Chapter 19
Nineteen
“No.” Jasyn shook his head frantically, his breathing hurried and unstable. Bron was lying, trying to throw Jasyn off guard. Iskra was safe at that shop.
Flames licked at Jasyn’s neck, and he screamed in pain, the sound guttural.
He didn’t realize he had the capacity to yell like that.
Jasyn didn’t have a moment to recover, though, because Bron held the tip of the sword right under Jasyn’s chin.
If he moved too quickly, the blade would pierce his skin.
“Maybe it’s a good thing I plan to win this and end her instead,” Bron announced like it was nothing, like he didn’t plan to end a precious life.
“No,” Jasyn said, more forcefully this time. “You aren’t touching her.”
Right on cue, the dragon—Iskra—flew over them, and his heart broke. His mind couldn’t wrap around the fact that the dragons were shifters, people all along.
“She’s not herself anymore. She’s just a wild beast, thanks to Kryth.”
“Don’t you dare speak of her like that,” Jasyn growled. Even if she had lied to him, his mind couldn’t let her go. He couldn’t imagine his life without her. His Sundrop had been the best part of his life after years of grief and pain, and he wouldn’t let some traitor near her.
His anger and defensiveness manifested as a burst of energy.
He spit in Bron’s face and used the quick moment of distraction.
Jasyn fumbled as he grabbed his fallen sword and rammed the end of the hilt in Bron’s temple.
He didn’t want to kill him. There was still a deeper truth lingering in the air, and he had the desire to learn it.
As Bron yelled in pain, Jasyn moved into a fighting stance. His whole body hurt, and the burn stung as he moved his neck, but he didn’t care about that.
He approached Bron until they were practically chest to chest.
“You will not kill her.” Jasyn enunciated each word, making sure Bron absorbed each syllable.
“If it’s not me, it’s you or another competitor. She must die so someone can get the Heart.”
There was another way. There had to be. Iskra’s life couldn’t end, not when he felt like he had so much to say to her. He didn’t know what the future would look like. He would be marrying Lady Esi, but the future had to at least have Iskra alive.
Jasyn looked up to find Iskra perched again on the highest ledge. Her body was relaxed, as if she was bored, waiting for whoever attempted to climb up next. He didn’t know where the rest of the competitors were, or if any more were alive aside from Jasyn and Bron.
We’re both coming out of this alive, Jasyn thought to himself as he took her in.
He only got to see the real Iskra for a short time, but it was hard to forget the auburn shade of her hair and how it perfectly matched the scales of her dragon or those amber eyes.
He had been falling for those eyes, dreaming about them.
They were like precious jewels, more valuable than any crown.
His next steps were unplanned, but he needed to act fast.
“You’ll only be killed if you think you can get the Heart without ending her first.”
Jasyn ignored Bron’s words, even if they poked at exactly where his mind was headed.
“I’d be more worried about what your life will look like if you come out of this alive, Bron,” Jasyn spoke clearly, without any fear of what was to come. “You betrayed the trust of so many. Was it worth it?”
Bron smiled, but it wasn’t a sign of glee or pleasure. It was like he was laughing at the dire situation, recognizing the ridiculousness of it. He didn’t want to be here, Jasyn took a guess.
As Jasyn left Bron, he ran out of the crater, never taking his eyes off Iskra. She was his priority now.
Iskra, Iskra, Iskra, Jasyn repeated in his mind until he convinced himself the dragon above was actually her. He wasn’t fighting a beast—he was fighting for his love.
His foot slipped on a loose rock as the realization dawned on him.
He loved Iskra. Every day over the last few weeks, he had spent almost every waking moment with her.
Not Esi. He barely knew Esi at all. No, if he survived this, if he left with the Heart in his hand, he would be marrying a stranger.
Esi was a lady, a woman of noble blood a prince like him would be expected to marry as he took the throne, not a commoner like Iskra.
That truth might have been scarier than the impending confrontation with Iskra in her dragon form.
He wondered then how she arrived in this mess.
He knew the bare details of how the minister picked a dragon from his collection each year, but he never questioned how he got them, never realized they were people who shifted.
His parents had frowned upon asking too many questions because it would make the royal family appear as if they didn’t trust the minister or the Weather Gods themselves.
Jasyn had no plan as he reached one of the cave’s walls. He put his sword back in its sheath and prayed Slone would have mercy on him.
“I’m coming,” Jasyn whispered to himself as he found holes in the walls to propel his body upward.
He knew Iskra was still perched because it was quiet.
He hoped there was no other infighting between the competitors.
There was no point in killing each other, not when they could come out of this alive, together, if Jasyn got the Heart.
Deep in his soul, Jasyn hoped it also meant Iskra would come out of this alive too.
He had an idea in mind, but his mind swirled with doubts about his abilities. Then, he remembered the confidence Iskra had taught him to hold.
Jasyn grit his teeth as he scaled up the wall, his legs and arms shaking with the exertion. No matter how hard his body wanted to betray him, he wouldn’t allow himself to fall. He just had to make it up to the first ledge, and then, he could rest.
With each strenuous heave upward, Jasyn continued to repeat Iskra’s name. It was all for her, he decided just then. Even if he had to die to ensure she lived through this, he would.
A blaze of heat hit his back, along with a gust of wind. Iskra was on the move, and he needed to act fast before she caused him to stumble.
He didn’t take his attention away from his current goal.
He secured his left hand in a small pocket, anchored his right foot on a small bulge in the wall, and pushed himself up again.
He didn’t stop his momentum. He only had to make it a bit farther, and he would be safe—at least as safe as one could be in this situation.
When he swung his leg up on the ledge, he hugged the ground beneath him and stayed there longer than he should. Rolling onto his back, he finally caught a glimpse of his surroundings again.
Iskra was on the same ledge, still much higher than him. It would take a long time to get to her spot.
Then, movement on the opposite side of the cave caught his attention. He turned his head and saw a competitor climbing up one of the ropes. She was ahead of Jasyn, but she was being reckless with her speed. She’d tire quickly, and that would put her in danger of slipping up.
He saw large shadows move, and he knew Iskra was growing antsy. She wanted another fight, so Jasyn did the dumbest thing he could think of: he yelled.
“Get on the next ledge and stay there!” With the way the competitor was rushing, it looked like she planned to bypass the next ledge to keep going without a break.
Jasyn was now standing, his body tense as he watched the competitor near the ledge. He was about to take a breath of relief, as she seemed to get there before Iskra flew down at her. Just as he relaxed, the competitor skipped over the ledge to keep climbing.
“Fuck,” he swore to himself.
No amount of training could have prepared him for this, Jasyn realized. The Undertaking was worse than a nightmare. How did his father compete countless times and win? How did he watch so many people die and come out so unfazed, or at least act like it? This would shake Jasyn’s worldview for life.
“Watch out!” Jasyn called out, naively hopeful the competitor would heed his warning and turn back to the ledge.
Instead, Iskra was flying straight towards the competitor, breathing fire. Jasyn watched the rope burn. He winced as he heard a scream, but Jasyn didn’t have a chance to check what happened to the competitor because Iskra was now heading straight for him.
Jasyn quickly pulled his sword out, but just as she neared him, she shot upward again. He expected her to rest on her perch, but she skipped past that. She dove, flew directly at him, and tilted up right before she slammed into him. She looped around again and again.
She was taunting him, he realized. He couldn’t make any progress to the next ledge if she kept at this.
He had to find another way up.
“Jasyn, you bastard!” Bron called from somewhere too close for Jasyn’s liking.
When Iskra was flying, Jasyn peeked over the side of the ledge and saw Bron on his way.
“You’re being impulsive,” Jasyn warned him.
With one last stretch, Bron was on the ledge with Jasyn. Bron’s sword was in his sheath, but Jasyn guessed that would be temporary. Jasyn had to keep moving.
Iskra was now shooting for them, and Bron crouched to cover himself. Jasyn only had his attention on Iskra and found there was no familiarity or warmth in her eyes.
“She’s not herself anymore,” Bron said, evidently noticing Jasyn’s devastation. “I’ll kill her, and this will end a lot easier.”
Jasyn closed his eyes and shook his head.
“You’re letting emotion get in the way of this,” Bron continued.
Jasyn flinched as he felt Iskra fly by them and back up again, completing the same circle.
“And your emotions are not clouding your actions?” Jasyn snapped, ready to finally get answers.
“You have no idea what brought me here.” Bron’s voice was deep and guttural. “You get to hide in that glass castle of yours, but others, like me, live in a world where we have to sacrifice and yet leave empty-handed.”
Jasyn was trying to follow Bron’s words, but the guard was being vague. It frustrated Jasyn that he wouldn’t spit it out.
“Why are you here? Tell me, and I might even be able to help.”
Bron scoffed, and his reaction only angered Jasyn more. “You don’t have the cold heart to do what’s needed. You’re literally made of sunshine.”
“Tell me!” Jasyn yelled, refusing to let Bron brush this off. For weeks, there had been so much secrecy and so many unanswered questions. Jasyn refused to be in the dark any longer.
“Execute the minister.”
Jasyn stumbled backwards. “What?”
“My uncle is a monster worse than any dragon. He killed my mother, his own sister, because he wanted to avenge himself. Though,” Bron tapped his chin, as if a thought just formed, “maybe your hatred of the minister would be enough to get you to act if you become king.”
“I don’t hate the minister,” Jasyn said, but he had a feeling that was about to change.
“The minister stole your Iskra away from her home, like he does with all his dragons, and branded her as his property, cursing her to this doomed fate.
She transforms each night and is locked in a cage, never able to stretch her wings.
He's currently drugging her with a concoction of herbs to make her feral with the desire to kill.” Bron pointed to the highest ledge, and Jasyn finally noticed the minister standing there.
No wonder Iskra kept returning; she was getting another hit of the herbal smoke.
Jasyn felt his body go numb, and his eyes immediately stuck to Iskra, who continued her rotations around the cavern. He could tell she was getting hungrier for more action. He would need to start moving again soon.
“The minister hurt Iskra,” Jasyn said. It was a plain statement, devoid of emotion, but deep inside, a well of anger was bubbling up toward the surface.
More words spilled from Bron, as if once he started, he couldn’t stop himself.
“I spent so much coin to try and save my mother. I am now in debt to the minister and need the wealth of being king to pay him back. The whole time, he knew it was his sister I was trying to keep alive, yet he leached everything from me, knowing he would never save her.”
There was so much sadness and resentment in the way Bron spoke. It shattered something deep within Jasyn. While Jasyn could grieve his siblings’ deaths without worry, Bron's own family member betrayed him.
“How much do you owe?”
Bron dipped his head, and there was so much shame in that small action. He didn’t deserve to feel that way. Bron had been stuck in his own metaphorical cage for years, Jasyn realized. He saw this as the only way out—but it didn’t have to be.
“We’ll figure it out together,” Jasyn offered. “But the only way I will ever dare help you is if Iskra comes out of this alive.”
Bron took Jasyn in, contemplating whether to trust him. Jasyn hoped he would because he was being sincere.
“Then you better hold on tight,” Bron said as he pushed Jasyn off the ledge.
Jasyn’s eyes widened as he fell. He knew it wasn’t far to the ground, but it could still kill him if he landed wrong.
He closed his eyes, preparing for all this to be over, but then, his body crashed into something else. Something that moved. Quickly, he held on to Iskra as she flew them both up.