《Complications》


 I.

    Jefinscha was a wretched place to hold a dragon race.


    The whole kingdom was miserably hot, with at least a thousand different kinds of obnoxious little bugs.


    Petra knew she had more important things to think about right then than the location, butgood god was this place awful. Rhys didn''t look any happier; the bright teal steed was much better suited for cool climates than warm ones.


    It was the semifinals of Crelang''s Great Dragon Race, and Petra, along with the rest of her team, were about to soar their way to victory.


    Hopefully.


    The stands around the massive stadium were packed; no matter how hot it may be in this accursed kingdom, the semifinals of the race were something no one wanted to miss. Petra and her dragon were currently hesitating near the racer''s entrance to the track, waiting for her friends. There were a number of other people milling around; dragon riders, sponsors, spectators, and everything in-between.


    This would be the last day of the semifinals, assuming everything went well. This year, the fliers for the kingdom of Gadan were the ones finishing off the competition- all the other kingdoms had already found their final champions in the week before.


    The leader of her team, a small, dark-skinned young woman named Jesse, walked up to her. "Hey, Petra. You ready? How''s Rhys holding up?"


    Petra shrugged, then flicked a lock of sweat-sticky orange hair away from her face. "Ready as I''ll ever be. Rhys hates everything about this, though."


    The turquoise-hued dragon snarled unenthusiastically, as if agreeing with her.


    "She''ll feel better once you start flying." Jesse smiled sympathetically up at Petra, the top of her head being barely level with Petra''s shoulder. Although she was flying for Gadan, her family originated from the kingdom of Ajiren, which was primarily known for the short stature of its native residents.


    "Hope so. Where''s Axel and Olivia? Are we sticking with our usual lineup?" Petra asked, only partially interested in the answers. She always found herself deep in a strange sort of apathy before races, as though the ''competitor'' part of her mind wasn''t willing to waste energy on having emotions.


    "Liv''s getting our colours; I don''t know where Axel is. And yes, of course we are. Why change what works?" As she said this, Jesse reached up to pet the small coral dragon resting on her shoulder. Not many people owned dragons, and most of those who did only had one. But Jesse had two; her graceful black riding dragon, Anoss, and her small goofball of what was supposed to be a hunting dragon, whom she''d dubbed Reuben.


    Petra shrugged again, then uncomfortably asked, "Any sign of the Ocelots yet?"


    Jesse''s expression hardened. "No." she said curtly. Petra immediately wished she hadn''t asked.


    The Ocelots were their rival team, who seemed to have been put deliberately in their lives to screw things up. The worst part was that they weren''t just obnoxious; they were a formidable team. Had they been less of a challenge in the races, they wouldn''t have been nearly so annoying.


    But they were skilled riders with fast dragons, which made them not only a nuisance, but something that stood firmly in the way of the Order of the Stone winning the races.


    Plus, they had a ridiculously unoriginal team name, in Petra''s opinion. Most people, her team included, went with something vague and somewhat pretentious, that may or may not have a strange story behind it. She knew a few other teams who had named themselves after animals, but...theOcelots? What, were all the bigger, more intimidating cat names already taken?


    This is why I''m a dog person, she thought idly.


    The third member of their team hurried over, waving their colours. "We''re gold and black this year." Olivia announced, handing the other two women their armbands.


    "Cool. Nice and simple." Jesse said, tying hers neatly around her left bicep. Olivia had to help Petra with hers.


    Olivia''s chosen steed was a ruby-red, four-winged dragon whom she called Ksuntis. He was not as flat-out fast as Rhys or Anoss, but was certainly more nimble, and absolutelyownedthe agility portion of the race. Petra had once seen them come out of an insane dive mere feet above the ground.


    "Aaah I''m nervous." Olivia declared. Jesse shot her a complicated look. "You''ll be fine. You and Ksuntis could probably do this race blindfolded and still stay on course."


    "Saying that doesn''t actually make me less stressed, you know." Olivia informed her, arching a dark brow.


    "You''ll be fine."Jesse repeated. "I went around and looked at some of our other competition, and most of ''em look like rookies."


    "Just because they''re rookies doesn''t mean they aren''t fast." Olivia shot back.


    Jesse smoothed her dark, pink-streaked ponytail over her shoulder and calmly said, "We''re fast too. I''m telling you, we''ve got this."


    A male voice called mockingly from behind them, "Telling jokes before the race, huh?Claimingyou''ve ''got this'' doesn''t exactly make it true."


    Petra whirled around, her expression sinking into a glare. A quartet of people had seemingly appeared behind them, all in matching black vests and looking ready for trouble.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    The Ocelots themselves, speak of the devil.


    "Shove off, Aiden." Jesse snapped immediately. They were both the leaders of their respective teams, and had a complicated hatred for each other.


    The brown-haired man crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, why in sae would I do somethingyoutell me?"


    "Because we''re about to race. There''s no point stirring up trouble now when you can just wait ''til the competition to see who''s ''got this'' and who''s all talk." Olivia countered.


    "This, from the team who hasn''t beat us in...how many years?" Maya laughed, earning deep scowls from all three Order girls.


    What she had said was only partially true. The Order had never managed to beat the Ocelots...but the rival team hadn''t ever placed in the semifinals either. Most times, the two teams came in second and third in normal races, or third and fourth if there was more than one professional team involved.


    But this year, Petra was sure that things would be different. Most of the ''expert'' teams had either retired or were flying for different kingdoms, and the Order had considerably improved since the last big race- they were nearly a professional team on their own.


    "Just face it. You sorry lot of wing lice are never going to beat us." Aiden sneered. "A fancy title and new dragon-saddles aren''t hiding the fact that you''re still a buncha'' small-townlosers."


    Petra curled her fingers into tight fists. It was illegal for riders to interact during the actual race, but that wouldn''t stop her from pummeling him right now.


    Before she could start a fight, a new voice chimed in. "Hey, Aiden, knock it off. Let''s just go."


    Her eyes darted to the speaker. She had hardly noticed the other two Ocelots standing slightly behind Aiden and Maya. She didn''t know Gill very well...but she was all too familiar with Lukas.


    The young blond man was supposed to be the ''nice one'' of that group, but Petra wasn''t seeing it. He seemed nicer only because he wasn''t as outspoken as Maya or Aiden. In her experience, he could be just as mean as the first two, just in a subtler way.


    He also had an odd relationship with the leader of the Ocelots, though Petra hadn''t yet found out the details of it.


    Aiden turned to give Lukas a sharp look. "What is it with people and trying to order me around today?"


    "Aiden, seriously. They''re not worth it." The blond said calmly. "We need to go get our colours, and there''s not much time left."


    The leader hesitated for a moment more, then let out an annoyed huff and turned away. "Fine. We''ll see you losers on the track." He said as the Ocelots stalked off, leaving the three women to their anger.


    For a moment, Lukas glanced back, catching Petra''s eye. He held her gaze for a few moments, then smiled slightly and turned away.


    "I think I''m going to kill him someday." Jesse said thoughtfully. Her voice was eerily calm.


    "Fine by me." Petra snarled. "Let''s take them all out at once, actually. We can make it look like an accident."


    The leader glanced over at Olivia, who was scowling. "You don''t think those tricks''ll do anything in the race, do you?"


    "They''ll be disqualified if they do. Doesn''t mean they won''t try, though."


    Right then, Axel hurried up to them, completing their team of four. "Where have youbeen?" Olivia chastised. Her voice had taken on a snippy tone since the encounter with their rivals, which Axel noticed immediately. He paused in his tracks, raising a dark eyebrow at her.


    "Just looking around. There''s always so much to see at the semis." he explained cautiously. He had a point- dragon races as significant as this were always packed with interesting people and things, but Olivia wasn''t in the mood to listen.


    "Yeah, well, we have a race to win. We should get to the track." The umber-skinned woman said, tossing the extra black-and-gold armband to Axel.


    "We still have some time." Jesse contradicted mildly. As if it had heard her, an amplified voice suddenly called, "Dragon riders, begin making your way to the track! I repeat: Racers, head to the track!"


    Jesse laughed. "Whoops. Guess I was wrong."


    Without saying a word, Olivia turned and stalked off towards where their dragons were waiting. Officially, Petra was supposed to have kept Rhys in the makeshift stables with the others, but the beautiful teal dragon was horribly claustrophobic and got quite irritable if she was stuffed into a tight space with unfamiliar dragons.


    And if they were to have any chance of winning, they couldn''t afford to deal with claustrophobic reptiles.


    As the team was heading into the stables behind the stadium, Axel leaned in to whisper to Petra, "Dare I ask what happened before I showed up?"


    Petra let out an annoyed huff. "The Ocelots deemed it necessary to show their nasty faces. The usual mocking, you know."


    "Ahh. Yeah, that seems to be the recipe for riling Olivia up." He commented. "Well, I guess we''ll just have to prove those tricks wrong, yeah?"


    Looking over at him, Petra smiled lightly. Axel may have been one sae of an intimidating guy, but he was eternally positive. "Of course."


    Leading Rhys by the long blackrope cord attached to her bridle, Petra approached the riders'' entrance to the track. Dragons of all shapes and sizes were beginning to head that way as well, and she hurried to get ahead of the worst of the throng.


    The Order had their lineup memorized by heart. Jesse, the leader of the team, was always first. Anoss was wicked fast- with any luck, she should be able to get ahead of the pack.


    Olivia was next. The second lap was when riders were required to weave through a number of obstacles set high above the track, which tended to knock several participants out of the competition. Liv and Ksuntis, however, would have no problem getting through the obstacles and keeping the lead that Jesse would hopefully get them.


    The third lap was when things would start getting rough, which was when Axel and Elan did their best. The forest-green creature could muscle past other dragons like they weren''t even there, and even thoughriderswere not allowed to interact during the race, there was nothing stopping their mounts from engaging in tail-whipping, fire-breathing, or any other natural offenses.


    Then came Petra. She and Rhys were the fastest of the team, and if all went well, they would be the ones sailing across the finish line to victory once and for all.


    There was a large space reserved for the waiting riders and their dragons, and she stood off to the side while the other teams filed in and the first-lap fliers took their places, including Jesse. Axel and Olivia came up to her, both leading their dragons. Reuben was now resting on Axel''s shoulder, though his clever brown eyes were angled towards the track where he knew his mistress was.


    Axel seemed as alert and excited as he always did before a race, though Olivia seemed highly nervous and still a little irritable. She glanced up at the stands full of cheering people, then quickly looked away again.


    "You ready for this?" Axel asked. Petra grinned. "You know it."


    After a few minutes, the announcer called, "First-lap fliers, get in place! All other riders, clear the track! Spectators, hold onto your hats, becausethe race is about to begin!"


    "Ugh. Is that Soren commentingagain?When is someone gonna fire him?" Petra grumbled.


    Axel shrugged. "He''s not a bad commentator. I mean yeah, he''s dramatic and obnoxious, but he could be worse."


    "He''sbiased." The redhead snapped. "He completely ignores some of the best fliers, depending on which team they''re on."


    Before the tall man could say anything to this, the orange-haired commentator was speaking again. "Riders, I hope you''re ready! On your mark!"


    Petra watched as the line of dragons sunk down into predatory stances, preparing to leap into the air.


    "Get set!"


    They all lifted their wings, poised and ready for the signal.


    "GO!"

 II.

    A gun fired to signal the start of the race, but it was nearly lost by the roaring of the crowd as the dragons took to the sky. The sound of wingbeats filled the air as all of them jockeyed for a place.


    Anoss was off like a shot, her obsidian-black wings beating the air mercilessly. She immediately drew to the front of the pack, angling towards the inside.


    Another dragon was nearly level with her, a golden beast with pale green markings. Petra recognized it to be Vitos, Aiden¡¯s mount.


    Petra let out a loud whoop, shouting her support for Jesse. Beside her, Axel did the same, and Reuben soon joined in with a high-pitched crowing noise. They knew that Jesse wouldn¡¯t be able to hear them, but didn¡¯t hesitate to make a racket nonetheless.


    It became obvious how truly massive the stadium was when all the dragons were flying like this. The riding-dragons of Crelang were not the mountain-sized beasts you may be imagining; rather, most of them were a little larger than the ordinary draft horse. The reptilian beasts came in many sizes, of course, but that was the average for racing.


    There were at least twenty dragons out on the track, all trying to get ahead of the others. At the moment, though, it was clear that Jesse and Aiden were in the lead, followed closely by a creamy-white dragon that Petra didn¡¯t recognize. The rest of the pack was hot on their tails, though the gap between them wasn¡¯t getting any smaller.


    The leading dragons soon wheeled around the curve of the oval track, heading towards where they had started. Olivia and the other second-lap fliers were already prepared- they could take off as soon as the previous team member landed.


    Anoss swooped low, then suddenly folded her wings and stopped gracefully on the track, just behind Ksuntis.


    The red dragon was instantly in the air, all four wings flapping rapidly. Maya¡¯s dragon, a snakey cobalt-blue creature named Laita, was just a heartbeat behind him.


    ¡°GOOOO OLIVIA!¡± Axel bellowed, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify his shout. Petra, who had gone temporarily quiet, shouted again as well. ¡°COME ON, LIV! GO GO GO!¡± They were both going to entirely lose their voices after this, but it was worth it.


    Jesse came hurrying up to them, grinning widely and leading Anoss. The black dragon was looking very pleased with herself, and for good reason. ¡°Axel, you should go mount up. Those laps are shorter than they seem.¡±


    ¡°Right, I know.¡± he replied as Reuben scrambled off his shoulder to get to Jesse, whacking his face with a coral-scaled wing as he went.


    ¡°Make us proud.¡± Petra said, playfully punching his shoulder.


    Axel turned and gave her a wide smile. ¡°When do I not?¡±


    He and Elan hurried off, and Petra turned her attention back to the race. A few other dragons had caught up to Olivia, but Petra knew they would soon be shaken off. They were nearly halfway around the track, which was right when the obstacles started.


    While a few other racers slowed down going into the hurdles, Ksuntis didn¡¯t lose a second. He shot upwards and twisted, dove, and weaved with incredible grace through and past the various obstructions. Over a particularly high beam, around a thick pole, and through several large hoops in one elegant zigzag.


    Petra watched as several other dragons fell out of the competition, colliding with barriers and getting knocked off course. One of the other near-leaders was one of these, but, to Petra¡¯s chagrin, Maya and her dragon were not.


    Ksuntis had gotten through the obstacles and rocketed into full speed again, with only a few dragons close behind. He began gradually sloping downwards even farther, angling as much to the inside of the track as he could.


    In only a few moments, the red dragon had touched the ground, and Elan took off like she¡¯d been shot from a cannon, Axel whooping loudly on her back. The emerald-green dragon was even larger than the average riding dragon, with massively powerful wings, plated scales, and a thick spiny tail. She was built for this role; elbowing through the other riders as things became more intense in the second-to-last lap.


    Leaving Jesse to cheer Axel on, Petra led Rhys down to the starting line on the track. The teal dragon seemed excited, letting out a happy little growl as Petra clambered onto her back.


    ¡°You know what to do, girl.¡± She murmured, and Rhys chirruped assertively in reply. Petra grinned, reaching over to rub her hand along her dragon¡¯s elegant neck.


    She sat up straighter, adjusting her grip on the reigns. Every single nerve felt like it was buzzing, and she couldn¡¯t wait to take off.


    Petra had hardly even noticed the other riders on either side of her, but now she glanced briefly at them. On her right was an unfamiliar young woman on a sleek dark-magenta dragon, but on her left¡­


    She caught the bright, clever blue eyes of Lukas again, and inwardly cursed. She¡¯d known that she¡¯d be up against him, but it had somehow temporarily slipped her mind.


    She had to beat him, or she¡¯d never be able to live with herself.


    Petra turned her attention back to the race. Several other dragons were catching up to Axel, but they were unable to get past Elan¡¯s bulk.


    She watched as two other steeds snapped and hissed at each other directly behind Axel, a black-and-white dragon with a redheaded rider and a deep indigo beast whom Petra was pretty sure belonged to Gill. They were too far away now to make out the details of the other riders, but she remembered having seen that dragon with their rivals in the past.


    The black-and-white dragon seemed like it was trying to swoop lower and get under Elan to overtake her, but it couldn¡¯t get close enough. Every time it tried to inch beneath her, the green dragon would swing her weighted tail and narrowly avoid hitting it in the face. The indigo dragon, however, was very nearly wingtip-to-wingtip with Elan, who couldn¡¯t do anything to him without endangering her place in the lead.


    The three leaders came wheeling around the bend, diving down as they prepared to land. Petra tensed and felt Rhys do the same beneath her. In just a few seconds, this would all be down to them.


    Axel and Gill came to a stop at almost exactly the same time, and Rhys launched herself into the air with Lukas¡¯s silver dragon right beside her. Petra urged her mount slightly upwards and closer to the inside, though she hardly even had to give the command. She¡¯d been riding Rhys for years- they very nearly shared the same brain.


    Wind whipped back Petra¡¯s short orangey hair as they shot through the air. She could hardly even hear the noise of the crowd due to the gale in her ears.


    Faster. Faster.


    Rhys was simply built for speed, and she was proving that right now. They rocketed around the first bend, wings beating rhythmically.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Faster.


    Petra became dimly aware of a large silver problem right next to her. Despite the insane speed she was going at, her rival was still directly beside her. He happened to glance over right then, and winked in her direction.


    Petra growled in annoyance, urging Rhys to pour on even more speed. She did, but just barely. The teal steed was at her max, and apparently, so was the silver dragon.


    They were neck-and-neck, hurtling towards the second curve. This would be over in less than a minute and, suddenly, Petra wasn¡¯t sure how it would end.


    Faster.


    Rhys pulled ahead, ever so slightly. The silver dragon snarled, but apparently couldn¡¯t speed up any more. Instead, he rose upwards slightly- not quite enough to fly over the top of Rhys, but nearly.


    The two dragons careened around the arc of the track, Rhys still in the fragile lead. Petra noticed the intense noise of the crowd; this was about to be a very interesting finish, and everyone knew it.


    Petra angled Rhys downwards, steering towards the finish line. They could make it. They would make it.


    Victory, here we come.


    Then, the silver dragon dove. Rhys was going a little faster, but Lukas¡¯s mount had more momentum. The two of them soared across the finish line, at exactly the same time.


    Petra tugged on the reigns, and Rhys screeched to a halt, landing on the track ground. The crowd was in uproar as the other racers landed as well.


    The announcer was shouting excitedly, though Petra could hardly hear him due to the ringing in her ears.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe this! For the first time in over twenty years, we have a tie! It¡¯s unheard of! That was undoubtedly the most incredible finish I¡¯ve ever seen! Petra of the Order and Lukas of the Ocelots, tied for first!¡±


    A tie.


    Petra dismounted, looking vaguely around for Lukas. She wanted to flatten him. A tie. A matris-dreefing tie.


    The clamor of the spectators was almost unbearable. In lesser dragon-races, this wouldn¡¯t be such a big deal. But this was the semifinals, for gods¡¯ sake. Ties simply didn¡¯t happen.


    The rest of her team came hurrying up, their dragons trailing excitedly behind. Petra watched them approach with dull detachment.


    ¡°You did great! That was incredible!¡± Jesse exclaimed, throwing an arm around her. The redhead didn¡¯t move, even as Reuben hopped onto her shoulder, chirring gleefully.


    ¡°That was the best race I¡¯ve ever seen! I didn¡¯t know Rhys could go that fast!¡± Axel said enthusiastically.


    This hardly even registered through Petra¡¯s numb rage. ¡°We tied. I can¡¯t believe it. Tied for first. Neither of us get the prize. I cannot believe this.¡±


    ¡°Petra, that doesn¡¯t matter! You were amazing!¡± Axel tried to console her, but Petra wasn¡¯t having it.


    ¡°It does matter! We needed to win!¡± she hissed, balling her hands into fists. ¡°We need that prize, and you know it! If we¡­¡±


    At this moment, she caught sight of their rival team congratulating Lukas. He happened to glance her way, and sent a satisfied grin in her direction. Petra cut off into another growl, and Olivia turned to see what she was looking at.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him.¡± Petra snarled. Jesse firmly caught ahold of her wrist. ¡°You already know you can¡¯t do that.¡± she chided.


    ¡°If we let her murder him, would we get the prize, or would we be disqualified?¡± Olivia mused. Jesse shot her a look, and she quickly raised her hands in defense. ¡°I¡¯m kidding, I¡¯m kidding.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if I¡¯m disqualified. I¡¯m going to strangle that smug trick and let Rhys burn his bones.¡± snapped Petra, glaring fiercely in the direction of the Ocelots. If looks could kill, the blond rider should already be under a headstone.


    Olivia had turned her attention to the judges¡¯ booth, where the announcer appeared to be preparing to speak again. ¡°Guys, listen up. I think-¡±


    ¡°Everyone, everyone! Can I regain your attention!¡± the announcer called, trying to quiet the excited crowd. ¡°The judges have been consulted, and a decision has been reached!¡±


    Petra crossed her fingers, praying that they¡¯d somehow ruled in her favor.


    ¡°This was indeed an exact tie! It¡¯s almost unheard of, but it¡¯s true! If the two winners would make their way to the judges¡¯ booth, we are intending to schedule a rematch. I repeat; there will be a rematch.¡±


    Shaking Jesse¡¯s hand off her arm, Petra thrust Rhys¡¯s reigns towards Olivia. ¡°Hold Rhys. I¡¯m gonna make sure this is over as soon as possible.¡±


    She started to stalk towards the judges, hearing Jesse¡¯s voice behind her. ¡°Alright. Axel, can you go with her to make sure she doesn¡¯t decide to pound Lukas into dust?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± the Order man agreed, hurrying after Petra. She ignored him.


    Lukas and Aiden were already there. The brunette gave her a very self-satisfied look, but Petra just flashed a middle finger in his direction and turned away.


    One of the judges, a tall woman with thick chestnut hair pulled back into two elegant coils on the sides of her head, had left the booth to address the two racers. ¡°We¡¯ve decided that the redo round must be held as soon as possible. It will only be you two racing- no one else was close enough to count.¡±


    Petra sputtered for a second. ¡°B-but my team was ahead of them the whole time! Shouldn¡¯t we win by default?!¡±


    The woman shook her head. ¡°The last round is what matters the most. You were ahead of them, but not enough to declare you the winners. The best, fairest option is for you to redo the last round.¡±


    Resisting the urge to growl again, Petra said through gritted teeth, ¡°Fine. The sooner, the better, in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°Works for me.¡± Lukas agreed cheerfully.


    ¡°Great. It¡¯d be best to have this all resolved as soon as possible.¡± The judge clasped her hands together. ¡°Can you both be back here at noon tomorrow?¡±


    She was answered with a prompt ¡°Of course.¡± from Lukas and another begrudging ¡°Fine.¡± from Petra.


    Turning briskly away, Petra was only dimly conscious of the announcer saying something else. The audience was still going crazy- there had to have been some betting going on, and she was fairly certain no one in the crowd would¡¯ve gambled for that close a tie.


    It took a moment for her to realize that someone had caught her shoulder. She glanced behind her, to see that the person who¡¯d stopped her was none other than Lukas.


    Petra levelled another deadly glare at him, her brain filling with an assortment of poisonous words. For once, he seemed more aware of her onslaught of negativity towards him, and he faltered, removing his hand.


    ¡°I just, um¡­good job out there today.¡± he said simply. Petra turned completely around and drew herself to her full intimidating height.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. Good job, he says. Well, that definitely means a lot, coming from you.¡± She hissed sarcastically. ¡°Do you have any idea of the trouble this is gonna cause us? You do realize that some of us aren¡¯t just racing to satisfy our competitive streak, right?¡±


    His eyes widened slightly in a look of faint dismay, but Aiden appeared behind him before he could reply. Petra¡¯s glare deepened even further. Dealing with Lukas was one thing, dealing with the Ocelot leader was another.


    ¡°Oh, we know. You do realize that there are those of us who don¡¯t give two krins about your petty little issues, right?¡± the brunette mimicked. He rested his arm lightly over Lukas¡¯s shoulders, and grinned smugly at Petra.


    If Axel hadn¡¯t caught up to her and grabbed her wrist right then, everything might¡¯ve gone down a little differently. As it was, Petra was limited to cursing violently at him and making a few threatening motions with her unrestrained left arm. Aiden continued trying to antagonize her, making cutting remarks about their luck and altogether really acting like he wanted to get a beatdown.


    She hardly even noticed when Lukas turned and told Aiden to stop, she was so deep in her rage. Axel finally managed to drag her back to where Olivia and Jesse were waiting, with her muttering mutinously the entire time.


    Olivia gave her a both-eyebrows-raised, are-you-done-yet sort of look. ¡°So¡­?¡±


    ¡°One of these days, she¡¯s gonna get tossed in jail for murder, and I¡¯m not paying the bail.¡± was all Axel said.


    ¡°He was asking for it. I would¡¯ve been completely within my boundaries if I¡¯d snapped his neck right there.¡± Petra snarled. She tried to shake Axel¡¯s hand off her arm, but he didn¡¯t let her go.


    Jesse sighed. ¡°So, rematch tomorrow? Just you and Lukas?¡± she checked. Another small growl was all she got by way of reply.


    ¡°You know you can¡¯t race if you¡¯re still gearing up for murder.¡± Olivia admonished dryly. Petra¡¯s fierce glower got turned on her for a few seconds, but the redhead soon gave up when Olivia returned it with one of her own.


    ¡°Fine, okay. I¡¯m calm. I promise I won¡¯t go murder any of the Ocelots¡­today.¡±


    Jesse gave her a well-practiced frown. ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, Petra. I know you hate them, but you cannot get us disqualified from the race. You know how-¡±


    ¡°YEAH, I KNOW.¡± Petra snapped. And she did know- winning the semifinals was absolutely crucial for the Order. She knew very, very well, and she wasn¡¯t too keen on being reminded yet again.


    Reuben chirruped loudly from Jesse¡¯s shoulder, flaring his pink wings. She reached up to pet him again, sighing slightly. ¡°We should go, if we¡¯re gonna beat the rush of spectators to the exit.¡±


    Petra mutely followed the other three as they left the stadium. They were all still in fairly high spirits, since, tie or no, this had been their best race yet. Several other racers called out to them, offering congratulations and praise, but Petra hardly heard any of it, still simmering with rage.


    She was going to make the Ocelots- especially Lukas -pay for this, one way or another.

 III.

    Several hours later, her anger had mostly died down. She had to admit, that, even if they hadn''t won, it had been one sae of a good race.


    Petra made her way out to the dragon stables attached to the inn they were all staying at. As competitors in the semifinals, they got their pick of any of the inns in the city, and they''d made sure to stay at one with a decent stable.


    It was a deep-rooted habit for Petra to visit her dragon before she went to bed. The celebration of their almost-victory had been going on for hours, and she was tired out even though it really wasn''t that late. Another time, maybe, she''d stay up and celebrate and get drunk out of her mind with Axel, but not that night.


    Dragon-fire lamps lit the cobbled back path, though they were slightly dulled by the brilliant blind eye of the moon. Quiet snarls greeted her as she entered the stables, the dragons clearly displeased with being disturbed.


    Rhys was in one of the larger stalls, towards the back of the building. Petra briefly greeted Ksuntis and Anoss as she passed them, and they gave her small friendly huffs in reply. Elan was already asleep when she glanced into the green dragon''s stall, her beautiful emerald-scaled sides rising and falling as she breathed.


    Rhys chirred happily as Petra stood in front of her stall and reached up to rub the sides of her face. The shimmering turquoise dragon was a lot more affectionate than most of the dragons Petra knew, constantly begging for pets and attention. She was like an enormous, over-friendly cat.


    "We''re gonna beat them tomorrow, girl. I know it." Petra whispered to her dragon. "We have to."


    She was rewarded by a long purr from Rhys that was strangely comforting. She smiled and scratched Rhys''s chin, right where the turquoise scales lightened to a pearly white. "You''ll beat that little quicksilver problem; I just know you will." she crooned affectionately.


    Petra didn''t know what she''d do without Rhys. She''d raised her from a tiny dragonet, when she''d found the little beast wandering the edge of her hometown, starving and alone. Petra had only seen nine springs, and Rhys couldn''t have been more than a week or two old.


    Now, seventeen years later, Rhys was the best and most loyal friend she ever could''ve asked for. Every dragon rider had a bond with their mount, but theirs ran deeper than most.


    It hurt her heart to know that she may not be able to take care of Rhys for much longer.


    Rhys made another happy purring noise and turned away from Petra, settling down on the floor and tucking her tail over her spiny nose. Petra smiled. "Goodnight, girl."


    She paid more attention to the other dragons as she slowly walked towards the stable doors. There were mounts in every possible colour, their gem-like scales shining in the faint lamplight. Most of them were settling down to sleep, but there were several that still seemed pretty alert.


    Petra paused in front of a gloriously silver dragon that was horribly familiar. It made a strange sort of birdlike squeak noise, and she almost laughed at the oddness of it.


    "Well, hello." she murmured. "So you''re the one who''s causing us all this trouble."


    Lukas''s silver mount was admittedly very beautiful. It had very small, close-set, smooth scales that shone like a polished weapon, and intelligent deep green eyes that were dark enough to almost look black. It had round ears and a primarily smooth head, lacking a lot of the thorny spines and horns that decorated most dragons. Two long horns jutted back from just above and behind its eyes, but that was it.


    Petra couldn''t figure out if it was male or female. It had an elegantly narrow face that seemed somewhat feminine, but was missing the ruff below the ears that most girl dragons had.


    It squeak-chirped again and angled its head towards her. Petra snickered when she realized it was asking for pets.


    She reached over and ran her hand down the dragon''s metallic neck, and it purred happily. She grinned. "You''re a funny thing, aren''t you?"


    "He likes you."


    Petra gasped and whirled around at the sound of the new voice. She glanced around in a panic for a few moments before her eyes locked onto the blond man standing just inside the doors.


    She sank into a glare as Lukas strode easily towards her. "I''ve gotta say, that''s pretty unusual. Kicidian doesn''t warm up that quickly to just anyone."


    She crossed her arms as he leaned casually against the thick beam that separated the silver dragon''s stall from the one beside it. She was several inches taller than him, but he possessed a powerful sort of tranquility that she didn''t.


    Strangely enough, he didn''t even seem surprised to see her here, petting his dragon in the near middle of the night. He looked just as perfectly poised as he had earlier; hands tucked into the pockets of his trousers, pale hair perfectly tousled, blue eyes curious and calm.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Petra turned back to stroke the dragon''s nose again. "Fascinating." she said bitingly. "What are you doing here?"


    He took a moment before he answered, watching her with those cryptic eyes. "Wanted to visit my dragon. Though I must admit, it''s a sae of a stroke of luck to meet you here as well."


    Petra snorted. "Luck? You think you''re lucky to run into me?"


    "I''d call it that, yeah. Saves me the bother of actually having to look for you." He said with an offhand shrug.


    "And what if I decided to...get you out of the way, to save me the bother of racing again tomorrow?" she asked with a suggestive glare. She wasn''t actually planning on hurting him in any way, but he didn''t need to know that.


    To her surprise, his mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Well, I can''t say I''d blame you. But then you''d never hear what I have to say."


    "What makes you think I care about what you have to say?" she snapped.


    Again, it was a few moments before he answered. She couldn''t for the life of her figure out what he thought he was gaining by studying her the way he was. "Maybe you don''t. But..."


    He sighed and glanced down at the floor, shifting his weight. "I know you''re not happy with me. I''ve noticed that you don''t like me much, and I''m sure the whole mess with the tie today didn''t exactly assuage that."


    She let out another noise of disapproval. He continued, apparently undeterred. "But I''m hoping that if we both take some time to talk- and I mean actually talk, not just me talking and you grumbling -we can find some kind of middle ground. I don''t want you to think of me as an enemy."


    Petra crossed her arms. "You really think that you can just talk me out of hating you?"


    He raised an eyebrow. "Do you?"


    "Do I what?" she returned, nonplussed.


    "Hate me. Do you actually hate me?" Lukas asked calmly.


    "Yes." Petra immediately snapped. He gave her an appraising sort of look.


    "I''m being serious. Do you actually, really, hate everything about me?"


    She paused, then shook her head. "No. I don''t hate you. I hate that you''re arrogant and you smug at me all the time, and I hate the people you spend time with. I hate how handsome and unruffled you are, and I really hate that because of you and your freaking bullet-dragon, I''m going to be scrounging for stupid jobs to get enough money to keep myself and Rhys going for who knows how long."


    He replied to all of this with a brazen grin. "You think I''m handsome?"


    She scowled at him, and clenched her fists as she fought down the urge to punch him. "That''s not the point, you trick. Did I or did I not just say that I highly disliked your attractiveness?"


    "Yes, but you noticed." Lukas commented, still with that same smile. Petra made an exasperated gesture with her right hand.


    "Yeah, you''re good-looking! And you know that you are, which makes you twice as insufferable! How are you so entirely missing what I''m trying to say here?"


    The grin shrank into something more tolerable. "I''m not missing it. I''m just..."


    "Reveling in the glory of how dreefing obnoxious you are?" Petra snarked.


    He shook his head slowly, still smiling at her. "Forgive me, but am I not allowed to enjoy the fact that a beautiful woman just called me handsome?"


    "IT WASN''T A- oh, you know what, I''m not even gonna." She started to shout, then collected herself, stubbornly crossing her arms again. "What do you want from me, Lukas? And I swear to god, if you don''t give me an actual answer this time, you might lose some blood."


    He exhaled and straightened his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground instead of casually leaning as he had earlier. "I want to talk, honest. A simple conversation, and nothing more. I just want to understand your motives, where you''re coming from, and I want to at least try to make you understand me too."


    She glared. "Where I''m coming from? Where is this coming from? Since when are you even remotely interested in me or my motivations?"


    Lukas tipped his head to the side, giving her a thoughtful sort of half-frown. "I''ve been interested in you for a long time, Petra. I haven''t tried to talk to you much since I''m so afraid of stirring up drama, but I figure that now, with all the mess from our tie today, there isn''t much more tea to be spilt. I just. Want. To talk."


    "We''re talking right now. Is this not good enough for you?" she muttered. He gave her an I''m-being-serious sort of look, and she sighed, dropping her arms by her sides. "Fine, okay. Talking. Serious adult conversation with someone I''ve never gotten along with. Fantastic."


    "Fantastic!" Lukas echoed, smiling again. He stepped forward and she moved back, ready to literally shove him into the ground if he tried anything. But he wasn''t paying any attention to her. He swiftly undid the complicated latch that locked the silver dragon''s stall, reaching for the blackrope bridle hanging next to the door.


    "Wait. What are you doing?" she inquired.


    He looped the leadrope over the dragon''s neck, holding up the bridle for the beautiful silver beast to slide its nose into. "Getting Kicidian. Come on, you can''t have heavy conversations in a dragon stable. The walls have ears."


    Petra glanced back at where her own dragon was most likely already asleep. "We can''t go flying, I don''t wanna wake Rhys up. She needs her rest, what with our big race tomorrow."


    Lukas shrugged, already leading his dragon out of the stall. "So we''ll both ride Kicidian. He''s strong enough. Trust me, it''s plenty safe. He and I are experts at flying at night." he assured her, misinterpreting the unenthusiastic look on her face.


    She trailed behind as the silver dragon followed him out of the stable. She really didn''t know what to do here. He didn''t seem to have malicious intentions, but why should she trust him? They didn''t exactly have many positive points in their past.


    But on the other hand, what did she have to lose?


    Most girls would probably have second thoughts about getting onto a dragon with a relative stranger whom they had a fairly bad history with, but Petra wasn''t most girls. She knew she could handle him if he tried anything suspicious, and she was interested in his cryptic words despite her original protests.


    Lukas was already sitting bareback on Kicidian when she emerged from the stable. He stretched out a hand to her. "Come on. Just a quick flight, and a brief talk, and then you can go back to not-actually-hating me in peace."


    His words weren''t overly comforting, but something about his earnest voice and calm eyes drew her in nonetheless.


    She let out another small sigh and grabbed his hand, pulling herself upbehind him. "Where are we headed?"

 IV.

    "Where are we headed?"


    Lukas spared only a brief glance back at her. "You''ll see. Grab on- Kicidian takes off fast."


    Petra glared at the back of his head. "I''ll see? I think not. Where are we going?"


    "Why do you feel the need to know everything beforehand? Are you that afraid of surprises?" he returned. She let out a disdainful huff.


    "Surprises can be horrible. I like to be prepared."


    He nodded, adjusting his grip on the reigns and reaching forward to pat the dragon''s neck. "True, true. But I think you''ll like this."


    She didn''t have time to reply to that before Kicidian unfurled his wings and leaped into the air with absolutely no preamble. Sliding back several inches, Petra yelped and wrapped her arms around Lukas. She was used to Rhys''s takeoffs, which, while being just as swift, were a lot smoother.


    "I warn-ed you!" Lukas singsonged casually as the silver dragon''s manically flapping wings settled into a smooth rhythm. Petra cursed under her breath and sat up straighter, finding it easier to balance now that Kicidian''s flight pace had evened.


    This wasn''t entirely new territory for her. She''d gone night-flying several times, but wasn''t as used to riding bareback, since Rhys''s spine was lined with sharp ridges.


    There was something impossibly peaceful about flying at night, and she found herself starting to relax against her will. The scrubby desert that covered most of Jefinscha stretched out below them, the landscape dotted with huge sedimentary rock formations and bristly Joshua trees.


    She had to admit, as hot and dry as the place was during the day, the arid kingdom was beautiful from up here. The bright eye of the open moon lit up every detail of the rocks in a monochrome glow, leaving the crevasses beneath and between formations in dense shadow.


    Kicidian flew on for several long minutes, seeming very confident in his path. Lukas seemed infinitely at ease as well, making her again wonder where exactly they were going.


    But she stayed silent, knowing that if she inquired about their destination again, she would most likely get nothing more than another ''you''ll see'', or something equally infuriating.


    After around twenty minutes- maybe more, maybe less -the sandy desertscape below faded into dried yellow grasslands dotted with large boulders in an array of dark colours. Petra straightened up again, looking around Kicidian''s flapping wings at the new sights below.


    They were nearing the border of Jefinscha. The silver mount swooped upwards, following the landscape as it rose into broad hills that she''d seen looming in the distance of the desert.


    Only a minute or so later, Kicidian gradually slowed and landed gracefully on a particularly flat area. Lukas dismounted immediately, rubbing his dragon''s neck affectionately.


    Petra slid off as well, her mind full of questions. She began to follow Lukas, but was momentarily distracted by Kicidian bending his long silver neck and beginning to graze. The grass was brittle and dry, but he didn''t seem to mind.


    Lukas seemed to notice her confusion. "Some dragons eat meat, some eat rocks...Kicidian eats grass. He likes hay or leaves, too, but his favorite food is vegetables. He likes carrots best."


    Still watching the silver dragon, she asked in disbelief, "You...have...a vegetarian dragon?"


    He smiled, more than a little sheepishly. "Yep."


    Shaking her head, Petra walked over to where Lukas stood. She caught her breath as she realized they were standing at the edge of a formidable cliff, the yellow plain dropping off completely just a few feet away.


    With a jolt, she realized she knew where they were. "Okay, so, do you wanna explain why the sae we''re up on Masker''s Flat in the middle of the night?"


    He grinned, and pointed at her. "We are here in the middle of the night because I couldn''t find you earlier."


    She shrugged. "Alright, that''s fair. But uh...Masker''s Flat?"


    "Why not?" he returned.


    "Are you ever serious?" she asked, glaring impatiently.


    The smile dropped. With a sigh, Lukas sat down, dangling his legs over the edge. "We''re here because it''s one of the few places I feel safe. It''s beautiful and peaceful, and it gives me the peace of mind that I need to be able to really talk to you."


    Begrudgingly, she sat down beside him, though she kept her legs tucked up. She didn''t like the feeling of having nothing but air below her feet. A warm breeze swept gently around them, making the dry grass rustle softly.


    "I''m not good at talking to people, Petra. Especially you." he continued. She tipped her head to the side.


    "Why''s that?"


    "Conversations confuse me. I''m bad at reacting, and gauging how people are feeling. It''s a whole mess of things, actually." he explained briefly.


    "No, but why especially me?" she pressed.


    He opened his mouth, looked at her, and shut it again. "You kind of scare me, for one." he said finally. "But in a good way. You''re just...different. I can''t figure you out."


    She studied his face mutely for a few moments before saying, "I''m gonna take that as a compliment."


    He laughed softly. "See? That''s exactly what I mean. You''re unusual."


    Leaning back on his hands, Lukas let out a heavy sigh. "And that''s what makes this whole situation so damn hard. If it was someone I didn''t know, didn''t like, we wouldn''t be having this problem."


    Petra almost asked him to elaborate on the ''someone I didn''t like'' thing, but decided to leave it. "What problem, exactly, are you referring to?" she asked instead.


    "The problem of us both needing to win tomorrow. We both have things to gain and lose, things we''re not willing to let go of. I''ve got to get out of this. But the big problem- well, my problem, really -is that part of me wants to see you get what you need, too."


    "We can''t both win." She said solidly. "That''s not a thing. I...we need that victory. We need the prize money, and we need a sponsor, and we need at least a chance of getting into the finals. You don''t get that by coming in second. Not in the semis."


    He looked at her sadly. "Things are really that bad for you guys?"


    "Yes. It''s terrible. We''ve been struggling for years now. Our financial situation is slowly getting worse and worse, and without a dreefing miracle, we don''t have a way out. Gadan''s economy...I don''t wanna say it''s complete krin, but it could be better. Good-paying jobs are difficult to keep, and with all four of us coming from nothing...it''s hard."


    "You don''t all come from nothing. Olivia''s the daughter of a duchess." Lukas commented.


    Petra arched a brow at him. "Olivia is the bastard daughter of a disgraced duchess and was unfairly disowned as soon as people figured out her father wasn''t said duchess''s husband." she corrected him. "Do your research."


    "Oh." was all he said in reply.


    She allowed herself a smug smile at him, but it faded quickly, and she looked down at her scarred hands folded in her lap. "But you already know the gist of our situation. If I win our race tomorrow, things would be different. We''d be in the running for the finals- at least one sponsor would be interested in supporting us. Once we got some kind of backing...well, you know how the races work. We''d just...things would be a lot better."


    Sighing softly, she said, "I know others might need that prize, but we desperately need it. The whole reason we got into dragon-racing was to earn money. We simply can''t keep going like this anymore; we have next to nothing. It''s like we''re cursed."


    Lukas was silent, and Petra risked a glance over at him. "What are you gaining, if you win?"


    It took a few moments for the blond man to answer, his voice as quiet as the sky. "If I beat you tomorrow, Aiden will let me go."


    Petra blinked. "What?"


    "I...I owe him. It''s complicated, but I''ve been indebted to him for several years now. We''ve gained enough attention that it wouldn''t be hard for him to find someone else to fly in my place, but he doesn''t want to."


    Lukas shifted his position, seeming vaguely uncomfortable. "But I finally made a deal with him. If I come in first in the semifinals, he has to let me leave. I''d probably stay on for the finals, but the deal was about the semis, since I knew we had a higher chance of winning that. To tell the truth, I''ve never been very into racing. I mean, obviously I love dragon-riding, but not competition."


    "What would you rather do?" she asked. Lukas lifted his head, the breeze ruffling his short blond hair. "Travel." he said simply. "Crelang is a big place, a lot of it still unknown. I want to roam the world, finding everything yet unseen by human eyes. Sae, maybe I''ll even go across the ocean to Kevomohhs."Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "But why don''t you just...take off? You don''t have to listen to Aiden. He doesn''t own you." Petra said.


    Lukas''s head dropped again. "He kinda does. Like I said, it''s complicated. I could never do that to him, just...up and leave."


    Petra huffed. "Why do you care? He''s such a jerk. Like, the biggest crot I know. I don''t care how ''complicated'' things might be, you shouldn''t be stuck with someone like him."


    Another sigh. "I know. But...he didn''t used to be like that. When we were younger, he was the most amazing person. We had...back then, he was just so different. We were really close. I trusted and cared about him, and it used to be mutual. And I don''t...with who he was in the past and who he is now, it''s all just so much harder."


    Shooting him a suspicious look, Petra remarked, "When you say it like that, it kinda sounds like you were in love with him."


    Lukas shrugged, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe I was."


    Petra lifted one eyebrow. "Maybe." she echoed dubiously.


    "Alright, yes, I was. You got me." he said with an indifferent wave of his hand. "We were together for a while, actually, but there was...an incident, and I left. Then, a couple years ago, he got me out of a nasty situation. I don''t even know what would''ve happened if he hadn''t interfered, but in exchange, he asked me to join his racing team. There''s more to it than that, but I don''t really like talking about it."


    "What kind of ''nasty situation''?" Petra pressed. She''d never heard anything about any of this, and was very curious despite herself.


    Lukas looked away. "I don''t wanna talk about it. Let''s just say I made some big mistakes and bad decisions and leave it at that. The point is, between our old feelings and my debt to him, I don''t feel right just leaving. Even if I did, he''d probably find some way to track me down."


    "Do you...do you still care about him like that?" Petra hesitantly asked. He shook his head firmly.


    "No. Not in a long time. With all the things that have happened, we''re not right for each other anymore, and there''s...someone else I think I''d rather be with. But that doesn''t change the fact that I can''t just fly away."


    He pulled in a deep breath, looking out over the cliff''s edge as though an answer waited on the horizon. His expression hardened slightly as he said, "But I''ve got to get out of this. The whole thing...the races, the people, the pressure, my dreefing team...I just can''t do this anymore. It''s driving me mad, and turning me into someone I don''t wanna be. I need to get away, and there''s no other way to do it."


    He casted another sad look at her. "But even with all that...I don''t feel right trying to steal your victory out from under you, either. It''s a mess."


    "It is a mess." She agreed quietly.


    They were both quiet for several long moments. Lukas''s heavy words were spinning around Petra''s mind, making her suddenly unsure of what was going to happen.


    The blond man wasn''t the smug piece of krin she''d thought him to be. She''d spent so long looking down on him that she''d nearly forgotten that he was human too. He had the same kinds of hopes, fears, and problems that anyone else did.


    If she was being honest with herself, she had never hated Lukas, not a bit. Sure, his smugness and arrogance was irritating, but that wasn''t why she had an issue with him. No, she had an issue with him because it was convenient. He was good at hiding his feelings and masking his problems, while hers always seemed to overflow and come out as anger. She''d believed he represented the things most wrong in her life, and had spent years lashing out because of that.


    It was so much easier to keep people at arm''s length, where you could disdainfully or angrily think of them as tricks without knowing the truth. The truth got in the way. It changed things that she hadn''t wanted changed until they already had.


    She looked out at the landscape far beyond and below, her eyes travelling from the drop-off all the way out to the horizon. Far off, the dry grass transformed slowly into lush forest, marking the boundary of another kingdom.


    "I''ve always wondered why this place is called Masker''s Flat." Lukas said softly. "As far as I know, no one has ever done anything significant here, named Masker or anything else."


    His voice was so impossibly quiet, made even more so by the slight breeze snatching at the words. But they were sitting close enough that Petra heard him quite clearly.


    "You''re trying to change the topic." She said bluntly.


    Lukas glanced over at her again, his eyes strangely dulled. "Change it from what? I have nothing else to say. All my cards are on the table. And unless you''ve still got one up your sleeve, I''d say the game is over."


    She pounded her fist against the ground. "Stop speaking in metaphors!" she demanded. "What are we going to do tomorrow?"


    "I don''t know, Petra. I feel like I have to do something, but I don''t know what. Probably something crazy and desperate and half-assed at the last minute, that will end up failing." he said simply.


    "Desperation can be both an ally and an enemy." She muttered, somewhat absent-mindedly.


    The barest hint of a smile flickered across his face as he gazed at her. "I''ll say. It was pure unfiltered desperation that convinced me to bring you here, you know."


    "I kinda guessed." she replied off-handedly.


    Another small silence stretched between them, changed only by the fact that they were looking at each other instead of away. In the silver moonlight, all sorts of little details sprung out at her that she''d never noticed before.


    Lukas''s ears were ever so slightly pointed, and he had a small, pale brown birthmark right along the edge of his jaw. Petra also suddenly realized that they were sitting rather uncomfortably close to each other, his face tipped up to look her in the eye.


    "If you try to kiss me right now, I swear to god I will break both your elbows." She warned, scooting a few inches away. Despite the grim threat, he laughed, which in turn made her smile as well.


    "Don''t worry, I''m smarter than that." he assured her, then tipped his head back to look up at the stars. "We should probably go back soon, if either of us are going to get any sleep at all tonight."


    Petra snorted. "I''m not. But that''s probably fine; I seem to do my best racing sleep-deprived."


    He hesitated for a moment. "I...meant what I said earlier, you know. You did do a really good job today. I already knew you were a good flier, but that was honestly exceptional."


    Shrugging in what she hoped was a modest, offhand way, she replied, "Rhys and I have been flying together for a long time. She''s fast, and we both have good instincts, and it just...works."


    It wasn''t bragging. It was simply the truth again. So much more truth was spilling out than she''d ever intended, but somehow, she didn''t feel like making an effort to stop it.


    She lowered her head, looking again at the silver-washed landscape below. "That''s...another reason why I need that prize. Keeping a dragon is kind of expensive, with the gear and all her food and everything. When the time comes that I can''t support us anymore...I don''t know what I''m going to do."


    "She''s an excellent dragon." Lukas said slowly. "It must''ve crossed your mind, at some point, that even though now you''re poor and with a great dragon, there''s a future out there where you could be rich, but with no dragon."


    She started to glare at him, then looked away as she realized it wasn''t worth the effort. "Of course it''s crossed my mind. How could it not? I...I know, deep down, that selling Rhys would solve everything for me. But I can''t, I mean cannot, do that to her. That would be the worst betrayal, and I would rather die of starvation than literally sell out my best friend."


    "I know what you mean." he said in a low voice, attempting to catch her eye again. She didn''t look at him, but she didn''t deliberately turn further away, either.


    "If...if you win the race, and get away from Aiden and all the races, will you still get to keep Kicidian?" she asked hesitantly.


    He nodded. "Yeah, he''s officially mine. When I first joined the team, Aiden wasn''t too happy with my choice of dragon, but he changed his tune pretty quickly. Yet another reason why he wants to keep me on. He''ll not only have to find another rider as good as me, but they''ll have to have an equally fast dragon. He''s...not going to settle for mediocrity."


    Petra got the distinct feeling that there was more to be said about that last statement, but didn''t have a chance to figure out how to word her question before Lukas continued speaking.


    "Kicidian''s a pretty weird one, I''ll be the first to admit." he said, glancing back at the glorious silver beast, who was still nibbling the dry grass. "In fact, he''s about all the ''weird'' you could possibly pile onto one dragon. He''s a runt, he''s some strange kinda hybrid, he''s got unusually weak scales, he''s impossibly dependent, and he''s a vegetarian. But he''s cute and fast, and I love him."


    "He doesn''t seem like he''d do very well in the wild." Petra commented, studying the silver dragon again. She had only partially realized it when she was petting him earlier, but Kicidian did have strangely thin scales. She doubted they''d last a second against even Rhys''s claws, much less those of a more dangerous dragon, like Elan.


    "He wouldn''t." Lukas agreed. "Which is why I bought him. I got him from one of those breeding farm places; the owners were going to turn him loose since he didn''t seem like he''d be of much use to them. But I noticed that, for all his flaws, he had ridiculously strong wings, and would most likely be a good racer. I got a pretty good bargain for him, which was only made better when I flew him for real and saw how fast he was."


    He sighed yet again. "So at the very least, if I do get out, I''ll still have him."


    "Well, you''ll still have him even if you don''t get out." Petra pointed out, a little mulishly. The smile that appeared on Lukas''s face was swift and faded. "Yeah...I suppose that''s true."


    He moved back from the edge and pushed himself to his feet. "We should go back. I doubt we''re going to find a solution to this just by sitting here."


    "Yeah..." she said softly. Lukas reached down to help her up, and together they walked back to where Kicidian was waiting.


    Neither of them said much as they mounted the silver dragon and began the return flight. The night somehow felt more still, less alive than it had on the way there. The landscape streaked along below them, transforming back into scrubby desert, but Petra wasn''t paying much attention.


    Their conversation was looping through her head, again and again. All the things she''d confessed and admitted, and all the things she''d heard in return. It didn''t feel real.


    She didn''t know what would happen tomorrow.


    She didn''t know what she wanted to happen tomorrow.


    Well, that wasn''t true. She wanted to win. She wanted to feel successful. She wanted to keep her dragon. She wanted to have a chance in the finals for the first time since she''d started racing.


    But things had changed in just the short time they''d been talking. She wanted Lukas to somehow be able to succeed as well. She wanted him to be able to escape to the life he''d dreamed of.


    She wanted too many things.


    Somehow, it seemed like only a few minutes before they were silently landing in front of the dragon stables, though she knew that it had logically been much longer.


    Again, Lukas slid gracefully off his dragon''s back, then offered his hand to Petra. She didn''t really need help getting down, but she accepted it anyways.


    "Thank you. For...giving me a chance to see the bigger picture." she said.


    "Of course. Thank you for giving me a chance to show it to you." His reply was too light, too easy. Too clearly covering up the fact that he was masking his own inner turmoil. She was quite certain his thoughts were running in the same loops that hers were.


    She didn''t even notice that he still had her fingers gripped in his until he gently lifted her hand and, before she could object, pressed a light kiss on her knuckles. A strangely pleasant shiver rippled across her shoulders, and she felt her face go warm.


    He smiled, a trace of his old arrogance sneaking into his expression. "I hope that''s not enough to incur your elbow-breaking wrath."


    "Nah. I''ll let it slide this time." she said.


    They both stood there for a few moments, looking at each other. It was as though they''d been frozen- neither of them dared move an inch. Petra wished she could interpret the flashes of emotion in Lukas''s mysterious blue eyes, but she was having enough trouble figuring out her own feelings in that moment.


    Kicidian suddenly nudged Lukas''s shoulder, and the spell was broken. The blond man coughed quietly and stepped back, reaching up to self-consciously scratch at the back of his neck. "So. I guess we''ll just have to see what happens tomorrow."


    "Yeah. Tomorrow." She agreed. "May the bes- ah, may the most desperate dragon rider win."


    He gave another one of those small half-smiles. "May the most desperate dragon rider win." he echoed.


    As though guided by a hand of fate, they both turned away then. Petra strode towards the back entrance of the inn, and Lukas led Kicidian into the stables.


    He glanced back, for only a moment, but she was already disappearing into the night.


    May the most desperate dragon rider win.