“The Fates have chosen you to act on behalf of our noble Houses. Challenges will be set. To ensure your utter cooperation and commitment, the fate of your loved ones rests on your actions. It is in your interest to survive. Defy us by refusing to play and we will decimate your homelands. To win, the rules are simple: by whatever means, cross the finish line before the designated cull number. But in the end, only one of you will remain.”Muscular arms protruded out of black studded vests that strained to contain stocky chests. An animal emblem … claws ... incisors … whiskers… was sewn in orange upon their breasts. Dagger shafts jutted out of belts, pouches, and boots. Assassins? What did these rough men want with him?Betrayed. Kidnapped. A farm boy mistaken for a warrior, Jairus must survive the Emperor's Games or everyone he loves will be incinerated by the war dragons. Thousands compete for the dragon banner, but in the end there can only be one winner. The adjudicator thumped the scepter into the ground three times. “By the fates, the war dragons will not return until a new emperor wins the dragon scepter.”The crowd parted as Tekagi threaded her way toward the funeral cart waiting by the main gate. Tiger pelts adorned the two caskets. Only emperors earned the right to be entombed within the Dragon Palace. The sons were relegated to less hallowed ground.A few of her most treasured belongings were also piled on the cart. No longer an emperor's daughter she was being cast out of the palace. A limp tiger tail trailed over the side of the cart. She ran the tips of her obsidian finger stalls along its striped length before tucking it beneath a tapestry.She tapped her fan against the cart's side and the driver flicked the horses' reins into a funeral march. Head bowed, she followed a few paces behind, flanked by her two bodyguards. As she exited through the palace gates and headed to Tiger House she patted the snake bracelet on her forearm, and vowed, “I will reclaim my birthright. Let the Emperor Games begin.”Contains mature themes.