Page 22 of Tournament

I didn't realize I said that aloud until Mirri let out a surprised laugh. "I heartily agree," he said, raising his cup of cider in a mocking toast.

I sighed. "I apologize. Sometimes I forget I'm supposed to represent the queen here."

He gave me a fond look. "I don't think that's a bad thing. In fact…it's nice to know that someone is riled up on our behalf. That the men in this tournament aren't just here for everyone's amusement, with no thought for our safety." He shook his head. "I think some of the citizens who come to watch forget we're actually real people down here."

I huffed. "Fucking imbeciles."

Mirri lifted his mug again, clinking it against mine this time. "Here-here."

I laughed and joined him in the toast. "You are more than pawns to the woman who will be your bonded," I told him seriously. "I promise you that."

He just shook his head, making the red-gold highlights in his hair glint in the firelight. "Well, I think after today's performance, and our poor showing in the weapons competition, there's not much hope of Raven team actually winning. But I appreciate the sentiment."

I shook my head. "Don't lose hope just yet," I told him firmly. "There are more challenges to come. And there is more to this tournament than meets the eye."

His gaze met my own, and he seemed to sense my sincerity. "Thank you, miss Rina. I really needed to hear that this evening."

I nodded. "Any time, lord Mirri." I stood and handed back my mug. "It was a pleasure to chat with you, champion."

He stood and gave me a small bow as he held our mugs. "The pleasure was all mine, miss Rina."

I swallowed hard and tried not to drool at the way he said my name, all honey-rich and full of honest warmth. I couldn't go drooling over my champions and give away the game.

"Good evening, mistress," Bach's deep voice spoke from behind me. I tried not to jump in surprise as he and Fife came to join us by the fire. I swear, every time I heard Bach's voice, I could feel the memory of his hands on my skin. But he was careful to our interactions polite and with just the proper amount of distance.

I met Bach's blue eyes, then looked away to find Fife smiling softly at me in greeting. "Are we in trouble for our performance today?" Fife asked with a wry tilt to his beautiful bowstring lips. "If so, I take all the blame, and happily so."

I shook my head. "You're not in any trouble, gentlemen. If anything, you should be rewarded for looking out for each other and operating as a team, even when given an unfair challenge."

I nodded at Fife to let the cleric know I was aware of the reason he had used his magic. He nodded back in acknowledgment. "Thank you, mistress. You are most generous."

I glanced between them. "And your other teammate? Is he well?"

"Adder is fine," Mirri said with a smile. "Fife fixed him up. He's just not the social type. But he'll be along soon, now that the rest of the revelers have started to settle down and head to their own tents."

I was curious to meet the last member of their group and speak with him a bit. But I knew I couldn't look like I was playing favorites. I needed to make my rounds with the other teams before everyone turned in for the night, not spend the entire evening with Raven team—no matter how tempted I was.

"Please let Lord Adder know that I asked after his welfare," I said evenly. "I'm afraid I have a few more people to speak with before I retire for the night. If you'll excuse me, gentlemen."

They all said their polite goodbyes. Bach didn't speak, but I felt his penetrating blue eyes on me like a physical touch until my guards closed around me and we were out of sight.

I didn't know them at all, really. But somehow, no matter how hard I tried to remain impartial, I felt drawn to the men of Raven team. And the more I learned about them, the more interesting they got.

Chapter 18

The next challenge in the tournament was deceptively simple. The teams that moved on from the previous rounds were each assigned to a charity organization near the capital for one week. On the surface, the challenge seemed to be all about who could perform their assigned tasks the most efficiently. If you examined the assignment a bit closer, you might see how it could also be about whether the competitors had a basic grasp of business and networking, which were skills they would definitely be called upon to use if they ended up bonded to a wealthy noble. Whether that noble was a princess, a steward, or baron. Whether they handled territories and cities, or the noble was simply in charge of their own estate, they would have to play the game of balancing political niceties and making money.

But while those aspects of the challenge were certainly important, I was looking for more. I designed this challenge, and I helped the officials assign teams to specific charities based on the basic profiles we had on every competitor. It was a sort of pass-fail challenge with competition involved. Any team who completed their assigned task in the allotted time, and to the satisfaction of the person in charge of the charity, would continue on in the tournament.

But I was going to be watching closely to see how things played out. If it went as I planned, this challenge could tell me a good deal about the character of my potential mates and co-stewards, and how they might fit into life in Larkwood.

Every team was assigned to a charity based on their own individual strengths. I wasn't cruel enough to place them in situations where they weren't equipped to be of any help. That would definitely tell me a lot about them on a personal level—how someone handled adversity did say a lot about the person—but it wouldn't be at all helpful to the charities involved. I was more interested in the strengths of the competitors and how they put those strengths to use.

Lion team, whose leader owned a construction business and whose entire team was comprised of large, muscled males who were more than willing to prove their physical strength, was assigned to a charity that built houses for people in need. Bear team, which was made up of earnest, working-class men, was assigned to a charity that assisted people who had been injured in work-related accidents. The members of Peacock team, which was (far too fittingly) made up of rich nobles who didn't have common vocations, was assigned to a charity that helped beautify public spaces, monitor community satisfaction, and make Brightfall city a comfortable and safe place to live in. There were other teams working at the local soup kitchen that fed the poor, and at the charity at the edge of town that rehabilitated wounded wildlife.

Raven team was assigned to help at the capital city's biggest orphanage. They were supposedly all about family, and it sounded like at least one of their team members had personal experience with a similar charity in his past. I was curious to see how they fared.

I embraced a new routine with this challenge, happily leaving the stuffy palace every morning to make my rounds about the city, unobtrusively observing the teams as they worked. They were all doing well. Aside from a few minor hiccups as they settled in, the directors of each charity seemed happy with the extra help. Unsurprisingly, there were a few complaints of competitors behaving like arrogant men who were only there to win the game. But for the most part, I was impressed with how well the teams took to their assignments.

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