Up next were the fire dancers, who leaped through flames of colors, and for their finale, a faerie with fire magic created the illusion that the entire arena burst into indigo flames and a great phoenix soared from the ashes.
Slowly, I noticed the draconian fae slipping into the seats above. One by one, they moved in like anchors in the crowd. My hidden warriors.
Brax was announced, and he got mixed reactions from the gathered fae as he entered with his guard uniform on. Muth’s announcer, however, was well received. I looked to Inok, but he didn’t take his eyes off the pit. I didn’t doubt Brax for a moment, especially against this poor excuse for a male.
The two circled each other before Brax leaped forward. The announcer yelped and jumped backward. The crowd laughed, and even Inok chuckled. Brax did not choose a weapon for this fight, but the announcer had, and for some reason that choice was a long sword that looked too heavy for him to lift. The lack of knowledge with a weapon could be just as fatal as a full education. Brax would still need to be careful.
The announcer groaned as he lifted the tip from the ground and thunked it back down as the hood of his plated armor slammed shut on him and left him blind. Again, the crowd laughed as he made an absolute fool of himself.
Brax shrugged, and while the announcer tried to lift the hood, he snagged away his sword, strolled across the arena, and handed it to me from below.
“Shall I go on?” he whispered as I took it from him.
“Just a bit longer,” I snickered.
He walked back to his opponent and planted his heavy boot on his bottom until he fell over, headfirst into the ground. The crowd roared with laughter, and I could see even Brax biting back a laugh as he waited for the announcer to figure out how to stand in full armor. He flopped around like a fish and yelled until Brax grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet.
He removed his obnoxious helmet and threw it across the opening, then lifted his fists and shuffled his feet. Brax smirked but mirrored the announcer, waiting for him to make a move. He jabbed a few times until Brax looked to me again for guidance. I gave a subtle nod, and he slammed his fist into the announcer’s nose one time. One single time.
He cried out in pain and screamed for mercy. Brax took his bow, and the crowd he had won over cheered for him. He walked a bit taller as he exited the arena.
I had always liked that kid.
The rest of the day was full of tiers of pit fighters. Brax was right, they didn’t seem to be as committed as they had been in years past. I’m sure it was hard to fight when you had been enchanted to hate the king you were to perform for. I doubted they cared much at all.
By the time we rose to join the feast, I was not only famished but stiff as a board. Sleeping on the hard floor next to Asha had not been my brightest idea.
The long banquet table waiting in the hall had been decorated with tall billowing flowers and hundreds of wine glasses. The fae in the room lined the table and talked amongst themselves in soft whispers. I pulled my chair in and they followed, taking their seats and digging into the feast Loti and her staff had prepared. I held a drumstick of meat in my hands and a spoonful of potatoes was halfway to my mouth when Umari caught my attention from along the wall. She tilted her head toward the door, and I knew she meant for me to follow.
I nudged Inok under the table, giving him the signal.
“My king,” he called out. A little louder than necessary, but I never pegged him for an actor. “Are you well?”
“I’m afraid I must take my leave. My head is aching from the heat of the day. Please, enjoy yourselves.”
I stood, as did the faerie court. They may hate me, but they still followed the rules of propriety. I leaned over to Inok and whispered in his ear, “I better have three full plates of food in my rooms by the time I get there or I’m firing the cook.”
He nodded, trying to bite back his smirk. My love of food had never left me, but he knew I’d never fire Loti.
Chapter 30
ARA
“Holy. Shit,” Wren said from beside me.
She was invisible, and I had my dark cloak pulled up, hoping the shadows hid me well enough.
“Well, good news and bad news,” Kai whispered. “The good news is I don’t think The Mists are the reason fae never return. Bad news is I’m, like, ninety-nine percent sure it’s the dragons.”
I could hear Lichen’s small whimper from behind us as Fen laid a firm hand on the small of my back. We had crossed a boundary during that magic lesson. I just didn’t have time right now to process what that meant.
“Let’s get back to camp and make a plan,” he said.
I couldn’t move as I watched the substantial number of scaled creatures fill the entire expanse of the Western Gap. The jagged, snowcapped mountains to each side looked like peaked hills to the creatures. Large billowy clouds filled the sky and yet were infinitesimal in comparison. The air was filled with the mephitic fumes of sulfur, and as the beasts crawled around, shifting their powerful wings, I stared into the bloodshot eyes of the one closest to us. It was too dark to determine color or quantity, but I had no idea if dragons were nocturnal. If they weren’t, it was possible they already knew we were there.
I crept slowly backward, keeping my body pressed firmly into Fen’s as we moved. Once we were back to our camp, a small cave inside the mountain range we had been following, I walked away from the group, moving farther into the cave than everyone else. Where the moonlight wouldn’t reveal the fear blossoming over me.
“Ara,” Fen whispered behind me.
