Ancestral Dragon

Chapter 23

After his humbling sparring match with Viktor and Hredon, a determined Jak worked harder than before with Agarilus. It was true that he became much more powerful just from bonding with the ancestral dragon but Viktor and his dragon were able to work together as partners in the sky while useless Jak allowed Agarilus to be hit by the great horned dragon's fire.

Each afternoon for the next couple of weeks Jak practiced flying with Agarilus instead of magic with the rest of the trainees. He felt it more pertinent for him to improve his abilities in the sky rather than spend time on something he thought that he had mastered. Since bonding with Agarilus, performing spells had become effortless and no longer was it important to dedicate time in practicing magic. However, he did fall asleep browsing the book of spells every night.

The team tournament was fast approaching. Even though Zachario had acted like a blunder on the weapons field, Jak knew his friend was very competent and would perform well if they could relax his mind. Each day they practiced breathing exercises to calm Zachario. Many times, he didn't notice when the instructor Xue Xeolin walked by observing his skill. Jak eagerly awaited the opportunity to show his own skills as well, finally feeling like he had found something that was his own like his friend Mat from Earth with soccer.

Jak and Zachario weren't the only ones restlessly waiting for the opportunity to show off with a sword. A parchment, as Jak learned paper was called in this world, was available to sign up for the tournament each morning, however, it was full at the end of the first day. Tyrell was especially passionate during weapons training. Xeolin had to heal his partner fairly frequently. Jak had found Tyrell glaring at him on more than one occasion but Tyrell didn't dare confront Jak again. Tyrell had also tried to follow Jak up the mountain daily but Agarilus would extend the camouflage power through their bond to hide Jak.

It felt as if an electric current ran through the village. Trainees and villagers alike had trouble staying still. The trainees would be out and about with their weapons between training sessions while more villagers than usual congregated together outside the communal kitchen; the conversation always about open rebellion.

The day before the team tournament finally arrived and the morning training session had gone by slow and fast all at the same time. The trainees made their way to the midday meal as smells of smoked meat and vegetables wafted from the communal kitchen.

"What's that smell?" Jak asked.

"Smells like pork," Zachario answered with his eyes closed and nose toward the rising smoke behind the kitchen.

"Why is Hilt doing all of this today?" Jak asked as he remembered that the morning meal consisted of fresh eggs, bacon, and bread.

"He probably wants to make sure everyone is performing their best tomorrow."

The young men winced at the noise as they entered the dining hall. It was bustling with conversation as trainees ran from table to table. Jak had never seen everyone acting like this before. The team tournament had lit a fire among the villagers. As they walked to the food, Jak overheard conversations about what would happen after the tournament with the main question on most people's mind; when do they march to war?

On the counters where stew and dried meat usually waited, sat freshly cut pork, roasted vegetables, cheese, and bread. Jak's mouth watered as he eyed the unusual display of quality food. The stew and dried meat were good and sustained Jak during his time in the village but he had forgotten how much he enjoyed properly cooked food. Hilt must have been planning this since the tournament was announced.

Jak and Zachario thanked the portly cook and found a secluded part of a table to enjoy their meals. None of the other trainees included them in the conversations, no doubt still afraid of what consequences would follow from Tyrell. Jak looked forward to settling things with him once and for all in the tournament.