Teddy only knew about the gods and goddesses of Novum from the stories and songs his mother had shared with him when he was younger.Delion. That was the name of the god of lies, but Teddy could vaguely remember something about the god’s wandering ways and his jealous wife.
Before he could ask Reever about it, the mercenary was beckoned into the tunnel to the arena.
Teddy strained to hear anything, but there wasn’t a hint of sound coming from anywhere in front of him. He couldn’t even hear thecrowd noise. It made sense that they would take care to use a soundproofing spell to prohibit any competitors from using enhanced hearing for an advantage.
His stomach grumbled, more from nerves than hunger, but he wondered if he should have eaten something more substantial. Still, experience had taught him it was better to fight hungry than to need to stop and vomit mid-battle. Especially with all those eyes on him.
A priestess beckoned Teddy forward and he walked into the tent, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the dimmer light.
This was not the priestess that had bound him to the tournament. This woman was clad in the blood-red robes of Endros. Teddy did not realize there were still priestesses of Endros. The temples in Argaria had been abandoned for years, but it stood to reason that there might be smaller sects throughout the Argarian countryside.
Despite the history between the Savero line and the god of war, King Xander had not ordered the temples destroyed. He’d explained since Teddy was young that faith inspired loyalty and consequences, and if royalty disrespected the gods, then the people would too.
Teddy had long since learned that the surest way to pique the people’s interest was to make something forbidden. It was part of the reason the Sons of Endros had gained so much political traction. They acted as saviors of the oppressed. If they tried to outlaw worshipping Endros, it would have only made things worse.
“Greetings, Theodore Davide Savero. Welcome to the wisdom challenge. Before we begin, you must choose one of the following to aid you in your challenge. Choose either talent or luck. You will need both to complete this task and your partner has already chosen.”
Teddy wanted to pick talent, but this challenge was about wisdom, so the twist was to know your partner—or, he supposed in this case, opponent. It was as much about what Teddy would pick as it was about knowing what Reever would prefer.
With Stella, Teddy would have known beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would pick luck. It would be just like her to pick something mythical instead of something practical. But Reever was a complete unknown. Mercenaries had enormous egos, so it stood toreason they’d be just as likely to think they had all the talent required. However, given the unknown nature of the task, it may have also been practical to choose luck.
“Your selection?” the priestess said.
Anxiety buzzed in his chest. His father was always telling him to trust his gut.
“Talent.”
The priestess nodded and placed her hand on his head. A warm tingling sensation spread from his crown and down through his body.
By the time the priestess removed her hand, his whole body was buzzing.
She nodded toward the exit. “May it serve you well.”
11
TEDDY
Teddy emerged from the tunnel into blinding sunlight and was instantly grabbed by two guards.
“Sorry, Your Grace. It’s part of the contest. None of the competitors are allowed to see the arena before it’s time,” a burly guard in green Olney regalia said. “Forgive me, but I have to blindfold you now.”
Teddy nodded, and the men tied a blindfold around his eyes, then began to march him forward. They guided him, with minimal directions, toward the swelling noise of the crowd. Teddy tried not to stumble, but it was difficult while being bounced between their bodies and entirely cut off from his eyesight.
A zap of energy hit him in the chest.Stella. The bond lit up. She must have been close. He tried to remember what Cecilia and Rainer had said about finding each other. There was supposed to be a sort of intuitive knowing that Teddy needed to listen to.
He imagined the bond like a rope and tugged on it. A moment later, an answering tug reverberated back. It came from his left. He wished they’d had more time to understand the language of the bond. Rainer and Cecilia could use theirs with ease. How did they check on each other? How did they understand how to communicatewith it? He wished he understood more than how to keep Stella from feeling the crushing anxiety that was rising in his body again.
Adrenaline coursed through Teddy, his heart thundering loud enough to nearly drown out the roaring crowd.
“We’re going down a ramp, Your Grace. Just be mindful that we’re descending,” the guard on his right said.
Teddy nodded and focused all his concentration on not falling down the ramp or off the side in what would have certainly been an embarrassment he could not recover from.
They reached the bottom after what felt like an eternity. The wooden ramp gave way to solid dirt beneath his boots and the two guards let go of his arms.
“This is your starting place,” the guard on his left said. “Your partner is to your left. When the bell rings to begin the match, you may remove the blindfold. Bells will sound to start the match, at the match midpoint, and when there is one minute left. From the first bell, you will have twenty minutes to retrieve a large ruby from the beast that appears in your section.
“You may use all the weapons on you and anything else from your environment, but you maynotuse any magic. There are witches along the perimeter to ensure no one uses their magic, and if you do, you will immediately be disqualified and removed from the tournament. You may attack your peers as long as you’re still competing, but once you retrieve your ruby, your challenge will be complete and you must return to the sportsmanly decorum we expect of competitors. Remember that this is the wisdom challenge, so you should also use your head. You are our second-to-last pairing, so the match will begin soon.”
