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Freed from blood control, the dragon rears back, descending into a panic. You should have thought of that—how else is a confused beast in an unfamiliar and terrifying place going to react?

Fortunately, its blind rampage mostly only claims the lives of more seats in the arena stands, which you frankly wouldn’t care much about at the best of times. The remainder of its victims are the Venatori who brought it here in the first place, and that is nothing more than poetic justice.

Finally, it seems to realize that there’s nothing keeping it in the arena anymore and, with a beat of its tremendous wings, it lifts off into the air. As it departs, a last swipe of its tail comes sweeping past—and hits Ashur, who goes flying across the arena to smash into the side of the chair Neve is tied to, cracking two of its legs and sending them both skidding several feet across the floor.

Then he crumples to the ground next to the damaged chair, unmoving.

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