Chapter Twenty-Three
I awoke the next morning to the sound of Zain groaning loudly. I opened my eyes and turned toward him. He was holding his head in between his hands. “Why does it feel like someone is repeatedly bashing in my skull with a mace?”
“Most likely because you were very drunk last night.”
“I was?” He sounded surprised.
“Yes. And if you didn’t know, you speak like you’re the star of an ancient play when you’re drunk.”
“I—” He faltered when he heard the piglet squeal. “What is that?”
“The pig you stole to win my favor.”
“What? I don’t remember any of that.”
Admittedly, it made me a bit sad that he didn’t remember doing it—even if it had been strange and I had been tired, it was still a sweet and romantic gift.
The first I’d ever received.
“Did I . . .” He looked panicked.
“Were you amorous? Yes. But you needn’t worry—I have a great deal of experience with drunk men.”
He looked relieved. There was no need for concern—I would have easily held him off if he hadn’t taken no for an answer.
“Why did I want to gain your favor?” he asked.
“I was upset that you disappeared after the pankration event and I didn’t see you until the chariot race.”
“Oh?”
I could practically see his mind absorbing this information and reading the subtext of the things I didn’t say. He caught what I’d admitted to.
That I had missed him and was upset he hadn’t said anything to me beforehand.
“Wait, did I liberate that pig because I was trying to hunt a boar for you?”
I nodded.
“It’s starting to come back to me in bits and pieces.” He flopped onto his back. He turned his head to me. “Did I win your favor?”
“I suppose the pig will suffice.”
He smiled. “I do recall the pig being particularly hard to catch and that I fell into the mud several times.”
I hadn’t noticed that last night. Had he stopped somewhere to clean up before bringing the pig to me? “Remember that for the next time you want to behave like a man and do something foolish.”
Another groan. “I need to go to the healers to see if they have something that can help this hangover.”
I could smell the wine fumes coming off him as he stood and headed for the door. He seemed surprised to find it locked, but he undid the bolt and let himself out.
Stretching, I allowed myself to smile.
So many things were going to happen today—the final event, the winner being selected, getting the diviner stone, receiving the answer I needed, having to watch my back to make sure someone didn’t kill me . . .
But mostly all I could think about was that Zain had brought me a pig.
Both Zain and I had put on our armor for the last event. The Sagari called it “Last Man Standing.”
I wondered if they’d change the name after it was a woman left standing.
It was to be a free-for-all. There were only about twenty-five competitors left, and so we would all be battling one another.
The announcer said that we would be permitted to bring a single weapon in with us for combat. We were to stay within the marked boundaries. We would engage in hand-to-hand combat and were to avoid drawing blood and especially fatal strikes. Failure to do so would disqualify us.
There were two ways to eliminate the competitors—if they were knocked to the ground, they were out. If they were disarmed, then they were out. The person left standing, weapon intact, at the end would win the event.
When the announcer began to list off the various sponsors by name, I stopped listening and looked over the other competitors. There wasn’t anyone currently on the field that I worried about.
This event would be mine.
I felt the vile chill of the Epirian approaching before he came to stand next to me. “Still thinking you’re going to win this?” he asked.
I was about to tell him how very uninterested I was in speaking to him when I noticed that he had a new thick black line that crossed diagonally over his face.
“Are you actually foolish enough that you would risk stealing something from Sagaris?” I couldn’t help but ask. I hadn’t thought Levern very clever before and this was just reinforcing that judgment.
“It wasn’t anything important. I just stole a woman’s virginity.”
I didn’t immediately understand what he was saying. When it finally fell into place, I wished the event had already started so that I could distribute some fitting retribution to him. Because there was only one way to “steal” someone’s virginity. “You raped a woman.”
He had forced her.
“Semantics,” the Epirian said.
This was not semantics. How could anyone be so foul? “As soon as this is over, and they crown me the victor, the first thing I’m going to do is kill you.”
“Good luck,” he said to me sarcastically and walked away.
“What did he say?” Zain asked me. I quickly filled him in and watched as his eyes darkened with fury.
“Not only is it abhorrent, but that goes against the Epirian code,” he said.
“We can’t let him win.”
He nodded. “We won’t.”
“Choose your weapon!” the announcer called out. I dropped my shield to the ground, along with the four extra knives I had stashed on me, and only took my sword.
“Why is it sexy that you have so many weapons?” Zain asked, taking out one of his daggers.
I shook my head. He was not going to distract me right now.
We were all made to line up around a giant circle to prevent immediate attacks as soon as the fight began.
“Just so you know, I will not take it easy on you,” he said.
“I should hope not. I’m going to enjoy this.”
His wicked grin made my pulse speed up. “I should have known you’d like it rough.”
I instructed my excited body parts to relax.
“Work together until the end?” he offered as the announcer began to count down.
“So that we’re the last two standing? And then I’ll beat you?”
“We’ll see.”
A horn blared and the fight began. Neither Zain nor I ran into the fray.
Of the men who remained, I didn’t know which of them might have participated in the attacks during the chariot race.
Would a large group try to come at me at once?
It wasn’t too concerning. I had fought off dozens of men at the same time before.
If there was some kind of alliance, it quickly melted away. Many competitors came our direction but they were pounced on by men willing to take advantage of the situation to eliminate them.
Zain apparently had the same thought that I did—let them bring the fight to us, and hopefully they’d whittle down the competitors before we had to deal with them.
Someone ran at me from the left, his sword pointed, and when he got close I sidestepped and grabbed his wrist to twist it. He yelled, but he dropped his weapon. He spit at my feet and called me some particularly unkind names and I just waved to him as he walked off the field.
“You didn’t even give him a sporting chance,” Zain said with a laugh.
“With that form he didn’t deserve one.”
The two remaining Lemnians were fighting and I hoped that they would come this way. They could pay for the sins of their traveling companions.
I saw that someone had selected a shield as his weapon and it had been a foolish mistake. He held off incoming attacks but he had no way to strike back offensively.
Eventually someone would kick that out of his hand and get him eliminated.
My entire body felt fluid and ready. Anticipation flowed through me and I decided I’d had enough waiting. “Time to join the fight.”
Zain’s laughter followed me as I ran into the center, where the competitors were fighting. I attacked everyone I could reach, making certain to keep my balance and hang on to my sword. Punching, kicking, swiping, knocking people over.
I grinned. It reminded me of being back home with my siblings.
Once the others realized what I was doing and that I was getting them out one by one, they did try to band together. It was cute, like something Thracian toddlers might do when they first started their fighting lessons.
But it was pointless. All they did was make it easier for me to finish them off by lining up so nicely for me.
Zain yelled out, “Basileia!”
On instinct I ducked and a sword sliced over my head.
Levern.
I was at the perfect angle to punch him in the groin, which I did. I hit him as hard as I could and hoped that it would be enough to stop him from ever hurting another woman again.
He tried hard not to double over but I could see how much pain he was in. I was tempted to throw my sword down so that I’d have both hands free to hit him, but that would cost me this event. I settled on switching my weapon to my left hand so that I could connect my right fist with his jaw.
Levern had a death grip on his sword, which meant I would have to punch him until he went down.
That suited me fine.
Two men came up behind me. It seemed they were trying to be stealthy but they lumbered up like sick cattle. While Levern continued to breathe hard, I turned and took out the two new attackers.
After they went down, I heard Zain call out, “I got the last one! The field is clear!”
Of everyone except me, Zain, and the Epirian.
Levern tried to use his sword against me and I deflected it with my bracer and punched him in the nose this time. I heard something break and it was extremely satisfying.
“Maybe I won’t kill you after the tournament’s over,” I said before I punched him again in the face. “Maybe I’ll just turn you into a eunuch so you can’t hurt someone else.”
He roared at me and I started laughing, which only seemed to infuriate him worse.
He raised his sword above his head and I decided I’d had enough of this.
I let him bring down all his might against my sword and used that momentum to slide his sword down the length of mine and then wrest his weapon free and throw it.
He was already out at that point, but I wanted to make sure. I twirled and then kicked him as hard as I could in his chest, sending him flying. Levern landed on the ground with a loud thud and the audience cheered.
“Stupid, cheating whore,” he said, spitting blood out of his mouth.
He still hadn’t learned his lesson. I took the opportunity to kick him in the ribs, hard. And repeatedly. “Don’t”—kick—“call”—kick—“women”—kick—“that.”
I might not have put an end to the evil things he would do in the future, but I hoped this would at least be enough to make him think twice about it.
And he owed me five hundred staters. I had beaten him as I’d promised I would.
My name was being chanted again and I turned to smile at the crowd. I still had to take out Zain, but that wouldn’t be too hard, and I didn’t have to worry about him trying to sneak up on me.
“Look out!” a voice from the audience called.
I turned to see Levern about to throw a dagger at me.
There wasn’t time.
It would hit me.