Page 30 of Daring the Drakarn Warrior Lord
The chanting reached a crescendo, then cut off abruptly. Silence crashed down, heavy and expectant.
"When the horn sounds," Karyseth said, "the Skalanth begins. May the strongest prevail. May the worthy triumph. May Scalvaris be honored by your efforts."
She stepped back. One of the priests raised a horn to his lips, the instrument carved from some kind of bone and polished until it gleamed.
This was it.
No going back now.
I checked my blade one more time. Made sure my boots were laced tight. Rolled my shoulders to loosen the tension that had locked my muscles.
Beside me, Lexa shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet. Ready to sprint. Vega's breathing had steadied into the slow, controlled rhythm of someone preparing for violence.
Around us, wings spread. Claws extended. Tails coiled.
The Drakarn were built for this. Speed, strength, natural weapons. They could fly over obstacles I'd have to climb. Could smash through barriers I'd need to navigate around. Could cover ground in minutes that would take me an hour.
I couldn't compete with that.
So I wouldn't try.
The horn's blast split the air.
Chaos erupted.
Warriors launched in every direction. Wings beat, creating wind that nearly knocked me sideways. Claws scraped stone. Bodies collided as everyone fought for position, for the best routes, for any advantage they could seize.
I grabbed Lexa's arm and pulled her toward a smaller corridor at the square's edge. Not the main route. Not where the bulk of warriors were heading. Somewhere less obvious.
We hit the corridor at a dead run.
Behind us, the sounds of pursuit began. Roars. Wing beats. The thunder of dozens of warriors all trying to reach the same goal.
The Skalanth had started.
And I was either going to prove I belonged here or die trying.
9
TERRA
"You realizethis is going to be basically impossible without wings, right?" Vega's voice cut through the chaos of warriors launching themselves in every direction.
I pressed my back against the rough stone wall of a side corridor, watching scaled bodies blur past the opening. The sound of claws on rock was deafening. Wing beats created gusts that sent dust swirling. And then there were the roars of challenge and determination.
"I like being underestimated," I said.
Lexa appeared beside us, breathing hard from our sprint away from the main crush. "Being underestimated is great right up until someone underestimates you to death."
Fair point.
The corridor we'd ducked into was narrow enough that a Drakarn with spread wings couldn't follow easily. Perfect for humans, a tight squeeze for a Drakarn.
I leaned forward carefully, peering around the corner toward the main thoroughfare. Warriors streamed past, most heading upward toward the Temple district. Some flew. A few ran along the ground, relying on speed over altitude.
"We need a plan," Vega said. She'd pulled out a scrap of cloth and was wiping sweat from her face. Her gray eyes tracked movement beyond our hiding spot with the focus of someone cataloging threats. "Charging straight for the Temple is suicide. Half the senior warriors will be positioned along the main routes."
"I am aware of that." I shifted my weight, feeling the blade at my hip settle into a more comfortable position. "What are you thinking?"
