Chapter 2 Darrokar #2
Nyx turned. Soot streaked his face, and his wings hung loose with exhaustion, but satisfaction gleamed in his eyes.
"Warrior Lord." He inclined his head, then grinned. "Come to check my work?"
"Come to make sure you haven't burned down the Temple."
"The day's still young."
I moved closer to the forge, feeling the heat wash over me. The blood-flame's glow intensified as I approached, responding to presence the way it always did. Some said it recognized warriors. Others claimed it simply reacted to intent. I'd never cared about the why, only the what.
"It's perfect," I said.
"Of course it is. I'm not some novice." Nyx wiped his hands on a cloth, leaving gray smears. Then his gaze caught on my hand, and his grin widened. "That's new."
I held up the ring, letting him see it properly. "A gift."
"From your human." Not a question. Nyx had always been perceptive. "Fine work. Vyne's?"
"Terra's hands, Vyne's guidance."
Nyx whistled low. "She worked the forge herself?"
"She did."
"And Karyseth probably lost her mind seeing it."
I laughed, the sound echoing off stone walls. "She did."
Nyx circled the forge, checking seals and temperature levels. "The blood-flame is ready for placement. I'll have it moved to the inner sanctum before dawn. Then we wait for the novices to try their damnedest."
"How many do you think will attempt it?"
"Attempt? Dozens. Actually reach it?" He shrugged, wings rustling. "Maybe three. Maybe none. The inner sanctum's defenses are particularly creative this year. And they'll have to get by us."
I raised an eyebrow. "Creative how?"
"You'll see. I'm not spoiling the surprise."
"Nyx."
"Warrior Lord." He matched my tone perfectly, mockingly formal. "Some things are better experienced than explained. Trust me, the trainees will have quite the challenge."
I did trust him. Nyx had been designing trial courses for longer than some of the trainees had been alive. If he said it was challenging, bones would probably be broken. Non-fatally. I hoped.
Nyx knew as well as I did that war was coming. We needed to test our warriors, not end them.
I moved around the forge, examining the setup.
Everything was precisely arranged, tools hung in order, the blood-flame's cradle positioned for optimal heat exposure.
Nyx's work always had that quality, meticulous and uncompromising.
It's what made him such an effective Shield, both in title and practice.
"Race you," I said.
Nyx's head snapped up. "What?"
I nodded toward the blood-flame. "First one to the inner sanctum and past all your traps wins."
"That's sacrilege."
"That's a challenge." I grinned, feeling something loosen in my chest. When was the last time I'd done something purely for the joy of it? Not duty, not politics, not carefully calculated leadership. Just two warriors testing each other because they could. "Unless you're worried I'll win."
That did it.
Nyx's eyes flashed. "You're on."
We moved simultaneously.
I launched myself toward the passage leading deeper into the Temple, wings snapping open to catch air in the high-ceilinged chamber. Nyx went low, using his smaller frame to dart through the forge equipment, taking a route I couldn't follow.
The inner sanctum lay three levels down, through corridors that twisted and doubled back on themselves. I knew the path. So did Nyx. The question was who could navigate it faster.
I tucked my wings and dove into a narrow passage, claws finding purchase on walls as I half-ran, half-flew through the space.
Behind me, I heard Nyx's talons clicking against stone, gaining ground.
The corridor opened into a vertical shaft, and I spread my wings fully, spiraling downward in a controlled fall.
Nyx dropped past me, wings folded completely, trusting gravity and his own reflexes. He snapped his wings open at the last possible moment, pulling up with precision that would've been impressive if it wasn't so damn annoying.
He hit the next level first.
I followed, landing hard enough to crack the stone beneath my feet. Nyx was already moving, and I chased him through a series of chambers that blurred together. Heat crystals flashed past. Carved pillars became obstacles to dodge. The Temple's sacred quiet shattered under the sound of our passage.
Nyx took a sharp turn into a side corridor, and I realized his strategy. He was using the defensive measures meant for the trainees, the traps and barriers that would slow anyone who didn't know the sanctum's secrets.
I took a different route, one that required squeezing through a gap barely wide enough for my shoulders. My scales scraped against stone, and I felt something tear, but I was through. The shortcut put me ahead, and I poured on speed.
The inner sanctum's entrance appeared before me, a circular door carved with protective sigils. I hit it with my shoulder, and it swung inward, revealing the chamber beyond.
The empty pedestal where the blood-flame would soon rest stood in the center of the room. I crossed the distance in three strides, reaching for it, ready to touch and claim my victory.
Nyx slammed into me from the side.
We went down in a tangle of wings and limbs, rolling across the sanctum floor. I got an elbow into his ribs. He raked claws across my shoulder, not deep enough to seriously injure but enough to sting. We grappled, testing strength against strength, and I remembered why Nyx had earned his title.
The bastard was immovable when he wanted to be.
I hooked my tail around his ankle and yanked. He went down, but took me with him, and we crashed into the pedestal.
I was faster.
"I win."
Nyx lay on his back, chest heaving, and started to laugh. Deep, genuine laughter that filled the sanctum and probably violated a dozen different temple protocols. I couldn't help it. I laughed too, the sound mixing with his until we were both shaking with it.
"You cheated," Nyx managed between gasps.
"I was creative."
"You nearly broke the pedestal."
I gave it a gentle shove. It didn't move. "It's sturdy. It's fine."
Nyx sat up, wings dragging on the floor, and shook his head. Soot and dust covered both of us, and I was pretty sure I was bleeding from at least two places. Worth it. Entirely worth it for this moment of pure, uncomplicated joy.
"Warrior Lord Darrokar, what exactly do you think you're doing?"
We both froze.
Jalliun stood in the sanctum entrance, arms crossed, expression caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement. He looked at us, at the disturbed pedestal, and sighed.
"Desecrating sacred space," he said. "Disturbing holy relics. Brawling in the inner sanctum. Shall I continue?"
I carefully placed the blood-flame back on its pedestal. "We were … testing the defenses."
"Testing." Jalliun's tone suggested he didn't believe that for a moment.
"Thoroughly," Nyx added, climbing to his feet. "Very thorough testing."
"I see." Jalliun stepped into the sanctum, and I caught the twitch at the corner of his mouth. He was trying not to smile. "And your professional assessment of these defenses?"
"Adequate," I said.
"Could use some work," Nyx said at the same time.
Jalliun did smile then, brief but genuine. "I'm sure the trainees will appreciate your dedication to their safety." He moved to the pedestal, checking for cracks. "Fortunately, no actual harm done. Though I shudder to think what Karyseth would say if she'd witnessed this."
"She'd probably declare us both corrupted beyond redemption," I said.
"She might not be wrong."
Maybe this year's Skalanth wouldn't be the burden I'd anticipated. Maybe, with the right perspective, it could be something more. A celebration of what we were and what we were becoming.
"The blood-flame will be ready," Jalliun said, his tone shifting back to business. "I'll have the sanctum cleansed and re-blessed before the trials begin. Try not to destroy anything else in the meantime."
"No promises," Nyx said cheerfully.
Jalliun shook his head and left, his footsteps fading into the temple's depths. Nyx and I followed at a more leisurely pace, our earlier race abandoned in favor of walking side by side through the corridors.
"Your human's changed you," Nyx said after a while. "In a good way."
We emerged into the main temple corridor, and I paused, looking back toward the inner sanctum.
In a few days, trainees would attempt that same path we'd just raced.
They'd struggle and fail and try again, pushing themselves toward something greater.
Some would succeed. Most wouldn't. But all of them would learn.
That's what the Skalanth was supposed to be. A crucible, yes. But also a forge. A place where warriors were shaped and tempered and made stronger.
"This might actually be enjoyable," I said.
Nyx clapped me on the shoulder, careful of the scratches he'd left earlier. "That's the spirit. Now come on. If we're going to oversee this thing, we should probably look less like we've been rolling around in the forge."
"You started it."
"You challenged me."
"Details."