Olivin shook his head, meeting Vi’s eyes. The princess nodded in reply. Meru wasn’t sending anyone forward. Eira wondered if they weren’t willing to risk anyone else.
“Then we shall begin today’s game with three competitors. The others shall be escorted to the competitors’ balcony where they may watch and cheer on their teammates.” Vi motioned directly across the arena with her palm. Opposite the royals’ stands, above the portcullis, was a vacant balcony.
“This way, please.” One of the attendants stepped forward.
“Good luck,” Eira said to Cullen, before she was ushered away.
Back in the tunnel, they took the left cutoff at the fork. One of the previously closed doors was now open and it led to a staircase that took them directly up to the balcony. There was an assortment of chairs and benches around a table of basic refreshments—the same fare they’d had in the village. But to see the tournament they’d have to ignore the food and go up to the railing.
Which Eira, Alyss, and Noelle promptly did.
“Today’s game is a simple tournament of endurance,” Vi announced. As she spoke, attendants walked up to the three competitors still in the arena, opening a wooden box. Eira couldn’t see what was inside from her current vantage. “The winner will be the competitor who is able to keep an iron ball in the air the longest.”
Eira bleated laughter.Of all the games…
“Wasn’t this…” Noelle trailed off.
“Exactly what Cullen was doing while helping me for the past two days?” Eira shared a grin with her. “We accidentally prepared him for this.”
“We could use some good luck!” Alyss gripped the railing, bouncing from one foot to the other with excitement.
The attendants maneuvered Cullen, Harkor, and Lavette into three different locations and then stepped away.
“Hold out your iron rounds,” Vi instructed. “You may use whatever method you would like to keep the ball in the air. If it touches the ground, you will be out of the game. You may not hold onto it with your hand, or any other part of your body, for more than a second. These are the only rules of today’s play.”
It seemed simple enough. What was the catch? Eira tapped the railing. There had to be a catch. It couldn’t be this easy or pedantic. Not after the first game had them pitted against each other.
“Are there any questions?”
Each of the competitors shook their heads.
“Then, on my count. Three…two…one.”
Lavette was the first to move. She spun the metal bracelets on the hand holding the iron ball. They clanked together, sparking. Tiny bolts of lightning popped the ball into the air. The second it started falling another bolt shot upward.
Harkor sank low into his knees, shot up, and threw the ball into the air with a grunt. It soared toward the sky so quickly that Eira was blinking to try and keep up with it. The draconi’s eyes had to have some kind of magical properties because the ball was lost to Eira. But Harkor was so intently focused that he must see it.
However, Eira momentarily lost track of what Harkor was doing as Cullen’s magic surged. The ball hovered just above his palm, much like the quill and boot had. He couldn’t be exerting that much effort but she felt his magic as if they were back in the room together, alone.
Even among a crowd of thousands, there was only him.
Perhaps she had made more progress than she thought. Eira fought a smile and lost. If she could become so attuned to Cullen’s magic, she could do the same for Alyss and Noelle. Then it was just a matter of figuring out how to widen their channels…assuming that was possible at all.
“How long do you think this will go on for?” Noelle leaned over, resting her chin on her forearms atop the railing.
“Who knows?” Eira said.
“Cullen has this,” Alyss said proudly. “Harkor will grow tired of that soon enough. Lavette could be a challenge,ifCullen hadn’t been preparing for this.”
But it would take a while for Cullen and Lavette to inevitably tire… That meant she had some time in the coliseum while most of the competitors and attendants were occupied.
Alyss’s excitement slowly slipped off her face. She took a small step closer to Eira. “I’m worried about Yonlin, though.”
“Me too. I have an idea of where I might find more information, but I need to get away from here,” Eira said under her breath, glancing over her shoulder at the attendants still by the door. “Think we can manage?”
Alyss gasped and Eira’s attention jerked back toward her. “Eira, are you actually consulting us?”
“Shocking, I know.”
