Chapter 9
Chapter
Nine
The man stepped forward and unlocked the door, gesturing respectfully for Theo to enter.
He did so with swift steps, to find that nothing was inside but for a large bell on a pole.
Theo rang it vigorously, and immediately heard an answering blast from the bugler outside the maze.
He had finished the task, and his completion time would be recorded.
The sound was quickly dwarfed by the cheers of the spectators, and Theo couldn’t resist a grin as the three men applauded him politely.
The craftsman moved forward, swinging his robe around him in a sweeping motion that generated enough Dust for Theo’s dull senses to recognize. The next moment, a ladder emerged from a pile of hay nearby, leaning itself up against the side of the maze without aid from any visible hand.
Theo climbed the ladder and emerged onto the top of the nearest hay wall.
The crowd roared with excitement, and he waved a hand to acknowledge their praise.
His eyes were drawn at once to the splash of gold that signified Elowen.
From his new position, he could see her more clearly.
As he walked along the hay wall to get out of the maze, his eyes kept drifting to her.
She was applauding enthusiastically, her face flushed with excitement, and her features all the more attractive as a result.
In fact, she was absolutely stunning in a deep purple gown, with her hair twisted into a golden crown around her head, and her eyes as bright as bluebells.
Their eyes met, and although he again fought back the urge to make a sign with his fist over his heart, he found himself grinning.
It may have been his imagination given the distance, but her answering smile seemed shy, although not in the aloof way of their first meeting.
She was glad he’d performed well in the maze event, that much was clear.
A sense of common feeling swelled within Theo, buoying him up as he jumped from one hay wall to another on his way out.
Archery and weapons combat were the standard fare of tournaments, and they were well enough in their way… but that event had been fun.
As Theo passed along the top of the maze, he saw various flurries of activity within, as the challenges were reset for the next competitor.
When he reached the front of the maze, he was congratulated by the master of events, then released.
Thankfully no one expected him to stand around waiting while all the other contestants took their turns.
Theo noticed Elowen still watching him, and made his way toward the stands where she was sitting.
She moved forward to lean over the front of her roped off section of stands as he took the steps two at a time.
“That’s an ingenious event for a tournament,” he said, by way of greeting.
“I’m dying to hear details of what was inside,” Elowen said, her eyes eager. “We couldn’t see much from up here. I definitely caught a horse’s head rearing up at one point!”
“You’ll have to wait until the event is completed to interrogate Prince Theodore for details,” Prince Patrick said, his tone the closest to indulgent Theo had ever heard it. “He’s bound to secrecy until all contestants have attempted it, remember?”
“Yes, I suppose that makes sense,” Elowen sighed. “Was it exciting, though?”
“It was well-designed to be challenging and intriguing,” Theo said. He smiled at Elowen. “Thank you for coming and cheering me on.”
“Of course,” she said lightly. “I have to cheer for my champion, it’s an integral part of tournament tradition.”
A smile flitted across Theo’s face at her falsely innocent expression. Her champion? Was she trying to flirt with him?
Was he liking it?
He wasn’t sure which discovery surprised him more, but he was happy to accept Prince Patrick’s invitation to sit with them as the next competitor started his run through the maze.
He quickly learned that it wasn’t nearly as entertaining being a spectator as it was a competitor.
The time dragged on, with nothing much to indicate the contestant’s progress.
“There were a number of separate challenges within the maze,” he commented. “They should ring a gong each time a contestant completes a challenge. It might help the crowd remain invested.”
He glanced around at the stands, from which spectators were already starting to trickle out as they lost interest.
“That’s a good thought,” Prince Patrick said gravely. “I’ll pass it on to the master of events.”
“Lighten up, Patrick,” Elowen said with the hint of a laugh. “You sound like you’re acknowledging advice on a serious state matter. It’s a tournament, it’s supposed to be fun.”
Theo raised an eyebrow at her, although a smile played on his lips. He’d rarely seen her so bubbly and happy—it was irresistible.
“You’ve certainly changed your tune on the tournament.”
“Oh, well…” Elowen shrugged. “I still think it’s silly, but I have to be here, so I may as well enjoy it. I saw someone selling roasted chestnuts and candied almonds earlier. I must find them when this event is done.”
“The tournament isn’t silly, Elowen,” Prince Patrick said disapprovingly. “It’s an important tradition to our people.”
“Come on, Patrick,” she said. “Are you really going to tell me you wouldn’t rather be discussing a serious state matter?”
Privately, Theo thought that the tightness on Prince Patrick’s face suggested that Elowen had hit a nerve. It must chafe him to be stuck at the tournament when the country was dealing with irregular magic and a region devastated by flooding.
“Mother and Father have committed me to a marriage of alliance,” Elowen went on. “There’s really no point in pretending to have a tournament for my hand.”
“Elowen.” There was a warning note to the prince’s voice, and his eyes flicked to Theo.
“No need to choose your words carefully on my account,” Theo said pleasantly. “I’m intimately familiar with the details of the marriage alliance, after all, and I don’t have any problem describing things just as they are.”
“Thus displaying a surprising amount of common sense for a prince,” Elowen said approvingly. She shot a provocative look at her brother, but he just sighed.
Theo turned away to hide his smile. He was enjoying seeing Elowen’s more playful side. It made him want to find more ways to bring it out, but that desire wasn’t very consistent with his resolve to be circumspect for the honor of Siqual.
It took several hours for all of the contestants to complete the maze, and the royal group had abandoned their part of the stands long before then.
Prince Patrick had been the first to rise, inviting Theo to walk with him as he inspected the field for the weapons combat.
Perhaps he assumed, incorrectly, that Theo would prefer that activity over Elowen’s continued light chatter.
But politeness required Theo to accept, and once he parted from Elowen, their paths didn’t cross again for the rest of the afternoon.
The sun was setting and it was almost time to return to the castle for yet another dinner banquet when Theo was chased down and called to return to the maze for the official completion of the event.
He felt a pang of disappointment to see no sign of Elowen in the stands or on the field.
She’d likely returned to the castle to ready herself for the meal.
Whatever the reason, she didn’t witness Theo being pronounced the clear winner.
No one had come within ten minutes of matching his time, and he felt a private flush of pride.
“His Highness performed in each challenge with near perfection,” the master of events was saying enthusiastically.
“He was not too proud to accept help freely offered, and displayed quickness of wit both in cleverly solving the puzzle box, and in making judicious use of the favors found within. Once inside the maze, he didn’t try to use brute strength when he could negotiate his way out of trouble, and he was adept at avoiding both danger and distraction. ”
Here he nodded to a nearby squire, who grinned as he held up the small dog Theo had caught a glimpse of in the maze, a small mirror still attached to its forehead by means of an unobtrusive strap.
The dog panted happily, its manner so far from the mystical movements of a true carbuncle that Theo chuckled along with the crowd as he thought of how he’d momentarily believed it to be a creature of magic.
“His Highness displayed speed, strength, strategy, and diplomacy. He is most deserving of his position as winner of our maze event.”
Theo accepted the ribbon offered to him, waving calmly at the cheering crowd.
Unlike with the archery, there hadn’t really been a way to pit him against lesser opponents in this event, and his authentically skillful performance seemed to have won him some goodwill among the Torrenese populace.
That was worth much more than the ribbon in his hand.
Aware of the late hour, he moved quickly through the emptying tournament fields, eager to reach the castle. When he passed the sign-up table, however, a snatch of overheard conversation caused him to slow his steps.
“So you felt it, too, during the maze event?”
“Of course I felt it, I don’t think there’s a craftsman in Toledda who missed it. I’ve never felt the Dust do anything like that. It was like it was blocked up in a dam then suddenly burst out again.”
Theo frowned, remembering what he’d felt while completing the maze run. He glanced surreptitiously over to see that the two men speaking were hovering next to the list for the craftsmen’s event. One wore the uniform of a guild-employed craftsman.