“Ooh, are we fighting?” Gideon asked, wriggling free.

Jet turned. He drew his sword, staring behind him.

The archer and the assassin slowed. The two of them backed up.

“Wait, we’re seriously fighting? Nice!” Gideon pulled out his tome.

“This is treason,” Prince Alphonse declared, expression grim. His bodyguard, Ray, stepped in front of him, assassin’s costume ever so slightly out of alignment.

“Prince Alphonse. Please back up, right now,” Jet demanded.

“You point your sword, knowing who I am?” Prince Alphonse replied darkly.

“For the love of High God and King, Prince Alphonse, I am begging you to back up,” Jet said. His eyes locked on Prince Alphonse, but out of the corner of his eye, he tracked a man dressed in red velvet trimmed in fur, in a ludicrously over-the-top crown and dozens of rings.

Prince Alphonse’s brows furrowed. He slowly took a step back.

“Jet! They’re everywhere. They’re—” Angel’s voice cut off as a woman yanked at her veil. Angel turned, materializing a knife from some hidden crevasse, and severed it unhesitatingly, leaping back with dexterous grace a second before a claw sliced through her spine.

The man in a king’s costume grinned widely, too widely for any human’s jaws. He reached out with a hand that became a claw and snatched up Prince Alphonse.

“Prince!” Jet charged forward, gritting his teeth. He let loose a wave of ice at the man, but the man merely laughed. Ice bounced off his magnificent red scales as he transformed. Before Jet, the red dragon grew, and grew, and grew. Partygoers screamed, fleeing.

“To me, my allies!” the red dragon shouted.

All around him, other dragons burst out of the crowd. Red, yellow, blue, green, dragons of all shades and descriptions popped out from the partygoers. Their roars rang over the screams of the panicking nobles.

Jet backed up, eyes wide. This… this doesn’t count as assassins. This is an army! They plan to destroy the kingdom entirely!

At his side, Gideon cackled. He spun his tome between his palms and flipped it open. Black pages flew past, silver ink shimmering in the multicolored light that reflected off the dragons’ scales. “Finally… I knew I came to this damn party for something!”

Elly and Angel rallied to Jet, Leo only moments behind. Jet cast around, searching. Ravenna, where’s Ravenna? She isn’t in danger, is… she…

From a perch up on a pillar’s base, Ravenna delicately held a plate of canapes. She popped one in her mouth and waved jauntily at Jet.

I shouldn’t have bothered. He took a deep breath. “This is it. This is the True Dragon. The Dragon King. Angel, Elly, are you ready?”

“Couldn’t be more,” Angel replied, brandishing that knife of hers.

“At your service,” said Elly, giving her staff a graceful swing.

“Leo, are you willing to fight?”

A low growl from deep in Leo’s throat was his answer. Two yellow-and-blue-speckled claws stomped closer. A shadow loomed over Jet, and the air grew damp as Leo gathered magic in his chest.

“Gideon—”

“I was born ready!” Gideon shouted, before he could finish.

Jet raised his sword, runes glowing a steady blue down the blade’s length. “Let’s finish this.”

The red dragon continued to grow. By now, it filled more than half of the ballroom. The majority of the nobles had fled, excepting Prince Alphonse, who dangled from the dragon’s claw. Wide-eyed, he clutched at red scales, knuckles white.

“Tell me how to bring this monster down,” a low voice grit from Jet’s side.

He turned, startled. Ray stood there, daggers still bared, expression tense, eyes locked on the prince. Jet took a deep breath. The royal bodyguard? Now that’s an asset to have at my command! He’s probably more used to solo-fighting than group battles, but… he snuck a glance at Gideon. He’s not the only one.

Gideon caught Jet’s look and put a hand to his face, mock-blushing. “Jet! Stealing glances with the True Dragon on our hands? Oh dear! I know I’m handsome but—”

Jet automatically cut him out, biting back a long-suffering sigh.

Ray, though, glanced at Gideon, then Jet. “You two… also?”

Gideon gasped. “You noticed! Me and Jet, it’s a classic secret romance, star-crossed lov—”

“It’s a joke. In poor taste,” Jet added, glaring at Gideon.

Gideon stuck his tongue out. “Party pooper.”

Ray’s expression turned darker. He harrumphed and turned away.

At last, the True Dragon reached its full size. It roared, shattering the glass with the force of its voice. Jet wavered in place, barely able to maintain his feet. Rearing up on its back legs, it spread its wings through the roof, and with a few flaps, tore the entire top of the ballroom clean off. The True Dragon looked down on them and laughed, fire swirling around its enormous fangs.

“This? These are the heroes they send? I need not have been so cautious,” he boomed, shaking his huge head.

Jet shuddered. The scent of burning flesh flavored each breath. He felt the heat of dragon-fire, heard the screams of the dying. It’s happening. Again. There’s nothing I can—

“Ey, Jet. You gonna stare, or…?” Gideon asked, leaning into Jet’s face.

Jet startled back to reality. He scowled at Gideon and shoved him away, then shook his head. Fuck it! I’m not going to be bound to the past. This stupid, oversized lizard doesn’t get to decide my life. Fuck it, and fuck you, you giant scaly monster! I brought this motherfucking annoying asshole all the way across the country to fight you, and damned if I’m going to freeze up and have to do the whole damn thing over again! For the sake of my sanity, and getting rid of Gideon, you die here!

“Leo, Ray. You two keep the smaller dragons off Gideon,” Jet ordered. “Elly, you’re support. Be mobile. Be where you’re needed. Angel, to Gideon. And I’ll—” he stared up at Prince Alphonse, high above. “I’ll save the prince.”

“I’ll save the prince,” Ray insisted, tense.

Jet shook his head. “The dragon is intelligent. It’ll expect that. Feint as if you’re going for the prince, and if you get there, good. But I’ll circle around the back while you’re making a frontal attack, and get him from its grasp. What do you say?”

Ray’s nose wrinkled, but he nodded.

“Are you done? Come. I’ve given you long enough. It’s time we settle this as only noble dragonfolk can!” The True Dragon reared back his head. Fire sparked in the back of his throat.

“Break!” Jet shouted, and the lot of them scattered.