Page 99 of What Fury Brings
Applause sounded, and the crowd refreshed their drinks and food. Olerra brought Sanos some snacks to try. Fruits and salted meats. Fresh breads and honey. It was all delicious, of course.
And then the next man took his turn on the dais.
“A poem dedicated to the Goddess’s Gift,” he declared, and then he proceeded to recite a story rapt with emotion and tension. He rhymed in places, raised and lowered his voice, spoke as though the telling of the story was just as important as the words themselves.
One thing was for certain. While Andrastus might have given him a run for his money, there was no way that Sanos could have even come close to so rich a delivery.
Olerra leaned forward. “He wrote that himself.”
Sanos felt his stomach sink. The man didn’t just read poetry, hewroteit? Sanos had never felt incompetent compared to Amarran men until this moment.
Another harem member performed a dance that was so erotic, many of the women in the room were fanning themselves. Sanos snuck a glance to Olerra, but she was engaged in conversation with Ydra, not watching.
For some reason that made him feel better.
Someone did acrobatics. Another man did ballet. It was quickly apparent that all of Glen’s harem were trained in not only the bedroom but performing. He noticed, however, that Athon didn’t take the stage. No, he had already played his hand in the fight with Sanos. It would seem he didn’t have other talents.
To be fair, Sanos wasn’t good for much. But he had four younger brothers, and they were all competitive, save Andrastus, which meant they got up to no good regularly. They liked to do dangerous things. Stupid things when their father wasn’t looking. And sometimes, down at the training yard, things could get… interesting.
When another bout of applause echoed off the walls after a different man read yet more poetry, Glenaerys rose and spoke loudly enough for the crowd at large to hear, but her eyes were on Olerra.
“Cousin, would Andrastus care to grace us with a recitation? I’ve heard he’s been practicing for tonight.”
Olerra said, “I think we’ve heard enough poetry for one evening.”
“That’s a shame. I hoped the man might prove useful in some regard after all the trouble he has caused you.”
Every noblewoman in the room looked at them. Many had open dislike for Sanos, disappointment for Olerra. They didn’t bother to hide the expressions on their faces. He hadn’t realized just how bad things had become for her. Everyone still spoke civilly to the two of them, but with Glenaerys putting them on the spot, it was a chance for others to show their support for either cousin.
“Actually,” Olerra declared, “Andrastus has prepared something else for our entertainment tonight.”
“Is that right? Let him take the stage without delay, then. I’m most eager to see this.”
Olerra nodded at him, and Sanos rose.
Her prince certainly put on a brave face, but Olerra could tell he was nervous. Was it because he worried he couldn’t do this? Or did he think he might fail her? Something had changed between them of late, and she felt him really trying his best to help. Like he wanted to get her the throne of Amarra.
Eunuchs brought forward the requested supplies. A target was laid out on the opposite end of the dais. It was a simple fold-out, with three rings. White, yellow, and, at the center, red. A tall candelabra was placed on one side of Andrastus. It was nearly as tall as he was, and three lit candles flickered at the top. A table was laid on his other side. Andrastus set a fresh drink of ale atop it, and another servant set five daggers next to it.
Glenaerys took notice of the target. “Are you allowing him something sharp?” she called across the room.
“I thought you’d take pleasure in seeing how tame and loyal he’s become.”
A muscle ticked in Glen’s jaw, but she did not try to stop the performance. Olerra approached the musicians and asked them to play a number she thought would enhance Andrastus’s display.
Her prince selected a knife from the table, holding it by the blade. He extended his arm, taking aim, then pulled back his bicep and released. With the majority of the women behind Andrastus, they could all see that it hit the target dead center.
A few hesitant hands clapped, but most women didn’t know what to make of the display.
Glen laughed. “Athon can do that. Can’t you, Athon?”
“Yes, mistress.”
Andrastus threw another knife. It landed right next to the first. After the third knife, Glenaerys struck up a conversation with nearby women, taking their attention off Andrastus entirely. It angered Olerra.Shewanted to throw something.
Andrastus retrieved the daggers, and then he dunked one into his glass of ale before holding it up to the flame of the candelabra.
The blade caught fire, but just to be sure everyone was watching, he threw it high in the air and caught it without damaging himself.
