Ashared straightened.
“Who are you betting on?” Sezar asked him.
“On Raksis,” he said after a pause as if he had difficulty gathering his thoughts. “After his recent injury, Sonetl is too focused on protecting his wings.”
The Master of Ceremony introduced the new contestants, rainmaker Raksis and wind-winged Sonetl, and retreated to the edge of arena. The contestants faced each other.
Lannahi watched their every move. She remembered none. All she knew was that Ashared wasn’t as animated as when he watched the previous duel. He sat still like a statue and rarely spoke.
When Raksis won, and the stands erupted in excitement, he leaned over and whispered in her ear, “We can go to your room.”
Her pulse quickened. She swallowed. She shook her head.
He chuckled softly. “Later then,” he said and casually joined the conversation between Sezar and Ildar.
His confidence excited and annoyed her at the same time. A tryst in the arena? Was this something he had done before?
Were his former lovers among the women in attendance today?
Stop, she begged herself.This leads nowhere.
Despite her efforts, her thoughts only broke out of the agonizing loop with the appearance of Bastet. For a split second, Lannahi felt as if she’d fallen into a cold lake again. When that moment of fear passed, an icy wall grew around her heart. If someone Challenged her, so be it. Whatever happened, she would endure it with pride…
“Three Declarations were made today in my presence,” the Arbiter spoke up. “Here are their contents.”
When the woman began to enumerate the administrative changes that had taken place in the various courts, the names of which Lannahi only knew vaguely, she struggled to contain her disbelief. Really? No one Challenged her?
When Bastet invited those gathered to the Royal Banquet, Sezar leaned forward. “Is it my imagination, or are you disappointed, Lannahi?” he asked.
When she met his piercing gaze, shivers ran down her spine. Here was a man who issued and accepted Challenges simply to kill boredom.
She smiled. “I am not disappointed. And you, Sezar? Are you disappointed?”
A hint of some emotion flashed in his eyes, but it disappeared before she could grasp its meaning.
“No, Lannahi,” he said, studying her face. “I am not disappointed.”
When Ashared moved slightly, the man stood. “It would be boring if we fell out because of a woman,” he said, lowering his voice so that Lannahi could barely hear him. “But if she comes to me, I won’t refuse her.”
Lannahi couldn’t see the expression on Ashared’s face, but whatever it was it made Sezar laugh.
“It looks like you’ve awakened the wolf, Lannahi. I can’t wait to see the results.”
With those words Sezar and Ildar left.
Before Lannahi had time to untangle the ball of feelings rolling in her chest, Lizaar spoke up, “Are we leaving, or did you change your mind?”
The pained expression on the woman’s face helped her decipher one of her own emotions. Lannahi also had enough of this place.
“We’re leaving.”
Despite the genuine intention to depart, leaving the Black Arena didn’t go as smoothly as Lannahi had wished. Barely had they crossed the threshold of the Main Hall when a woman grabbed Ashared’s arm and, under the pretext of wanting to talk, pulled him aside, away from the crowd leaving the stands. Lannahi ignored the sudden flood of sour jealousy and continued walking with the intention of fetching her coat and calling the Guide when she heard someone call out Mahhir’s name. She turned to look back.
“I’ll catch up,” Lizaar’s brother said hastily and moved toward the man who had called him. Kazurr looked at Lizaar and reluctantly moved behind him.
Lannahi and Lizaar managed to exit the hall and made it halfway to their private rooms when someone accosted them.
“Lannahi.”
