She snapped her fingers at him and pointed to the scarf around his neck. “That scarf.”
“It’s not a scarf,” Croak said as he looked down at himself. “It’s the top sheet from my bed. I took it when we left. It’s cold out.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Rydon scoffed, and even Gabriol smothered a smile.
“Fucking weirdo, why? Save it—I don’t care. I’ll take it anyway,” she said, snatching it from his shoulders. She folded it twice, then wound it around her neck and over her head, wrapping the last bit over her mouth and tied the ends at the back.
She shoved down the cover from her mouth and nodded to Gabriol. “Better? Can you set one up for me now?”
Gabriol tilted his head. “Aye. But you know, they match the fights randomly,” Gabriol said, tilting his head.
Terena shook her head. “Doesn’t matter.”
Rydon did laugh then. Loudly. She shot him a look as Croak reached over to grab her shoulders from behind, squeezed them and gave her a shake. “That’s my sis!”
“All right,” Gabriol sighed and turned back toward the short, bald man. Terena watched with the others, not hearing a word but gauging the conversation based on Gabriol’s face. He looked up and over at her, a second’s surprise at having caught her gaze before he gave a quick nod. He turned back to speak with the man, then walked back a few seconds later.
Gabriol exhaled loudly when he reached their group. “You’re after Rydon.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
He passed a hand over his mouth, then held it out toward her. “It’s not a fist fight. It’s knives or daggers. First cut wins.”
“All right.”
“All right?”
“Seems fine,” she answered, bouncing anxiously on her feet and looking around at the others. “Any rules?”
“Thosearethe rules.”
Croak made a weird, grunt noise, his lips pealed back. Terenafrowned over at him before turning back to Gabriol. “Then it’ll be over quick.”
Rydon shook his head, but she saw a small smile tug at the right corner of his lips. “The arrogance of youth.”
They wandered around, stopping every once in a while to watch the fights while they waited.
Twenty minutes later, the bald man motioned Gabriol over. Rydon jerked his head for the others to follow, and they lined up near the edge of the pit, the iron bar barrier at Terena’s waist. The fighting pit was empty, the gravel on the ground decorated in sweat and blood spatter.
The fight announcer stood on the other side of Gabriol, and Terena watched as he made his way to the barrier, noticing for the first time there was a gate there. Someone pulled open the gate and the announcer stepped in.
Another man, slightly taller than Gabriol, with a scar marring his head from the right temple through to his hairline at the back of his neck, stepped into the pit. He wore a thin black shirt, his breeches cut in the style of the Offeni from across the Black Sea, wide through the thigh but fitted around the calves, with straps crisscrossing above his boots.
Gabriol stood near the gate and Croak moved to his right side while Rydon went to his left, each of them leaning in to say something to him as Gabriol shook out his arms and bounced on his feet. Terena moved to stand close to Croak, pulling Sonah along.
All around them, people were placing bets.
“He’s big, but he looks fucking stupid,” Croak was saying as he eyed Gabriol’s opponent. “Run around a bit and he’ll tire real quick. Then stab him a few times in his side.”
“Don’t get close to the barrier,” Rydon said, ignoring Croak.
“Now go get our fucking money!“ Croak yelled with a punch to Gabriol’s shoulder before he lifted both arms and hooted. The assembled gave an answering roar as Gabriol rolled his shoulders and entered the pit.
Gabriol made quick work of the man, finishing the fight a minutelater after a feint to the left had the bigger man lumbering past him. Gabriol merely flicked his right hand out and caught the other fighter in the side with his dagger. The crowd groaned, and only a few cheered loudly as money exchanged hands.
Gabriol stretched out his arm to his opponent, who grasped it in a quick shake before they both turned to exit the pit. Rydon was next to fight, standing at the gate as Gabriol passed. He thumped him once on the back and Croak jumped on top of him. Gabriol stumbled and pulled Croak under his arm, dragging him back toward where Sonah and Terena waited further down near the front.
While Rydon was fighting, Terena looked around, her gaze falling on a trio with the same uniform.
