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I let Jez go and then went to Flea. He smiled down at me, his eyes telling me everything I needed to know. He laid the gentlest of kisses on my forehead, something that for some reason was more beautiful than an open-mouthed tongue bath. He pulled me close so that there was no space between us. “You’re that girl from my books. You’re just as powerful, just as prepared to kick arse and take names if she needs to. Go out there and show them what Earth girls are made of, and then let's get the fuck out of this insanity asylum.”
“God, I want to be eating pizza and drinking a Corona by this time tomorrow,” I said.
“I’ll be right there with you,” he said and then kissed my nose.
A quiet settled over me once I walked out the door. The sun had only just begun to rise, the only people about in this section of the palace were the servants and a few other riders. I felt the cool nip of the air on my face, my skin feeling too tight, my eyes too wide. I took a deep breath and hitched my helmet up under my arm. You need a soundtrack, I thought, to get you walking to that bloody amphitheatre. Inxs ‘Kiss the Dirt?’ ‘Falling to Pieces’ Faith No More? Tom Petty ‘Learning to Fly’? I smiled, feeling the cold on the enamel of my teeth. I need something that suits me. I looked around at how little attention I gathered. Zero, Smashing Pumpkins it is.
I marched over to the ring with the sulky, manic pixie boy snarl of Billy Corgan playing in my mind, all the way to the arena and into it, stomping over the sand to the refrain that the world was a vampire, past the riders scurrying around, getting wooden spears and helmets and rings sorted, past the riders mulling around and up to the breakfast buffet laid out to one side, snatching up a pastry and a glass of juice to the tune of God was empty, just like me.
“Tess!”
My head jerked up to see Keel approaching. I made myself smile, finding it harder now to pinpoint what I’d found attractive about him. Like, he was obviously good looking, but the grin was overconfident, he drew closer and laid an arm over my shoulders, forcing me to step back to maintain some personal space. “There’s been a change of plans today. I’ll be going up with you for the forty-second drop. Ace has had to pull out, been up all night throwing up and we don’t want to chance him at that height. So, are you ready? Feeling psyched?”
“I’m about to risk death or dismemberment in a gladiatorial style game for the edification of a woman who holds her position of authority based on an accident of birth, for the heinous crime of threatening the dragon monopoly of Aravisia.”
“Ah, well, I think you’ve impressed everyone with your performance so far. Not many could do a forty-second drop without crying like a child.” I flashed back to when I did exactly that and swallowed the lump of food in my mouth with difficulty. “If it was up to me, I’d be awarding you the citizenship right now, but we’ve just got to get over this hurdle and then you’re free to go.”
I nodded along. He seemed to be talking really fast, almost tripping over his words. I guess he was nervous about doing a fight sequence that high up in the air, particularly one he hadn’t practised.
“Anyway, this is your new helmet. The other one’s starting to get ratty and it was never that great a fit, being a hand-me-down. Look, I had them paint a herald for you.” I took it from him and turned it to see a rampant red dragon had been added. “No more goggles for you now when you’re on Miazydar’s back. How is he by the way?”
“Horny, I imagine,” I said. “The queen will be mated today he thinks.”
Keel nodded his head. “That’s the message we’re getting from the palace as well. Artor’s been a grumpy prick this morning, even though he would never be in the running to cover a queen. Ah...” he scratched at his scalp. “Has Keya disc
ussed the changes to riders when dragons mate?”
“No, why? Do we go into some kind of sexual frenzy or something?” I said with a laugh.
“Not quite, but let’s just say people aren’t unaffected.”
“So I’m going to want to make out with whoever I’m fighting when it happens? Shit, why didn’t anyone warn me?”
“I am now. We weren’t expecting the queen to be ready so early. Usually, it’s about a week after the dominance battle that she comes into season. I guess she’s just really keen to get things on with Miazydar. In light of that, we’ve reduced the complexity of the performance. We’ll be watching most of it, doing the forty-second drop as the climax of the whole event. C’mere.” He took my elbow and steered me over to where a plan of the day's events had been pinned on the wall. “We’ll take you up in a series of five-second drops, so fight until you get your cue, then jump. Someone will be waiting nearby to do the pickup and then you’ll go up again until we reach the final drop height. All fighting will be hand to hand, save the hassle with carting wooden spears around.”
“Aren’t I supposed to showcase my ability to wield a plasma spear?”
He scratched at his head. “Well, as you’re not going to be issued one, either way, it’s been scrapped.”
“So all those hours I spent training with you and then ending up on the end of your dick were a waste of time? Great.”
He frowned, stepping closer and putting out a hand to touch me but I dodged him easily. “What’s going on? What’s changed? Is it Sabelina? Has she been to see you?”
“It’s got nothing to do with her or you, I just realised this wasn’t something I wanted anymore. It obviously had an expiry date and I’m glad of it.” I watched the expressions flicker over his face as he took the time to absorb what I’d said. I wouldn’t’ve thought ‘I don’t want to fuck you’ would’ve taken that long, but it appeared the good Lieutenant didn’t have many people saying no to his dick that often. Finally he nodded and smiled, a more practised public thing now and for a second I was sorry for that lack of intimacy.
“That’s probably for the best. Let’s practise the hand to hand sequences while we’re waiting. It’ll keep your muscles warm and limber, especially after yesterday.” I sculled down another glass of juice and then nodded, following him to an empty room inside the amphitheatre complex.
I was dimly aware of the growing crowds as we sparred. I could hear the steadily rising roar of thousands of people cramming into one space. I heard the fuzzy sound of someone introducing the entertainment. I didn’t hear what, just the answering cheers from the crowd. I was kind of sad I wasn’t able to watch it all unfold. I wouldn’t be back to Aravisia again if I could help it
37
“What the fuck?” I said after the tenth or eleventh time he’d knocked me to the ground. “Do we need to work things out or something, because I’d rather sit down and talk it through than get a message beaten into me with your fists.”
“Maybe I’m just done pulling my punches,” he said.
“Maybe you should pull your punches, seeing you’re a soldier with years of training on me, probably another twenty kilos of muscle as well as being taller. If you’re pissed about something, stop being a cunt and discuss it with me.”
He cocked his head. “What’s different? You’re different.” He tapped a finger on his lips. “You don’t talk like this, not to me.”
