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“Welcome to Ayiolyn. Some of you were prepared by your families for this day,” Matron begins, her voice croaky and a little difficult to understand. “Some of you were not, and I understand this must be a shock. So, we’ll start at the very beginning. There are mirror worlds, hovering over each other like a pile of plates. Earth is one of those worlds, mostly ruled by humans, and magic is gone. Lapetus is another, ruled by gods in wolf shifter forms, much like our own dragons. There are six in total, and you now belong to this world. Over three thousand years ago, this world was cursed by a sorcerer from another world. Our dragon kings refused to bow to him, and he made sure there would be a price paid for that before he was sent back to his own world at the cost of the dragon kings’ lives. The price was paid by the heirs.”
The room is silent as she continues. “No one has magic in this kingdom, no one is anything but mortal, unless the dragon kings hold a competition called the Dragon Crown Race and each chooses one from the four mortals left to be their mate. The winners will become dragon queens, filled with magic, and have their own powers based on their genetic line. There are four courts—”
“There used to be five,” Arty whispers to me. I frown at her. I couldn’t care less. Matron briefly pauses. Whether she heard Arty or not, she doesn’t show it. “The Water Court of the south, the Fire Court of the north, the Earth Court of the east and the Air Court of the west. Each of them has their own dragon king, and I’m sure you have all met them briefly. For future reference, you must bow when you are in their company.”
I snort, and several heads whip my way. I’m not bowing to them. Fuck that. Matron narrows her eyes on me. “The test will take a hundred days. In this time, they will get to know you and you will compete against each other in a series of magical tests they decide on, as well as attend a class to learn the ways of this world. Be warned, the tests are designed to find the strongest among you, and they are deadly. This also gives you a chance to make friendships that will be needed to beat the odds against you. Friendships with the other three you share a room with are a good way to start.”
“How deadly are the tests, exactly?” a girl asks, but Matron ignores her.
“In between the tests, your classes, and day-to-day life, there will be royals and high-class dragons around the castle looking to meet you. When you are crowned, you will need to know many of these people. So be friendly,” she warns. “The former queens will be around as well, the two who are still living. It is a great honour if they speak to you. There have only been two tests in our history, and all eyes are on the twenty-four of you.”
A random blonde girl puts a hand up, her Welsh accent thick. “How can there have only been two tests? Surely if it’s been three thousand years since the curse, there’d be like thirty queens, as we only live to a hundred if we are lucky.”
“Dragons have much longer lifespans than most,” she coolly replies, “and once some of you become dragon queens and bond with your mates, your lifespan will be longer.”
Another girl puts her hand up high in the air. “What about the tattoos on our backs? What are those, and how do we get rid of them?”
Tattoos? They best not have done that to me. Matron frowns. “Why would you wish to be rid of them? Markings are blessings from dragon gods and are special. When you came here, we took a tiny bit of your blood from your finger and swore you into the test. The markings are proof of that and a great honour. When you complete each test, you will get another mark on your wrist in the form of a dragon.”
“How many tests are there?” Arty questions. So, she doesn’t know everything.
“There are four tests for marks to be earned. When you complete all four, theoretically, there will be four of you left. If not, you will kill each other until only four stand.”
My skin goes cold, and any whispers around the room go silent. What kind of crazy Hunger Games shit is this? “Most of the time, there are only four left by the end of the tests, so this hasn’t been an issue in the past. Our blessed dragon kings can choose their brides from the winners. The dragon kings will be living here, and it is best you get to know them. Make yourself aware of who they are and the future they offer in their courts for you. They can be very informative.”
I raise my eyebrows. This is completely insane. I stand up. Every pair of eyes turns to me, including Matron’s. She tilts her head to the side. “Yes, Ellelin Ilroth?”
“What if you don’t want to enter? What if I want to just go home to Earth and say screw this race?” I demand, placing my hands on my hips.
Matron almost seems to smile at me, so quick that I could have missed it if I wasn’t staring at her. “That option is not available for you. For anyone here. Your bloodline was chosen by the sorcerer and sent to Earth, along with thousands of others. Your ancestors came from here and, a long time ago, made the choice for you to compete in this test. You are from here. Your blood is from here. You have dragon magic in your soul, wound into your very essence and blood. Everyone here does. Maybe you want to leave, but a part of you longs for this world. Search for that part of you and embrace it.”
I try not to laugh. “I’m not called to this place. I want to leave. I didn’t sign up for this!”
Matron closes both hands over her walking stick in front of her. “As I’ve said, that is not an option.”
“So, what happens to the people who lose?” I question. “You said there can only be four dragon queens. So, if we lose, we go home, right?”
I can just give up and—“No, you die or win. There is no going home.”
There are gasps around the room, and some people start crying. My eyes just widen as I still stand, even as my legs feel weak. My heart pounds in my ears, drumming out the sounds around me as the word die repeats over and over until it’s all I can hear. I don’t know why I expect her to say anything different.
“We might die?” Arty nervously questions. I look down at her, and she is pale, no longer as happy as she was. Now she gets it. This isn’t a blessing.
Matron nods. “Yes. These tests are deadly and not easy to conquer. You will need to be smart, quick, and brave, all traits a dragon queen will need to excel in. You’ve been grouped into fours; work together as a team and survive to win the greatest prize of all—to become a dragon queen who will be remembered forever.”
Matron disappears. Nothing but smoke that looks like mist left in the middle of the room. Suddenly, a lump of black clothes and two black knee-high boots land on my lap with a thud. I look at Arty, who is silently crying, clutching her own bundle of clothes that match mine. I don’t think she knew about the dying thing, either. Her parents didn’t tell her everything, or they didn’t know. I can’t imagine they happily sent their daughter into a death competition just to be a dragon king’s—what did Matron call it—mate. I assume that’s like a wife. I’m not interested in belonging to anyone—especially not them. Somehow, it makes me feel a tiny bit better that not everyone knew about this. “Back to your rooms.” Matron’s ancient voice echoes around the room. “Change and get ready.”
No one moves for a minute as I clutch my clothes and boots, and stand. I all but run, feeling sickness rising in my throat, back to my room. I count the doors down until I get to the one that I woke up in and head inside, slamming the door shut behind me. I know my new roommates are following, but I can’t breathe, can’t think straight, and everything is blurring in front of me. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. There’s another door at the opposite end of the room, and I run to it, throwing the door open to find a small bathroom. I go inside, shut it behind me, dropping the pile on the floor.
I pull my top over my head, turning my back to the mirror. A massive black-ink tattoo covers my back, and right in the middle is a crown with swirls going around my ribs, up my shoulders and to the swell of my back. No, fuck no. I flick the waterfall shower on, letting the cold water spray over me before I scream and scream until my voice breaks. The water gets hot as I kick the wall, slam my fists against it as I let out all my anger, fear, and panic. If I die here, my grandmother will never know what happened to me, and if I survive, I’ll belong to someone without any choice in the matter. I don’t want to be a dragon queen for those arrogant bastards.
“Arrogant bastards, you say?” Lysander’s voice makes me jump. I pause, slowly turning to look at him through the steamy bathroom as he leans on the wall, his arms crossed. It crosses my mind I’m just wearing a bra and I don’t know what is more concerning. My lack of clothing or him being in here. His red hair is tied at the nape of his neck, and he has stubble on his jaw I didn’t notice before. A black cape falls off his thick, massive shoulders, and he is wearing a crisp white shirt tucked into tight black trousers that look more from my world than this place. My hair and clothes are soaked, and Lysander’s green eyes linger far too long on my body before rising to meet my eyes. “Not many are brave enough to call us that. Not to our faces, at least.”
I steel my back, hearing nothing but the pounding water falling down my back. How did he get in here? Was he always in here and I didn’t notice? I’m not scared of him. Well, he can’t see that I am.
“Trust me, everyone you’ve met has said that and worse about you behind closed doors,” I snarl, my hands shaking. “Now get out!”
Lysander laughs, watching me with interest. “You’re like a caged, trapped animal. Do you find us all that unattractive?”
