The Dragon Games

Divine

Hunger pangs twisted Regan's stomach, waking her. A moment later, she became aware of something warm dripping onto her toe. No doubt it was the mysterious brown liquid seeping through the ceiling. Her chamber was more like a coffin than a room: grey walls coated with cracks and mold, twelve identical bunk beds squashed together to fit the most children in the least space, iron bars covering the windows. Those iron bars were studier than the entire building.

In the kingdom of Scaldril, if you want to know how prosperous an area is, just look at how flammable its buildings are. At the heart of the capital, Castle Arragon was constructed entirely of hydra glass, partly to ward off dragon attacks, mostly to ensure the high nobility never suffered long without a shiny surface to admire their in-bred reflections. Half a mile away, the stone buildings began, reserved for a slightly less intolerable class of people – the merchants, doctors, and clergies. 

Meanwhile, Regan lived on the outskirts of the city wall, in a district called the burrow. The burrow was populated by peasants and serfs, and its wooden buildings rattled against each other with every breath of wind. It was the kingdom's most populated district, and it grew hotter and more cramped with each passing day, especially during the summer months. But even though the heat was as scalding and unforgiving as its people, the burrow loved summer above all other seasons. It meant the qualifying tournament for the Blood Moon Festival would begin.

Regan stretched her arm, seeking Iris' warmth, only to find the other side of her mattress empty and cold. With a start, she realized all the bunk beds were empty. She jumped out of bed and threw on her shoes as she dashed out the door. If she overslept the headcount, Miss Agnes would kill her. Or worse, she would refuse to serve Regan breakfast. But the other orphans weren't in the kitchen. They were clustered on the stairwell, sticking their heads through the railing to peak at the doorway. A strange woman was talking to Miss Agnes. While Miss Agnes was short and squat, her dress eaten by moths and dust, the woman was tall and graceful, and her long bright gown looked as if it had come straight from the tailor's.

"Is there anywhere we can get some privacy?" the woman said. The orphans groaned quietly when they heard her accent. It was polished with the crips inflections of the capital, a stark contrast to the guttural tones in the burrow. Obviously, adoption wasn't on the table. No one from the capital wanted some dusty street rat.

"Only the kitchen, but the children are supposed to eat soon," Miss Agnes replied.

"How many nine-year-olds do you have?"

"Three."

"Three will take no time at all. The DRA will be over before the children get hungry."

"It's the DRA," the orphans echoed among each other, along with 'Divine', 'dragons', and 'no chance in hell'.

Technically, everyone had two chances in their lifetime to score a place in the Blood Moon Festival. One, at eighteen years old, by winning the qualifying tournament. But more often than not, victors of the qualifying tournament died within seconds of entering the Blood Moon Festival. To have any shot at surviving, much less winning, competitors had to start young and dedicate their childhoods to studying combat, dragons, and the Divine. That was why the second entryway had far more promising prospects: at nine years old, pass the Divine Readiness Assessment. Officials from the king's court tested every nine-year-old in the kingdom, and if they had high enough levels of Divine, a carriage whisked them away to begin training in the capital.

Suddenly, Miss Hadley turned to the stairs. The orphans ducked out of view, clapping their hands over their mouths. "Elice! Iris! Marcus!" Miss Hadley shouted. "Come down here!"

Three children sheepishly emerged from their hiding places. The official held the kitchen door open for them but didn't spare a glance their way. She stared out the window, tapping her foot, no doubt counting the seconds until she could test one of the nicer districts – a district where the children had a chance of passing the DRA. The Divine was like money. Hard to acquire unless you're born with it, and you don't live in the burrow if you had it.