more like a small, cubic briefcase, with a handle at the top, and a lock at the bottom. Two of the supposed twelve boxes appear to be missing.

At the foot of the table lies the body of a woman, and as we come closer, we see that it’s Garima, a large gash on the side of her temple, as well as several s***h marks on her shoulder, from a fight.

Neither one of us moves for a moment, trying to decipher if she’s awake, asleep, or dead. Her chest rises and falls slowly, but this revelation brings me little comfort. Aroha places her fingers to her lips and tiptoes to the table, reaching into her pocket to pull out her key. Garima doesn’t move or flinch as Aroha approaches her, so I walk over to the table myself, and pull out Zahra’s key. I try unlocking the box closest to me, but it doesn’t budge, beads of sweat gathering on my forehead. Aroha has the same issue, and we both move on to the next box, my lips pursing in anger this time, as it too, doesn’t open. The third and fourth boxes are a bust as well, but I breathe a sigh of relief, when I hear the heavenly click of the lock opening on the fifth box.

“Thank you, Moon Goddess,” I breathe out, Aroha also managing to unbolt her own box.

“f*****g finally,” Aroha mutters quietly under her breath. “Such a waste of bloody time trying to find the right box and unbolt it.”

“That was probably the goal — to slow us down — so we have more time to attack each other,” I reply.

As I open the box, my wolf ears pick up the sounds of something moving behind me. Aroha’s eyes widen as she opens her mouth to warn me, but I’m already one step ahead, my feet shuffling to the side, in time to avoid a sword to my head.

Garima swings the sword at me again, this time managing to slice my arm. She swings once more, but I duck before her blade can touch me, the sword getting stuck in a wooden beam. She attempts to pull it out, but the sword doesn’t budge, wedged deeply into the wood.

Looking down at my shadow, I imagine it grabbing onto Garima, and I watch as the darkness imitates my thoughts, wrapping around Garima’s shadow and pulling her back. Garima’s physical body suddenly flies across the room, her back crashing against the stone wall. She tries to get back up, but the shadows behind her wrap around her wrists and legs, trapping her in place, so she can’t move. I swing Zahra’s box over Garima’s head, knocking her out cold yet again.

Aroha stares at me in awe while I turn back to the table, ignoring the new pain tingling down my arm from the cut Garima gave me.

“We should hurry. There’s no telling when the other’s will get here,” I say, pulling out the two other keys I have.

“You have two more keys?” Aroha gasps.

“Look, I’m not smart, I don’t have a dragon, and I’m probably the weakest person in this competition,” I recite absentmindedly, as I manage to unlock another box. “I took an extra key as insurance— just in case I lost mine,” I say apathetically. “There were no rules against it.”

At first, Aroha says nothing, but as I unlock a third box, she finally speaks.

“Have you always hated yourself?” Aroha says, my blood running cold as I stiffen.

I can’t remember a time I ever loved myself, so I shrug, taking one of the jewels out of its box, and stuffing it inside my bra. Aroha raises a curious eyebrow at me as I close the box, and lock it back into its place on the table, so that I only have to carry two boxes: Zahra’s and the spare.

“You’re a lot smarter than you think,” Aroha says, taking out her own jewel, stuffing it in her pocket, and walking over to the window with her now empty box.

I ignore her comment — because if there’s anything I’ve been told my whole life — it’s that I am an i***t.

But that’s not true, Paloma objects.

Let’s not do this right now, I mumble, rubbing my arm as it starts to sting. I know what I am, and what I am not, so let’s just focus on the task.

Paloma growls back at me, but I have no time for her tantrum, Aroha handing me her box and climbing out the window. Once settled on Zahra’s back, Aroha holds her arms stretched out towards me. One by one, I hand her the boxes and she secures them on Zahra’s back, before I stand on the edge of the window sill myself, and prepare to jump.

Just as I bend my knees to lunge forward, Zahra takes a sudden dive, a ray of lightning blasting above her, striking the wall of the tower. I lose my footing, as the tower trembles from the blast… and I slip… falling out of the tower, with my heart in my throat as I scream.

My back collides with Zahra’s dragon, and I nearly roll off the edge of her spine, my hands desperately searching for something to grab on to. My fingers manage to grip onto her black scales, the edges like sharp blades cutting into my flesh. Despite the pain in my arms, I hold on for as long as I can, Zahra flying away as I dangle precariously from the side of her body.

“HOLD ON!” Aroha shouts to me, slowly crawling down the middle of Zahra’s spine towards me.

Zahra, once again, whips her body to the side, to avoid another ray of lightning. My fingers lose their grip on her scales, and I plunge into the water below, a box sliding off Zahra’s back along with me. I break through the surface of the lake, gasping in a breath and choking on water as my eyes open to a blue world beneath the lake.

Bubbles of my breath float upwards while I orient myself, and I see the small box sinking beside me. I reach for it as I pat my chest, my jewel still nestled between my breasts. Swimming to the surface with the box in my hand, I wipe my face and look up at the sky to see a fight taking place. Zahra’s black dragon battles a green dragon and a red dragon, Aroha hanging on as best as she can, with the two remaining boxes in her arms.

Suddenly, something grabs me by the ankle and pulls me back beneath the surface of the water, a stream of bubbles following me as I scream in pain. I twist my body around and see a dragon with fins, dragging me down by my foot, its sharp teeth tearing into my flesh.

She wants the box! GIVE HER THE BOX! Paloma barks, my hands releasing the box and pushing it away instinctively.

The dragon lets go of me, swimming after the box as it sinks. With my ankle and my thigh throbbing in pain, and my arm and hands cut up, I grab onto the scales of the sea dragon, letting it drag me towards the shore. She swims rapidly, but I refuse to lose my grip, hanging on for what feels like the longest ride of my life. Finally, I let go as we near the shore, and hold my breath for as long as I possibly can, before resurfacing, watching as the sea dragon hauls itself onto the beach. She shifts into her human form, Hiraya scrambling onto her feet, with the box tucked under one arm, the other curled to her chest from her earlier injury. Above me, the battle continues, two ice dragons joining the fight— though one seems to notice Hiraya on foot, and chases after her, into Serpent’s Hollow.

Knowing I can’t remain in human form while on shore, I shift into Paloma, my wolf placing the jewel in her snout and tucking it underneath her tongue. We swim out of the water, the pain of my legs much more bearable in wolf form. Looking up at the sky, I compare the dragons overhead, against the shadows over the land, until I can make out which shadow belongs to whom. Staring down at my own silhouette, I imagine my wolf morphing into a dragon of its own, its long serpentine body slithering across the ground towards the others swirling around Aroha and Zahra.

I will my dragon of darkness to wrap itself around the green dragon spitting lighting, the dragon looking around in panic as my shadow strangles it like a python. The other dragons don’t seem to notice the green dragon writhing and fighting against nothing— not even when she passes out and falls from the sky. I concentrate on the blue dragon’s shadow, commanding its head to attack itself, and to the blue dragon’s surprise, it bites down on its own tail, the sharp blades of its teeth tearing through the scales and into its flesh. She roars in agony, but doesn’t stop biting her tail, flying mid-air, circling herself in confusion. Finally, I drag her shadow to the ground, the blue dragon colliding into a tree.

I turn my attention next, to the red dragon breathing fire at Zahra and concentrate on Zahra’s shadow, forming long tentacles that wrap around the red dragon, thrashing it from side to side, like a rag doll, before tossing her into the lake. Zahra’s dragon stares in confusion as her opponents seemingly take themselves out, and I spit out my jewel to let out a howl. Zahra looks down at me, her eyes widening in shock to see that I made it out of the water. I grab my jewel in my snout, as Zahra descends upon me, her claws closing around my body and carrying me away. The wind blows through my fur as we race over Serpent’s Hollow, and in the distance I see the circle of towers, of the Shrine of Light. Each tower resembles a turret with no roof over it, and in the center of each tower, stands a massive golden claw, where the jewels will go. In the middle of the circle of towers is a large dragon, sculpted out of gold, with jewels of different colors embedded in its scales.

Two dragons jump from tower to tower, desperately trying to figure out which tower their jewel belongs to. On the ground, Raven and Hiraya battle it out in the nude, both injured and both severely exhausted.

Zahra drops me over the first vacant tower and lowers herself, so Aroha climbs in with me, each of us scrambling to see whose jewel will fit. I spit out my jewel and shift into my human form, standing on the tips of my toes to place the jewel in the claw.

It doesn’t fit.

“I’m first! I’m bloody first!!!” We hear a voice scream out in excitement, and we all turn to the tower directly across from us, where Cleo stands, her green jewel nestled in its place.

One down, five to go, I think to myself.

Aroha tries her jewel next, muttering when it too doesn’t fit. Zahra quickly shifts into her human form… when we hear a second cry of joy.

“I did it!” Emelise squeals, stepping away from the golden claw in her tower, where a blue jewel shimmers in the sun. “Oh gods. I f*****g did it!”

Zahra quickly unlocks her box, both Aroha and I relieved to see that it’s not the empty one that Aroha had brought as a decoy. Zahra fixes her jewel into the claw and to her utter dismay, it’s not the right one either.

“s**t, onto the next one!” Zahra says, handing her jewel to me and shifting, both Aroha and I jumping onto her back.

She flies to the next tower, hovering over it as Aroha and I climb inside to try our jewels. Mine doesn’t fit again, but Aroha lets out a sob when hers does.

Three down, three left.

“Good luck,” she says, bending over in a bow, as both Zahra and I move on to the next one.

I scramble onto my feet and stand on my toes, ignoring the seething pain in my ankle and my

arm as I reach for the claw. Just as I go to put it in, Zahra knocks my hand away, a burst of flames slicing through the air over the claw. The jewel falls to the base of the tower, and as I look ahead, a gold dragon slithers into the clearing.

“That’s Garima. We better hurry,” Zahra mutters. “Here, you try with mine,” she urges, placing her red jewel in my hand. “I’ll defend the tower.”

She jumps out of the tower before I can even protest, and begins shooting fireballs in Garima’s direction, Garima’s dragon struggling to avoid them. Knowing this may be my only chance, I take the jewel and fix it into the claw— groaning when it’s not the right fit. Looking over the ledge of the tower, I see the white jewel behind Zhara as she takes a defensive stance. Concentrating on Zahra’s shadow, I envision a hand plucking the jewel from the soft patch of grass it’s on, and pick it up by its shadow. The shadow hand travels up the wall of the tower, placing the white jewel in my hand. Fireballs hit the tower, but I manage to stand on the tips of my toes and place my jewel in the claw.

Fourth, I sigh, my legs shaking knowing I’m through to the next round.

My victory is short lived, however, when I hear Zahra scream in agony, and I peer over the tower to see a ray of fire burn Zahra’s shoulder. She stumbles onto her knees, Garima’s dragon slithering in for the kill.

Grabbing Zahra’s red jewel, I climb out of the tower — using my shadows to lessen my fall — and scramble to my friend. I throw her good arm over my shoulder, Zahra looking at me in disbelief.

“What the hell are you—”

“You helped me,” I say, my shadow morphing into a dragon, racing towards Garima and colliding with her. “So now, I help you. Come on.”

Garima roars as she fights with her own shadow, Cleo, Emelise, and Aroha watching with curious looks on their faces.

We limp across the shrine to the opposite tower, reaching it just as Hiraya smashes the box on Raven’s head, Raven collapsing to the ground with a thud. She climbs up the wall of the tower, blood spilling down her face, arms, and legs.

Knowing I can’t carry Zahra up, I use my shadows to lift her up, levitating her along the wall until she falls over the ledge and into the tower. I climb up the ladder and meet Zahra once again, helping her stand on her own two feet and placing the jewel in her hand.

In the neighboring tower, Hiraya places her jewel in the claw, bursting into tears of relief as she becomes the fifth winner.

“That’s five,” I whisper to Zahra, placing two hands on her waist to help her stand up on her tiptoes. “Come on, you f*****g psychopath,” I say through gritted teeth as I strain to hold her up through my own pain. “You didn’t crucify a b***h to not be number six.”

She whimpers when she slips, her arm hurting too much to lift it a second time.

Running out of options, I shift, knowing my wolf is stronger than I am right now. Lying on my stomach, I allow Zahra to use me as a stepstool, and slowly stand up, so she can reach the claw. Finally, she manages to fit the jewel in its place— all six jewels glowing unison as the sun’s rays hit them.

“Oh, thank the Gods,” Zahra cries,, slowly sliding down the claw as I collapse on my belly.

We did it! Paloma squeals. We did it!!!

Both Zahra and I are shaking with exhaustion, but Paloma cannot contain her excitement any longer, letting out a loud howl to let our mate know we did it. We did it for him.

King Remus reciprocates the howl with a roar, and before we know it, all of the dragons in the sky roar their congratulations, as the queen’s voice bursts across the sky.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the first game is now complete,” she declares loudly. “Congratulations to our six winners: Princess Cleo of Talan, Lady Emelise of the Gandora Province, Lady Aroha of the Yocan Province, Lady Vanessa of the Ivory Phoenix Kingdom, Lady Hiraya of Karenth, and Princess Zahra of Saikar. Your strength and intelligence has guaranteed you a spot in the second game next week. For now… you can breathe. We’ll take you home to receive any medical attention you may need, and you’ll have a full week to recover, before the second game commences. Congratulations again, and may the Sun bless you all with a good night’s rest.”

I shift into my human form as a swarm of knights descend upon the island, each of them rushing to retrieve us from the towers. But, as I try to stand on my own two feet, my legs give out, a searing pain spreading up the cut on my arm.

“Hey, are you okay?” Zahra groans, my eyes growing heavy, and my vision fading in and out.

“W-What?” I stammer, the burning intensifying as it spreads across my body.

“Vanessa?” Zahra calls out, her voice sounding as though it were miles away.

I try to keep my eyes open, but the darkness is so inviting.

“Hey... stay with—”

The world fades to black in an instant, Zahra’s terrified face is the last thing I see.

[A/N: Did you predict correctly? Winners of the giveaway will be drawn this afternoon during a live on StephanieLights's Book Beans. Also, there will be no chapters this week for either T.IT or AWITGOD. I'm taking the week of to catch up on chapters and get back on schedule. Also, please note, I will be starting the subscription for my books so please be on the lookout for my announcement soon.]