Fuck.
Terena bit the inside of her mouth.
She sensed Sonah’s panic as if it was a living thing, surrounding her and her stupid runaway mouth.
“Would need to be kept away. That’s why they made sure you were in the courtyard, right, Sonah?” Croak said loudly.
Oh, gods, I love him.Terena swallowed as she nodded, chancing a glance at Sonah. Sonah grunted her assent, the color high in her cheeks.
“That’s right, you were in the courtyard,” Terena said.
“So if she’s in the courtyard, then they can drug the princes, kill Lerek and the guards, and blame it on Sonah,” Croak finished with flair as he held his arms out.
“Why would they blame it on the poor girl?” Gabriol asked.
Croak shrugged. “She’s his Royal Taster. They think she was in on it. And she is the daughter of Duke Ovenno. Not a stretch to believe the duke is the one who started this whole shit.”
“And keeps Solon from attacking Lakonia,” Gabriol said with a nod. “That makes sense.”
“If she’s his Royal Taster, wouldn’t he have waited to drink until she arrived?”
Terena frowned and opened her mouth, but once again Croak jumped in. “Lerek didn’t always wait for Sonah to drink first. Only when others were around, right Sonah? The Tasters are all daughters of the dukes, sent to the White Palace as another way to control the royals. Stop them from moving against Solon. If he controls their kids, they won’t rebel against him. No one took the Taster thing seriously. They mostly did it for the benefit of the servants.”
No one spoke for a long time while they continued to eat.
“Well, at least that leaves us in the clear, for now,” Rydon said at last.
“Now that we’re here… why are we here?” Gabriol asked, his elbows on the table as he leaned across, glancing between Terena and Rydon.
“We’re going to steal something from the king,” Croak said with his mouth full.
The public housewhere the fights were held was large, like a barn, but made of stone. Two tiers overlooked the fighting pit, with people hanging out over the railings and shouting down at the spectators below. It was so loud, Terena cringed as they entered.
Terena looked over her shoulder at Croak eyeing the crowd. Next to him, Sonah clutched at her cloak but kept her head high. Terena caught her gaze and Sonah gave her a tight smile. She smiled back and turned to the fighting pit.
Ahead of them, Gabriol stopped next to a short, heavy man with a balding head already sweat soaked, his limp mustache not matching the soft skin of his large cheeks in a complementary way. Terena stopped behind Rydon, half turned to Sonah as she looked out over the room. From the look of the spectators, these fights were a great equalizer. Every class of citizen was present and pressed together.
Gabriol walked back to their group and leaned close so they could all hear over the pressing crowd.
“I’ll be fighting third after this one,” Gabriol said loudly, then pointed to Rydon. “You’re the fight after me.”
Terena looked at both of them, then over at Croak, who shrugged like he couldn’t care less.
“What about me?”
Rydon looked over at her, an auburn eyebrow arched. “What about you?”
“We need money,” she said, glancing from Rydon to Gabriol. “I’ll fight.”
Gabriol ducked his head as Rydon put a hand on her shoulder. “I know you can fight, but do we want to risk people getting curious about who you are?”
Terena looked around. He had a point. Heylisians weren’t welcomed in this kingdom, and technically, they were Heylisians. Even if she was believed to be the one who’d committed treason and murder against the empire.
Her eyes caught on Croak.
“Give me your scarf,” she said, holding out her hand.
Croak looked at her with a blank expression. “I don’t have a scarf.”
