“Now, we should get back before they wonder. Expect word soon.”
31
It was the morning of the individual tournament and Eira was the last to rise. She’d been up late last night, but her reluctance to rise was more than just physical exhaustion.
She was resenting the day ahead.
The tournament felt like it was picking up the pace; they were over halfway now—three games in. Barely over one week and she was ready for it to be over. Admittedly, the week had felt like a lifetime.
Another day of putting on a show for people who wanted to see her peers smash her face in. Another day of dealing with the deafening cheers and boos, as though she were nothing more than some kind of show pony. She lazed in bed so long that Alyss finally knocked.
“Eira?”
“I’m awake.”
“Are you feeling all right?” Alyss slipped into the room. “It’s odd for me to be the one to wake you.”
“I know.” Eira sat. “Just a slow start.”
“You should get dressed. They’ll line us up soon.”
“Alyss, how wretched am I if I don’t want to go?” Eira murmured.
“I’d never call you wretched.” Alyss sat on the edge of her bed. “Are you unwell?”
“I might tell them that if it means I could stay here.” It wasn’t a half-bad idea. “There’s so much more happening—important things. It feels…disingenuous to focus on games when Ulvarth is still out there.”
“Did something happen last night?”
“Not really.” Eira tried to exude calmness even when all her nerves were rattling. “Nothing other than realizing even more just how much is at stake with every passing day. How much more I should be doing.”
She’d been thinking about it into the night, and this morning. Taavin and the Shadows had both of her discoveries. She felt empty-handed and beholden to them. Even more of a puppet than she had previously.
“I can’t just sit there and watch another individual tournament. I don’t want to go and be entertainment for people who don’t care about me—some of whom I think would actually be happy if I died.”
“Don’t say that.”
“It’s true.”
Alyss sighed. “I understand what you feel. If you want to stay here, we can try.”
“Really?” Eira slowly brought her eyes to her friend’s.
“It’s an individual game today. They said those are not mandatory. Let’s try.” Alyss smiled.
Eira quickly dressed—readying herself to enter the arena in case this failed—and then they went downstairs to where Noelle and Cullen were finishing their breakfast and quickly filled them both in on their idea.
“I’m going to the game,” Noelle announced promptly. “I don’t mind in the slightest if you two stay here, but I want to compete.”
“You do?” Eira asked, mildly surprised by the change from the first game.
“Now that I’ve had a chance to get a feel for it, I want my turn to shine.” Noelle grinned.
“I’ll go to the game, too, then,” Cullen said. “After all, we agreed that we don’t go anywhere if not in twos.”
“I think that’s different to and from the games, when everyone is watching.” Eira wasn’t sure why she was trying to talk him out of it. She didn’t exactly want Cullen to stay… Nothing they said or did around each other made the slightest bit of sense. One moment she wanted to shove him away with all the force she could muster. The next she wanted to kiss him.
“Are you trying to take my bodyguard?” Noelle asked. Eira rolled her eyes.
