I was pacing my cell when Leon stormed in, backed up by three knights. Accepting the parlay was worth it, if only to see the look on his face – darker than the grime coating my handcuffs. 

I don't take pleasure in the despair of Court officials – well, I try not to take more pleasure than I should – but it's not every day that a man devotes the past five years of his life to hunting you down, only to set you free within days of capture.

"Morning, Commander," I said.

Leon grunted and chucked a balled-up leather jacket between my cell bars. It landed in the muddy puddle, splashing my shins, and looked exactly the same as Cassian's, except for the empty patches where his had two symbols.

"Hey, what happened to my symbols?"

"Not my concern," Leon replied flatly, gesturing for my hand.

"I did not steal my own symbols." Scowling, I splayed my bare palms to prove my point.

Leon grabbed my wrist, jerking my hand through the bars. Then, to my surprise, he began removing my binds. I thought he would stop at my wrists, but he did everything – wrists, ankles, shins, fingers – and no doubt died a little more with each freed limb. 

Once my hands were free, I flexed my fingers for the first time in ages, letting the divine rush back in with a crackle of static electricity. With one swipe, I could throw Leon and his knights against the dungeon wall and book it to freedom. The knights must be aware of my power, yet none of them looked nervous. They looked calm. 

Too calm.

"Follow me," Leon ordered, striding for the dungeon steps. "Cassian awaits."

"Is he taking me to the Blood Moon Festival?" I shrugged on my new jacket, folding the sleeves to hide the mud stains.

"No, he's taking you to Skydescent. It's a castle where contestants train and form allies leading up to the festival. Though I doubt you'll have much success in either."

As I left my cell, one the knights shoved me in the back. I stumbled back, banging my head against the iron bars. On instinct, I whipped around, fists high, only to realize that the knight didn't want to fight. He was biting his lip as if trying not to smile, his arms hanging limp by his sides, and his head tilted down, as if to give me better access.

I dropped my fists and turned to Leon. "Does the Blood Moon Festival have some rule against violence? Like if I give your man a bruise, l get disqualified?"

Leon's face darkened. Without another word, he turned on his heel, and as he led the way down the building's long stone corridors, his knights were relentless. Obviously, the game was up, and I wouldn't give them an excuse to disqualify me. 

Now they played a new game, one called 'look how fun it is to strike someone who can't strike back.' They pulled my hair, shoved my shoulders, kicked my heels, and hissed all kinds of colorful names.

It was a relief to finally step outdoors. The last of summer had faded into fall, turning the willow trees lining the courtyard red and orange. Across the lawn, Cassian leaned against the side of a carriage, awaiting my arrival. 

He jerked up right the instant he saw me and strode toward us, rushing but trying to look like he wasn't. I peered over his shoulder, expecting more guards, but he was alone, with nothing to protect him except a horse and a driver... 

 Once again, it seemed too good to be true. Too easy to toss Cassian out the carriage, steal his horse, and take back my freedom. A knight smacked the back off my head, forcing me to look away.

"Thank you!" Cassian called out. "I'll take her from here."

I moved forward, but Leon grabbed a piece of my hair and jerked me back. "Are you sure you don't want any extra hands? The road to Skydescent is long, and if she escapes, it's on your head."

"She'd never entertain the idea," Cassian said. "No doubt you gave a fleet of tracker dragons some of her blood, ready to pounce at your word."

Me and Leon's faces fell, our last hope gone. With tracker dragons, there was no corner in this kingdom I could run to without them finding me in an instant. I'd actually have to see the Blood Moon Festival through.

"Well," Cassian said after a tense pause. "Good day, sirs."

Leon didn't release me. If anything, his grip on my hair tightened.

"Ow," I snapped, scowling.

Cassian's smile dropped. "Good day, sirs."

"As you insist," Leon said colorlessly. He released my hair only to grab my shoulder and lower his mouth to my ear. 

"This here?" Leon whispered. "This is nothing compared to what you will receive at Skydescent. They'll tear you apart, raider."

And with that, the knights left. Cassian watched them go, frowning. "Sorry for that. I've never seen Leon act so uncivil."

"I think one of them stole part of my uniform." I pinched the empty patch on my jacket. "Along with several clumps of my hair."

Cassian's mouth twitched. "That's how all pledge's uniforms come. You earn your crests once you earn a dragon and a place in a squad."

"A what uniform?"

"A pledge. There are three years of training at Skydescent. First is pledge year, preparing to bond with a dragon, then rookie year, then graduate year."

"But, uh, I don't have any money." All they let me keep was the clothing on my back.

"So?"

"How will I afford training?"

"Training is fully funded by House sponsors. In exchange, you'll fly for their squad, under their colors. And it's for the best that you keep your plans to fly for my squad a secret. If people get any — ahem — crazy ideas I was holding your parlay ransom to force you to fly for my squad, it would be highly frowned upon."

"Highly frowned upon?" I eyed Cassian, raising a brow. "Is that another way of saying 'definitely illegal'?"

"No, because I am not forcing you to do anything." Cassian crossed his arms over his chest, skewering me with a pointed stare. "Flying for House Tudor is a mere suggestion."

I paused, sensing my parlay was teetering over a thin line. Cassian didn't want to inflict a raider on any other squad. He didn't want to give me the parlay at all, if not for his duke's obligation to Sammy. 

"A suggestion," I said slowly, gauging his reaction with every word, "that I am eager to take."

He smiled approvingly, and once again, my parlay was safe.

I paused, a realisation suddenly occurring to me. "These three years of training ... do they count toward my seven-year sentence to the king?"

"Good catch." Cassian opened the carriage door. "Quick wits like that will serve you well at Skydescent."

I squinted at him. "So do they?"

"Nope!" Cassian said brightly, sliding into the carriage. 

I followed a beat later, my eyes dim. Cassian pretended not to notice me jolting and clutching the walls when the driver took off. I had never rode in a carriage before. Back at the orphanage, Chick and I would pretend that –

Clearing my throat, I refocused on Cassian. "So for this whole, uh, Blood Moon Festival thing, what exactly do I have to do?" 

In my dream world, it would be quick, like ripping off a bandage. Collect the dragons and go, I say.

"When the blood moon rises," Cassian said. "You will enter the arena – a vast wilderness extending miles. In the month that follows, the moon reddens with each day, and progressively more powerful dragons will arrive in search of a rider."

"Why do dragons want a rider?"

"You ask why moths flock to light or mockingbirds sing. No one knows the why and how. It is simply their nature, driven by thousands of years of evolution."

"What about the selection? Like, who picks who? Does the rider pick the dragon or does the dragon pick the rider?"

"The rider approaches the dragon, but it's up to the dragon to make the final decision. You must look in its eyes, and then one of two things will happen. If the dragon deems you unworthy, it will kill you. Worthy, and you will hear its name echo in your head. Say its name, and you will become its newest rider. And while each dragon has a different criteria for worthiness, usually the most cunning, daring, and divine fare the best."

My brows pushed together. "That's it? Just look in its eyes? That doesn't sound too hard." 

When Sammy told me the story of how he bonded with Rauuk, it had never crossed my mind that he used the actual procedure for bonding with a dragon. I always figured he finessed some shortcut, that the prestigious, renowned Blood Moon Festival would include a little more hardship than a staring contest.

"Of course not!" Cassian agreed, clapping my shoulder. "Well, apart from the whole getting scorched alive part. And that's only if the other pledges don't kill you first to improve their odds. But aside from those two minor details, it's going to be great!"