Page 35 of Court of Talons
He laughs and turns away as I stare at him, beckoning me toward the sunshine.
“Come on. Like I said, we’ve got a lot to do. I’ll even teach you how to fight one-handed, which is all you’ll need to manage Hantor.”
I fall into step beside him, suddenly feeling far older than my seventeen years…older but curiously lighter too. Caleb is—a friend, I decide. My second friend, ever. “I’m not worried about Hantor,” I mutter. “I’m worried about his Divh.”
Caleb snorts. “Don’t be. It’s about as frightening as Hantor is.”
And after another dozen steps, we emerge into the bright and brilliant day.
Chapter 14
The crowd is much thinner here, outside the coliseum. The fighting has resumed in the pits, and I recall the two young boys I saw. One of them will move on, but as to the other, how will he fare? Will he have a home to return to, parents who care for him, though he hasn’t excelled in the pits?
I think about Merritt being forced to fight that way. How would he have performed, coming to this place as anything but a feted warrior son? He had no idea of the world that existed outside the walls of the Tenth House. Clearly, I didn’t either.
I need to do better, and in a hurry.
“When do you want to train with your Divh? I can be there for that too. I can help, you know. Even, you know, with this.” Caleb’s words cut through me, refocusing my attention. Not so much for what he’s saying, but for the unexpected emotion that lifts from him like a wall of tears, for all that his tone is light. I blink as I take in his earnest expression.
“Of course you can help, at least I think you can,” I say. “I’d be honored for you to assist me.”
Assist me with what?I have no idea. I’ve barely seen my Divh myself. How am I going to use Caleb in any meaningful way? Merritt didn’t have a squire assist him with his actualwarrior training. He didn’t need to. Merritt and his Divh were symbols of the Exalted Imperium, a warrior pairing intended for display, not use. The Tournament of Gold was a symbol too, I’d assumed…but clearly, I was wrong. There’s no denying the undercurrent of danger and unrest I felt on that stage. These men will fight to win.
Caleb seems like he’s waiting for more, and I shake my head, trying not to sound as helpless as I feel. “You have to understand. At the Tenth House, we held no tournaments. We fought in no battles. I don’t know the first thing of how to fight like the warrior knights of the Fourth and Sixth Houses that we saw here yesterday. I don’t know the proper movements or the protocols.”
“You’ll pick it up quick enough—and you won’t be the only one feeling a step behind. Tournament rules change from place to place, so there’s always something to learn. Keep your eyes sharp, watch everyone around you, and sneer a lot. I’m telling you, the sneering is half the battle.”
Before I can protest, the crowd closes in around us, stifling our conversation. It’s another hour before we reach our camp. The priest is there, and our horses, but no one else, thank the Light. I don’t realize how much I’ve missed this oasis of calm until I’ve returned to it.
Caleb bounds up to Nazar then bows deeply to him. I wonder at that, but Caleb is excited, and he does owe Nazar his position. Plus, Nazar is a priest. Though his role in the Tenth House is limited to the ancient rites, perhaps here in Trilion, the position holds more sway.
“Merritthas entered the Tournament of Gold, just like you said he would,” Caleb says, placing a slight emphasis on my brother’s name, enough to make me wince.
Then his words catch up to me.
“What?” I stiffen as Nazar turns to me. “You knew I’d enter? How?”
The priest shrugs, his gaze inscrutable. “It’s the surest path to honor, and your truest path. You merely needed to find it.”
“It’s definitely the surest,” crows Caleb. “And speaking of, we’ve got to head up to the First House tonight. They’ll be making room for us in the barracks, and thefeast.” His eyes dance as he clutches his hands to his stomach. “You’ve never eaten so much.”
“Not tonight,” Nazar says, watching me as I try to hide my panic. This is happening. Really happening. I’ve entered the Tournament of Gold. “We’re not required so soon, surely.”
Caleb pauses, shifting his glance between us. “Well…no. Technically, we’re not required to appear until tomorrow, where Merritt will be presented at the grand banquet. There’ll be other warriors coming in as well, I think, so there will be more honor banquets throughout the week. But Merritt’s will be tomorrow.”
“We shouldn’t still be here at all,” I groan, unable to help myself. “I shouldn’t have entered. We should be getting back to protect the Tenth House.”
“The Tenth is already protected,” Nazar says, startling me. “The whispers have grown into a reinforced wall.”
I scowl at him then cut my glance to Caleb, who’s doing his best to look innocent, and failing utterly. “What whispers?”
Nazar gestures expansively. “It appears that the warrior knight of the Tenth has sworn retribution on the marauders who attacked his party—and on any others who dare harass his house. Any with ears to hear will wait now and see the outcome of the Tournament of Gold to see how much pain they are inviting onto themselves by troubling the mountain keep of the Tenth House. One knight and his Div…or a veritable army.”
“As if I have any shot at winning.” But I stare at Caleb, and he stares back, his grin unabashed. He knew the truth about mewhen he spread those rumors. He at least suspected it. Was he simply trying to drive the bettors into a frenzy?
“Yours is the way of the warrior.” Nazar’s words recall me, his tone completely neutral. “And so tomorrow, we go to the First House. Tonight, we prepare.”
By prepare, Nazar clearly means “clean.” Every dish, bowl, blade, and piece of tack is dragged into the center of our encampment, and Caleb and I spend the rest of the day inspecting, repairing, and running all manner of errands to fetch new leather lacings or metal hooks, ensuring all is in perfect condition. I bend myself as earnestly to these tasks as Caleb does, though I sense his intrigued gaze upon me, and I see what he sees. Here I am, a warrior knight, doing the lowest work asked of me without complaint. If he hadn’t already guessed my secret, this wouldn’t have helped.