Page 60 of The Flame King's Queen

I reach out and clasp his wrist in congratulations. “I’m sorry that your win was overshadowed by other people’s poor behavior. You and Lethis flew beautifully. A well-deserved victory.”

Pavel shakes his head. “Lethis and I would not have won if the other dragons hadn’t attacked yours and the dragonmaster’s.” He adds hastily, “Not that I’m not grateful for your kind words,Ma’len. It was an honor just to compete on the queen’s coronation day.”

“Rhan came in second just behind you. That means you and Lethis managed to evade Ragdyn’s teeth. You obviously flew well, and you should be proud.”

Pavel stares at his own feet, but there’s a smile on his lips. “Thank you,Ma’len. I’m very proud of Lethis.”

I turn and feel something small and soft collide with my stomach. Looking down, I see that it’s Isavelle, and she has both arms wrapped around my waist.

“Zabriel, I’m so relieved you’re all right. When you came in last, I was worried that you or Scourge had been injured. Poor Nilak was bleeding so much, and there were terrible rumors that Scourge and Kane fought in midair.”

I hug her back and kiss the top of her head. “Auryn collided with Scourge and I fell in the lake, but I’m all right. I wanted to stay behind and make sure everyone got back safely.”

“Of course you did. You’re a wonderful king. Howdarethey do that to you.” Isavelle looks around, fuming. “Kane and the others should be disqualified.”

“Stesha didn’t want that. He would rather give Kane a thumping in the final event. I don’t think Auriana and Aurissa will be here for very long. Those sisters don’t seem happy that they were forced to attack another dragon.”

Isavelle glances across the dragongrounds, and we watch as the three yellow dragons and the scarlet dragon fly off to their own place to the north for the night. “Poor things. I feel sorry for them, having Kane as a dragonmaster.”

I take her hand and we walk together in the direction of the castle. “Shall we go and look at the board with tomorrow’s event, my queen? If I remember correctly, you and Esmeral will be competing.”

The Great Hall is busier than usual. Many of the people who watched the race have come here to drink ale and discuss the event. We gave them plenty to talk about, and I feel many commiserating pats on my shoulder as I lead my queen through the crowd.

“Those bastards won’t cheat their way to victory,Ma’len.”

“By staying back, you protected the flare,Ma’len. That’s a true dragonrider.”

“Good skies tomorrow,Ma’len.”

I appreciate the kind words, and I don’t begrudge Pavel and Sundra their ribbons, but I hope tomorrow is a better day for me and Scourge. Isavelle and I stop in front of the boards, and I feel a smile spread over my face and a blaze of competitiveness in my chest as I see the name of the next event. The Three Howls. Scourge’s size and strength won’t help us win, but this will be our chance to prove that size and strength isn’t all we have to offer.

The name isn’t familiar to Isavelle. “I’ve heard that this event is a simple task, is that right? Esmeral and I have only had time to train for the agility events.”

I rub my hand over my jaw. “More or less. It’s not a physically demanding event. More of an endurance event.”

Isavelle’s face falls. “Like a race? If it’s too strenuous, I suppose that means Esmeral and I shouldn’t compete.”

I smile and pull her against my side. “Actually, you and Esmeral could do very well in this event. It’s not that kind of endurance.”

The morning dawnswith sunny skies and a crisp wind blowing. The scent of new leaves and tilled soil is in the air, and everyone in the castle is excited for the day’s entertainment.

All the competitors assemble at the dragongrounds after breakfast to watch the Temple Mothers and soldiers set everything up. One of the Temple Maidens explains the event to the competitors.

A dragon must walk three times across the dragongrounds while a rider collects a series of colored paper flags that will be wedged into the cliff face. A dragon can lift up on their rear legs, but they cannot fly, or the pair ends their participation. As the rider collects the flags, a musician performs a howl on their namyr, a shiny brass instrument that produces a mournful whining noise. It’s mildly annoying for a Maledinni, but repellent for a dragon. After the first pass, a second namyr player joins the howl, and then a third. The winner is whichever dragon and rider pair collects the most colored flags in the shortest amount of time. You can withdraw at any point with however many flags you’ve collected and not be disqualified.

The Temple Maiden glances at Kane and his fellow riders, and I know she’s thinking of their behavior the previous day as she adds, “If your dragon grows agitated, lift into the air and the music will cease. Please do not attack the namyr players. They will be protected by wingrunners, as wyverns are not affected by the instruments.”

Kane shrugs. “A few bad musicians making a racket? This will be easy.”

On my other side, a rider asks her companion, “He wishes. Have you ever heard a namyr?”

“No. Is it as bad as they say?”

“Worse.”

I grin to myself. Stesha once demonstrated this to us when I was with a group of trainee riders. Many dragons can’t hear the infuriating and distracting sound without immediately launching into the sky with a scream of indignation and flying away. Nilak bit a hole in the ground she was so enraged. The namyr was once used by our enemies hundreds of years ago to repel a dragon attack, so this event is excellent practice in case someone ever gets their hands on the instrument and uses it against us.

I fold my arms and lean my shoulder against my dragon. Scourge hated the namyr, but he didn’t roar, breathe fire, or fly away. There’s a good chance we will do well, though I sense that he’s agitated by the presence of Auryn and the other dragons of the wild flare. He’s taking Nilak’s injury personally.

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