The Time Tournament (Order of the Dragon #1)

CHAPTER 26

Killian

“Killian, can you share your toy with your sister? She wants to play with it too.”

“But Master Darian gave it to me, not her.”

“It’s good to share your favorite things with family.”

“No way. What’s mine is mine, and no one else can touch it.”

August 1430

M ore than a year had passed since Rider Costin first entered my lair. During this time, I taught her everything I could about fighting. She learned extensive sword fighting, archery, spearing, and hand-to-hand combat. She even managed to fly Tarra to the village and back, but I forbade them from going further. She wasn’t ready yet. Fighting with weapons on the ground was one thing. The sky was much more unforgiving. Taddeus followed a similar path, but his air skills ensured a safer journey.

With limited capacity, I’ve made a decent warrior out of her. She couldn’t defeat a group of men yet, but she could certainly take on a couple. Though not with enough effort from me. Each night before sleeping, I would think of ways to improve her stance, weapon grips, or dragon maneuvering. Every night, I analyzed her weaknesses and small advantages to create the perfect blend of power, skill, and agility.

But despite all that effort, she felt the need to influence our father to make changes in our Keep. First, she asked for Taddeus to stay in our lair like it was a dormitory. Father agreed. Then she insisted on adding doors to our chambers. A thousand years of tradition in keeping the marble pristine, ruined by the whims of one human’s need for privacy.

Next, she asked for a cook at the Keep. Father brought a cook and a maid. To clean what? Slabs of marble? Or the damn doors? Now we were forced to eat dinner at the Keep and skip hunting altogether. Where was the thrill in that?

When Father discovered Costin was cold and too stubborn to admit it, he brought every blanket and winter garment he could find from the villages at the mountain’s base. He even heated up boulders and, in dragon form, carried them into her chamber. Even though he didn’t fit through the frame, he’d push them with his snout until they rolled into a corner. The sheer privilege this woman got. Recently, Tarra insisted we celebrate birthdays, especially Costin’s since she was turning twenty. How was this my problem again?

Nevertheless, I would have agreed to these pointless requests if we had a steady stream of training days. But each celebration or dinner cut our practice time significantly. On top of that, my soldiers had the nerve to mock me. Not to my face, of course—they knew better than that. But with secret whispers, as if I couldn’t hear them. “When Killian touches fire, the fire gets burned. Killian doesn’t lose control. Control loses Killian. When Killian is late, everyone apologizes for being late.”

At some point, Taddeus and Costin had a competition to see who could come up with the best jab. Even Kovak and Novak joined in. Pathetic. I made them all compete in a swordsmanship contest the entire day until there was one winner. Costin lost first. It served her right for disrespecting her commander.

Father and Tarra doted on her as if she were the dragon princess, not us. These dragon shifters had nothing better to do than fawn over a regular human, like she was a kitten. There was nothing special about her. I only agreed to train her because I couldn’t reason with my family and because of her stubborn determination. None of it made sense, but I gave up fighting their delusional dreams and went along with it.

It had been a year and two months since Mother died. The Time Tournament had to be announced soon. Despite the Time War, Sigismund wouldn’t stop testing all the dragons just to prove his were the best. Excluding the last tournament, The Viridians have dominated all the games until now. It was hard to argue with that. Would my riders rise to the challenge? They had to. We could only return home as winners.

“Prince Valkorian,” the maid said. “Lord Valkorian is requesting your presence.”

“Rider Costin, make sure you don’t lose the sword battle first this time,” I said. My words made her hands sweat on the grip even more. I always enjoyed taunting her. Maybe more than others. Her irritation and bewilderment made my day pass faster.

I ambled to my father’s closed-door study. Inside, I found Father reading a letter.

“You wanted to speak, Father?”

“Yes, I received a letter from His Majesty, Vlad II. He believes Sigismund will announce the Time Tournament soon.”

I knew it. “How soon?”

“Traditionally, it’s held during the winter season. Sigismund already promised Vlad his inclusion in the Order of the Dragon. But the king’s continued support in claiming the Wallachian throne and reestablishing our leadership over the Other Realm relies on our performance. ”

“Understood. What do you want us to do?”

“Is Rider Costin ready?”

“She’s close.”

“We’ll have to give her a prismwater weapon to use in the sky. The blacksmith can help you with that.”

“Don’t you think it’s riskier? If she hurts herself, the damage will be significant.”

“The other houses have acquired prismwater weapons of their own.”

“How? It’s part of our heritage land.”

“They’ve had plenty of time to find ways to steal it.”

“Bastards.” My fists clenched, anger pulsing through my veins. “What do you propose we do?”

“If Rider Taddeus and the Mihel brothers have prismwater weapons, Rider Costin must have one too.”

I nodded. “I’ll take care of it.” I turned to leave.

“And another thing. You’ll have to fly to His Majesty’s residence in a couple of days. He requested to speak to you personally.”

“It will detract from our preparedness, but it can’t be helped.” I turned to the door.

“And another thing.”

“What now?”

“Take Rider Costin with you.”

“Why would I? She’s not even my rider.” I looked at my father, doubting his mental sanity.

“She needs all the flying practice she can get, and you’re the best suited to guide her through the most challenging parts of sky travel. ”

“She doesn’t know these lands, Father.”

“There are maps for that.”

“How will she navigate a map and steer me?”

“If she doesn’t gain practice outside our grounds, all our efforts will be in vain.”

“It always comes down to what she needs, doesn’t it? Your beacon of hope.”

“Hasn’t she proven herself yet?”

“Will it be enough?” I finally left.

I marched to my soldiers and ordered them to stand in a row. “Riders, the day has come. King Sigismund will announce the Time Tournament soon. Nothing much will change in our training, except for the addition of prismwater weapons.”

“Commander, I have a question,” Rider Costin said. The bigger question was when didn’t she have one.

“What is it, Rider Costin?”

“Am I also going to compete in the tournament?”

“Are you part of the Fire Legion?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then that answers your question.”

“But I thought only air-wielders can compete in the tournament,” she said.

“Other riders wield other elements, not just air. But it’s true, only element-wielders compete in the tournament.”

“So how come I am included? I have no powers whatsoever.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. The Fates were testing me hard. “Rider Costin, when you chose to become a rider in the village hall, you agreed to do everything the Fire Legion requires, including tournaments. How is that hard to understand?”

“Well, I was thinking I would be fighting in battles and wars, and such,” she said.

“This is war,” I roared.

Everyone froze, including the kitten rider.

“The tournament requires two main riders and two secondary riders. We have the complete set. The only thing left to do is win. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Commander,” all the riders answered, squaring their shoulders. That was better.

“Now, tomorrow I am flying to Vlad II’s new residence. He has returned from Constantinople, and we have matters to discuss. I will be taking a rider.” I scrutinized each of my soldiers. Everyone looked eager—except Rider Costin, who avoided my gaze. “I’ll be taking Rider Costin.”

The next day, we were in the air. Even under her helmet covering her entire face, I could feel her excitement, which made it more irritating than I expected. What was she happy about? She clearly hadn’t experienced a bird ramming into her at full speed, or rain, thunder, lightning, dust—the list could go on.

We flew over the plains and the village. I had to make sure not to rise too high, otherwise she would lose consciousness. Then a long stretch of our flight would be over woods—mountain woods, plain woods, and a mix of both. For someone who had practiced dragon riding for almost a year, Costin still made rookie mistakes. Her back and arms were too stiff when holding the crest reins. Her legs kept shifting after my scales locked in, forcing me to readjust. For the most part, she didn’t know much about how to steer me. Several times, she took a wrong turn, and we had to land to reassess. What was the point of Father giving her a map if she didn’t even follow it?

After another forced pit stop and a good scolding, Rider Costin finally showed improvement. Sometimes, it seemed like her reason for improving was to spite me or to prove me wrong. That made me want to taunt and discipline her even more. The sacrifices of a commander.

As we continued flying, her grasp of the crest reins grew, her steering became smoother, and her straddling steadier. This woman could do anything if you angered her enough. A spitfire of a woman.

“I see the city, I see the city,” she yelled and began shifting in her seat. Again. I dove sharply, forcing her to her senses as she fumbled with the reins. Another lesson learned. Afterward, she didn’t miss a beat until we landed in a nearby forest.

When she dismounted, she took off her helmet but kept the cloth coif. With her hands in front and eyes to the ground, she looked like a guilty kitten awaiting her punishment. Lucky for her, I wasn’t in the mood, and His Majesty was already awaiting us. I put on my uniform, and we walked to his house located on the main square of the city.

She took off the coif, revealing two disheveled braids with strands sticking out everywhere. “Pull yourself together.” I pointed at her hair. “And follow me. We are about to meet Vlad II, son of Mircea the Elder.” She slicked her wayward strands earnestly and scurried to follow my steps.

“But I already met him.”

“It doesn’t matter. Now you will meet him as a dragon rider. Keep your mouth shut and leave soon after.”

“But why should I leave if his speech will concern our legion?”

I stopped in my tracks and scrutinized her. Was she serious? Unfortunately, she was. I continued my walk. “Political affairs are between higher-ups. Riders are never involved in such matters. Your concern should be improving your skills.”

“Then what do you expect me to do? Just wait here?”

It was as if she didn’t hear me or my orders. “Do you ever listen? Improve your skills and study His Majesty’s territory, castle entrances, and exits. Compared to this castle, Nuremberg Castle is ten times larger. You’ll need the practice.”

“All I do is study, practice, and fight.” It was the first time I heard her complain since her beginner days. I think she had other expectations coming here.

“If you assumed we were to attend a ball, you’ve gravely miscalculated. Our presence here is purely political. Whatever you’re imagining will happen during the Time Tournament in Nuremberg. Though we have yet to receive a date.”

The unintentional promise reinvigorated her. This woman never ceased to surprise me.

We were invited to Vlad’s Hall. Inside, with chairs on either side of the path, Vlad II, dressed in a military uniform, sat on a metal-woven throne dignified of a king. Soon we would make it happen.

“Commander Valkorian, welcome. Is this one of your riders?”

“Yes, her name is Rider Costin.”

“I’m honored, Rider Costin,” Vlad II said.

“The honor is all mine.” She bowed.

“Wonderful. Would you like to sit with us at the table?”

“Sire? Is it appropriate?” I asked.

“Your father told me she’s not from our lands. Let her stay.”