10. Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Eli
The crowd dispersed quickly, leaving Eli with the other suitors, the three council members who oversaw the competition, Grace, and her mother Ellen.
He thought he caught a look of disdain from the latter, but she quickly masked it.
Had Grace managed to soften Ellen at all, or had she simply chosen to hide her contempt for him while in the presence of others?
Grace took a step forward and made a point to look each man in the eye, something Eli loathed but understood it was her duty.
By now, it was certainly clear that Grace favored Eli, but she did her best to abide by Berland customs, appeasing the civilians that expected her to remain unbiased and placating the men who hoped to one day call her their wife.
Eli let out an irritated sigh. No one besides him would ever call her wife.
Clearing her throat, Grace spoke to the suitors.
“Thank you once again for your participation in the Rite. I cannot express my gratitude enough for your commitment to Berland and our mutual prosperity. I am truly flattered and thrilled to congratulate each of you for making it past the first round. You are one step closer to standing by my side.”
She offered them a smile, though Eli could see the strain behind it, the sour taste the words left in her mouth. Only one person would be standing by her side when all was said and done, and Eli was determined to be that man.
“The next round will be one month from today,” Grace continued.
“Pairs will be selected randomly for hand-to-hand combat. You’ll have three chances to best your opponent, and the person with the most wins from each matchup will continue to the final round of the Rite.
Simple enough. Are there any questions?”
When no one spoke, Grace dismissed them. Eli stalled for a minute, waiting for the other suitors to leave so he could have a moment alone with Grace. But some of the suitors had a similar agenda, feigning deep conversation with the person next to them while keeping one eye on Grace.
“Didn’t expect you to be here,” a grisly voice spoke from Eli’s left.
Without turning to give Trevor his attention, Eli responded, “I’m sure you didn’t.”
No, surely Trevor thought his cohort would prevent Eli from gaining a medallion and moving to the next round. Unfortunately for him, he had underestimated Eli.
“That’s all right. Better this way, in fact. Maybe I’ll get to take you out myself in the next round.” Trevor gave Eli’s back a heavy pat.
Eli refused to give him the attention he so desperately sought, instead keeping his eyes on Grace.
As if he could read Eli’s thoughts, Trevor chuckled and patted him one last time before withdrawing his hand. “That’s right, kid. Save it for the next round.”
Eli ground his teeth so hard his jaw ached. But then he saw Grace approaching, and his frustration fizzled into nothing.
“Congratulations, Eli.” Grace kept a cordial but professional stance, placing her hand on his forearm for only a brief moment. After a quick glance to ensure they weren’t being watched, she leaned in closer and whispered, “I have to make my rounds with the other suitors. Meet me back at my place?”
Eli nodded, keeping his voice low. “Of course. I will see you soon.”
Before leaving the pit area, Eli was offered a bucket of water from one of the council members. The red-haired man named Fox told him to clean up before heading into the mountain. “Don’t want to make a mess,” he said.
Eli happily took the bucket of clean water. Despite the consistent rain, he was covered in mud and would need a good scrub once he returned home, but for now, the bucket of water would suffice to remove the muck covering his skin and clothes.
After retrieving his bag of belongings, he pulled on a clean shirt and pants, loathing the way they felt over his wet skin and undershorts. But the discomfort would be only momentary. He’d shower and change once he made it back to the mountain. Hopefully Grace wouldn’t be far behind.
Rain continued to fall, and the puddles on the paths were impossible to avoid.
The celebrations didn’t stop, though. Eli passed hordes of cheerful Berlanders drinking and chattering with smiles on their faces.
Musicians stood outside several shops, playing stringed instruments, pounding on drums, and singing while couples and children danced in the rain.
It didn’t matter that their feet and clothes were drenched and the wind whipped droplets in their face.
It truly was a celebration unlike any Eli had ever seen. Part of him wanted to stay behind and enjoy the festivities, but more than that, he wanted to spend the evening alone with Grace.
He continued walking the familiar path back to the mountain, weaving through the crowds and resisting the alluring smell of his favorite bakery. He was just about to make the last turn toward home when he caught sight of some familiar faces.
Ali, Nik, Sam, and Theo were all huddled under a small overhang, drinking pale amber liquid from large glass mugs. Ali was leaning against Nik’s chest, but when she noticed Eli, she jogged over to greet him in the rain.
“Congratulations, Eli. I knew you could do it,” she said, wrapping her mug-free arm around his neck.
“Thank you,” he said as she led him back to the tavern’s outdoor patio.
“You had us concerned for a minute there,” Theo said, and Sam nodded his agreement.
“I wasn’t concerned. I knew you had it in you,” Ali said as she returned to her place wrapped in Nik’s warm embrace.
“That makes one of us,” Nik teased, but then he gave Eli a quick nod. “Congrats, man.”
“Can we get you a drink?” Sam asked.
“That’s okay. I don’t plan to stay long.”
“Oh, come on,” Theo insisted. “Just one drink. What else could you possibly have to do?”
Silent looks were exchanged between the group of friends, indicating that they all knew where Eli would rather be and who he’d rather be with. It only took a second before Theo caught on.
“Ugh. My sister will still be there later. Besides, she has other folks to butter up before she’ll be able to return home. You should be celebrating! Not playing the part of a sad lovesick failure whose only redeeming quality is the woman who chose to love him.”
“Harsh,” Ali murmured. But Theo was grinning, and Eli knew every word was meant in jest. Theo would never truly utter a terrible word regarding his sister, nor the ones she cared about.
“Fine. I’ll stay for one drink.”
His friends cheered and clapped while Theo went inside the humble log cabin to fetch him an ale. As the door opened, Eli eyed the people packed shoulder to shoulder and understood why they’d chosen to stay outside instead.
What Eli intended to be one drink turned into two…then three…then four. Eli lost count around the time his head began to spin. The rain had softened into a light drizzle, and between the alcohol and the energetic atmosphere, Eli’s cheeks flushed with heat.
He had almost forgotten that he was supposed to be meeting Grace until he felt a pinch on his left butt cheek.
He jumped and spun, expecting a drunken woman, but found Grace smiling up at him, her hair still damp from the rain and her clothes sticking to her skin.
Before she could say a word, he pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing her waist, and she wrapped her arms around his neck in return. There were too many eyes on them to enjoy a quick kiss, though Eli’s dulled inhibitions were screaming at him to do it anyway.
“I was worried you’d get bored waiting for me, but I see you found a way to keep yourself entertained.”
In a matter of seconds, a glass of ale was forced into Grace’s hands.
Eli wasn’t even sure where it came from.
The crowd had grown steadily over the past few hours, and now the area outside the door was just as packed as inside the building.
People took turns heading inside and returning with as many mugs as they could carry.
“Don’t worry, sis. We took good care of him,” Theo told Grace.
She laughed as Eli swayed on his feet. “I can see that.” She drained her own mug at an impressive pace before handing it to Theo. Then she took Eli’s and passed it off to Sam. “Come on, Eli. Let’s go home.”
Instead of heading to Eli’s apartment, where they usually spent their nights together, Grace led him back to her family’s home. She still stayed there occasionally, but he had never stayed the night in their elegant underground mansion.
“Why aren’t we staying at my place?” he asked, coming to a near stop in front of the threshold. She grabbed his hand, and he studied the way her delicate fingers intertwined with his rough ones.
“Because,” she said, leading him up the staircase to where he knew her bedroom awaited. She skipped right over her bedroom door though and continued down the hall.
Eli glanced over his shoulder, wondering why they weren’t going inside, falling onto the bed, and fooling around until one of them passed out. Probably him, given his condition.
“I thought you should see the spa.”
When Eli turned to face forward again, he nearly tripped over his own feet as he entered the grandest bathroom he’d ever seen.
Could it even be called a bathroom? The word seemed too insignificant for such a room.
The spa was cut directly into the black mountain stone with metallic specks that shimmered in the warm glow of the hanging lanterns.
The walls to his left and right were decorated identically, featuring long stone benches placed below shelves stacked with towels, cloths, and an assortment of soap bottles. Two mirrors trimmed in ornate gold and iron woven together like vines hung beside the shelves.