Page 10 of Empire of Flame and Thorns

“DRAGONS!”

I snap my head up right as the massive bells atop the watchtower start to ring.

“DRAGONS!” the watchmaster bellows across the city again, his voice amplified by magic. “THE DRAGONS ARE COMING!”

I leap up from my stool so fast that I knock over the empty buckets next to me. The wooden clattering joins the loud metallic clanging of the bells and the shouts that rise from people up and down the streets.

My heart flips in my chest. But not out of fear. No. My heart lurches with excitement.

It has been two and a half weeks since I signed up for the Atonement Trials.

If the dragon shifters are coming in force now, it can only mean one thing.

The tournament is about to start.

Anticipation burns through me as I ram my knife into the holster on my thigh. Then I leave the barrel of fish behind and take off down the street.

All around me, people are doing the same.

The shifters from the Red Dragon Clan fly in and out of the Seelie Court all the time since it’s their responsibility to manage us. But sometimes, other clans, or even the emperor and empress themselves, come to visit for one reason or another. And when they do, they expect us to greet them properly.

One time, about forty years ago, the farseer atop the watchtower, the fae man or woman with magically enhancedeyesight who is responsible for watching the skies for approaching dragons, didn’t spot the Brown Dragon Clan until they were almost at the city. We didn’t make it out to the Dragon Field in time to greet them. It… did not end well.

So the moment the announcement comes, we all rush out to the grasslands on the west side of the city, which have been named the Dragon Field since that’s always where they land.

My heart pounds in my chest as I race through the streets and out through South Gate.

Brisk winds whirl across the grasslands, making my hair flutter behind me. But the midday sun shines down from a clear blue sky and warms my cheeks.

I draw in deep breaths as I slow to a walk and then come to a halt on the grass. Anxious murmuring fills the air as we arrange ourselves into neat rows, but I feel only excitement. The time has finally come. At last, I will get to show everyone just how much of an asset I can really be to our cause.

Sunlight shines down over the palace to my left, making the pale stones glitter like gold. I cast a glance at it while both pain and longing tug at my heart. The dragon shifters will be living inside the palace for the duration of the trials. As will the contestants. I don’t want those damn dragons in there, desecrating our sacred halls. But soon, it will be all ours again.

The woman next to me sucks in a sharp breath.

I whip my gaze back to the grasslands in front of me.

My stomach dips.

There.

On the horizon, high over the massive forest of thorns, dragons become visible as they swoop across the grand mountains to the north called the Peaks of Prosperity.

I draw in an involuntary breath at the sight. I might hate them all with every fiber of my being for how they treat us, but by Mabona, I can’t deny that it’s a magnificent sight.

Two massive silver dragons fly at the front of the procession. Light glints against their scales, making it look like glittering starlight.

To their right and a little behind them flies another gigantic dragon. This one is black like a moonless night.

There is a larger space behind that dragon, after which an entire row of dragons can be seen. One red, one green, one orange, one white, one blue, one brown, and one purple.

An entire host of dragons, in all colors, fills the sky after that.

I let out a long exhale. We can do this.Ican do this.

The booming of wings fills the air as the mass of dragons draws closer. Trees shake as the winds that their wings produce slam down over the forest. The red dragon at the edge of the row lets out a deafening roar.

Gasps and whimpers rip from our ranks, and several people around me shrink back.

---