“That’s one option,” Virgil said. “It’s the most obvious way into the Games. We should go to the arena and let you watch a round or two before you make any choices in that direction.”
“You mentioned there are other Games,” Seth said.
“There have been, over the years,” Virgil said. “Stormguard Castle is one example. Before that there was the Travertine Library. There are many rumors of other contests.”
“So many Games for the same prize?” Seth asked.
“That is part of what makes winning complicated,” Virgil said. “When he uses magic to create a competition, there must be a real possibility to win. So Humbuggle’s goal is to make the Games almost impossible to win. It’s conceivable that winning certain Games leads to the start of others. Since the Games have continued for centuries, with a grand enough prize to draw some of the greatest heroes the world has known, I would say Humbuggle has accomplished his aim.”
“Have you discovered any of his deeper secrets?” Seth asked.
“Only hints,” Virgil said. “But Humbuggle openly adores tricks and riddles. You should do all the research you can before taking action.”
“Have you considered joining the Games?” Seth asked.
Virgil chuckled. “I know my limits. I’m a brilliant researcher. And a fan. I advise those who intend to join the Games. I don’t participate directly. That’s the only reason I’m still around.”
“If I want, I can go sign up and fight in the arena?” Seth checked.
“The arena is always accepting new combatants,” Virgil said.
“Can we catch a fight today?” Seth asked.
“It’s too late,” Virgil said. “We can go in the morning.”
“Are tickets expensive?” Seth asked.
“Do you have money?” Virgil asked.
“I’m broke,” Seth said.
“There are ways in without money,” Virgil said. “Do you have a place to stay?”
Seth shifted uncomfortably. “Not yet. We just got to town.”
“You can have one of my couches,” Virgil said. “It isn’t fancy, but you can’t beat the price.”
“Maybe I could get rid of wraiths for somebody,” Seth said. “Then I could pay you something.”
“The undead can’t enter Humburgh,” Virgil said. “You’ll have a hard time finding your kind of work here.”
Seth thought about Virgil’s assertion. Did a presence like Reggie not count as one of the undead?
“What about me?” Calvin asked from Seth’s pocket. “Could I sneak inside the Games as a passenger?”
Virgil gasped, then crouched to observe the pocket where Calvin was peeking out. “And who are you?”
“Calvin, the Tiny Hero, avowed liegeman of Seth Sorenson.”
“You must be a nipsie,” Virgil said.
“I can sometimes sneak past magical defenses,” Calvin said. “They’re not usually attuned to invaders my size.”
“You haven’t come up against Humbuggle,” Virgil said.
“Actually, I sort of have,” Calvin replied. “I couldn’t enter Stormguard Castle.”
“I think it would go similarly if you tried to sneak into the arena,” Virgil said. “Humbuggle is remarkably thorough, especially where the Games are involved.”
“Calvin must like you,” Seth said. “He sometimes lies low.”
“Virgil is our kind of guy,” Calvin said. “It’s written all over him. You haven’t heard of other nipsies around here, have you? Perhaps a female named Serena?”
Virgil scowled in thought. “Now that you mention it, I heard tell of a nipsie spotted at Humbuggle’s manor. The rumor stood out because we don’t see your kind in Humburgh. Meeting a nipsie is a first for me.”
“I’m encouraged that you heard about a nipsie,” Calvin said.
“At least it’s a lead,” Virgil said.
“Thanks for your help,” Seth said.
“My thanks go to you,” Virgil said. “Without heroes who brave the Games, I would have nothing to study. We’ll help each other. Should we go find the hermit troll and the little golem?”
“I have weird friends,” Seth said.
Virgil smiled. “You can add one more to the list.”
Kendra waited on a bench near a towering urn in the study where she had first met Dectus, her arm bandaged. After receiving medical attention, she had been escorted here by the servant who had intervened with Ronodin.
The alchemist who dressed Kendra’s arm had commented that without his healing solutions, stitches would have been required. Instead he packed the gash with a gelatinous substance, glued the skin together, and wrapped her forearm with gauze.
She had been waiting for Dectus much longer than she expected. Had the giant been notified she was here? Did he not care?
Kendra took out Bracken’s first horn, gripping it tightly. Bracken had warned that even with the horn she wouldn’t be able to communicate with the Fairy Realm because it was too effectively sealed off from the mortal world. She wondered if Bracken was close to completing his work expelling the demons. She worried about the fire she had seen when crossing the Fairy Realm on her way to Titan Valley. And it bothered her that Ronodin seemed to know about the upheaval there.
Was it possible that Bracken really loved her? Could his full affection simply be on hold? Or was Ronodin messing with her mind? She knew she couldn’t trust anything he said.
Kendra gently scratched at the edge of her bandages. If she could leave her mortality behind and join the fairies, would she do it? Was the option even possible? What would such an action do to her ties with her family? Might it not be worth any cost if the transformation meant getting to spend eons with Bracken? Teens grew up to eventually leave home and become adults. In many ways Kendra was already on her own. Maybe her destiny would take her farther from home than anyone could have guessed. Kendra wondered if Bracken cared enough for the issue to ever be relevant.
Finally Dectus burst through the door. He relaxed a bit when he saw her, straightening his robe before closing the door gently. As he crossed to her, Kendra had a clear sense that he was trying to conceal how rattled he was.
“You’ve had an eventful time,” Dectus said, crouching to scoop Kendra into his palm.
“That’s one way to put it,” Kendra said, raising her injured arm. “The giant killer
