by Kova, Elise
A fact Eira sometimes felt like she was the only one who understood.
“Where’s Vi?” Marcus whispered at her side.
Eira tore her eyes away from the ethereal creatures that were the elfin to take in the greater group. Sure enough, she saw the elfin’s delegation in their rich fabrics and careful stitching. There were the humans from Solaris in plate armor and the bland style Eira was familiar with.
But neither the princess nor her elfin betrothed were with them. A deathly silence had fallen over the assembled crowd as the masses seemed to acknowledge her absence and its possible implication. The dark eyes of the emperor were a blank slate as he regarded the group. The warmth Eira had seen earlier in the empress had vanished into something unreadable.
“Your Majesties.” A man with pitch-black hair tied back into a small ponytail at the nape of his neck spoke. Judging from the bars on the shoulders of his nautical coat, he was some high-ranking member of the armada.
“Ambassador Cordon.” The emperor’s voice was surprisingly frigid for a man who the stories painted as the Fire Lord. “We were expecting our daughter’s return.”
“I regret that I do not bring our crown princess, but I do bring good tidings on her behalf.” The ambassador ascended the stairs and sank to his knee, holding out a bound scroll to the empress.
Vhalla accepted the offering, broke the seal, and read it before passing it to the emperor. Everyone waited with bated breath. Waited to see if they were about to watch a massacre for the lack of a crown princess…or if there was truly good news.
“People of Solaris.” The emperor stepped forward, eyes still on the scroll. “These are good tidings indeed.” A smile cracked his lips. Eira recognized it as the smile of a proud father. She knew it because her own father had given the same smile to Marcus countless times. “Our crown princess has succeeded in brokering a deal—not just with the Queendom of Meru, but with the Twilight Kingdom, the Kingdom of Draconis, and the People’s Republic of Qwint. They are calling it the Five Kingdoms Accords.”
“Kingdoms?” Eira repeated. “Wasn’t one of them a queendom?”
“And one a…republic?” Marcus looked to Cullen and then her.
Eira shook her head. “I’ve never heard the term before.”
“It’s something like the East used to be, I think. Back before Cyven was a part of the Empire—a government run by the people.” Cullen was Eastern and the son of a politician; it would figure he’d know.
“How strange that there’s a larger state run that way,” Marcus murmured.
“How fascinating.” Cullen leaned forward, hanging on the emperor’s next words. Eira didn’t place him as someone who would have an interest in anything beyond his scope of influence.
“To celebrate the finalization of this deal, each sovereign state will send a delegation of their finest sorcerers to compete in the Tournament of Five Kingdoms, set to begin at the start of the year 375.”
“A tournament for sorcerers?” Cullen whispered in eager excitement. He met Marcus’s eyes, completely overlooking Eira.
Eira stayed focused on the emperor, ignoring the young men.
“Arrangements for the tournament are to begin promptly.” The emperor rolled up the scroll. “It will be a celebration of unity and strength between our cultures. This will be an opportunity to show both the might and grace of Solaris!”
Cheers rose for victors not even yet decided. Eira wasn’t sure it had settled in on the people yet that they were cheering for sorcerers.
“In the meantime, Solaris welcomes Ambassador Ferro.” The emperor motioned to the elfin man currently dismounting.
He had dark green hair that looked almost black or purple under the young night sky, long and unbound. The waves of his hair didn’t hide his pointed ears. A cape was situated around his shoulders, held in place by a gold chain thicker than Eira’s wrists. Ferro ascended the stairs and bowed with a flourish that had Eira suppressing a gasp of delight. Every movement the elfin made was magic.
“It is our honor to be here, Your Majesty. I come on behalf of Queen Lumeria, with good tidings and gifts to lay at your feet.” At a sweep of his arm, two men hoisted a chest forward, placing it at the feet of the emperor. From her vantage, Eira could see gold, spices, and the most precious item of all—books—inside.
“We welcome you humbly and gladly. Come, Ambassador, you and your party are welcome at my table tonight as we discuss further details of this tournament.”
The royals and delegates alike retreated across the stage and into the palace. Eira watched until the doors closed behind the last guard. Excitement rushed through her with the force of a tidal wave.
There were elfin in the palace.
The last, and only, time Eira had seen an elfin was two years ago. Uncle Fritz and Uncle Grahm had taken her and Marcus to the ball celebrating the engagement of Vi Solaris and Taavin—the Voice of Yargen. Which, as far as Eira could find in her books, basically made him the leader of their religion.
He had certainly looked noble that night in the moonlight. Eira had been so overwhelmed by the sight of him that it had made her lightheaded. She couldn’t even speak when she had been introduced to the princess and elfin in a moment she’d treasure for the rest of her life.
That was the moment when she knew she had to see Meru with her own eyes, no matter what.
“Come on, Eira.” Marcus shook her. “We have to get back to the Tower!”
“What?”
“Wake up! A tournament for sorcerers.” She could tell from Marcus’s demeanor, he was already expecting to compete. They didn’t know how the tournament would happen, or where. They didn’t know the requirements of participation. Yet Marcus, and all his endless confidence, knew he would go. “Let’s get to Uncle!”
They raced back to the Tower. But they weren’t the only ones with the idea. A roar of noise echoed through the spiral of the Tower. They followed it down to the main entry, where every student and teacher had packed in. Eira stayed up on the walkway, looking down over the railing that sloped into the sea of people.
Cullen led the Windwalkers; Marcus went with him. The apprentices of the tower parted for him naturally in wary regard. Cullen situated himself by where Fritz stood in the center of the masses.
“Listen, listen,” Fritz said, waving his hands, trying to calm the crowd.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
Eira nearly jumped over the railing, startled. Instead she spun and grabbed both of Alyss’s hands. “You heard?”
“Who didn’t?”
“Listen, please,” Fritz tried again.
“A Tournament of Five Kingdoms. It sounds like something out of a fantasy story.” Alyss squeezed Eira’s fingers. “One way or another, I’ll have to see it.”
“We will,” Eira said without thinking. The tide of excitement was rising in her as well, washing her out into a thrilling sea of possibility.
“Silence!” A voice demanded attention, booming above all others and resonating between the chandeliers overhead. Eira and Alyss both jumped. Grahm motioned to his husband, taking a step back. Fritz might be the Minister of Sorcery, but it was his husband who really kept the Tower from falling apart.
“Yes, thank you.” Fritz cleared his throat and continued louder, “I know you all have a lot of questions. That’s understandable. I have a lot of questions. But none of those questions are going to be answered tonight.”
“Is it true? Will there be sorcerers from Solaris competing with these other kingdoms?” someone shouted.
“Since the emperor said it, I assume it must be true,” Fritz answered. Then added hastily, “But again, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Until we know the details of this tournament there will be no way to decide who will get to partake in it or what partaking will mean.
“For now, every apprentice is to continue their classes and duties as normal. Every instructor will do the same. I will seek a meeting with the emperor or empress as soon as possi
ble and will reassemble the Tower with an announcement hopefully in the next week. In the meantime, please remain focused on your obligations. And I had better not hear any of you harassing or questioning anyone about this.
“Am I understood?”
Muttered agreement.
“Good. Look after each other in the meantime.” What Eira really heard Fritz say was, keep each other in line. “For—”
“The Tower takes care of its own!” every student and teacher said in one unanimous voice.
“Now, your dinners are getting cold.” Fritz shooed the room.
Talk of the tournament was the only thing on every sorcerer’s lips the entire way to the dining hall. Alyss and Eira bypassed it, too full of excitement to think of food. They’d find something in the pantry later to snack on so their stomachs didn’t eat themselves before morning. Instead, they ascended the curving, central path of the Tower, looking for a corner to talk in. But everyone else had the same idea. Even the library was noisy with discussion.
Ultimately, they retreated to Eira’s room.
It was a cramped place, like every apprentice’s dormitory chambers. But Tower apprentices didn’t have to share their rooms with others, which was better than most of the servants and staff in the palace. Alyss plopped herself on Eira’s bed, immediately producing a blob of clay from her pouch and beginning to magically manipulate it. Eira chose to pace instead.
“What do you think it will be?” Alyss asked as she wriggled her fingers, watching the clay writhe and dance. “A tournament, so there must be games of some kind.”
“I wonder how they’ll manage to have us compete against each other… The elfin’s magic—Lightspinning—is so different from ours. And I don’t know anything of the Twilight Kingdom or the others.”
“If you don’t know it then no one in Solaris does.” Alyss laughed. “Aren’t you excited to find out?”
“I could burst.” Eira curled and uncurled her fingers. Every icy wall she’d built up around her emotions had thawed. Magic seeped from her pores. She was surprised she wasn’t leaving wet footprints behind her with every step. “I wonder if the tournament will be here. If we’ll get to see them and whatever magic they do have.”
“Of course it will be. Solaris is the center of the world,” Alyss proudly proclaimed.
“You don’t honestly believe that propaganda.”
“Even with the new maps, it’s just Solaris and Meru out there.”
“The world is so much larger, Alyss.” Eira stopped, staring out past the leaded glass of her window. The frosty peaks of the mountains teased her with that jagged horizon line. The world was out there, calling to her. Whispering from the great unknown. “Solaris was the center of the world, until trade opened with Meru. That was just three years ago. Now look, there’s three, three other kingdoms! Think of how many more there could be.”
“I’d rather not.” Alyss laughed. “History class is already unbearable. Think of how much worse it will be if we keep making or discovering new history.”
“Either way, I just want to see their world,” Eira said wistfully. “I want to see Lightspinning in person. They say it’s like weaving sunlight.”
“And the Crones of the Mother say it’s sacrilege to compare it that way.”
“The Crones of the Mother hate progress.” Eira shook her head and dismissed the notion.
“You know, there’s one way to ensure you see them.”
“What?” Eira turned to face Alyss.
“Go to the tournament.”
“Obviously.” Eira rolled her eyes. “But I’m not going to be able to get there if it’s on Meru. Unlike the crown princess, I don’t have a whole armada to carry me back and forth.”
“There’s a way to get there.” A bright grin crossed Alyss’s cheeks, nearly from ear to ear. “Compete.”
“What?” Eira whispered.
“Be a competitor.”
“We don’t even…we don’t know how.”
“You could ask your uncle. You’ll likely be the first to know,” Alyss said eagerly. “Think, you and I could have a leg up on all the others.”
“It’ll likely be the instructors, or sorcerers far better than us.” Eira hated how disappointingly logical she was inclined to be.
“We can be just as good as any of the instructors and are better than half—you know it.”
“You might be just as good.”
“We are,” Alyss said firmly. “And if you try and fight me I’ll throw this clay in your face and make it stick in your hair.”
“I’m sure my brot—” Eira was interrupted by a deep growl of her stomach.
“Ha! You are hungry.” Alyss sent the clay back into her pouch just as it was beginning to take the shape of a bird. Eira was grateful it didn’t end up on her head. “I knew it.”
“I only said I wasn’t because it was so crowded.”
“It’s likely calmer now; let’s go.” Alyss linked her elbow with Eira’s and pulled her into the hall. “We’ll go. We’ll eat. And we’ll plan our training,” Alyss decreed.
“Training?”
Alyss tossed her braids over her shoulder dramatically. “Of course. We want to be in top shape if we’re going to be competitors.”
4
For a week, Eira went along with Alyss’s pushing to turn themselves into “top competitors.” Predictably, by day seven, their morning jogs ended up being more of a stroll around the city and ending either at the bookstore or the sundries store for Alyss’s crafts. Not that Eira was complaining. The more she had time to think about the possible logistics of this competition, the more she doubted she would have any chance of actually participating.
She and Alyss were sitting in one of the Tower lounges, enjoying a peaceful, quiet evening, when a young apprentice approached.
“Eira Landan?” He stayed a few steps away and kept his eyes down. Eira had learned just how quickly rumors of her could spread in the Tower.
“You know it’s me. What does the minister want?” She avoided calling Fritz her uncle and drawing any more attention to the familial bond.
“He’d like a word. He sent me to tell you he’d be in his chambers.”
“All right, I’ll head over.” Eira closed the cartography book she’d been flipping through—looking at maps of Meru’s crescent-shaped coastline and the city of Risen nestled within it—and slipped it into her bag as the young man left.
Alyss caught her hand, yanking her close. “I swear to the Mother above, if you get the opportunity to sign up early for this competition and don’t write my name down—”
“Alyss.” Eira stopped her friend with a laugh. “This likely has nothing to do with the competition. We don’t even know what ‘signing up’ means yet, or if we can.”
“Minister Fritz said he should have word in a week. I bet he already does,” Alyss whispered excitedly, glancing around. Of course, no one was sitting remotely close to them.
“Even if he knows, I’m not going to get to sign up early. I doubt he’ll tell me anything. You know Uncle doesn’t actually give me that kind of favoritism. Marcus, maybe, but not me.”
“He loves you both, you know.” Alyss gave her hand a squeeze.
“Yeah, I know.” Eira didn’t like talking about her family problems with Alyss. Her friend saw her parents only two, maybe three times a year. Meanwhile Eira had her brother, her uncle, and an aunt, all in the palace. The rest of her large, extended family were all within a day or two depending on how fast she traveled. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”
“See you then.”
Eira left her friend and headed up the Tower for the door right before the minister’s office, and gave a firm knock.
“Come in!” Grahm, Fritz’s husband, called from within.
“Uncles?” Eira poked her nose around the door.
“Fritznangle is getting changed out of his robes.” Grahm sat in a wingback chair by the large windows opposite the door on entry. “I made milk and ch
ocolate, if you’d like some.”
“You know I won’t say no.” Eira went to a table where a large silver kettle was warmed by a happy little flame. She topped off a cup and brought it with her to the sofa opposite Grahm.
“How have you been, Eira?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Excited by the presence of elfin in the palace, I bet?”
“I haven’t exactly run into any elfin.” Eira’s lips quirked into a smile before she took a long sip of the decadent drink. Grahm’s chocolate was one of the few things that could make her feel warm down to her toes. A rare time when Eira didn’t mind being hot.
“I didn’t hear a denial about being excited.” Grahm gave her a knowing smile.
“Well, it is a bit exciting,” Eira admitted, trying not to overplay her hand. She’d taken an extra round of the city with Alyss, passing by notable landmarks, just hoping to see the elfin out sightseeing.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Fritz emerged from a side door in his loose leisure clothes and headed right for the kettle.
“I wasn’t waiting long. What did you want to talk with me about?”
“Well…” Fritz paused, mid-pour.
“Uncle?” Eira said when the silence dragged on.
“I’m not sure how to say this.”
“Your cup, Uncle.”
“Oh, oh!” Fritz quickly mopped up the spilled chocolate. Grahm tried to hide his smile with an expression of annoyance. He failed. Fritz could light his hair on fire and it would only make Grahm love him more. Eira had always admired her uncles’ relationship. “Sorry about that.”
“What’s all this about?” Eira watched him as he came over and sat on the sofa next to her.
Fritz gave her a light pat on the knee. “I wanted to see how you’re doing is all.”
“I’m fine.” Eira glanced between the two of them. “If that’s all—”
“That’s not all,” Grahm interjected with a pointed look at his husband. “Go on, Fritz.”