The Crystal Dragon Series Collection Read online

  Nathan and I make our way toward the wise-looking Thaddeus, avoiding the angry, jealous stares surrounding us. Sierra and Ham come running up to meet us. Sierra is beaming. “I’m so happy for you two! Isn’t it great that we all got put together? And you guys- getting wise old Thaddeus all to yourselves! That’s awesome!”

  “Yeah, I guess it is,” I say, still a little unnerved by the envy of those around me. Ham reads the look on my face and realizes what’s going through my mind.

  “Hey, it’s okay,” he says in an effort to comfort me. “It doesn’t matter what these other people think. The only thing that matters is the fact that you now have a better chance of winning this thing and getting us all home.”

  “But… you guys don’t care that we have an unfair advantage?”

  Sierra laughs. “No! Why would we care? We’re all friends now. We care more about that than these people’s stupid Games. We’re happy for you! Plus, they say the whole point of this is to ‘grow into our Gifts,’ right? Well, I think I’ll try to concentrate on doing that, as well as having fun. If we have to be here, then we might as well make the best of it, right? …Anyways, I guess we should let you guys go. See you tonight for dinner?”

  “Sure,” Nathan agrees. “If we can, of course,” he adds after a moment of thought. “We still don’t know what Thaddeus’s schedule will be. But we’ll try.”

  “Right. See you guys later,” Ham says. The two of them make their way over to Zelda to talk with her once she’s done with Kat and Jake.

  I take a deep breath. “Are you ready?” I ask Nathan. He nods.

  “As ready as I can be, I suppose.”

  When we reach the stage, Thaddeus greets us, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he waits for us to speak first. I’m not great with words, but luckily Nathan takes the initiative. “Thank you, Thaddeus, for choosing us to train- and us alone. It truly is an honor.”

  “Yes, thank you,” I add, feeling that I have to say something.

  He gives us both a slight, regal looking nod. “I am glad that you are grateful.”

  “Yes, we are grateful…but we were wondering… why us?” I continue. “after all that I’ve done wrong since I got here… and you still picked us for this privilege?”

  “Why you? Well, why do you think?”

  “I… I don’t know. Because you took pity on us? Figured that we’re the ones that need the most help?”

  “No, it’s because I see a lot of potential in you two. I truly believe that you can win- if properly instructed.”

  “Really?” Nathan says, surprised. “Do you really mean that?”

  Thaddeus chuckles. “Is it so hard to believe? I mean it! Not only can you both survive, but you also have a lot of… spunk.”

  “Spunk?” I question.

  “Yes! Spunk! You two are exciting and different from the rest. Best of all, you’re both prepared to do anything to win! And with that drive, you just might be able to. However,” he adds, getting serious, “you need to learn to think before you act. If you can’t think, you can’t win. You have to outwit the others. Knowledge is your greatest tool in the arenas. The others will most likely go for brute strength. While you do need to be strong, you need to be smart to survive- and both to win. So, we will meet outside of the tallest building tomorrow morning at sunrise so we can begin your training. For a while before and after lunch, Vlad wants you two- first Nathan, then Crystal- but the square will be open after that, so we can train your bodies. We will need to work fast, for the First Challenge will begin in two days. We only have tomorrow to prepare. Then you have to do your best and… try to survive the First Challenge.

  “We can make more progress after that- we’ll have more time, plus you will have more experience with both your competitors as well as some of the creatures that live here. That is, of course, providing you survive the First Challenge.” I glance at Nathan. That was the second time he mentioned the First Challenge like we would be lucky if we even came out the other side alive. What have we walked into, exactly? Just how dangerous are these Games we’d been roped into?

  “Vladimir will assess your abilities individually tomorrow and come to me with a report so I can see what to help you with so you can, at the very least, survive,” Thaddeus finishes. “Have a good night, and make sure to get some rest- you will need it,” he adds as farewell before turning and walking away.

  We don’t say much to each other as we leave to find Sierra and Ham. As we sit at one of the wooden tables that were pulled out from behind the stage waiting for food, Sierra and Ham don’t say much either. We’re all brooding over the new reality that now threatens us in a mere two days. Once the food is brought to us, we eat mechanically and stumble back to our huts. I say goodnight to my three friends and collapse into my bed, falling asleep almost immediately despite my worries about the Games. Reality just hit me in the face.

  This is really happening.

  Chapter Six

  Morning Training

  I’m awakened by a sudden knock on my door, jolted out of my tortured dreams. I jump up, shouting. When I calm down and realize what’s going on, I shuffle to the door. I slept in my clothes, and I can tell that Nathan had as well. He stands there wearily, bags under his eyes and his clothes wrinkled from spending the night in them, but he’s a welcome sight. It’s better to spend the day with a friend rather than complete strangers. Although technically I had met him only the day before. And now we must rely on each other to stay alive in this crazy place and make it back to our families.

  He smiles at me, stifling a yawn. “The sun will be up soon, and I figure it can’t hurt to be a little early. So, are you ready to go?”

  “I guess so. I’ll just do my hair first,” I reply, letting him into the room. He sits on the bed as I grab a brush and guide it through my tangled hair. I then quickly put it into its uniform braid down my back, making it a little tighter than usual so it won’t fall out during the quite possibly rigorous training we have ahead of us.

  “Alright, let’s go,” I say, leading the way out the door. I spot a small plume of smoke coming from a nearby building and head toward it, curious. As we near it, my stomach growls, demanding the breakfast that’s being made there. As luck would have it, she’s preparing food specifically for the contestants, and we’re first in line.

  After eating, I fish for something to talk about as we walk towards the tallest building Thaddeus would meet us at. “So… it looks like you didn’t sleep very well last night,” I observe, then grimace. I could have worded that in a nicer way…

  “No,” he confirms, shaking his head. “I didn’t. These ‘Games’ gave me nightmares. Let’s just say, I hope whatever is out there isn’t as bad as what my brain came up with last night. I kept waking up. …How was your night?”

  “Well, I had nightmares as well, but I couldn’t escape into the real world. They just went on and on until you came.” Silence follows this as neither of us knows what to say after that. I clear my throat and change the subject. “So what do you think our training will be like?”

  “I have no idea,” he sighs, staring straight ahead. “But I’m sure it’ll be pretty tough. Think you’re up for whatever they’re going to throw at us?”

  “Maybe. I’m pretty fit from working on our farm and from taking Martial Arts and self-defense classes. How about you?”

  “Well I certainly didn’t do anything like that, but I think I’m pretty well off, considering. I’m not all lazy and fat like most people on First Earth, but compared to what you can probably do… I don’t know. I’m pretty fast- I took first place in our school’s distance running competition. I even finished third at state. So I can run- hopefully that will help. I’ve never really tried ‘exercising my brain,’ so I’m sure Thaddeus will have to help me a lot in that area,” he sighs.

  I’m about to reply but fall silent as we arrive at the majestic building that looms before us. The rays of light from the rising sun cause the glass to sparkle. I focus and
try to peer through the glass, but can’t since it’s tinted a dark blue. The building is substantial and we have to crane our necks back to be able to see the top of it. The silver walls gleam spectacularly against the dark blue of the windows. I search for doors, but I can only see one that the bottom, which stands closed a few feet away from what appears to be an outdoor elevator. We admire the building for a short time, then continue forward. Thaddeus isn’t there yet, but that isn’t too much of a surprise, seeing as we’re pretty early. Looking around, we see that some equipment has been set out. There’s a variety of weapons- spears, longswords, rapiers, maces, knives, shields, bows and arrows, and even a small object similar to a gun I can’t identify.

  Spotting a person nearby, we head over to her. She’s just a few inches shorter than me and is wearing a grey suit jacket, a matching skirt that goes to her knees, and a plain white button-up blouse. She has a necklace made of white gold with dark blue glass- even darker than the glass on the building behind her- which is clasped tightly to her throat. Her dark brown hair is up in a tight, professional bun and she carries herself with an air of authority and belonging. When we ask her who she is, she says that she’s Thaddeus’s assistant- although she doesn’t know why he isn’t there yet. She explains that he is at a meeting finalizing the details for the First Challenge and it must be running long.

  “Until he gets here… can we try out the weapons?” Nathan asks.

  She hesitates, then agrees, provided we are quick and careful.

  Returning to the pile of weapons, I select a small, light shield and a rapier. Nathan chooses two slim swords that can fit together into one. They are long, but light and I can tell it’s not too problematic for him to adjust to them. After carefully swinging my sword around, getting used to the feel of it in my hand, I eventually get to the point that it feels more like an extension of my arm. Turning to Nathan, we decide to try and carefully attack each other. We start slowly, not really knowing what we’re doing, but soon we glide into a smooth rhythm and just let our instincts take over. Our little duel turns into a deadly yet beautiful dance of steel. Neither of us is concerned, too focused to be thrown off track.

  I’m not sure how long we fight, but by the time we stop, I’m slick with sweat and panting lightly. Nathan is too. When we start heading over to put the weapons back, I stop in surprise. Standing before us, calm and relaxed as always, is Thaddeus. I don’t know how long he’s been watching us, but I can tell by the look on his face it was long enough to be impressed. We put the weapons back and walk up to him.

  “I’m sorry,” I start, shading my eyes with one hand to avoid the brightness of the sunlight. “We didn’t know what we should do since you weren’t here yet, so we just… tried out the weaponry. I’m sorry if we’ve disappointed you.”

  He laughs. “Disappointed me? After watching only the last few minutes of your duel, it became clear to me that both of you are more talented than I would have guessed. Your Gifts are already coming in. Have either of you battled with these weapons before?” We both shake our heads. “Well, then! Isn’t that a surprise! To an observer, it appeared as though you had been studying this style of art for quite some time!”

  “…Were we okay, then?” Nathan asks, surprise on his face and in his voice. I don’t blame him- I’m surprised as well. Were we that skillful? To deserve Thaddeus’s praise? We managed not to get hurt, but I don’t really think that’s worthy of this kind of recognition. Actually, I don’t remember much of that fight at all. Strange… I must have been too focused at the time to absorb what was happening.

  Thaddeus chuckles, shaking his head before waving us inside. We follow him through the door and find ourselves in front of a massive spiral staircase. He continues to chuckle as we begin climbing before stopping suddenly. “Do either of you remember that duel? Any details? Did you think about anything you were about to do or did you just… allow your body to take the reins?”

  “How did you know?” I ask, surprised. “I don’t remember much of it, nor did I think about anything I was about to do specifically. …Why do you ask?”

  “Same here,” Nathan murmurs thoughtfully. “I kind of just let my body take over, I guess. Why? Did we do something wrong? Because if we did…”

  “No, no,” Thaddeus laughs, waving away his concern. “You didn’t do anything wrong- although you two might pose a bigger threat to the other teams than anyone- even the advisors, including myself- could have ever guessed. Yet you don’t even know how you were able to do that without any training!” His face softens as he thinks, quickly going quiet. Confused, Nathan and I concentrate on climbing. The stairs don’t seem to ever end, although I know that they must. My legs are starting to burn. I try to convince myself that this may help get me ready for the First Challenge somehow, but the thought only keeps me going for about fifty more steps. Luckily, Thaddeus resumes talking, so I can focus on something other than the pain in my legs.

  “Well, we may as well work on your brain as we climb. We’ve already lost some time because of my meeting this morning. So, for your first test… who can provide me with the answer?”

  “…To what?” I ask, having forgotten the question already, my thoughts having been too focused on the trial before me.

  He chuckles. “I want you to figure out how you two did that with the weapons. Why you were able to do it. It shouldn’t take too long for one of you to come up with an answer. Plus, it gives you something to do besides thinking about the climb. We can work on both the brain and the body at the same time!” he concludes happily, continuing his steady climb ahead of us.

  Glad to have something else to do, I reflect on everything I’ve learned about this strange place. Something Vlad told me before I even got here pops back into my head. “Each person has a Gift or two, except for the very rare few who happen to have none. Although it’s been said that the ones destined to be King or Queen can have up to four Gifts. There are quite a few Gifts that one could possess, such as flying, reading minds, extraordinary fighting skills…” Wait a minute! I think, excited. Gifts; extraordinary fighting skills… Nathan and I must have the Fighting Gift!

  “I think I know!” I suddenly gasp. They both look at me, surprised.

  “Really?” Thaddeus says. “I didn’t think you would figure it out so quickly! Well, go ahead.”

  “Well… Vlad told me that there are different Gifts we could develop here… and he mentioned extraordinary fighting skills. So… do Nathan and I have that Gift? Or am I totally off?”

  Now Thaddeus seems surprised. “No, no, you’re just about exactly right! Considering what little you’ve been told… It’s incredible that you were able to come up with that, honestly. However… perhaps I should clarify before you get ahead of yourselves. This may not be your actual Gift. Before you receive all of your Gifts, your body will go through… let’s call it Zilferian puberty. Your body will try out different Gifts, sometimes with more success than others. You may have one Gift for over a week, but another may only linger for a few hours should your body reject the Gift.

  “Judging from what I just saw of the two of you, and how you were both equally matched… I thought that maybe you both had already completely grown into that Gift, but since you don’t remember what happened… well, that’s how you know it’s not your actual Gift yet. You won’t know if a given Gift has settled on you until you see everything crystal clear- both during and immediately after you use it. It’s like your senses are all heightened. You will also feel more powerful for a few hours after receiving your new Gift- like a substantial dose of adrenaline- but you will then feel a drop in energy for about an hour. You will be quite weak. After that, you will then feel normal and be in complete control of your new power. Using it will be like second nature to you, unlike during your Zilferian puberty.”

  He stops and looks at us a little sheepishly. “I’m sorry, was that too much to absorb at once? I just get so caught up… I forget that you know next to nothing about all this and that
it is all very sudden and strange to you.”

  I shake my head. “No, I think we’re alright, but the meaning of what you just said may not sink in for a while. But you might as well toss everything on us at once since we need to know as much as we can before the First Challenge.”

  “Speaking of which,” Nathan adds, “what is the First Challenge? Aren’t you supposed to tell us? You need to get us ready so we can have the best chance possible. You know what it is, right? You were just at a meeting to finalize everything for it!”

  “Oh, calm down,” Thaddeus soothes, waving a hand at us. We must have climbed hundreds of stairs by now, yet we are still not at the top, although I think I can finally see it. We are both very winded now, although Thaddeus seems to be fine. He may be old, but he’s very fit. I don’t ask for a break, determined to do what I must to win this thing, just as I promised Nathan. Even and especially if that means doing anything and everything my advisor asks me to do- without complaint. Nathan does the same, although he secretly gives me a look of despair at the pain we’re putting our bodies through. So we struggle silently, not complaining- although we can’t do much about our heavy breathing, which becomes continually more ragged as we climb. My lungs begin burning and it’s a struggle for them to continue to expand. I start taking smaller, shallower breaths- which only causes my muscles to burn even more from the lack of oxygen. As I run out of energy, my lungs feel as heavy as rocks- not to mention my legs. How on earth does Thaddeus do it? Perhaps he has a Gift of Stamina or something?

  “I’ll tell you about the First Challenge- but I can’t tell you every little detail of everything you can expect to find or do. I can simply teach you about the bigger threats that you will almost certainly encounter and how to deal with them. I cannot tell you every little detail that is restricted from the rest of the contestants. We try to make this so that everyone has an equal opportunity to win.”