Page 36 of The Flame King's Queen

“I hope you will help me plan the events.”

Stesha chews on this for a moment, and then finally concedes. “I suppose I must, or the games will be a farce from beginning to end.”

“You are right, dragonmaster. I’m grateful for your help. Do you remember the games the last time they were held?”

“Barely. I was a child of three. There were crowds in the city, and it was too noisy.” His angry expression fades. “But I remember the dragons. They were magnificent, and it was the first time I saw Nilak.”

I feel the urge to needle Stesha a little more, and I ask casually, “Do you think Nilak will be excited by the prospect of the Dragon Games? Unless she’s feeling too old and tired for the competition.”

If Stesha’s hair could stand on end, it would. In tones of outrage, he says, “My dragon is in her prime, and you can be sure that we will not only be competing, but we’ll be winning each and every event. You and Scourge better be ready, Zabriel. I hope you will be competing.”

“Wild dragons couldn’t keep me from the games.”

A self-satisfied smile curves his lips. “Good. Nilak and I wouldn’t feel the same satisfaction about winning the event without a half-decent opponent.”

“You’re so certain that you will win?” I counter.

“To win, one must have strength, experience, and cunning. Sadly, you and Scourge possess only one of three.”

With that, Stesha turns away from me and heads down another corridor, walking tall as if the winner’s golden laurels are already resting atop his arrogant head.

It’s going to bethatkind of Dragon Games, is it? Well, bring it on.

As the weather heats up,so does excitement for the Dragon Games. It feels wonderful to plan events instead of battles, and to see posters on the castle walls proclaiming the games rather than denouncing my mate as an evil witch with her claws in the king.

With help from the Temple Mothers, I consult the surviving records detailing previous Dragon Games, as well as speak with older dragonriders who remember the events from my mother’s coronation. I want to stand by my promise to hold the biggest games that the country has ever seen. We have much to celebrate in Maledin, and so far, we’ve had little opportunity to do it.

I’m told that the best games always had a variety of events that test which dragons are the fastest, strongest, bravest, cleverest, steadiest, most agile, breathe the hottest dragonfire, and test the strongest bonds between rider and dragon.

Isavelle finds me at the dragongrounds one afternoon, silently “talking” my plans through with Scourge. He’s particularly interested in the events that will test his strength, bravery, and our bond, which is certainly where we will excel, but winning the event is by no means a foregone conclusion. I’ve tried to be as fair as possible and include events where other dragons have the advantage over Scourge. Apparently, many believed my father stacked the last games with events that he was likely to win, and plenty of people were bitter about that.

“I thought I would find you here,” Isavelle says, slipping under my arm and hugging my waist. “Are you and Scourge planning for the Dragon Games?”

I kiss my mate and palm her swelling belly. Gods, she feels delightful to touch, and even more so now that she’s pregnant. “We are. I was just telling him about all the different events that we’re planning for the games.”

“Which ones should Esmeral and I enter?” she asks eagerly.

I hear a friendly trill behind me as Esmeral perks up at the sound of her name.

I hesitate. “Are you sure that you wish to enter? The Dragon Games are exhausting, and you’re carrying our child. No one will think less of their queen for being an observer.”

She pokes me in the side. “In my village, women work right up until the moment they go into labor. We can’t afford to sigh and take to our beds when there are farms to run and mouths to feed. I remember Ma climbing apple trees to help with the harvest and plowing a field with a pair of oxen while she carried my brother and sister. She was knee-deep in mud searching for a lost hen when her labor pains began.”

“And I commend her for all that, but, Isavelle, you are not required to work a farm or search for lost hens when you’re the king’s beautiful and beloved Omega.”

Isavelle smiles at me, but I can see that her determination is no less than a moment ago. “Yes, but I’m also a witch, and most people have seen me only as a witch. What better way to show people I am also a dragonriding queen? Esmeral and I will do that together.”

By my side, I feel Esmeral furiously butting her head against my shoulder. They’ve cornered me, the little menaces.

“How many events are there? My dragon and I wish to prepare if we are going up against Scourge, Nilak, and all the other dragons.”

I drag a hand down my face, imagining little Esmeral up against bad-tempered Nilak. “There are events that require agility and cunning, and you and Esmeral will have the advantage there, I promise you that.”

14

Isavelle

There’s a bounce in my step over the following days. I’ve always enjoyed learning how to fly with Esmeral, but now that we have something to train for, I feel more like a dragonrider than I ever have before. It frustrated me a little that she and I had to sit out of the attack at the southern border. It was the most sensible thing to do as neither of us have the skills to keep us safe in battle, but I don’t always want Esmeral and I to be left behind just because we’re Omegas and I’m the future queen. The Dragon Games will be our chance to prove ourselves.

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