Page 68 of Crown of Ashes and Awe

When the devil stood again, he stepped forward to the front of the box and lifted his arms. Immediately the arena quieted except for a low hum. After turning my head back and forth, I realized the sound came from the dragons. The rim of heartstone had to connect into the ground somewhere, because the beasts were drawing power from it. The Moonless Quarter was days ago, but the rush of energy shouldn’t have waned already.

Fates help us, were they gathering excess strength for the fight?

A fresh wave of fear rolled through my stomach. I really would die today. But since Ciro wanted nothing as badly as to see me panic, I looked away as if distracted by something to my right.

Even though we weren’t DeNoy, would we truly be pitted against dragons with more than usual power?

Surely not. Ciro said it would be a long day. But if we fought those beasts, even individually, we’d all be dead within an hour. Ciro had to have something else in mind.

“First things first,” he shouted, then signaled to someone behind us. The heavy groan of metal against metal forced me to cover my ears. A shadow passed overhead. A huge steel grid slowly extended up and over the arena, creating yet another dome from which we could not escape on dragonback!

Even if we all managed to climb onto Kivi together, we would get nowhere!

Ciro glanced at me over his shoulder, signaled again for silence, and cleared his throat. “People of The Soundless! Thousands of years ago, when Moire and her daughters returned to Hestia, she delivered her prophecy of the blue dragon. Since then, sadly, we have been tasked with destroying our own. But no more! The prophecy is fulfilled! And once again, we will see blue dragons in this arena and allow them to live. Beginning with…Kivi!”

A large wooden panel at the left end of the structure lifted, tilted, and out of the dusty darkness beyond it, an irritated, familiar blue dragon came forward, prodded and directed by men with whips until she stood at the edge of the arena floor. The sun brought out the green luminescence on Kivi’s head, underbelly, and tail. Light glinted off the sharp points of her gold talons.

Except for the dragon riders, the crowd lost its collective mind. People jumped up and down, screamed with fear and excitement, and made me wonder if the DeNoy had kept Kivi a complete secret until now. Their shock was so profound I thought they might never calm down.

To compound the problem, someone screamed and pointed. Out of the opposite end of the arena came a woman dressed in gowns to match Kivi’s. Sapphire blue with a green sheen that moved with each step. I might have been offended on Lennon’s behalf, but the woman’s dark, uniquely cut hair meant Ciro hadn’t given the dragon to a new rider—the rider was Lennon herself.

Trailing closely behind her were four guards.

She ignored the shrieking mob and strode across the arena floor and directly to Kivi, to stand beside her and stroke her snout. The moment she noticed the thatched metal dome, her mouth fell open.

Ciro tittered with glee, earning him another hour of pain if I had anything to do with it.

The four guards tried to get her to come away from Kivi, but she refused. One man tried to drag her away. Lennon flipped him in the air and he landed on his backside for his trouble, winning him the mocking laughter from the crowd. When he stood, he looked to Ciro, who waved him off. The four then moved to the side and guarded Lennon from a distance.

The mob laughed again.

To the alarm of all guards in the vicinity, Griffon rose to his feet. I thought he might fight to get to Lennon, but he just stood there, ignoring the men pulling on him while the couple’s gazes locked and held. A long minute later, he sat, but only because he was ready to do so.

Ciro signaled once again, then resumed his seat.

A gaunt man with a booming voice spoke through a wide-mouthed horn that sent his words throughout the arena.“Today, people of The Soundless and honored DeNoy…we will witness valor. We will witness cowardice... Condemnation and execution…vindication and reprieve.”The word execution got wholehearted approval.“Criminals sit before you awaiting their punishment. Trial by blood. They will fight to their last breath, to the last beat of their hearts. But whom shall they fight? And what will become of the victors?”He allowed plenty of time for anticipation to build.“These are the questions that will be answered by blade, by tooth and by talon…and by the unyielding will to survive!"

We will be fighting dragons!

I could feel Ciro watching me from the corner of his eye. I fought to stay calm, feigned boredom, and looked up at the dragons to avoid watching my friends. If they could be stoic, so could I.

“But before we start their judgment by trial…we have discovered a traitor in our midst. A traitor who must be dealt with forthwith. He must be allowed no chance of vindication. So, good people of The Soundless, call down your dragon!”

The mob roared, calling out names in such a jumble they were impossible to discern them fully. I only caught portions; Storm, Fang, Night, Claw, Blood, Wing…and Crusher. Crusher, Crusher…Skullcrusher!Eventually, the chant became unanimous. Skullcrusher it was.

The door on the left opened again, and out from behind Kivi stumbled a guard, coughing and spitting blood. I hid my recognition when Ciro turned to watch my face. It was Zelan, the druid who said he’d try to help us. They’d discovered his affiliation. His mouth probably bled from his tongue being cut out.

And there was nothing I could do to help him!

My awareness of the dragon key made it feel hot against my chest. If I had given it to Zelan, would it have made a difference now?

The crowd howled when Zelan fell to his knees and bent forward as if praying. And again, the fiends called for Skullcrusher.

Giant wings fluttered over my head. A dragon shot toward the arena floor, then hovered before the cowedArd Draoi.Of course, it was Ciro’s dragon, and he beamed like a proud parent.

The mob stilled. The dragon inhaled all the way to its bowels, then exhaled. Fire poured from its mouth, drowning the accused in flame.

Zelan never so much as whimpered. The mound of his black clad body turned blacker still, then diminished in size as it burned, and burned. Eventually, Skullcrusher extended one foot and smashed the still-flaming remains--and our last hope--before returning to his perch.

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