“What you don’t know is that our tired friend there has been vying for the other man’s position in the ranks. I’ve told him he isn’t ready for it, but he wanted to petition for it anyway. This is how our soldiers petition.”
I rocked back as that information clashed with the conclusions in my mind. “What?”
“We hold a Petition twice a year. During it, soldiers can challenge others for their positions. You either fight to defend your ranking, or you fight to improve it in some way. Whether or not it results in death depends on whether the loser is willing to surrender.”
“But who would surrender, here in front of their peers and people?”
“Those who aresmartand want to live. I encourage it.” The losing man dodged an attack and lost his balance, falling to the ground. Aric muttered, “This one has never been smart.”
His opponent towered over him, knocked his weapon away, and placed the tip of his sword at his neck. My fingers tightened on the stone. “He’s going to kill him,” I breathed.
Aric sighed. “No, he won’t.” He sounded disappointed, and that was entirely wrong. “Hugo’s going to kick him in the face, knock him out, break some of his teeth, and walk away.”
A moment later, the winner—Hugo—did exactly that. I flinched as his foot made contact, and the man on the ground stopped moving. Hugo didn’t celebrate his victory, and neither did the audience. In fact, the end of the fight was entirely anticlimactic. Hugo stalked off to a far wall and disappeared into an exit, while three soldiers left their posts and picked up the limp body.
I forced myself to speak as the losing man was carried away. “If this isn’t for sport, why have an audience?”
“For the health of our Territory,” he answered frankly. “It reminds our people of our strength and our soldiers’ dedication.”
Some of my tension eased as I processed this. Still, the brutality of the event didn’t sit well. “Whatever your reasons, with every death, you lose a good soldier.”
“We lose asoldier, not a good one,” he corrected. “We don’t want the stupid ones in our ranks. The option to surrender keeps our ranks limited to the smart ones.”
I studied him, the scar tracking down his cheek and the harnessed power in his casual stance. His flirtatious disposition was deceptively disarming.
Aric was a savage man.
He motioned toward the seats, and I followed, finally seeking out Harthon. Wearing his typical leathers, daggers strapped across his chest, he stood more ferociously than Hugo had on that battlefield, even without blood staining his body. It was in the carved structure of his face, the solidness of his capableform, the way the veined muscles of his forearm flexed as he drank from a goblet. Above the rim of his cup, he was watching me.
No, not watching.
Studying.
Those dark orbs left my face to track down my neck to my chest, where they lingered. My leather vest heaved on a too-full breath. His eyes zipped back to mine.
I know, they said.I know you did this to provoke me.
I did.
And this was only the beginning.
It wasn’t right. Or mature. Or becoming of amagvis.But it might just prove more productive than our debilitating conversations. Even if it didn’t, even if Harthon really was just a man who played with hearts and feelings with no regard, it would feel better than justlettinghim.
“Would you like to sit?” Aric asked pleasantly, waving toward a chair in the front row.
Knowing Harthon could hear us, I replied, “Will you be sitting?”
Intrigue flitted across his features. “I will do whatever it is you would like to do.”
I smiled sweetly. “Let us sit.”
Aric was no idiot. He was well aware of the situation between Harthon and I. Domus knew he saw enough of it yesterday to draw accurate conclusions. And if he knew this, then he likely knew what I planned to do. The question was whether or not he wished to play the game.
As we sat, Harthon leaned on the balustrade. He faced the next pair of fighters who’d taken the floor, his demeanor relaxed. Muted conversations buzzed around us on the terrace. A nobleman approached Harthon for a conversation, surprising me. I thought everyone here hated him.
“Care to explain who our company is?” I prompted Aric.
“Members of my cabinet.” He tracked my attention to the two men in conversation, explaining, “They find this alliance valuable.”
