“There are worse jobs out there,” Westwind mumbled, watching the hooded Terina, the Arena Cleaner, enter the stadium with a wheelbarrow full of cleaning supplies. She wore bright red robes, a good idea, but the bi-weekly matches in Shadowspire’s gladiatorial games weren’t overly bloody this week. Only a few sand-soaked spots dotted the grounds. Pieces of broken armor and weapons, a few still intact, lay strewn across the area. He enjoyed sitting in the stands and the quiet after the spectators left. A cool breeze blew through his hair, and he looked to the sky, where a few lazy clouds drifted and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to travel anywhere.
Turning his attention, he spotted Terina standing in the middle of the sand, looking at him. Her face remained hidden in the shadow of her hood. He routinely lingered after the games. She always knew he was there.
Chains rattled behind him.
Turning, Westwind’s eyes grew wide at a reptilian creature, a mere dragon, making its way over the top of the arena stands. A heavily muscular man rode the beast. He wore simple clothing, and Westwind noticed his hands were cuffed with thick chains.
“I suspect you own the Dragon’s Hoard, yes?” the rider inquired.
“I’m the proprietor,” Westwind responded.
“Where is she?”
Turning toward Terina and back, Westwind asked, “Who?”
“My‑re. Where is she?”
“My‑re?” The woman with the Shagornan Elf? I have not seen them in some time.”
“Then explain this to me. This creature tracked My‑re to the Dragon’s Hoard, then carried me to you. Now, why in Ghea did My‑re need to see you?”
“She looked for someone. Someone dead,” Westwind explained.
“Varick?” the barbarian questioned. His expression seemed anticipative.
“Varick, no. She looked for Araminth Goldeneye, who passed some time ago,” Westwind replied, then paused before continuing. “Are you Varick? I take it you escaped prison?”
“Yes, I am. You catch on to the obvious quick,” Varick nudged the mere dragon with his heels. It edged closer to Westwind until the creature came to his face. It sniffed him a couple of times, then proceeded past toward the arena sands. Varick seemed to be trying to make the mere dragon halt, but it didn’t heed his commands. Westwind followed its path. It headed straight toward Terina.
“Terina, leave the arena,” Westwind called out, but she stood motionless. Varick, I gave you the information you asked for.”
The mere dragon sniffed the air and circled Terina twice. It then lay down in front of her.
Varick attempted to nudge the stationary creature. Grunting in frustration, he dismounted and looked down on the smaller, five-foot-four, slender, rangy-framed Terina.
“You are not shaking, old woman? Neither fear of me nor this mere dragon?”
Terina didn’t move.
“It matters little. You are not important. What I care about is that My‑re came this way. You saw her, did you not? Do you know where she is?”
Terina shook her head.
Sighing, Varick said, “I trust no one, not even the gods. So, I have a predicament.” Looking around, Varick retrieved a discarded great sword on the sands. Testing the grip in his chained hands, he turned back toward Terina. The mere dragon rose, and a low, menacing growl issued from its throat. It stood between Terina and him.
“This creature is known to you? Interesting,” Varick commented. “It does not matter. I will still have my answers, and if it costs a hundred or so pounds of flesh, so be it.”
A slender, youthful hand reached out to the mere dragon from Terina’s long sleeve. Touching its head, she whispered, barely audible, “Protect.”
Koma screeched in the rush of its assault!
Varick curved snakelike away from the charge at the last instant. Dazed from the mere dragon’s shrieking sound blast and trying to clear his head, he pivoted around, seeking the counterstrike.
The mere dragon moved in circles around the barbarian. He cracked his whip-like tail with tremendous force.
Varick’s fighting instincts took over as he vaulted over the attack. His opponent overextended himself. He emerged on Koma’s side, a blind spot. He leaped onto the mere dragon’s back. He whirled his great sword overhead, attempting a bashing attack. The pommel struck the mere dragon’s head. It was a tremendous blow.
Koma staggered, losing its footing, and fell. Its eyes rolled into his head.
Varick, clearing his ears, stepped off the unconscious mere dragon and back to Terina. “You called it to protect. So, is it a guardian? A pet? This seems too magnificent a beast to be associated with one so lowly. Unless you are not. There is more to you, is there not Terina, the arena cleaner?”
“Leave her,” Westwind said calmly, descending the stairs.
“Still here and did not flee? A brave man or stupid. I have never encountered a brave man, but plenty of stupid ones. Possibly, you are neither. You have a bond with this Terina, yes?”
Varick motioned to a broadsword on the arena sands not far away as Westwind approached.
Westwind picked up the blade and said, “Don’t reveal your true self. They’ll find you.”
“Reveal yourself?” Varick questioned, looking at Terina and then Koma. “So, Terina is in disguise with known associations with mere dragons. Am I in the presence of a forgotten Folstrom? Controller of dragons? A dragon rider?”
Westwind snorted, and Terina tensed at the name’s utterance.
Picking up on the queue, Varick said, “No, not a Folstrom. I heard from Rirorni stories they burned long ago by dragon fire. But, you are in hiding, and My‑re is looking for someone, an Araminth Goldeneye. Is My‑re looking for you?”
“Run!” Westwind yelled and charged. The two attacked together, almost grappling with each other.
Varick disengaged and leaped to his left. His muscles rippled as he made a powerful swing with his greatsword. He struck Westwind on the right shoulder. It was a devastating attack.
Westwind’s face turned pale and on the verge of shock. Visibly staggered, he dropped his broadsword and fell to his knees, his right arm hanging useless at his side. He began muttering a desperate prayer.
Varick kicked the blade away. Smirking at his helpless, kneeling opponent, he raised his greatsword. For several heartbeats, the victor stood motionless.
Turning to Terina, Westwind said, “At the end of things. Always know I love you.”
Snorting, Varick replied, “Stupid and a worthless sentiment.” His greatsword arced forward to cut his foe in two!
A ringing of steel-striking steel rang throughout the arena.
Varick looked down. In front of Westwind stood Terina. Her speed was uncanny, wielding his broadsword in her hands. She impressively stopped the blow on the hilt of the weapon.
“Finally a worthy-”
Terina’s right leg smashed outward, kicking with tremendous force and interrupting Varick. He found himself somewhat unprepared for the attack. Her foot crunched into his abdomen. Teeth slammed together, and muscles tensed. He pulled away from the impact, which threw him several feet back to the ground.
Rising, Varick looked at his opponent.
Terina held the broadsword in front of her. The left hand placed on the grip, and the other confidently held the blade’s thick end. She had received training. Her red hood had pulled back enough so the sun reached within. A fresh, pale face with the appearance of yesterday’s youth stared at him with light, golden brown eyes and a freckled nose. Long, silky, tawny hair had fallen from the fur-lined hood, reaching past her shoulders.
“Amazing. You’re just a young woman.”
Terina charged forward, broadsword whistling through the air.
Varick narrowly escaped the force of the blow. He sidestepped, trying to throw the agile woman off balance.
She held the initiative. Terina’s broadsword whipped horizontally across with a deadly timed power.
Varick dropped to his knees, avoiding the attack, then leaped back up.
Terina threw a piston-like side kick with her right leg.
Her heel struck Varick's chest like a spear. The force knocked him to his hands and knees.
Terina rushed to her opponent’s weak side. She hacked at her foe with untamed berserker energy.
Snarling, Varick bounded up off the sand. He heaved the weight of his greatsword before him to easily deflect the blow. Following up, her broadsword arched from overhead with maximum momentum and force.
Varick ducked under the blow and fell instantaneously into a roll to his feet.
Spinning, she threw a devastating wheel kick at his foe with her right leg.
Terina repeated a pattern. A sword attack, she then followed up with a kick. In addition, she favored her right leg. There was something wrong with her left, possibly an old wound. “Got you!” Varick dodged, jumping to the side of the attack. He allowed her to over-extend herself. He brought the flat side of his greatsword smashing outward in a vicious bashing attack.
Struck in the face, Terina yelped in pain.
Varick unleashed a bone-crushing kick of incredible power, striking Terina in the left leg. Her limb smashed into the right. She instantly fell hard to the ground. Groaning and attempting to rise, he hammered in a ferocious forearm smash, striking her on the side of the head. She collapsed in a heap back to the sand.
Breathing out heavily, Varick observed the downed woman and sighed. “How am I going to find My‑re now?” He nudged her body with his foot to see if she remained conscious, then glanced over to Koma and continued, “I suspect the mere dragon will not permit me to ride again after nutting him. So, my dragon riding days are over.”
A pitiful moan came from Westwind on the ground not far away.
“Still alive? You may yet prove to be of some value,” Varick said, rushed over, and punched him in the forehead with the greatsword’s guard.
Walking back toward the downed Terina, he said, “So, if I can not track My‑re. I will have My‑re track me, or specifically you.” Bending down and picking up the woman, throwing her over his shoulder, he said to her unconscious form, “I stand corrected. You are important, Araminth Goldeneye.”