24
The roar inside the arena the next morning hits me as soon as I enter it. The Elven Command is expecting me to take my place inside the side room and appear at their beck and call, but I don’t plan on doing anything they want today.
My ladies stand proud and strong in four rows of five, marching behind me. Unlike the first battle I fought in this arena, the onlookers part to let us in, heeding Elise’s cry. It doesn’t hurt that she spellcasts her voice to project loudly over the top of them. Every one of my twenty ladies is present and armed with daggers, swords, bows and arrows, their body armor and headpieces gleaming, and the skin around their eyes painted red for war.
The entire lower level of the arena is empty except for the dais at the other end where the Elven Command already waits—always standing higher than us. In contrast, the upper levels are packed with elves. I’m not sure what everyone expects to see—Baelen and I will be sitting in chairs, unmoving the whole time.
Speaking of which, the chairs are two lonely pieces of furniture, both wooden and a basic shape and size. They face each other, positioned closer than I’d expected, maybe only ten feet apart. Otherwise, there’s a wide, empty space all around them lit brightly from skylights in the ceiling above.
Elise leans toward me. She has to lift her voice above the din. “The dais isn’t shielded, but the upper levels are.”
That means there’s no barrier between me and the Elven Command.
Reisha steps up on my other side so that she and Elise flank me as we enter the arena. “Commander Rath is a few minutes behind us.”
I hold my wooden headpiece in my gloved hands. My ladies made me a veil out of canvas threads to cover my face. It’s not unbreakable like the Elyria web, but once I tie it to the neckline of my armor it will pose a challenge for anyone who wants to get past it. “Okay, let’s go.”
As I approach the chairs, Elwyn Elder steps forward, indicating the chair to my left. I consider taking the one to the right, just to annoy him, but the chair will be connected to the Heartstone Chest, so I have to sit in the correct one. The chest itself rests on the dais. It’s closed. It will only open if one of us loses our fight.
I take my place beside my chair, but don’t sit down yet, as my Storm Command fans out around me, leaving a gap so I have a clear view of Baelen’s seat. The watching crowd finally quiets, an expectant hush falling over them.
Baelen appears at the entrance and I’m relieved to see he isn’t alone. Far from it actually. Jasper leads a small band of soldiers, a handful of males that Baelen must trust with his life. The only one missing is Macsen—he sent me word this morning that he was returning to Rath land at Baelen’s request. What he didn’t say was loud and clear: he needs to make sure that Baelen’s home, and all the elves who live there including our parents, remain safe.
Sebastian, Jordan, and Sahara arrive last. When they’re close enough, Jordan breaks off to join my group, while Sebastian joins Baelen’s, and Sahara takes up neutral territory between the two of us. Elise steps away then to examine the chairs and the chest. I know I should pay attention to what she’s doing, but it’s hard to focus on anything other than Baelen.
Like me, he’s wearing full body armor, but to my surprise, it’s not military issue like the armor he wore in the last battle. This armor has no chinks, no weaknesses. This armor belongs to the House of Rath.
Every inch of him is covered in finely sculpted metal plates overlapping and linking together to protect his torso, legs, arms, and neck, the metallic curves decorated in red and black markings, making him appear even larger and more formidable than he already is. At the same time, joints in the armor allow him to move with speed and grace as he takes up position in front of his chair, facing me.
A shiver speeds down my spine as he focuses on me across the distance with surprising intensity, not guarded any more. I jolt as I realize that the barrier he’d been building between us is gone and now there’s…damn… where did that look in his eyes come from? He inhales and it’s like his body sucks me forward, calling to me across the distance while a slow smile spreads across his face. I can almost hear his voice inside my mind.Come here, Marbella.
I have to clamp down on my legs before they obey.
Just in time, Jasper cuts into my line of sight, dropping to a knee before he gets too close. He lands halfway between Baelen and me, too far away for me to hear anything he might want to say. I crane forward, concerned, but Elise heads straight for him, speaking to him for a moment before he heads back to Baelen’s group.
She crosses the distance. “Sorry about that, Princess, but I needed a way to let Commander Rath know what I’m about to tell you: that there’s a thread of pure deep magic between the Heartstone Chest and each chair. The thread connected to his chair belongs to his heartstone and the one connected to your chair belongs to your heartstone. So far everything is untainted and correct.”
She shuffles. “Also, Jasper wanted me to give you a message.”
I bite my lip, glancing across the distance to Jasper and Baelen as they stand silently waiting. “Yes?”
“He said that he doesn’t know what’s going on, but he understands now that you don’t have a choice.”
“Thank you, Elise.” I close my eyes for a brief moment, unwilling to reveal how much that means to me. Jasper and I had kept each other alive on Scepter Peak. He’d proven he was truly loyal to Baelen and he’d proven to me that he was completely trustworthy: a rare combination. But when he’d heard me say I wouldn’t yield, he’d looked at me as if I was a monster. Now, he is willing to trust me again.
A single drummer beats a rhythm at the side of the dais. There are no spellcasters present with the Elven Command. Gideon Glory must believe that he doesn’t need them. In the bright morning light, his skin shimmers a faint golden color, even more luminescent than usual.
He steps forward and raises his hands for attention, his robes sliding down his arms, revealing the faint golden tattoos that members of his House like to wear. On the inner skin of each arm is a single wing, each now framing his face.
“Our people! Welcome to the penultimate battle to determine the fate of the champions. Each champion will submit to a simulation in which they will fight a gargoyle.” He pauses as the crowd ignites once more, giving them time to settle down. “We will know the outcome when the Heartstone Chest opens to reject the stone of the champion who loses his… or her… fight.”
He stops playing to the crowd for a moment, giving me and Baelen his attention. “Once you sit, the simulation will begin.” His gaze lingers on me for a moment and I brace for any attempt to touch me with sorcery.
“Please,” he says with a smile, gesturing to each chair in a fluid motion. “Be seated.”
I turn away from him, giving him no more of my attention. Reisha leans in to me with Jordan and Elise close behind her. “We vow to you, Princess,” Reisha says, “We will protect you. And we haven’t forgotten our promise. We will protect Commander Rath as well.”
“Thank you, my beautiful friends.”
