The Silver Revenge

Chapter 18: The Tournament

Silver took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and forced her mind to focus. It was starting soon, and the anxiety that always came from a predetermined fight wound through her like a torrent. Her tail flicked side to side incessantly, the metal on it creating small scratches in the surface of the ice. They had put her in a cubic room, with the traditional ice walls, ice roof and ice floor. One either side of the room were icicles that moved when applied pressure from the outside. She had no idea how they worked, and they were protected by the same telekinetic force of the other ice bars in her previous prison, one she would undoubtedly be returned to after this fight.

It had been a couple of days since her talk with Zoralth, and she hadn't seen the king of Eldawin's Syndicate since. Thankfully A.O.D.H hadn't arrived yet, and she still had her own mind. There was still no sign of Merene, and Silver didn't know whether to feel betrayed or worried. The mind dragon could have been captured for all they knew and put in a completely different prison from the one they were being held in. It would be a lot easier for her to escape this place then anyone else.

Sighing the silver dragon began to pad up and down the cage. She felt trapped, not just physically but mentally as well. Ever since Thylo had broken her mind she had been wary, paranoid even, of the mind dragon. He seemed to be always there, always looking in. Most of it was probably just her imagination, but it didn't feel like it. Silver had never been afraid before, at least, not truly afraid, but Thylo, he truly frightened her.

Outside she could here the rustled voices of hundreds of dragons, the sound she had gotten used to over the passed week, so much so that she could tell what the general mood of the crowd was. They were excited. Ecstatic, eagerly looking forward to blood that would be shed. She understood, at least partly. Watching two dragons brawl was always an interesting spectacle, but it also depended on whether or not the fight was to the death. This tournament, from what she had been told, wasn't an extremely safe thing to participate in. The rules were very basic. Fight until the other conceded or was unable to continue. They were it, and it wasn't uncommon for a dragon to die. They had healer dragons on standby of course, but there was nothing to stop instant kills like a crushed skull or an icicle to the heart.

She couldn't see into the arena, it was blocked by a ramp leading to the outside, but she had a feeling she knew where it was. Her mind flickered back to when she had seen the fight between the ice drake, Kunder, and his female friend, and she didn't doubt that they would be in the same arena. It would be the perfect place for a spectacle, but instead of being able to leave whenever they wanted, they would likely be trapped by one the telekinetic fields that encased every stage.

The dragoness took another deep breath, trying to get the substantial amount of nerves off her chest. She knew she could win. Retrix had studied and learnt what he could about the other dragons, and while they were all quite substantial fighters, none of them were amazing, at least, according to the earth dragon they had made 'friends' with. He had seemed all to eager to give out information on their opponents. It was a slight shame that he had to be the dragon Silver was facing. Another earth dragon. She smiled slightly at the thought.

He had told them his name was 'Rocky'. Obviously it was some nickname given to him, but that was what he had introduced himself as. Apparently he had gotten quite far last time the tournament had been held, and the only reason he had lost was because the final fight had been against a rather powerful mind dragon. There wasn't much one could do to defend themselves against something like that, something that Silver knew all to well. Strangely though there were no mind dragon prisoners, much to her relief.

From what she knew about the earth dragon however, she wouldn't be expecting an easy fight. Before Rocky had been imprisoned he had been one of the Syndicate's elite, and quite a high-ranking member, before he had lost his temper and snapped a younglings neck for generally no reason at all. At least, that was what she had been told, so she knew the earth dragon was rather ruthless.