The Verum Trilogy - Survivor

Chapter 18

On the day of Selection, only five recruits remained. Six, if Bree was included, but Alia considered her somewhere between recruit and Rider, not really fitting in to either group. She had seen less and less of her teammate lately, who chose to spend most of her free time with the saddler, working on some project Alia did not care enough to ask about. She had woken up well before the sun to get ready, carefully braiding her hair into a crown around her head and meticulously fastening her uniform. It felt strange to retrieve her longsword from beneath her bed and strap it to her hip so early in the morning. They had trained for six weeks on the same weapons, but today the tempered steel was a stranger in her grip. Today it would be used to draw blood, and if no other option was available, it would take its first life. Nothing less than perfection would be acceptable, and in mere hours she would be a Rider. No longer 'recruit' this, 'recruit' that, but a true Rider with a beautiful dragon of her own and more importantly, Locke's equal.

The thought of him sent a small thrill of excitement through her chest. She could still feel his hand splayed against her chest, his breath warm against her cheek. She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, and determined grey eyes stared back. This was it.

As they lined up in front of the Bondery doors, Alia was surprised to see Bree fall into place at her side. She met her old roommate's eyes with a questioning glance. Bree smiled at her, and Alia couldn't help but notice she seemed, well, healthy even. The usual sickly grey hue was gone from her soft brown skin, the dark circles under her eyes considerably lighter than she remembered. It even looked like she'd put on a little weight since reception, and her whole demeanor was much calmer than she was used to. Gone was the skittish child that flinched every time someone looked in her direction. This was someone else.

"They expect me to fight and graduate just like everyone else," Bree told her. "I promise not to make our team look bad this time."

She opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by their commander, who cleared her throat and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Congratulations to each and every one of you for making it this far. Behind these doors, oathbound dragons will watch you compete and make their selections. Remember to conduct yourselves with the highest measure of integrity and respect for them. There will only be one round of battle, so give it your all." She met each of their eyes individually, and Alia's spine stiffened when the commander's gaze settled on her. "The match ups will be as follows; our midterm winners, Luca Riddick and Mateo Romanov."

Alia glanced at Luca, stony faced and unmoving, before looking over Squad Three's only remaining recruit. Mateo looked equally determined, but a small smile of anticipation tugged at his lips. The commander continued.

"Ronan Bolshevik and Breana Avery."

Alia swallowed in spite of herself. Ronan was a walking weapon, his muscular physique so broad he often had to walk through narrow doorways one shoulder at a time. Luca had barely bested him during the midterm, and only because Ronan had briefly lost his footing as a dragon nicked their platform. Alia had a feeling he was not the type to make the same mistake twice. But if Bree was fighting Ronan, that meant...

"Alia Bennett and Mariana Skye."

She was fighting a vicious woman well-renowned in their company. Though a better match than Mateo would have been, rumors had circulated more than once that Mariana "Mari" Skye had been singularly responsible for all three of her teammates leaving the program, more than one permanently disabled. No one had been able to prove it, and the allegations had been dropped. Suddenly Ronan did not seem too bad of an opponent after all. She glanced at Bree again, but the young girl's attention was captivated by the enormous Bondery doors as a sliver of light spilled through their seam. The recruits entered single file as the doors silently glided open.

The view on the other side was nothing short of breathtaking. While she had thought Blackwell Compound had been built into an ordinary mountain, Alia now realized they had established themselves around and within an extinct volcano, the Bondery nestled in its crater. A vast circular expanse of shining obsidian gleamed from the caldera's center, narrow paths spiderwebbing in all directions to ridgelines well above the clouds. As they walked one by one down the path that extended from the Bondery door, Alia couldn't help but stare down the sheer drop on either side, extending farther than her eyesight could reach. The path was barely two feet in width with no handholds or siderails, widening only when it connected to the obsidian arena where the battle royale would take place. Other thin ledges to her left and right were even narrower. The rugged cliffs and rocky outcrops encircling the depreciated peak created a natural perch for the sixteen dragons currently staring down at them, keen eyes following every movement.

The silence was charged with nervous anticipation as they separated into their pairs, spreading out across the arena. Alia's hands were clammy and slick with sweat, but she resisted the urge to wipe them on her uniform.

Nothing less than perfection, she thought. From her right, Bree smiled at her.

"Good luck," she said, and Alia nodded grimly.

She turned to face Mari with a deep breath to settle her nerves. This was what she had trained for. Mari stood with her hands on her hips, a knowing smile barely touching her lips. Her red hair was tied in a messy knot on top of her head, two long braids framing her face. The morning sun ignited it, casting a warm glow over her pale green eyes.

"Ready for this?" Alia asked her, a small grin of her own matching her opponent's. Mari's smile widened.

"After I kill you, I'll feed you to my new dragon," she declared softly, pure malice in her eyes. Alia's smile faded, and from the terrace at the Bondery entrance, their commander raised a flare gun and pointed it into the sky. A sizzling ball of red flame shot into the sky.

"Begin!"

Alia quickly drew, steel flashing in the sun, her eyes never leaving Mari's weapon. The woman didn't draw, sprinting forward and closing the gap between them until Alia was staring directly into cold eyes intent with murder. Mari's hand closed around Alia's, the sword wavering between them, then her hand twisted and there was a sickening snap. The longsword clattered to the ground.

Shock rooted Alia in place as she stared at her hand, twisted unnaturally around. Burning pain seared through her wrist, racing up her arm. Instinct overcame every lesson, every training technique, every moment of carefully honed skill she had drilled into her body the last six weeks. Her left hand curled and she punched Mari in the face. Mari's nose made a satisfying crunch as she staggered back, releasing her hold.

"Y-you bithsh," she stuttered, stemming her bleeding nose with a hand. Red spilled over her fingers, and a few of the dragons shifted in agitation, excited at the smell of blood. They both glanced at her longsword, resting on the ground, and dove for it simultaneously, scrambling to secure the unrecovered weapon. A series of hard, unrelenting strikes followed. Alia caught Mari in the solar plexus, while she jabbed her in the throat. They both gagged for air, and Alia's knee clipped her chin, making the red-head's teeth clack together painfully. With the extra second, her left hand closed around the hilt of the blade.

Yes!

Mari's frustrated growl was lost in the noise of the other spars around them as she pulled a dagger from her belt.

That's—!

Alia's thought did not reach completion. She stared at her hand, at the hilt of the dagger now resting on top of it. Her mind could not process what she was seeing. Blood flowed from her palm, hot and wet. Mari had buried the dagger into the back of her hand, so deep a full inch of the steel point protruded from her palm. The adrenaline paused, the pain setting in. And that was when she started to scream.