Brandt respected Regar’s decisions. The prince asked for help when he needed it, then gave orders when they were called for. He was a leader worth following.
Attempting to avoid conflict for the two weeks it would take them to reach the elders was foolish. This party waited in the open. From what little Brandt knew about the Falari, that boded well for them.
He walked back to Ana, who was watching the nearby rocks for movement. Word had traveled down the line. “Another war party?”
“Yes. Regar’s leading us right to them.”
“Do we know if they’re allies?”
Brandt’s smile was grim. “I think we’re going to find out soon enough.”
24
Alena faced off against Ligt. His smile, so uncommon on the journey here, was more menacing than any glare. It was a smile of supreme confidence. Alena supposed the confidence was well-earned. This was their fourth round, and Ligt won all three previous rounds with ease.
Alena didn’t mind. She wasn’t a warrior. Every Etari youth trained extensively in the martial arts. Alena had focused her own education on different subjects, barely paying any attention at all to the martial skills taught at academy. She’d learned enough to protect herself while living with the Etari, but martial arts had never been her strength.
She did want to wipe that smile off Ligt’s face, though.
He beckoned her forward, offering her the opportunity for the first move. Alena knew it was a trap. Ligt excelled at countering attacks. What appeared generous was nothing more than the warrior fighting to his strengths.
But she couldn’t defeat him standing five paces away, either.
Well, she could. She could have him on his knees screaming in horror in a few moments.
But she wasn’t looking to test her soulwalking.
She advanced, every sense tuned to Ligt’s movement. He remained still, a predator waiting for his prey.
Alena snapped a kick at his shin. He switched his stance, pulling his leading leg back to avoid her low kick. As he did, Alena darted forward, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him down.
Ligt wasn’t surprised. He allowed himself to be pulled, grabbing onto her as he fell, bringing the two of them down together. They rolled until Ligt was on top of her. He fought for a mount position.
Alena positioned her legs between them and pushed him off, then scrambled to take control of the new position.
She swore as he got a grip on her wrist and pulled. Although they were of similar size, Ligt was stronger, and she felt him pulling her into a lock.
In her moment of panic, though, there was nothing she could do. Once the lock was applied, the fight was over. Alena tapped and Ligt immediately released the hold.
That irritating smile remained plastered on his face.
“You almost beat him,” a voice remarked from behind her.
She turned to see Toren standing there. She was surprised to see him, but she didn’t need his sympathy. “No, not this time.”
“Let me show you.”
Not sympathy, then, but an observation.
She glanced at the sky. Soon she would meet with the elders, but she had a little time. She signed an affirmative. Toren approached and grabbed her arm with the same lock that Ligt had used. They duplicated the position just before the end of the match.
“Here,” Toren said. “If you keep your weight moving like this—” he manipulated her leg with his free hand, “you end here and win.”
His hand on her leg was strong. For some reason, Alena thought of when she’d been torn apart by the gate and he had caught her.
Ligt scoffed. “She can’t beat me.”
Toren didn’t reply. But he stood up, the lesson over.
Without another word he walked away. Ligt watched him go. “He’s a strange one, isn’t he? Rarely speaks, rarely spars, and he studies soulwalking.”
Alena watched Toren walk away. Ligt didn’t like Toren, but it seemed few Etari did. She wouldn’t call him strange.
She’d say interesting.
Brushing herself off, she thanked Ligt for the match. After her last two days she had needed something physical, something that grounded her in her real body. She’d lost track of the number of times she argued with Sooni and Dunne. But she had convinced them. They agreed to present her findings to all the elders of Cardon.
Ligt had been the most obvious sparring partner. Jace would have if she asked, but any fight against her brother, no matter how controlled, reminded her of their duel in the caves outside Landow. That was a memory better sealed in a vault than relived.
Ligt’s willingness to spar probably reflected his own frustration. All Etari were nomadic, but to varying degrees. Sooni’s family, as one of the trading families, spent more time moving than most. Waiting in Cardon for Alena to finish her task no doubt irritated many in her family who itched for open spaces and constant movement.
Hopefully their time of waiting would end soon, though.
After cleaning up, Alena met Sooni. Jace had wanted to accompany them, but he possessed no gatestone, the mark of an Etari adult and necessary to speak before the elders.
Alena kept expecting Jace to tire of all this and leave. He still had his new post waiting for him in Landow. But he made no complaint, no matter what he felt. She wouldn’t have held leaving against him, but his continual presence grounded her. She was glad he was here.
The tent the elders held council in was quite small. In the past, Alena had visited a larger tent, when more of a crowd was present. Today only the elders, Sooni, and Alena sat under the tent.
Sooni knelt next to Alena in front of the line of five elders. Dunne was one of the five, but Alena didn’t recognize the others. Sooni began. As head of Alena’s family, she was responsible for Alena’s conduct throughout the interview. “Honored elders. Thank you for this audience. My daughter, Alena, is known to you. She was welcomed into my family over a decade ago. She has worn her gatestone proudly for years, and her gifts helped defeat
