Dragon Dumpling

The sound of the crowd was deafening. Even from below, sounds of cheering, screaming, stomping, and clanging metal on metal were overwhelming. My heartbeat was attempting to match the beat of stomping feet.

Nervous sweat dripped into my eye despite the cool air funneling in from the dark tunnels. Or maybe it was from the fever. Either way, my eye burned from the salt.

My time was coming. Every breath I took was one breath closer to the last. Fighting to survive was much harder with the sick. The outcome would be grim indeed. The only way I would survive this night would be pure luck. My ribs were still aching from the night before. Surely at least one was broken.

The jerks that had us caged could smell weakness. They knew I was sick. Plus, I was hurt from yesterday’s battle before they placed me against that monster earlier. As one of their smallest and quickest toys, I was always matched with slower, larger creatures. Trolls, goblins, and even smallish sand worms were my usual targets. Those in the crowd went wild when a tiny human could down a full-grown abomination. Odds on my survival skyrocketed the first month I was here, proving how entertaining I could be.

Tonight was different. When I was pulled early from my rest and healing period, I knew something was wrong. My body ached for no apparent reason. Heat radiated from my skin, and something felt off. Then I was dragged to the pit without any chance to even drink, tossed in front of a young griffin.

Griffins, usually docile creatures towards humans when shown proper respect, could manage a very hostile side when not fed for days. Predatory by nature, they would be willing to eat anything. The magnificent animal was chained and waiting for a meal. His gorgeous wings had been clipped, and his beak sharpened. The poor guy’s eyes were filled with hunger.

Insanity from starvation made me ideal prey. Especially with my weakened limbs. Whatever fever it was that settled into my body made me feel unable to move. Even as one of the noble’s favored playthings, the odds were in favor of the hangry youngling.

I knew the drill. Fight or die. Apparently, he did too. Moments after my shaky body was forced from my holding cage, his front leg stamped the ground. His eyes held none of the friendliness I remembered from years ago around these creatures. The poor guy was aware of his options. Eat or die.

I had similar thoughts. Lay there and end my suffering. Horrifying. Or, force my shaky legs into action.

Of all the fights I had been thrown into since my arrival, that one was the hardest. He wasn’t an evil, trained, grown creature there to smash humans. He was a baby. Something that could have been beautiful and mostly peaceful, given the chance. He was probably as terrified as I was, maybe more so with all the heckling and screaming from the crowd.

So, I did what I had to do to save me and show mercy. I killed him. Quickly.

Well, as quickly as I could without the proper weapons. Since I was meant to be food for their newest slave animal, I had to think fast and ignore my ailments. Being in that situation made my decision easy.

Kill the kid. Save myself. Basic human instinct.

Fight or flight. There wasn’t a flight option for either of us, so I did what I had to do. Now, the owners of this sickening establishment were displeased that I still drew breath.

Funny how things change.

Surely they made a nice penny off the bets placed against me. The customers were told I was ill, and were aware of the griffin’s starvation. I can’t imagine any of the patrons betting against him. A young ravenous beast vs. a small, sickly girl with broken ribs. Even the ones making money every time I survived before would not be tempted to bet on me in my current condition.

The sound vibrating through the tunnel had my ears ringing. The gong went off only twice, marking the end of a match. Someone or something just died.

They would soon drag another helpless soul out to face their destiny. Three rounds. Each night, there were three humans bet on. Every night, there were hundreds of drunken patrons there to make bets. Every night, slaves or creatures perished.

Every night, guards would remind us to fight well to stay alive. Most would say it in a mocking way. I never understood why that would be a good way to get slaves to want to fight. We were all living in the worst conditions, in the nastiest place, being starved, beaten, and forced to fight or die.

Being one of the few fighters still alive after a full year in service, I was aware of what happened to the ones who caught the sick. Many slaves were killed within a week of arrival; quite a few of those were from lack of will to live or catching the sick. The owners didn’t seem to mind it a bit. It was probably easier to replace human slaves than trained creatures anyway.

Most of us would avoid anyone who seemed feverish to save our own hides. I wasn’t that person when I first arrived. I used to try to help those with the sick. But when I realized what happened to them, no matter what I did, they all ended up in the pit as live food.... Well, I quit trying to help.

Footsteps drew my attention from my thoughts. They were coming down my tunnel. I was the only one down here tonight. I was in quarantine. They were going to try to feed me to something. Again. My fate was sealed the moment the cold sweats started up.

“Aaaastriiiiiiid, it’s feeding time, my love! I do hope you put up a good fight again. I love watching you squirm,” said the nastiest prison guard around. “The crowd was not happy with so much loss from their coin purses, though; they are all demanding entertainment when you finally get eaten.”

His shadow slid closer as he stepped into the lit part of the tunnel by my cage. The sneer on his face held more than just hate. There was a sick sort of satisfaction in his eyes. That nasty gleam a man got when they were overly excited. He always got off on making my life hell. Even if he failed at every attempt in getting me to assist him in doing so.

“Kane, I figured they’d send you down to torment me. Socked poor Morgan good in his eye earlier,” I responded weakly. My voice a reminder that today was probably going to be my last.

“Now, you little witch, I know you did not call me my given name,” he said. “You know the likes of you should only be calling me sir. Know your place, you foul swine, even on your death day. I’m glad to see they have finally put you in a cell that suits you, small and filthy just like you!”

“Haven’t been given what I deserve, or provided me with a proper place since I arrived, and you know that KANE,” I spat.

As he smirked at my indignant response, the crowd roared with approval once more, moments before the gong sounded, ending the third and final match for the night. Well then, it wasn’t me. My turn was coming, but I wasn’t in the pit yet. Thank the stars for that.

“Oh, you little dragon dumpling, your proper place is under me. You have known it since you arrived. If only I didn’t mind catching the sick, I would have you now,” he said. “The state you are in would make it easy to—”

“D-d-dragon?”

The excited gleam in his eye sparkled even brighter at my stammered interruption.

He. Said. Dragon.

I heard him say dragon. The dragons were supposed to be the top of the food chain. They were terrifying. Uncontrollable. Evil. Vile creatures of the old days, rumored to be extinct now. Horrible, man-eating beasts that sometimes enjoyed playing with their food. The word dragon was a curse on whoever it was aimed at. And he just said dragon.

The small room at the end of the tunnel began to spin. Faster. The heat of my fever overwhelmed my senses as the small torch seemed to blast light around the room. My brain was consumed by the steady and quickening pulse of my heart. The beating intensified every moment until my head felt as though it would split wide open. Dizzy and sick, I fell to my knees and wretched what little bit of fluid I had left in my belly.

He. Said. Dragon.

“I see you caught onto my wording, little demon,” he said. “Lord Blake owns one of the last, maybe even the very last besides the King’s pet. So yes, the rumors are true.”

A laugh sounded from his direction, but the echo of it tricked my ears. The sound became nonstop, surrounding me as I curled into a tight ball on the floor of my cage. My heartbeat overwhelmed my other senses with its throbbing in every part of me.

Finally, as the booming laugh subsided, the silence was replaced by the echo of footsteps. Kane was gone. Kane called me a dragon dumpling. I wasn’t going to fight again tonight. No. He said dragon. My death was a sure thing if I were to sit in quarantine until the night of the creature feeding. Slaves usually didn’t see what was being fed, unless they were being fed to the monsters. Feedings always happened midweek on my rest day. That gave me another 3 days. Maybe.

How was I to really know the time after being stuck alone in this damp tunnel? Darkness everywhere, slipping in and out of consciousness without any way to mark the time. Other than the raucous noises from the crowd during a fight. Stars. Three days.

The only sounds around me were a steady drip from the leaky ceiling and my heavy breathing.

Maybe the sick would take me before they had the chance to offer me up live. Maybe. Hopefully, if they didn’t, the damned creature would just swallow me whole and make it a quick death. I couldn’t kill a dragon.

I thought the rumor of them having a dragon was just that. A rumor. The only dragon anyone seemed sure about was the one living under the castle in the big city. Most people claimed that it was just a scare tactic. Dragons were killed off with the evil humans that controlled them to save mankind. At least, that was how the stories went.

Besides, this city wasn’t even one of the larger ones. How could they feed such a large beast? Where were they hiding it? Maybe Kane was messing with me. Oh, but what if he wasn’t?

Retching again, the pounding in my head worsened. Every part of my body throbbed with each painful beat of my heart. My fever burned hotter, making my skin feel like it was on fire. The world began to dim. My vision blurred as darkness settled around me, claiming me, body and mind, forcing me into oblivion. I became blissfully unaware of the entire world.