Meena slipped her hand into Sol’s arm as they followed their hosts through the beautiful house. “That sounds intimidating, but I never back down from a challenge,” Meena said. “Is it a fun game?”
“It’s deceptively simple,” Jules responded. “But don’t let that fool you. It’s very fun.”
Sol did not care about the game, but he did care about gaining information. If they asked the right questions, they could confirm that an important shipment had recently arrived from Chendas. He could also learn about the rotation of the soldiers and where he was most likely to find the magic receptacle.
If he had calculated correctly, the chaos mages should not currently have any Majis prisoners. Insofar as they had been able to track on Istroya, the mages only took two at a time to steal magic from. They chose those with a good propensity for magic, or those who would not be missed for the labor. Sol had a powerful affiliation with magic, and he guessed from Neven’s age that he was chosen for the latter reason.
It had been over fifteen years since the taskers had chosen his father. If they had come for another pair of chosen, it meant the previous pair were dead.
Sol forgot about his exhaustion, reinvigorated as he was by the justice he sought.
“It’s a simple game, really,” Jules explained as they stopped in the inner courtyard. He handed a pouch to Sol. “You merely toss this pouch into that casing.” He pointed to a small ring of stones a good distance away.
Sol accepted the pouch, quickly noting the way it was tied closed with multiple loops and knots. The weight of it settled between his fingers, shifting in a pleasant way. “Sand?” he asked.
“Yes,” Jules responded. “Gives it a good weight to work with. Try it.”
Sol looked at the circle he was supposed to hit. Swinging back his arm, he felt the weight of the pouch and gave it a solid push through the air.
The sand-filled bag arched through the air and landed with a satisfying thud on the ring of stones.
Meena clapped at his side. “Let me try it,” she said, holding out her hand to Jules.
Jules gave Meena another pouch. “That was a good shot, your highness,” Jules said to Sol. “It would only give your team a single point. If you land it in the center of the circle, you get three points. First team to twenty points wins.”
Meena threw the pouch into the air. It landed with a much softer thump in the sandy spot at the center of the circle of stones.
“Ha!” she yelled. “I like this game.”
Jules laughed out loud at her obvious pleasure. “The two of you start over there, so we stand on opposite sides.”
Meena leapt forward, pulling Sol along with her. “We have to win,” she whispered, cozying up to his shoulder.
“Isn’t it just a game?” Sol responded, glancing back at their competition. “I thought we were here to ...” He waited for her to look up at him before he blinked twice.
Jules and Ezra were laughing about something together, and did not seem to notice the quiet conversation happening across the sandy courtyard. Sol took note of their infatuation with each other. It could be a useful tool for distracting them in the future.
“We can’t just lose,” Meena hissed. “We need them to respect us.”
Sol looked back over his shoulder. Jules was kissing Ezra’s fingertips, as though they were the only two people in the world. Earning their respect was not his highest priority.
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Sol replied, picking up the sand pouches from the ground at their feet. “We don’t need their respect, just their information.” He said the last part so quietly, he could not even hear himself.
“It’s a good thing I’m a fair shot, then,” Meena muttered to herself. “I’ll have to win this on my own.”
Sol raised his eyebrows. “I never said I intended to miss.”
“Good.” Meena put a dazzling smile on her face, but it wasn’t for him. As they had reached the mark, she spun back toward their hosts, her skirt energetically wrapping around his legs as well as her own.
Jules and Ezra earned five points on their first round. Meena growled in despair each time their opponents landed a shot.
“Are shipments from the other kingdoms difficult to receive in such a remote outpost?” Sol asked, trying to sound casual.
“He thinks this is remote,” Jules said to Ezra. “We should take him further south. The prince has likely never seen an actual village before.”
Sol rolled his eyes. He was no prince. And he was from a small island. It was his turn, so lined up to take his shot.
“We got this, Sol,” Meena whispered very intensely at his side.
