The Final Competition

The Competition

Sebring N. Rhaine



Introduction

Kratace

No one knows me: not even I can comprehend what I have become. The process has begun. I am changing into the asset, the murderer they are wanting so desperately. My doings, my visions pain me. I cannot cry out when the visions come unless I wish to risk being targeted. I’ve learned to control myself. I’ve discovered how to hide the true Dragon behind the image of the Dragoness. Only my enemies know who hides behind this mask of a local celebrity.

I reveal and show nothing. The bloodshed I have caused is wretched. Blood is bitter like tears. Tears are heard; blood is silent. No one speaks of the blood and pain. No one speaks of the victims. They are nameless, faceless, lifeless, and bloodless. There is no mercy, because no one speaks of the blood. There is no hope for me left, because I am lost in their desires.

Many wish to have my life, or my job. They think it is fun, even rewarding. All this is is hell. A hell I now deserve to a point where my mind stretches this to its breaking point. I must pretend I agree with the court ways to not become a victim of what I have helped to develop. I do not do these things because I want to; I do it because it is the only way I know to end the ever raging war between light and dark. Light and dark. It is hard to say which the greater evil is. Neither is desirable and yet, without either, life would cease to exist. It is a dilemma I have faced for an eternity, or more. My demise is my gain, and yet when it comes, all will be lost.

Do not become what I have become. Do not believe the lies they tell of glory and honor, for there is no glory in murder and no honor in suffering. And you will suffer greatly, just as I have suffered.  This job is a workshop of horrors; it’s a prison from which there is no escape. They will make you a pawn of destruction and yet the game is in your hands. I am in control and yet my moves are not my own.

Do not do what I have done. Do not let them bring you here to become a monster of their design. Do not kill for them, do not die for them, and do not listen to them. No matter the cost. Do not let them use you for the game. Do not ever become the War Keeper. Do not become the Dragoness. But overall, no matter what mistakes such as these you make, DO NOT GET CAUGHT. Go while you can.

Jacob

Jacob stood at the window, dreading the evening that gained on him. Tonight more innocent girls would be chosen for the competition of the brothers, and more girls’ lives would be ruined. He would not be participating unless it was of great importance. If he sat out another year he would forfeit his chance for the throne. There is no possible way Jacob would let that happen. The stakes were too high. He was the best chance for changing the ways of the darke court. But not like this, not with competitions demeaning the girls of the light court. That was not his way. And yet here he was, participating in the madness.

Ashamed, regretful, and determined about the year to come, Jacob stood pondering the possibility that this was the year everything would change. The year the war would end, the year an heir would be crowned, the year he would find the girl…

              No.  To hopeful. That girl couldn’t be light, wouldn’t be so easy to find. Not after eight years. Not now, when he was about to break his promise. Lost in thought, he stood there, losing the world around him. Losing everything that swirled through his mind except his hope. His hope was unbreakable, his will strong. This was his year to change things, and nothing was going to stop him.

              The wind swirled through the trees outside his window knocking the tree against it. His eyes wandered to the stone courtyard where vans were already gathered with girls that would be accepted and left, or rejected and sent home. Their father would judge first, and then the four of them would decide on the girls they wanted. By then it would be too late for them to go home. And the ongoing torment of life as a reject in the palace began. Jacob pitied those girls. He would sit and talk with them for hours on end. They were more intelligent than the girls in the game. They did not throw themselves at him. They were calm and solemn in their actions unlike the girls with a spark of hope and ignorance inside them. He couldn’t explain it but the ones who did not care or want anything to do with him were the interesting ones. They were not so peppy and outgoing. Not easy to see or easy in general. They were almost like her, almost his, but they would never be, and he would never find her.

              If only the day of the choosing wasn’t here. Jacob’s thoughts would not be scattered like this. He could be looking for the girl he met eight years ago in an alleyway. She had been stern and intelligent for being so young. He never caught her name, her age, nothing. He left an energy scar on her, unintentionally of course, but none the less it was there. But she didn’t exist. At least it didn’t seem that she did. Jacob had searched and searched for years to no avail. He could not give up, she was everything he wanted. Fate was against him and all he could do was hope.



Capture

Kratace was backstage, preparing for her show on the stage of the Far Cry Teen club. She had done this a million times and yet tonight there was something different that she couldn’t place. There was no more people buzzing around than usual, it was just different. She went out and took her place on stage and performed a single simple song, a subliminal message on the war. Halfway through, she noticed a group of men entering from the back. They pushed through security and started shouting.

“Alright listen up! Girls on the stage, guys stay back. This is official palace business!” People scrambled to follow orders but Kratace slipped behind the curtain and climbed to the rafters to watch the ordeal below.

Once all the girls were lined up the man spoke again: “Where is the Dragoness?”  No one responded. The man grabbed a fragile looking girl from the line and held her in front of her in one arm. Within his free hand developed a black seething mass developed, hungry for its prey.

Kratace, after eight years serving as the War Keeper, recognized it as a curse. An agonizingly painful curse made to break before it killed.

“If the Dragoness doesn’t come forward, I’ll start with this one and move down the line. I promise you it won’t be pretty.” The man bellowed. The girl in his hand squirmed and he threw her down on the ground hard. Kratace fearing for the girl jumped down from the rafters.

“If you want me, come and get me.” She called.

The man looked up and hurled the curse at her. Kratace, being a skilled illusionist, threw up a mirror. The curse spiraled back towards the men but disintegrated before it hit them. At this point the men charged her and she met them with a blade of midnight black encrusted with amethysts and diamonds. On the blade, a single word was engraved: Confusion. The men stood back but the vicious one Kratace assumed to be the leader eyed her and reached for the girl at his feel. Kratace swung her sword at the man nearest to her. The wound she inflicted was miniscule, she had barely broken the skin, but the man became instantly delirious. He started screaming in pain and agony and then, he collapsed in to a shuddering heap on the floor.

“Now sir,” Kratace sneered at the leader, “I suggest you put the poor girl back in line and tell me what you want before I let him die.”

The leader nodded and the girl crawled back to the line and stood. Kratace had malice in her eyes as the man walked towards her.

“Save him and we’ll talk.” The man said.

“I’ll suspend the poison until you’re finished, but his life will depend on your ability to behave.”

The man glared but nodded. Kratace sheathed Confusion and knelt in front of the man, touching the middle of his forehead. She stood again, this time wielding a knife. She looked at the man, waiting for him to begin.

“We are collecting girls for The Competition of The Brothers. There was a special request that you were… on the menu” The man said with a sly smile.

              “Why would they want me?” Kratace questioned, knowing the answer.

              “Because of your… fresh political views and alluring voice.” Kratace knew this was the answer she would receive. That is why she had gotten this job before the legal hiring age. Her voice was a call to action. A spell that ran through the heart and soul if all who heard it.

Then there were her politics stacked on top of this ability. Her opinions were unorthodox at best, considering her position. The dark court was going to use her as a political pawn, same as the light had done for years. She was to be an asset in the war.

“And If I refuse to go? I’m sure by this point you realize I cannot be controlled by any amount of force.”

Once again the man smiled eerily. “Then you put off the chance that you are the answer. And beyond that you jeopardize every girl in this room.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Yes. If you don’t believe me then stay behind and sacrifice another of these girls to the brothers. Surely you realize that you are far more suited for a life struggle than any of these other candidates. How will you live knowing the fate you condemned at least one of these girls to?”

Kratace thought about his words and couldn’t deny that they were true. She knew her being a choice in the competition would save at least one of these girls. But she had to make sure she could help them all.

“I’ll go willingly if, and only if, the girls in this building are spared.” She bargained. The man looked thoughtful.”

“All the girls except the Rhubiyat girls may stay. That is my final offer.” He replied.

Kratace looked at the group of bleach blonde haired, bubbly, ignorant girls that cowered in the corner hearing his words. The Rhubiyat girls. The daughters of the light emperor who didn’t have a care in the world. Kratace knew them all too well. They taunted and teased her because she had never been like them, in any way imaginable. She felt a tiny bit of sincere pain for these girls, but knew it was the best option. The Rhubiyat would bail them out of the dark court if they were refused, and being the easily influenced girls they were, the boys would enjoy their company.

“Fine.” Kratace decided.

“Excellent. Now heal the man and we can leave.”

“Not until all the girls who aren’t being taken leave. I don’t want any tricks.” The man nodded and his comrades moved to only surround the Rhubiyat girls.

The girls ran screaming backstage, dropping rivers from their eyes. Kratace knelt in front of the man again and grabbed the amethyst on the hilt of her sword. She unscrewed it from the rest of the handle and touched it to the scratch along the man’s stomach where the wound had been inflicted.  She stood and the man on the floor tried to grab her.

“Do not touch me if you know what is good for you. I could easily kill you if I wanted to.” The man stood and apologized. Then Kratace continued, “I will not be stuffed in the back of a van with those girls.”

“Of course,” the man looked insulted, “We have other arrangements for you. You see we are giving you the opportunity to choose who you will belong to. And there is no time like the present.” He motioned towards the front door and Kratace walked towards them.

Outside she saw a limo, black as night, parked on the curb. A hooded man opened the door for her and she stepped through, catching a glimpse of his fleshless white fingers as she passed. Kratace was taking a ride in what could’ve passes as the upper class chariot of death.







The Choosing

The Limo was dark. Kratace noticed that the inside of it was large enough to stand in. She looked for the opposite wall but could not see it. The limo had been enchanted to act like a room. Or many rooms. Not far from her, Kratace saw a door with light shining out from underneath. She heard muffled noises and moved closer. As she neared the door, voices became clear.

“I’m telling you I will find her before the end of competition!”

“Yeah? Well until then why don’t you sit this round out?”

“You know very well I will not! Risking forfeit is not an option!”

Kratace took one last step forward and the door slid open. The boy in the entrance smiled.

“The prize player is here.” He said, grabbing her arm and pulling her inside. The other boys stood. Kratace found herself in a small but well decorated room. There was a table right in the center, with one chair on one side, and four on the other. The boy with her arm pulled her to the solitary chair.

“Sit.” He commanded, releasing her arm. Kratace just stood there. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, shoving her down into the chair. She immediately grabbed the hand and twisted it until she heard a sickening ‘pop’. A gasp followed and the hand retreated.

“Kratace,” a voice called behind her. She turned and came face to face with another boy. Before she could react he continued, “Please sit. Or stand if you’d really prefer. We simply need to talk to you and I give you my word that after that you will be shown your room and you will not have to speak with us at all before we get to the castle as long as you simply cooperate.” Kratace relaxed slightly but did not move.

“Talk about what?” She asked.

“You have a special privilege; you get to choose who out of the four of us you will answer to. But you will not be able to make a decent decision unless you know who you are choosing from.”

“Fine. But you all sit first. I don’t want another issue.” On cue they took their places and she sat. Despite the words form the wise brother, Kratace was on edge. She looked across the four boys’ faces and picked out the one who she had injured.

         “You can leave.” She stated, “I will not even consider you.”

         “But...”

         “No. Men who think that they can possess a woman simply for that very fact do not have any place asking one to spend what could end up being a lifetime with him. Leave.” The boy moved to argue, but the brother who spoke coolly stopped him.

         “Jonah, you forget who she is, I suggest you leave before she chooses to paralyze you the way she did our guard.”

         Jonah grudgingly left caressing his injured arm. His eyes did not leave Kratace for a moment. When the door slammed shut behind him Kratace stepped behind her chair and looked at the other three boys, or rather, looked through them.

         The first was a simple minded sixteen year old, only here because he desired the throne. She felt she knew him from somewhere and quickly moved over him. Dismissing him in her mind she went to the next one. This boy was far too young, he shook as her gazed passed over him, and he was no more than 12, his first competition.

         She reached the final boy, the one who had spoken kindly to her, and saw a passion. Not lust, only a wish to know her and try to understand. This Seventeen year old did not want the throne; he wanted to be a protector of people, the knowledge and reason among men. He wanted to save her. The further she dug into this boy, the harder it was to see. She realized he knew what she was doing, and had been trained to stop it. She returned to her own mind and nodded.

         She looked first to the 12 year old little boy and smiled. His nerves seemed to ease.

         “What is your name?” she asked.

         “Julian.”

         “Well Julian, I believe you are a bit too young for me yet. But you have a sweet heart. Keep it safe.” At her words he jumped from his seat, and ran to hug her. Kratace froze but kept herself from lashing out. Julian ran from the room and then it was quiet.

         Kratace, still on edge from Jonah and Julian’s contact, sighed and turned to the other two.

         “Well, why don’t you introduce yourselves?” She said taking a seat. The younger boy stood eager to cut to the chase.

         “I am Jason, Second youngest of the dark brothers.”

         The kind one remained seated. “I am Jacob, second eldest of the dark brothers. I apologize Jonah’s behavior, and hope that your opinion of him doesn’t affect that of me or my other brothers.”

         Kratace looked at Jason and then at Jacob. She knew who she would pick the moment that she laid eyes on him. He felt right… almost the one… but he wasn’t. He couldn’t be. Her decision was made, and she stood to address.

         “Jason,” she spoke. Jason smiled and stepped forward, but Kratace shook her head. His head dropped and he nodded to both Kratace and Jacob. He moved to walk out, but Kratace spoke again, “I hope you do not feel insulted, you merely seem to be a more adequate advisor or friend, than a man I might be stuck with.” Jason nodded and gave a half smile. He walked out slowly and let the door swing shut behind him.

         Jacob looked to Kratace and spoke as he stood, “Well then...”

         “Sit,” Kratace said, managing to settle into her chair.

         “Alright,” he returned to his seat and spoke softly, “I do hope you don’t think me like the others.”

         “I Think that you have some sense, and that will help you with me. But…” She said before being cut off. Jacob motioned toward the door and Kratace saw a shadow beneath. He is keeping me from talking about my sight... he is keeping my secret… Kratace thought.  She nodded and he stood again.

         “Perhaps I should show you around, we will not arrive at our home until well into tomorrow afternoon.” He said. She nodded and stood with him. Jacob put out his hand but Kratace refused it. He looked a bit hurt for a mere moment, before he was smiling and opening the door. The shadow of someone that was not there could be seen on the floor and Jacob reached for where the body should be. A girl, no more than thirteen appeared in front of them. She looked at Kratace and smiled.

         “Hello Dragoness.”

         “Adria! Why must you find your way into matters that are not your concern? You shouldn’t be eaves dropping.” Jacob scolded as Adria smirked. Adria, the only daughter of the Dark king, was one of the reasons so many girls were out of the competition before the first television event. She watched them closely and was one of the final decision makers in the Competition.

         Adria tilted her head to the right as she looked at Kratace. Kratace met her eyes and smiled. “I like this girl.’ Adria nodded and turned to Jacob.

         “Don’t worry,” she chuckled, “this one is fine, for now.” Adria winked and vanished.

         “What did I just miss?” Jacob questioned, “She almost seemed to like you.” Kratace merely smiled. Jacob watched her and motioned for her to follow him.

         The pair walked down a narrow hallway, until they reached the end. There was a single door. Jacob opened the door and an entire suite appeared. Kratace hesitantly walked in and sat on an overstuffed leather couch, slipped off her shoes, and tucked her legs behind her.

         “Alright, what were you about to say?” Jacob asked taking a seat on the other end of the couch.

         Kratace folded herself deeper into her end to avoid any contact and then spoke: “How did you know I was looking?”

         “I’ve done my research about you,” he said after a small laugh.

         “How did you learn to shut it out?” Kratace pushed. There is something to this boy….. Something important….. Jacob looked at her thoughtfully and then turned to look at the ground. There was a deep longing, so painful Kratace could feel it from two feet away.

         “I was told I needed to learn to keep secrets, so I taught myself.”

Kratace knew there was more to the story, but did not push for answers. She thought: Later. Later I will find out. Not when he is so sickeningly….. No, I can’t lose focus now…

“Well,” she asked quietly, “is there anything you want to know about me? Or was you research so thorough you don’t need to ask?”

Jacob laughed and looked her in the eyes. No one but close family looked her in the eyes like that. No one. Never.  Kratace, startled by his electric green eyes, looked down first. Jacob’s gaze relented and he shifted in his seat.

“Only a few questions come to mind. What did you think of what you saw in me?” Kratace laughed and then began an answer.

“You are sure as hell not what I expected…. I suppose I expected all but Julian to be some sort of mix between Jason and Jonah.”

“Thank the Gods that’s not the case. But I meant what did you think specifically?”

“Umm… you’re different. I don’t know... you aren’t power hungry.”

“That’s it?” He pushed.

“Why do you want to know so bad Jacob?”

“I just wanted to know what all you saw.”

“Why does that matter? Obviously there wasn’t anything bad enough to keep me from picking you…” She paused, “Why are you so worried about it?”

“We are all entitled to our secrets.” He said sternly.

“Right, unless you are the war keeper, and then kings can destroy you until you have no secrets. Then boys who live in castles can do their research. Everyone is entitled to their secrets, unless their secrets are worth knowing.”

Kratace spoke sternly with her eyes glued to the wall painting across from her. Jacob thought he saw tears gathering in her eyes, but he didn’t dare say anything. This was The Dragoness, The War Keeper, The most feared and desired woman in the world. She was unbreakable, unreachable, untouchable, and yet Jacob saw the bitter water pooling in her eyes, ready to overflow.

“I’m sorry...” He whispered. And her world was untied. She dropped her shield for a single moment and let hot tears cascade down her cheek. She turned away from Jacob and sat in a silent misery.

Kratace noticed a movement in front of her, and he was there. She hadn’t notice him move behind her. She tried to turn away but a hand touched her face gently. Fighting to keep her tears at bay for a moment was difficult but she managed. A more diligent foe proved to be refraining from meeting his eyes.

Those green eyes. I mustn’t be pulled into them. I mustn’t look, or eight years of waiting will be in vain. I will not let this prince be my downfall. I will not look into them… oh but I must.

Kratace’s eyes moved to his slowly, but made it there all the same. She scolded herself for not refusing his touch. He looked prepared to speak, but she did not let him.

“If you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.” She whispered. Jacob looked confused but nodded a second later. He walked past her to a seat on the couch, but this time sat a bit closer.

“Go ahead and look,” he said. Kratace met his stunning eyes once more but this time looked past them, and saw into his soul. He had brought what he’d been hiding up to the surface and Kratace broke through the weakened barrier.

Kratace was seeing what Jacob once saw. }Jason sat across from her view. He was much younger but it was unmistakable.  No… It wasn’t…. She snatched up Jacob’s hand and resumed watching the scene before her. She didn’t even hear the slight gasp he made at the shock of her outreach. Jason looked sickly, his hands were shaking.

“Just hold on Jason,” Jacob’s voice echoed, “We’ll get back and then you can feed. Just please hold on.”

“I can’t Jacob.. I’m sorry but I have to do this!!!” Jason screamed before opening the car door and running into the street. Jacob hurried to catch up but Jason was too fast. His hunger, his needs, his instinct would carry him to the nearest prey. Jacob neared an alleyway and heard a scream echo off the walls. Kratace sent Jacob her memories of that day before returning to face the past that haunted both her and him. Jacob turned the corner but saw nothing. Then, from behind stacked milk crates, a small whimper of agony escaped. He went to the sound and saw a girl with her back to him, crying. Don’t let him have killed anyone, don’t let this girl be alone… he thought. He took a step towards her and she stopped. Silence fell in the alleyway.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound involved.

“I think you should mind your business.” She snapped with a short sniffle. She sounds young.. gods don’t let him have killed her family…

“No it isn’t, but I could make it someone else’s business. Maybe someone who would wonder why you are hiding behind crates.” He replied silently pleading her to tell him. The girl turned and looked him in the eyes coldly and quite briefly before turning them down again. He almost asked her about their deep purple color but noticed the blood on her before he dared. She turned her head and he saw the mark his terrible brother had left.

“Let me help you...” he said kneeling and reaching out his nine year old hand.

“I don’t want your help. You know him. Just let me be. My birthday is already bad enough” She said turning again to face the wall. Jacob reached to her despite her words and felt a jolt, a shocking power, a rush of energy combining, a connection being made from fate. She whirled around and swallowed hard.

“What are you??” She asked quietly. Jacob touched her neck gently and smiled at the small mark left behind.

“Your match.” He whispered. The whispered tales of the designed form, matched to another… they’re all true..

“The gods sure have a funny way of making you find me..” the girl said looking him in the eye for a moment. She looked away quickly.

“Why do you keep looking away? Is there something wrong?” Jacob asked worried that he’d made her upset.

“I don’t want to see…no nothing is wrong”

“You’re a seer… That’s why your eyes are purple?” Jacob asked slowly. The girl looked to the side and then looked back at him with blue eyes.

“I’m not supposed to let them change… I’m supposed to be a secret…. You can’t tell!”

“I won’t. I promise.” He told her just as voices could be heard from the street.

“That’s my brothers,” She whispered, “you have to go or I’ll have to stay home on my birthday forever.” 

“Alright.” He whispered, “And happy birthday.” and then kissed her cheek. His royal seal flowered on her neck where his brother’s bite could have killed her. Jacob left quickly and returned to the car. It was only then he realized, he didn’t even know her name……………………………

The image skipped ahead to exactly one year later. Jacob was in front of the wall behind the milk crates. He was using magic to burn a single message into the ground. I promise I will never stop looking for you. You are mine. Nothing will ever change that… wait for me...

Kratace opened her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. This isn’t possible…. not after all these years…. She looked to find she still had Jacob’s hand in hers. She felt his eyes on her and looked to him.

“You…” he whispered before brushing back her hair. The scar Jason’s bite had left was faded and hard to notice. He traced it gently with a finger and black marks flew to his touch. The seal was like ink yet it moved like it was a living thing when Kratace needed it to, but it always would move for Jacob without any effort. Soon the mark he’d left eight years ago rested again on her neck. The dark wispy fingers swirled slowly around two interlocked spirals topped with a skull. It was eerie yet beautiful, so dark in comparison to the girl it rested on.

         Jacob moved his hand to her cheek and looked into her eyes. She did not avoid them anymore; she looked straight into him, straight into his soul. And she knew that this was her love.

“Eight years…. Eight horrible years… and all that time you were hiding in plain sight… all that time and now, when I was so near to forfeiting this….. Now you’re here…” He whispered.

“I can’t believe that the one of the men I was raised to hate was made for me to love.” Kratace laughed a moment, “I never knew your name... It might’ve made things a bit easier…”

“But that doesn’t matter now, you are here with me.”

“Well what do we do now? We can’t just walk into someone’s room and tell them that we are matched… not without getting everyone involved.”

“Then we keep it quiet as long as we can,” Jacob’s eyes wandered to the seal flowering over the old scar, “I hate to say it but I’m kind of glad that Jason bit you… Without him I still wouldn’t have found you.”

“Sure you would’ve, your dad wanted me ‘on the menu’ as your lovely guards put it.”

“No, I did.” Kratace and Jason turned to see Jonah, standing in the doorway. He looked laid back, but the fire in his eyes said otherwise. He eyed Kratace before turning to Jacob.

“You will not beat me out, Jacob.” Jonah shouted as he reached for his sword. Kratace stepped in front of Jacob.

“Jonah, I suggest that you put that away,” she calmly urged while unsheathing, ‘Confusion’, “I wouldn’t want to have to use this.”

Jonah, refusing to be controlled by a girl, charged. His sword tip narrowly missed Kratace. She was used to war. She was used to blood. She was used to tears. This boy had nothing, had seen nothing, compared to what she had.

Kratace entertained Jonah’s fantasy of having an equal match for a few moments. She let her blade glide through air several times before considering to strike. It was the hunt, the teaser, the netting. Jonah’s blade struck Kratace’s side, but she did not waiver. She brought back her arm and drove the point of her sword into his stomach.

Jonah let out a cry and a final swing before falling to the ground. Kratace did as she had for plenty of war prisoners, and suspended the poison. Jonah lay there, perfectly conscious but unable to move. 

“Having your girlfriend fight for you now Jacob?”