Love is a game (Love in the air collection)

Sensual Arts

Originally published as Emo Demon

"Please don't let it be me," Rain thought desperately. He stood shoulder to shoulder with his best friend Sky in a crowd of almost two hundred boys between 18 and 20.

All his life Rain had seen boys in the height of their youth and vitality be summoned to the wizard's tower on the hill only to come back a year later with their life force completely drained. Everyone considered it a great honor to be chosen. The boy's family received rich gifts from the wizard and tributes from all the families of the surrounding villages. They would never want for anything for the rest of their lives.

Rain couldn't help but to wonder how much of an honor was it really to the boys who came back as useless husks or the ones that had never come back at all.

"Please don't let it be me." He thought again.

Rain knew the Wizard had an important job. Everything from good crops to weather was controlled through the magic that came from the tower. One life equals one year of prosperity for the entire region. It was considered a small price to pay.

"Please don't let it be me." He thought for the third time.

The boy would be chosen by a spell. The last act of magic powered by their predecessor. Once the spell was spoken the chosen boy would have a dragon tattoo magically appear on the inside of his wrist.

Rain flinches and tries to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible as the spell is read out loud. Some boys look relieved and others look disappointed as no tattoo appears. Rain is looking around and doesn't realize at first that Sky is staring in horror at Rain's wrist.

Rain slowly looks down dreading what he will see. On his wrist is a black serpentine dragon wrapped around a pink orchid that hadn't been there a minute ago. Rain feels all the strength leave his body as blackness overwhelms him.

Rain is given two weeks to pack and prepare himself before the tower guards will come to collect him. Running away briefly enters his mind but if he does his family and friends will be made to suffer and he can't do that.

On the third day after Rain had been chosen an extraordinary rumor began to circulate the village. The Wizard was dead! A spell had backfired!

For two days Rain held hope that this meant he would get a reprieve but then the word got out that a new wizard was already on his way to the tower and Rain would still take his place as tribute.

Rain resigned himself to his fate and packed his things. The day before he was to leave he said a tearful goodbye to Sky and his other friends, sure that he would never see them again.

Rain spends a sleepless night sitting on the edge of his bed. He was beyond tears and fear for the future now. In the morning he feels a little numb but thinks maybe that is a good thing. He lookes at the gifts that had begun to come into take care of his family and this eased his heart somewhat. At least his family will be well taken care of.

Rain waits in front of the village gates for the guards. He didn't want his family or friends to see them escorting him through the village. He recognizes most of them from previous years but there is a handsome man who Rain can't help staring at. He has long black hair pulled back into a top knot, beautiful honey eyes that Rain could drown in, a sharp expression and thin lips with a beauty mark on one side. This man dismounts his pure white horse and stands in front of Rain looking him over.