Chapter 0:
Betting on the Jackal
STARWING PRELIMINARIES
It was as if the skies were tearing apart.
From every direction, dragons clashed against each other—claws and teeth striking armor and flesh, drenching the soil with the exquisite blood.
Some riders had tied themselves in their mounts, doing their best to dodge the competitors’ attacks. Fire, lightning, ice, beams of light, and waves of darkness—what felt and looked like a controlled war was nothing but entertainment.
Something every single one of them had signed for.
Under the controlled dome, every rider and their dragon fought to stand among the few who would participate in the dragon race of the decade. The race which would determine the face of their generation, the very best among them.
The StarWing Race.
Alantra Harris paid no attention to the competitors behind her, while her dragon charged and brought down all the ones who stood in their way.
A race dissolved into war.
Alantra blocked the attack by wrapping the blade on the dragon’s reins, twisting the rider’s hand until he let out a sharp cry.
Alantra leaned closer to her dragon, wrapping her hands tighter on the leather reins.
The dragon grunted in response, taking speed once again as they dodged and broke through trees, rocks, and small towers.
Most riders preferred to eliminate the competition beforehand, before entering the final stages.
Alantra knew there were only six riders who could be called a ‘competition’. And none of them would fall before the final stages.
She had timed just right. As long as she kept flying at that speed, there would be no need to stop. She would be the first to cross the final rings, her classification in the StarWing Race guaranteed.
Then—
It was not only cold. It made every single bone and muscle in her body ache and scream. Before she knew it, her dragon was collapsing into the ground, both their bodies twitching and shaking.
There shouldn’t be anyone like that competing in this race.
That man, that criminal. He couldn’t be there.
“Did you miss me?” Though his voice was altered, it was impossible to miss his tone. The mockery and disdain that drenched his every word.
“It should be obvious, no?”
“I came to ruin you.”
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