It was a pity that this time Letiri couldn’t tell her something Lannahi didn’t yet know.
“Every man is a risk,” her sister said in a rare display of grim humor. “You should always be worried.”
The sound of a gong came from behind the glass separating the Main Hall from the stands.
Letiri tightened her grip on Lannahi’s arm.
“Let’s go. It’s starting.”
***
When they joined their family, their father and mother surveyed their faces but said nothing. Together, they walked through the glass doors to the stands and took seats in the middle row. Letiri steered Lannahi so that she sat between her and their mother, despite the arrangement had her sitting next to Turral, whom she made no secret that she didn’t like.
Turral was the youngest son of King Allil who ruled over four cities neighboring Sarkal’s kingdom. The relation between the two kings wasn’t as friendly as that between Sarkal and Igal, but they weren’t hostile either, and Lannahi suspected that Letiri’s dislike of Turral came from the fact that he wasn’t a prince because Allil had more sons than cities. A powerful fae and unsatisfied ambition was a dangerous mix and though Lannahi thought Turral was nice, she understood her sister’s feelings.
Besides, Nihhal had also seemed nice.
The gong sounded two more times. After the third, two pathfinders—a woman in the Arbiter’s black uniform and a man in the white attire of the Master of Ceremony—stepped out from between thick columns and walked to the center of the arena.
“Good fate,” the man said, his voice echoing through the stands. “Fairmen and fairwomen, welcome to the fifth Royal Sabbath of this year. My name is Halit and I will be conducting today’s gathering. My companion is Arbiter Bastet. She will now give a brief overview of recent events.”
“Last month, there was one Royal Duel and two Royal Battles,” the woman began. “The duel between Ikbal, King of Birchgrove, and Sagal, his Challenger, took place on the eighth day of the month in the Black Arena and ended in the defeat of Ikbal who fell in combat. His kingdom and title belong now to his opponent.
“The battle between Azarias, King of Moonbay, and Challenger Dakkaris, King of Stardepths, took place on the eleventh day of the month on Rain Field and ended in the victory of Azarias who thus defended his title.
“The battle between Lior, King of Blackstones, and Challenger Sezar, King of Brasspeak, took place on the twenty-third day of the month in Random Forest and ended in the victory of Sezar. The victor freed his opponent from honorary slavery and relinquished to him the rights to the kingdom he had won.”
Lannahi’s heartbeat quickened. The information delivered by Bastet wasn’t new as the Arbiters regularly sent out notices about everything that affected the Royal Game, but hearing it spoken in an authoritative voice, in the place filled with the world’s most powerful fae, Lannahi felt intimidated. The meeting with Nihhal reasserted her decision to issue a Challenge, but until that moment it had been just an idea. Now her plan was becoming reality. What would those who attended the next Sabbath hear? That Lannahi won or that she fell? What would they think if she lost but didn’t die?
Lannahi refused to think about the latter. She could imagine the condescending smiles and mocking comments from her siblings too easily.
Who would have thought that our singer is soambitious?
Doesn’t the nectar seem too sweet to you? Lannahi, why don’t you sing usBitter Failureto balance the taste?
After a short pause, Bastet continued, “The previous month turned out to be a breakthrough for Burning Desert. The war in Sun Valley, which lasted two years, has officially ended. Mikah, King of Sunhorn, fell. His cities are now controlled by Baruh who submitted a claim to them after his death. Since he enacted the war, he is not entitled to the right of revenge, but this was not a sufficient reason to deny his request and by the decision of the Arbiter Council he was acknowledged as Ruler.”
From the corner of her eye, Lannahi saw Asirri turn her head toward Sarkal, but neither of them spoke. None of the fae gathered did. The Black Arena was built so that even a whisper carried far. Although the news of the end of the war in Sun Valley must have come as a surprise to most of those present—the thirty-fourth day of the month was yesterday and the Arbiters had no time to send out notices—no one wanted to risk his comment reaching the ears of his enemies.
Bastet unfolded the roll of paper she held in her hand and read out less important announcements like the appointments of Arbiters and the verdicts passed by the Black Tower Court. Finally, she said, “Such was the fate of this month. If anyone wishes to influence the fate of the next, they can present their cause to me. I will be waiting for Challenges and Declarations in the Chamber of Confessions until the end of the tournaments.”
When the woman turned and started walking toward the columns, the Master of Ceremony said, “After such a thrilling introduction, it’s time for some entertainment.” He ran his gaze over the audience. “Don’t you think?”
Silence answered him.
The man chuckled. “I thought so,” he said, giving his voice a tinge of mockery. “Your Highnesses, the second round of the second stage of the Moon Games begins. As usual, we will start with music that will soothe your nerves… or jangle them. You can bottle up your emotions, just remember that the judges…” He turned slightly and pointed with an elegant gesture to the box above the columns where five wind-winged sat in the front row. “…judge not only the talent of the participants, but the acclamation you reward their performance. If you wish for your favorite to have a chance to compete for the title of King or Queen of Songs, I suggest you apply yourself to applauding.”
After this cheeky introduction, which could only be uttered by someone who didn’t feel overwhelmed by the prospect of dueling with powerful opponents, Halit moved on to the presentation of the contestants who joined him in the middle of the arena. White-winged Yua, red-haired rainmaker Mistis, and seductive enchantress Nefari succeeded in what the Master of Ceremony failed to do—they brought out from the whimsical audience a volley of applause. After all, they were three of the world’s ten best singers.
The Moon Games included five competitions: music, dance, fencing, spear fight, and hand-to-hand combat. The tournaments lasted all year and were divided into four stages where the first three served to determine the best contestants. In the artistic competitions proceeded six of the nine participants, and in the martial arts tournaments, eight of twelve. Like every stage, the fourth consisted of three rounds, but unlike the previous stages, a loss meant being eliminated from the tournament. At the last Royal Sabbath of the year, the winners of the current Games competed with the winners of previous ones for a symbolic royal title.
Although Lannahi enjoyed performing, she didn’t envy the women in the arena their position. After the information with which Bastet deluged the audience, gaining and keeping their attention wasn’t an easy task. When Yua was left alone in the arena with her lyre and a chair brought by helpers, even music-loving Lannahi had trouble focusing. The thought that, days earlier, a dead man laid where the singer now sat significantly diminished her pleasure of listening to Yua’s bright voice. The type of song the artist chose didn’t help either. Given the character of the audience, a pugnacious song was certainly a better choice than a romantic ballad, but the association with war made Lannahi think of Nihhal instead of music. It wasn’t surprising that he liked Burning Desert. Many of the kings there were aggressive, starting wars to take whatever they wanted.
Nihhal certainly felt inspired.
Lannahi recalled the information about the third fight and the tightness in her chest grew. There was a journey before her too…
The victor freed his opponent from honorary slavery and relinquished to him the rights to the kingdom he had won.
