They ate in silence for a while. A champion that had recently won their fight drenched themselves in water behind them.
“This is my third time in the court games.” The large champion drained the rest of his drink. “The first year, I drank the elixir. I nearly tried to fly off that cliff. It takes a lot of elixir to fully take over my mind, though, and I was able to resist. Flying, that is. Not pleasuring the guards.”
She swallowed what was in her mouth, just picking at her food. She didn’t have nearly the appetite he did.
“Pleasuring the guards?” she asked.
“The guards, the other champions—we had three times as many champions by this point last year and the year before. This year, the king is killing people off early. Anyway, yeah…” He reduced his volume. “The elixir cuts out inhibitions. It reduces logic. The inside became an orgy, and the outside had people jumping off the cliff and laughing all the way down. There was no violence. None at all. Then the next day…the headache crushed me. I nearly lost my fight because of my throbbing head. I was paired against someone who hadn’t partaken. Healers won’t be allowed tomorrow. Just wait and see.”
She sat back and finally took a drink of water.
“Why did you tell me?” she asked. More champions must’ve been filing into the holding area, but none came out to sit onthe grass. She’d noticed him on his own the day before—no one wanted to get too close. To either of them.
He didn’t look over at her. “Your benefactor will kill anyone you get intimate with, right?”
“Yes. He’s compelled to. Except the royals.”
“Right. Well, I don’t need you crawling into my lap later. I might have a moment of weakness and not see the dawn.”
She looked out over the drop. “So you won the last couple years? For…”
“Lady Lavinya. You’re Tarianthiel’s toy. I am hers.”
Lavinya…Daisy didn’t recall the name. But then, she didn’t know many of the names, just faces.
“She likes to watch me battle,” he continued. “A lot of the nobles do. It’s why we wear so few layers. I was surprised you were so covered up. Though…I guess yours is a lot more possessive than most. Lady Lavinya loans me out if it will bring her favor.”
Her eyebrows lifted as she drew up her knees and looped her arms around her shins. “You don’t sound beat up about that fact.”
He huffed out a laugh, looking at her with a smirk. “I came from nothing. Less than nothing. My mother was killed in the wylds, and my dad didn’t bother sticking around. We were left to fend for ourselves. I would’ve died if not for Lady Lavinya. I tried to steal food from her manor, and her guards caught me. She gave me a choice: be her pet, or receive my punishment.” He finished the last morsel on his plate. “I eat like a king. I spend my days training and fucking. Only twice has she loaned me to a male, and for that I suck it up, but otherwise, I pleasure and am pleasured by the nobility in this kingdom. I’ve never had it so good.”
Couldn’t argue with that. He clearly wasn’t put out by his situation.
“So you’ve won the last two years?” she repeated.
“No. I might’ve. Last year I was the strongest and best champion, but when the competition gets too fierce, the lady pulls me out. She wants me alive. How about you? Tarianthiel seems to want to keep you alive, too.”
“It sounds like the king is going to pull me out before Tarian can. He has taken…an interest.”
The male jerked, his face whipping toward Daisy. He didn’t say anything for a long moment. His expression was neutral, but she didn’t miss the pity in his eyes. He nodded, though she wasn’t sure why, before looking out over the cliffs again.
“Maybe you should drink the elixir after all,” he said softly. “Flying would be a nicer way to go.”
31
Daisy
Three people flew.They took a running leap, stretched out their arms, and saidweeeeeall the way down.
The rest didn’t get much sleep. All but three reveled in each other’s bodies, and the three sober ones tried to stay out of the way—Daisy, the big champion…and the female who’d helped Daisy the night before.
After telling the female about the elixir, Daisy had said, “I am not saving your life.” It was probably even true.
She’d earned a small smile and a slight nod. They were even.
But now that female walked out of the dark hallway and into the glow of the Court Hall. Her lank hair fell beside her thin face, her eyes darting this way and that. She already held a knife, clutched tightly in her small hand. Her knuckles were white.
Daisy let out a slow breath as her stomach twisted. She replayed all the fights she’d seen with this female, as seen through Tarian’s eyes. She reassessed the movements, the strikes, and the feints. Then she tucked her thoughts down deepwhere they couldn’t be found. Not that it would matter—cutting out magic would take care of that naturally.
