“He’s right,” Jostein cut in, stepping between them. “Accident or no, you very clearly shoved Astrid hard enough to make her fall. I’m afraid I have to disqualify you from the competition.”
And as if the God of Thunder were listening to Jostein’s very words, the metal fist pendant vanished from Galinn’s tunic. Dumbstruck, he stood there, his mouth hanging open. I felt a little dumbstruck myself. Jostein had never disqualified someone before, and certainly not the winner for five years in a row.
Suddenly, the competition was wide open. I glanced over at Tormund. His smug smile told me everything I needed to know.
Eventually, Galinn wandered off and Jostein declared Tormund the winner of the first trial. The applause was more muted than before. There were likely a great deal of people who’d bet a lot of gold on Galinn’s win, and they’d already lost it all. I didn’t move from my spot on the ground, too busy watching the whole thing play out. No one was paying much attention to me anymore.
When the spectators finally began to leave the stands, Tormund ventured back over and stuck out his hand again. “Would you like some help, or are you going to stay there for the rest of the evening?”
I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring his hand. “I know what you did there.”
He arched a brow. “Whatever do you mean?”
“You weren’t concerned about me, and you don’t really care about the rules. But you’d take any opportunity to get rid of the contestant most likely to win.”
“I’m the contestant most likely to win,” he countered.
“You certainly are now.”
Tormund shrugged. “And so what if I saw an opportunity and jumped on it? Do you blame me?”
“You pretended you were concerned for me, so yes. I don’t like liars who use others for their own gain.”
“You’re just annoyed I’m going to win the Everstone. I have need for it, you know.”
I folded my arms. “What need?”
He glanced around. There were still several contestants nearby and hundreds of spectators milling around the stands. Dropping his voice to a low murmur, he said, “Not here. Too many people. Come to my camp tonight, and I’ll tell you everything you want to know about Tormund Bakke.”
“Tempting, but I’m not sure I want to converse with someone who refers to himself in third person.”
“I have cake,” he offered.
I squinted at him. “All right. Maybe I’ll come. But only because I want to know your reason. And I won’t stay long.”
“You’ll find me in the cavern camp near The Wet Beard. See you tonight, Astrid.”
7
TORMUND
“What do you mean you asked her to come here?” Altan deposited another log on the fire in the center of our circle of tents. Dwarves didn’t seem to rely on fires for warmth. Their sunstones emitted heat and even helped them grow their crops. But it didn’t feel right to spend an evening without flames, so we’d brought enough logs with us to last a week.
Meral sat hunched on the ground, whittling a plank of wood she’d brought with her. Half was already carved into the shape of a horse’s head. It would only take her another day to sort the second half out. I’d never met anyone who was a better woodcarver. Reis, Altan’s partner and our assistant for the games, was off doing who knew what—likely drinking the night away at The Wet Beard, shouting the words to the dwarven folk songs he’d already memorized.
“I think Astrid and I got off on the wrong foot. I thought if I told her why I need the Everstone, she won’t be so prickly toward me,” I said.
“Who cares if she’s prickly? We didn’t come here to make friends,” Meral said, glancing up, her shadows whipping around her face and hands.
“And maybe she’s just a prickly person,” Altan added.
“I doubt that. Besides, she’s the expert on the Everstone. I need her to not hate me,” I said.
Meral waved her wooden piece in the air. “Bah. You can win it through the competition now. You don’t need Astrid’s knowledge anymore.”
“Except I don’t know how to actuallyusethe Everstone’s power after I win it.”
Altan knelt beside to fire and stoked the fire with a long metal stick. “How hard can it be? Just ask it for what you want, and I’m sure it’ll give it to you.”
