The Time Tournament (Order of the Dragon #1)

CHAPTER 30

Elena

September 1430

A fter our little adventure in the woods, Killian changed. And in some ways, for the better. We still kept a neutral, even threatening stance during training, but off duty, he was suspiciously—how should I say—flirtatious. Not just with me, but with every woman he met. Then he would vanish for the evening and return close to midnight. One might think he loved taking flights at those hours. But thanks to the close-knit community we had, everyone knew who Killian spent the night with. It wasn’t just random gossip. It came directly from the women involved. They felt pride just to be with him for one night. And that’s the thing, every night it was a different one. At this pace, he’ll have worked his way through every woman in the village by year’s end—then what, start all over?

One evening, Tarra and I were sitting on a log fence, playing with our slingshots. She definitely didn’t need the training as much as I did.

“My brother’s coming early from his daily visit,” Tarra said. “He also looks drunk.”

“I hope he’s keeping track of his visits. Wouldn’t want anyone getting left out,” I said, aiming my slingshot at a nearby target.

“I’m sure they will let him know,” Tarra said in a mocking tone.

Killian walked closer and asked, “What are you doing here like chickens perched on a fence?” He smirked in a devastatingly charming way.

But Tarra didn’t let herself be swayed by his words. “Why are you so early from your nightly visits, Brother? Were you so unlucky as to find the father instead of the daughter again?”

“Luckily, it’s none of your damn business,” he said and continued walking. What an insufferable Jerk Face.

“I hope you didn’t murder her and hide her in the woods,” I chimed in.

“How I murder is usually between the sheets.” He looked at me with glassy, hooded eyes. He was definitely drunk. “If you’re that curious, I can show you.” He kept walking, not breaking stride as he vanished into the Keep.

My jaw lost its hinges and almost fell to the ground. He’d never flirted with me so obviously before.

“What an ass. Don’t pay attention to my brother. He’s too drunk to understand who he’s talking to. Sometimes I’m not sure who he truly is. I hope you didn’t take that to heart.”

“Please, me? I can handle a few offhand remarks. But don’t you feel like he’s changed?”

“Nah, that’s how he was before Mother died. If he were human, he would’ve made a brood of children by now.”

I could easily imagine Killian being overly flirtatious in his younger years. He had everything going for him, so it wasn’t a surprise. The surprise came from the discrepancy between Killian the Legion Commander and Killian the village’s bad boy. They didn’t align in my head at all.

“He also brawled a lot,” Tarra continued.

“He did?”

“Yes, as a young dragon boy, he had a lot of energy to burn. At first, he fought on the street with other boys. When he grew up, he went to the tavern to get his fill. A few have died.”

“He killed them?” My jaw dropped.

“Everyone knew not to brawl with him, but someone always thought they could win.”

“What changed?”

“Father promised he would let him compete in the Time Tournament. That one led to a complete disaster and a war. Though it wasn’t completely his fault, he still took the blame.”

“Then this new tournament must mean a lot to him.”

“That’s an understatement. But we’ll do our best, isn’t that right, Rider?” She wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

“Do you think we’re ready?” I asked.

“Of course. I only wish I could bring Soraya there. She’s been flying with me for a while now.”

“Do you like her?” I raised a brow.

“Who, me?” Tarra asked, startled. “No—well, yes. But just as a friend.”

“And nothing more?”

“Well, I don’t think it’s right.” She looked at her feet.

“And who sets these rules?”

“No one, I guess.”

“You know you can like anyone, Tarra. Sometimes feelings can grow for those you don’t expect.”

“Are you talking about me? Or you?” Tarra grinned.

“Me? What do you mean?”

“I’ve seen how you look at him. It reminds me of how I look at Soraya.”

“You mean Laszlo. He and I are friends.” I flicked my wrist.

“No, I meant Killian.”

I almost choked. “Are you kidding me? Killian? All-victory-and-nothing-but-victory Killian Valkorian?” I asked mockingly.

“Didn’t you just say that we don’t always choose who we grow feelings for?” She looked at me inquisitively.

“Yes, but not Killian. That would be just wrong on so many levels.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“Didn’t you just say he’s killed a bunch of people and slept with half the village?”

“Yes, but—”

“But I don’t want to hear about it.” I raised a finger to shush her. “We should focus more on the tournament.”

“If you say so. But I’m going to bring Soraya too.”

Laszlo walked over to us.

“Are you back from your mother’s?” Tarra asked.

“Yes, I barely ripped myself away from there.”

“Is your mother talking to you yet?” I asked.

“No, but my sisters stuffed my satchel with all kinds of food. Do you want some?”

“Of course.”

He pulled out some cheese and dry bread and handed us a slice of each. “Are you excited about the tournament?” he asked.

“Um, more like aware,” I said.

“I can’t wait to go up against the Viridians. They always win.” He bit into his piece of bread.

“I still don’t really understand who the Viridians and Ceruleans are. It’s confusing,” I said.

“There are five dragon houses based on the color of their scales,” Tarra explained. “Crimsons are red, Viridians are green, Ceruleans are blue, Cimmerians are dark gray, and Aurelians are gold. ”

“There are golden dragons?”

“Only one. Due to their coloring, people hunt them. Sometimes they succeed.”

“That’s horrible. But what do all these houses have to do with the tournament?”

“The games are mostly for Sigismund’s enjoyment and to show off his alliance with the Viridian house. But deep down, it’s all about the Order of the Dragon. It all started back in 1408 when Sigismund of Luxembourg signed a treaty with Lord Valkorian to unite the Ordinary Realm and the Other Realm. Sigismund wanted all the dragon houses to join the Order of the Dragon. Lord Valkorian wanted to end the burning of the witches and the human attacks on our lands. By signing the treaty, they aimed to establish peace in both the Realms and the European countries that joined. The dragon houses were given the power to choose which countries they would ally with. Currently, those countries are Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Aragon, and Wallachia. All of them pledged allegiance to Sigismund and the Order in the fight against the Ottoman Empire.”

“Why doesn’t Sigismund use all these dragons to fight the Turks?” I asked.

“Though our existence is a secret, we pledged to join his forces. But the Turks have dragons of their own. Especially, Evren, a water dragon. He is so large, he could destroy us all once he crosses the banks of the Danube. Our best bet is to keep him on the other side of the river. We can do that if the Order allies with as many countries as possible. ”

“I see.”

“I wish I could defeat Evren. All that glory…” Laszlo said more to himself.

“Won’t winning the Time Tournament be just as glorious?” Tarra asked.

“It would. I’ve already trained my cloud to release two lightnings at the same time,” Laszlo said with pride.

“How can I compete with that?” I said dejectedly.

“I heard the Commander plans to take you to the blacksmith tomorrow,” he whispered.

“And?” I looked at him incredulously.

“That means you’re going to get a new weapon,” Tarra said, clapping her hands.

“We already have weapons. What use would a new one bring me?”

“It’ll probably be made out of prismwater,” Laszlo said, and Tarra nodded.

“They make prismwater weapons at the blacksmith’s shop? Isn’t that dangerous?”

“Danko is the best at that. You’re lucky you’re getting a weapon made by him. He’s a master at his craft,” Laszlo said.

“Do you have one?” I asked.

“I do. A sword,” Laszlo said. “Kovak and Novak got axes.”

“When did you get them?”

“A few months into training,” he said. “But he forbid us to use them until he gives the order.”

“Why didn’t I get one?” I asked but only silence followed. “Because he wasn’t sure I would survive the training, huh?”

“The good news is you’re getting one now,” Tarra said cheerfully.

“What do you think I’ll get? A giant sword? Or a bow and arrow?” I asked, trying to think of all the weapons we use.

“I hope you don’t get a bow and arrow. You’re not very good at it,” Tarra said.

“Hey,” I retorted. “I got better as of two days ago.”

“Uh-huh, last time I saw you, you almost pierced Killian’s ear.”

He would definitely look hot with a piercing. “Well, I didn’t,” I said, crossing my arms. “There’s enough time to practice. Maybe next time I’ll either hit the target or our Commander’s balls. A win either way.”

Everyone laughed, but something tugged at my chest. What the heck was that?

“If the Commander plans on taking me to the blacksmith tomorrow, I’d rather go get some sleep. See you later,” I said.

“Right on,” Laszlo said.

But I didn’t want to sleep. I needed to be alone with my thoughts. How could Tarra even consider the notion that I liked Killian? Yes, the memory of that kiss still lingered, but nothing much could be done about that. And I didn’t show any signs I might be interested in him. How did Tarra assume such a thing? It was mind-boggling, to say the least .

I crashed into the blanket-covered marble chair and sighed. I’ve been tired for months now, but nothing tired me more than figuring out Killian and his actions. Sometimes it felt like his body operated differently from his mind, on opposite spectrums even. Sometimes he was colder than this marble, and other times, he burned like a torch. And sometimes, it happened on the same day. Maybe I was imagining it. It was all some trickery of my imagination. The kiss might’ve been an accident, but everything that followed wasn’t. The subtle and not-so-subtle flirting, the hand grabbing, the jokes. His raspy voice, his oh-so-rare smiles, the way he carried himself when close to me. Did any of it have any meaning or was I being overly optimistic?

Wait, wait, Elena. Overly optimistic about what? Please, don’t tell me you ... I stood up, trying to distance myself from my thoughts. I paced around the room, trying to make sense of what my heart already knew. No, no. It can’t be. You’re a fool, El. You’re a masochistic fool. I started banging my head on the closest wall. He’ll never love you. He has too much shit to deal with. There is no place for you in his heart. I knew it. He knew it. Probably.

I banged my forehead too hard, walked a few steps backward, and fell on the bed. Despite having so many covers, it still managed to make me feel like a pancake in a pan. I looked at the beautiful pictures of dragons Tarra drew on the ceiling and bit my lower lip. I was screwed. What the heck was I going to do now?

I’ve fallen for the biggest asshole in the universe, and he’ll never even know.