Chapter Eleven
Zain’s entire face filled with fury. “They what? Explain.”
I told him quickly what had happened, what the men had said and tried to do.
He had his sword out so fast that I almost didn’t see him do it. He marched toward the door and I got in his way, forcing him to stop. “What are you doing?”
“They don’t deserve to live.”
“I already took care of the problem.”
“How? They’re still breathing.”
“Their leader is not. Although I didn’t technically kill him. He impaled himself on my sword, so that’s more his fault than mine. No new tattoo for me.”
My attempt to tease him out of this mood didn’t work. I tried a different tactic. Given what he had told me about the Daemonians . . . “What are the rules about killing fellow competitors?”
I saw the knot in his throat bob, as if he were swallowing down something bitter. “It isn’t allowed in or out of the tournament.”
That seemed to stay his hand. He sheathed his sword but the anger didn’t leave his face.
I glanced at the Lemnians, who hadn’t seen me. What would happen when they did? Would they want vengeance for their fallen friend? Would the “no killing” rule still apply if I defended myself from men who wanted me dead?
While I certainly still wanted the diviner stone, it had become about more than that. I wanted to beat all these men. I would send every single one of them limping back home in shame and defeat.
I yawned and that restored Zain’s good humor.
“Am I boring you with my desire to commit murder?”
“I haven’t slept in a few days.”
“Because of your nightmares?” he asked.
“No, because men are terrible.”
He nodded. “I’m constantly surrounded by men, and that’s true.”
“You’re a man,” I pointed out.
“Indeed.”
“You don’t fall into that category?”
“No. I’m terrible in a different way. But I’m never terrible in the way you’re talking about. You’ll be safe with me.”
And despite what I knew about his propensity for lying, I believed him.
“We should go,” he said. “And get you into bed.”
His words heated my blood and I wondered if that had been his intent. Ignoring the sensation, I nodded. “Tell me what the different events are for the tournament.”
We left the celebration and made our way back to our room.
He told me that there were approximately a hundred competitors and four events.
They would take place on different days with a day in between each to rest. The first three would be a foot race, pankration bouts, and a chariot race.
“The final competition will be a last man—or woman—standing. Hand-to-hand combat with weapons until only one person is left.”
I wasn’t worried about any of the events he’d listed. I had experience with three of them. The only one I hadn’t done competitively was chariot racing—I had only used a chariot in battle a handful of times, but I figured the mechanics would be the same.
He also explained the scoring system to me—we would be given points based on where we finished in each event. The person with the most points at the end would win.
That altered my plans.
I had thought they would do a winnowing process—it was what I was familiar with.
Like the top fifty in the race would advance to the pankration, then the top twenty-five of that to the chariot race.
I had considered hanging back and letting others win, keeping myself in the top half, so that no one would suspect that I was battle-favored.
But if it was based on cumulative points, then I needed to win each event to ensure I was the final winner.
We got to our room and Zain opened the door for me. “Go in and get changed and let me know when I can come in.”
That was an entirely different attitude than the one he’d had earlier.
I wondered what had prompted the change.
I went into the room and saw that all my clothing had been laundered, my armor polished.
I knew Zain was responsible, I just wasn’t sure how.
Had the washerwoman who was interested in him done this?
I supposed it didn’t matter how he accomplished it. Another thoughtful gesture.
Dagger wagged his tail while I changed into a simple linen tunic that I wore for sleeping. “You won’t let anything happen to me, will you?”
He let out a little woof as if he understood me even though I knew he did not.
I opened the door and let Zain into the room. When he came in, unintentionally crowding me, it made everything feel very intimate. He immediately started disrobing and I sat on my cot, facing away from him.
“Please feel free to sneak a peek if you’d like,” he said with laughter in his voice.
I would very much like to, which is why I won’t. I couldn’t admit that out loud to him. He did not need the encouragement. “I put the dress on the trunk. You can return it whenever you’d like.”
“I’m not returning it. I paid for it. It’s yours.”
“Oh. Thank you.” I didn’t know what I would do with that dress—a celebration like tonight would not be in my immediate future. I’d have no occasion to wear it, but I would be happy to bring it back home with me.
“Would you like the bed?” he asked. “I can take the cot.”
“It’s actually comfortable and I’ve slept on worse. I’m happy where I am.”
“I’m dressed,” he said.
I turned around and saw that he had a linen tunic hanging loosely on him. “I don’t normally wear this,” he said. “I sleep naked but I thought you’d prefer that I put something on.”
I’d prefer him naked but this was definitely safer. I lay down on my cot, trying to banish the inappropriate thoughts from my head. I yawned as Zain put out the torches in our room, plunging us into darkness.
He settled into his own bed and I felt weight pressing down on me as Dagger climbed into the cot, settling on my legs.
I exhaled and then said, “Earlier you told me where everyone else came from, but you never told me where you are from. If you have any customs or beliefs that I should be aware of.” I assumed he was from Ilion, given that was where Lia had come across him.
“Like all great thieves, I am from everywhere and nowhere.”
That was a nonsensical answer. Instead of following up on it, I asked him the other thing I’d been thinking about. “How did you seduce that woman?”
“I can’t tell you my trade secrets.” I could hear that he was smiling. “What if I wanted to use them on you?”
He didn’t need trade secrets for that. “Are you saying you haven’t used them on me yet?”
“No, I haven’t.”
Oh, that was bad. At least that would have explained why I was responding this way to him.
“Did you want me to?” he asked, and his voice was as silky as my dress.
“No!” That had been too obvious and forceful. I tried again. “What I meant to say was no, thank you.”
He laughed. It was like he could see right through me. I wondered if I’d be able to hide anything from him.
“Why are you so inquisitive all of a sudden?” he asked.
I didn’t answer. He’d said he wanted to know more about me and I was discovering that I felt the same way. He was interesting and I wanted to know more. But if I told him that, I was fairly certain he would never let me live it down.
“People talking helps me fall asleep. I have twelve brothers and sisters and someone was always being loud when it was bedtime.” I closed my eyes and listened to Dagger snore. It was a soothing sound.
“Then I will tell you about the time a Jacharian hired me to steal a ruby the size of your fist from the maharaja of Parthia. He found me at a gambling hall and offered me my weight in gold if I would find the ruby and give it to him. I often let myself be contracted out because other people know where treasures are that I’ve never even heard of.
We signed the contract and I demanded half my payment up front.
I had to travel all the way to Parthia, crossing part of the Wastelands, and it nearly killed my horse . . .”
I fell asleep to the sound of his voice.
Lightning crashed above me, turning the sky a bright purple. Thunder shook the ground around me.
How did I get outside?
I sat up and saw that I was surrounded by vast mountains. I didn’t know where I was. The lightning storm continued to rage around me as I stood, trying to get my bearings.
Someone began to walk toward me. As they got closer, I saw that it was an impossibly tall woman—quite a bit taller than me.
Her features came into focus. She had pulled her red hair back into multiple war braids, as if preparing for battle.
She wore steel armor that fit her perfectly, and it gleamed in the darkness.
When she was only a few feet away, I saw that she was impossibly beautiful. Her eyes were a steel gray that matched her armor.
Invara.
The name whispered itself in my mind. I was too shocked to move, to respond. What did one do when faced with their goddess?
There was movement to the right of her, several feet back. A man stood there, even taller than the goddess, with hair so black it seemed to absorb light. It struck me as strange that he had wings on his sandals. He crossed his arms over his chest, studying me. He was prepared for battle, too.
Who was he?
Lia had told me about meeting her goddess and how loving and kind Dea had been.
Invara looked like she wanted to rip my throat out, and I wondered what I had done to offend her. I was about to ask when a single word sounded in my head.
Win.
I awoke with a start, gasping as I sat up. Dagger grunted in his sleep and turned on his side.
Zain was gone.
What time was it? The window was shut but the light was bright behind it. I quickly got up and heard a strange noise when I put my feet down. I bent over and picked up a pile of papyrus, along with a piece of lead.
He had left these here for me. So that I could draw. I ignored the way that made my heart sigh.
The top papyrus had markings on it but I set everything down on my cot and ran to the empty washroom down the hall, then back to my room to change. How late was it? Had I missed the race?
Had Zain done that intentionally?
I ran to the stadium and was met by an attendant at the gate. “I’m one of the competitors.”
With a sneering look, the attendant said, “Yes, everyone knows who you are.”
“I’ll help her.” Another attendant had stepped forward, and he looked to be barely fifteen years old. “Follow me.”
We walked into the bowels of the stadium and I heard the crowd roaring overhead.
“They are running five heats with about twenty competitors in each one.”
What if I’d missed my heat? This would be over before it had even begun.
“You’re in the fifth heat,” he said, as if I’d spoken my question aloud.
“The top five finishers from each heat will compete against each other in one final race where someone will win. It seems unfair that you’ll have to run one race and, if you finish well, turn around and do it again fifteen minutes later.
But they’re very serious about adhering to their schedule. ”
“What heat are they on now?” I asked.
“The second.”
Relief calmed my racing heartbeat. I hadn’t missed anything.
“We don’t have a women’s changing room. Would you prefer to go to the men’s room or wait somewhere private?”
“Somewhere private.” It would give me the chance to think about the race and imagine myself winning. I had always found that to be motivating and helpful.
The young attendant took me to a room that was not much larger than a closet. “I will return once the fourth heat ends and take you to the field.”
“Thank you,” I said. I also planned on listening closely so that I would know when it was time to race. Then I could make my own way if he didn’t come back.
Given how long the cheering lasted, they were doing more than just one lap around the stadium. By my calculation it sounded like they did four.
I tried to focus on the sounds of the race but instead kept returning to the dream I’d had. Had it been a dream? Or had Invara actually appeared to me?
Why would she care if I won this tournament? It seemed a silly thing for a goddess to involve herself in.
Was it real? Or just my imagination?
I couldn’t dismiss it entirely, given that I knew someone who had routinely spoken to her own goddess.
Or maybe Lia had filled my head with so much nonsense that my dreams believed I had the same gift.
Lia had said she had a feeling about Invara and me. What if she had been right?
The second heat ended, then the third, and the fourth. I stood up, ready to find my own way, but the attendant was there to escort me.
I noticed that his face had turned a bright pink and I wondered if he had stood out in the sun too long.
“You were . . . That is, you need to . . . For the race you should . . .” He couldn’t finish any of his sentences. He obviously wanted to tell me something but couldn’t bring himself to do so. He pivoted on his foot and practically ran away.
Because he was moving so quickly, it only took us a few minutes to make our way through the halls under the stadium. I had to shield my eyes when we stepped out into the light because it was so bright.
When my eyes finally adjusted, I realized that every competitor around me was stark naked.