In the dining hall a pattern of conversations from all kingdoms and years could be heard at each meal. “Are we going to starve?”
“I don’t want to eat oats again.”
“The professors say we’ll be fine but will we?”
The Headmaster had even given a speech to reassure us all there was plenty of food. We just wouldn’t have any fresh fruit or vegetables for a while and sweets would be reserved to a couple times a week rather than daily. Basically get used to eating foods that wouldn’t rot quickly.
Drawing back an arrow with my new bow, I narrowed my vision to a rotten apple on a tree. Purposefully, I aimed too low and let the arrow fly. The pointed tip curved up and tore through the apple then it circled back around and landed at my feet. Firo and the girls had failed to mention that the bow’s enchantment not only always hit the intended mark, the magic brought the arrow back to its user.
I did this over and over while I waited for Zyacus’s sparring practice for the upcoming tournament to end. All of my friends had been conveniently busy studying or practicing or smooching on someone.
The monotony of shooting over and over left me plenty of time to think. And it hit me that since the bird incident in Hesstia something strange had happened each week. The unexpected creature in the arena with the trolls. The scarlet moon. The loss of our plant food. I worried that the animals would soon go hungry and we’d lose our meat and dairy as well.
I dreaded to find out what would come next. I dreaded my people wouldn’t fight when the Fae came. My vision and Nimblewatt both told of a different outcome. Happy lambs to the slaughter. The trouble was I had no idea how to stop it.
Chapter 22
The first Seventh Year Tournament arrived, and the academy was electric with excitement. Especially with all the doom and gloom, the students needed some entertainment—I needed something to get my mind off my worries.
Zyacus had again qualified even though he wasn’t a seventh-year student. I stood outside my grandmother Madison’s office waiting for her to return. With my new-found magical strength and my training with Father, I deserved to be in the tournament and she decided on the contenders.
The sound of tapping footsteps bounced around the hall. I pushed from the wall I’d been leaning on to find Bindy and Madison headed my way.
“You’re back,” I said, pointing out the obvious.
“Unfortunately with no new information,” Bindy said. “The merfolk retreated to the ocean as soon as the blood moon shown in the sky. And we have no record of the Fae anywhere.”
“My parents weren’t able to meet with King Utrahn?”
“Your parents have set a date to meet with the King of the Ocean,” Bindy replied. “The merfolk finally replied and it will happen at the beginning of next month.”
“But the blood moon will end this month. We need answers now.”
Madison scoffed. “King Utrahn is conveniently away for the next few weeks. And for your safety, Bindy came back.” With a wave of her hand the door to her office opened and the three of us went inside. I sat in the big comfy chair in the corner and propped my legs over the side of the armrest. “I want to fight in the tournament.”
Madison sat at her desk and leaned back in the chair. “Zyacus will fight tonight. You can be in the next tournament.” She leveled me with her serpentine gaze. “You won’t fight each other. Given your feelings, it wouldn’t be worth watching anyway. It would likely embarrass the both of you.”
Alright, embarrass was a stretch. Sure we wouldn’t go full force but it wouldn’t be embarrassing. “So I’ll fight next tournament?” I didn’t know if there would be a next with all the crazy stuff going on.
“First indulge me. If you win and he wins, eventually you will have to face each other in a championship tournament, what will happen?” Madison crossed one leg over the other.
I hadn’t thought about that scenario. I supposed it would play out like any other match we’d have against each other. I lifted a shoulder. “One of us would win.”
Madison let out a humorless laugh. “At what cost? Of your relationship? Your reputations? One of you will back down and I have a fairly good guess who. You’d both look weak.”
“There’s no guarantee that both of us would be in the championship.”
“Oh, I’ll make sure that you two don’t face each other,” Madison cooed. “Unless you break it off with him or vice versa, of course. Then we’d see some real entertainment in that arena.”
“You would like that.”
Madison cackled until Bindy strolled from the corner of the room, cutting into the conversation, “Zyacus wouldn’t look weak for backing down from a fight with Visteal. He’d likely be more admired for it.”
I tilted my head. So they think he would be the one to back down. Interesting. “He wouldn’t hurt me and I wouldn’t hurt him.”
“I’m well aware.” Madison all but rolled her eyes.
Her demeaning tone bothered me sometimes. “Did you fight Jordane?” I snapped. They’d met at academy and married right after graduation.
At that, she squirmed a little in her chair. “I never got the chance.”
“Because you weren’t equally matched in skill? I heard you were one of the best and so was he.”
Madison lifted her chin. “Because he lost on purpose before we had the chance.”
I folded my arms. “So Papa sacrificed his own reputation for you. Sounds like love not weakness to me.”
With a small but genuine smile Madison leaned forward. “Yes.” Then her face grew serious. “And those we love can be used against us. It is a weakness. Never forget that.”
∞∞∞
My friends and I arrived early
