Page 182 of Unrivaled
“No,” I admitted, amused they’d caught me out.“But you promised, and even if that doesn’t mean shit toyou,it means the world to her.”I stood, grabbing my belt.“She’s had a lot of broken promises, Captain.I’d like for her to have someone who kept them.”
They winced.“That was a low blow.”
“I’m good at them.”I tried not to hate that about myself.“Shit.She must be exhausted.”
“She is.”Elnyta studied me speculatively.“Had to wake her from nightmares last night.”
A weight settled on my chest.She’d rarely had them with me, but hearing her father was returning… “When’s high tide?”
“Midday and midnight.”
I glanced out the window.Midday she’d be stuck in front of all those faces.But by midnight… “Got an outfit for tonight?Fancy feast, dancing.She could take you through the steps.”
They looked at me blankly.“Me?”
“Yeah.”I eyeballed them, then reached for the gray belt I’d never got to show her.It’d go around their waist, if I was any judge, and she’d love it just as much on her lover as herself, if not more.The weight in my guts felt a little lighter at the thought.As for the rest… my friends would have some finery to share.We were good like that.“I’ve got to fight today, but…” I looped my own belt one handed, then let it fall.“Come with me.We’ll get you outfitted for one more night with her.”
CHAPTERSIXTY-FIVE
AUDREY
Oh, you dear, sweet man.What ever happened to you?—Spiced Eggnog in conversation with Man in the Mountain
26thDay of Autumn’s Son Moon,
Age of the Locways, Year 272
La’Angi Tourney Grounds
When I took up position it was again without Isolde.She needed rest.That she agreed was testament to the truth.I was running late.The shrug I’d wanted had a hole.My hair had taken eons to untangle.I’d needed cold cloths to reduce the damage tears had done to my face.
Yasmine stayed with me, and Fiona.My wonderful friends held the conversation for me.They’d been waiting for me, of course.The competitors from the different events were in each corner, wearing sashes, tabards, or shields of the color they bore.I couldn’t make out a single face in the piles of humans.
They gave the speech.I gave the nod.The horn blew.
I could be on a ship this evening, learning how to sail, making plans to visit the bones of long-lost civilizations.I could meet Elnyta’s other lovers.I could meet their family.
In the bailey is the best location to meet him.The main bailey had good footing, and decent visibility.I wouldn’t have to worry about being overpowered.The guard would hesitate if they were ordered to take me.I was sure of it.Hismen wouldn’t, but mine would.In public.But if I was caught in the bowels of the keep…
I’d draw him out.Somewhere public, like the bailey.The marketplace would’ve been good.Plenty of witnesses.I couldn’t let him get me alone.That was the key to survival.Keep it public.Keep the pressure on.Fight my fight.
Before me the field had turned into a mess of bodies and colors.In the chaos, keeping track felt impossible.
Except for the red group.
Against one end of the field they stood in a formation that was blazingly familiar to me.Loose enough to move quickly, tight enough to protect one another, they waited until the mess in front of them began to thin.Those who noticed what was happening balked, turned, and were often tagged before they could gather their fellows to attempt an attack.
As competitors left the field, I watched closely.Would the reds wait until they were attacked, or risk moving forward?How many of those men could maintain that formation during movement?The yellow team fought the blue, and the green fought them both.Pockets of resistance fell slowly.Those who remained found their fellows easier.They began to organize.
Now.From the lines of the red team, I saw heads turning and lips moving.They were communicating, but they weren’t attacking.
My lungs felt overfull.
Yasmine leant my way a little and said, wryly, “Look at that.Men, workingtogether.” Then she added, “Must be for coin and commendations.”
It was.But…
A group of blues circled yellows.They shouted at each other, then gestured at the reds, clearly calling a truce.
