“Perhaps I spoke too hastily,” Maxwell said, back-peddling. “My anger got the better of me. Of course, we all want justice for Axville, but this isn’t the way.” He looked at Trev. “I think the boy is right; there are consequences to this plan that I didn’t think about.”
King Carver couldn’t do anything unless he had the majority vote in the room, and he clearly wasn’t going to get that.
“Fine. We’ll pretend this idea never existed. King Adler is not to be touched,” his father said to the group of men, but Trev didn’t miss the intense look his father gave Fenton Pryer. “For now, we have sent a large number of men to Axville to assess the situation. We have also sent an official statement to King Adler demanding the hostages be returned.”
“We will wait for Adler’s response before we make any further moves,” Commander Pryer said as he looked at the men around the table.
The meeting was finished. Trev cursed under his breath when he saw Joniss coming down the hall. He was the last person he wanted to speak to right now.
“Ezra.” Joniss always purposefully left out the prince part.
“What do you want?” Trev said, unable to hide his dislike for the man.
“We missed you at the tournament events today.”
“I had meetings.”
“That’s a shame.” Joniss faked sadness. “I spent the day with Renna. She’s such a lovely girl, don’t you think?”
Trev’s face turned to stone despite his best efforts.
“How are things going with Seran?” Joniss asked.
“Excellent.” Trev responded too quickly for it to be believable. “What’s not to like about the princess?”
“She’s a little too uptight for my taste, but as far as arranged marriages go, I guess it’s an okay choice for you. I myself like my women a little wilder. Renna, for example.” Joniss smirked. “She’s exactly my type.”
Great. Joniss suspected something between him and Renna.
“Who knows, maybe we’ll end up being brothers-in-law.” Joniss’s expression was smug.
“I doubt Miss Degray would agree to marry you.”
“Perhaps not.” Joniss laughed. “But at least she has a choice in who she marries, as do I.”
22
Trev
The next morning, Trev leaned against the arena fence, watching crowds of people file into the stands. Conversation and laughter filled the yard while spectators waited for the final day of the Tournament of Games to begin.
Trev looked up and his heart stumbled. Renna walked toward him, her arms swinging casually at her sides. Her hair was spun around the top of her head in a bun, and she wore a pale pink day dress that complimented her golden complexion. Was there any color that didn’t look good on her?
He glanced at Drake and Joniss across the arena from him, talking with a group of soldiers. They both watched Trev as if somehow they knew how much his heart raced because of her.
Trev wanted nothing more than to smile back at her—to comment on her wispy gracefulness, but Drake’s words still hung in the back of his mind. You are terrible at hiding your feelings for her.
“Good morning, Prince Ezra,” Renna said as she stopped in front of him.
His eyes stayed focused on the crowd of people in front of him. If he didn’t look at Renna, maybe his heart rate would go back to normal. And maybe he could hide—correction—get over his feelings for her.
“I wanted to thank you for the chocolates you left the other night, but I couldn’t find you yesterday.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he let his eyes meet hers. “You don’t have to thank me. You won them fair enough.”
“Yes, I guess I did.” She rested her hands on the fence post that lined the arena and leaned in closer. Trev could smell the citrus scent of her hair, but he tried to ignore it. “I also received a note with the chocolates. Something very flirtatious from a man who promised not to flirt.”
From the corner of his eye, he could see Joniss walking toward them. “I don’t believe the note was from me.”
“Right.” The side of her mouth raised into a slight smile. “How foolish of me.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Joniss obnoxiously slung his arm around Renna’s shoulder.
“Not at all.” Renna shifted under his weight. “I was just telling Prince Ezra that I can’t believe the tournament is almost over. He missed some exciting competitions yesterday. Don’t you think, Officer Doman?”
“Yes, Ezra missed out on a lot yesterday,” Joniss said, pulling Renna into him.
Trev narrowed his gaze. The man was such a snake. He resisted the urge to punch him in the gut right then and there and watch him topple over to the ground. He could almost imagine how good it would feel.
Renna looked uncomfortably between the two men.
She started talking fast. “Well, we’re down to just sword fighting and then the championship. Then some guy gets a kiss from Seran.”
Trev opened his mouth to speak, but Joniss cut in. “Who says the winner will choose Seran?”
Renna scoffed. “Everyone.”
Joniss turned his face toward her, so his lips were by her ear. “I would choose you.”
Renna dropped her head nervously. “Oh.”
“It doesn’t matter who you would choose,” Trev said bitterly. “You’re not competing, remember?”
“I’m always competing. You, of all people, should know that.” Joniss shot a flinty smile at Trev, then grabbed his sword. “I think I’ll go enter right now.” His mouth twisted downward in mocking pity. “It’s a shame they don’t allow royalty to compete. I would’ve enjoyed beating you.”
Joniss winked at Renna before walking toward the fighting arena.
Trev forced out a breath.
Somehow he had just unwittingly goaded Joniss into entering the competition.
Renna
Renna couldn’t believe Joniss had entered the competition. He walked into the ring like a warrior, unsheathed his sword, and crouched low, ready to fight. With each clash and clang of swords, her nerves worsened. She had seen sword fights like this in New Hope, but she had never cared about who won or lost before. Now, a part of her hoped Joniss would win. She found herself flinching and ducking right along with the competitors in the ring. She pressed her hand over her chest as if she could still her beating heart and watched as Joniss defeated opponent after opponent until his arm was raised as the champion. He looked at Renna, his mouth lifted into a half-smile while his chest panted up and down with fatigue.
It was flattering that Joniss was doing this for her, and the jealousy burning in Trev’s eyes gave her more satisfaction than she dared to admit. It seemed like there was some sort of lover’s triangle happening now that she hadn’t even known existed.
The crowd dispersed for lunch while the obstacle course was being set up. Renna found Joniss under a canopy just outside the arena. He rested on a bucket, drinking water as passersby congratulated him on his wins.
“Nice work out there,” Renna said.
“Did I impress you?”
“I think you impressed everybody.” She glanced in the direction of a group of girls gawking at him.
“But I only wanted to impress you.”
Renna bit back her smile. Joniss didn’t need any more encouragement.
“Officer Doman!” a group of young soldiers called as they walked by. “Which girl are you going to kiss after you win?”
He looked to Renna. “Isn’t it obvious?”
The boys looked her up and down, whistling.
She looked away, trying to hide the red flames creeping up her face. “You might not win, you know.”
“I don’t plan on losing.” Joniss stood, raising his eyebrows in a way she was sure he had practiced in the mirror a hundred times. He took a step toward her, making her body shiver with nerves.
“I’m looking forward to that kiss.” He moved closer until his face was only inches fr
om hers. His eyes swept across her face and down to her lips. Her breathing picked up dramatically, causing Joniss to smirk. “And I can tell you’re looking forward to it too.”
He stepped back and walked away without another glance. Renna let out a breath and rolled her eyes. But as she watched his retreating back, she wondered if he was right. Did she actually want Joniss to kiss her?
She followed Joniss to the obstacle course, and her mouth gaped open at its massive size. She hadn’t expected anything like this. She had heard the obstacle course was another Albion tradition—they had been doing the same obstacle course for more than fifty years. Still, she had expected something ancient-looking, not a large, sophisticated sequence of events.
The course began with a steep wooden wall with four ropes to climb up it. Then there were nets made out of rope to crawl through high in the air that led to a thin beam for balance. Large crates filled with hay were positioned below in case a competitor fell. Across the beam were swinging sacks at different speeds meant to knock a person off. If they made it past all of that, they had to slide down a wall to a landing where suspended wooden logs hung above them. Competitors needed to use their bodies to swing and grab the next log until they made it to the other end. The final obstacle was a large rolling log with a pool of mud below it. Contestants had to make it across the unstable log to the finish line without falling in the mud. If they fell off at any point in the course, they would have to start over. The obstacle course was a race—whoever finished first would be deemed the tournament champion.
The crowd cheered as the first three contestants were announced, but when Joniss stepped out onto the sand, they erupted in a roar. It seemed as though the entire stadium was cheering for Joniss to win.
Everyone except Trev.
Renna glanced down the row at him. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his expression as hard as iron.
The starting horn bellowed, sending each man leaping toward his rope, and Renna’s heart to her throat. Joniss’s upper strength gave him an early lead as he powerfully hoisted himself up the wall, but the other men weren’t far behind. He reached the top first, hurling his body into the nets below. The next man over the wall dove into the nets just behind him, catching Joniss’s leg to pull him back and tangle him up in a struggle. The audience booed as another contestant behind them took the lead.
Renna found herself yelling out in a very unladylike way, booing in her deepest voice at the man, but her mouth snapped shut when her mother’s nails dug into the side of her arm.
Joniss untangled himself from the man and shoved away from him roughly, reaching the beam in second place. He walked quickly across the shaft but had no chance to overthrow the leader yet. The crowd cheered as a swinging sack hit the leader’s shoulder, knocking him enough that he lost his balance and fell off the course. Joniss paused, studying the swinging bags and their timing. He sprinted past the first three then paused in a safe pocket, waiting to get the timing of the next three. After a few tense moments, Joniss found the rhythm and easily made it across as another contestant was knocked to the ground.
The crowd roared, and Joniss raised his arms in triumph, flashing a winning smile. He turned to where Renna sat and winked before grabbing the ladder. Renna’s face flushed a hot red, and she had to look down for a quick second to gain her composure.
Joniss leaped toward the first log. She couldn’t help but notice how his biceps bulged and twisted under his sleeves as he dangled from the wood and swung his legs to propel him to the next log.
Of course, she made the terrible decision to look in Trev’s direction and instantly regretted it. By the glaring way his eyes met hers, he could probably read her lustful thoughts.
Joniss arrived at the final obstacle. The only thing standing between him and winning the tournament was the rolling log suspended over the mud. A few long, quick strides and he was at the other end, arms raised in victory. It was unbelievable how he made the entire course look easy. Cheers rippled through the stadium. People were on their feet, clapping and yelling. Renna slowly stood, biting her lip out of anxiousness.
This was bad.
Or maybe it was good. After all, Renna needed something to help her get over Trev.
“How interesting that Officer Doman has won.” Her mother studied Trev. “Jealousy is a powerful emotion.”
Panic started to rise in Renna’s chest. “What do you mean?” She tried to act unfazed by the whole event.
“Only that Officer Doman and the prince are not close. I assume his winning will cause an even bigger rift between them when he kisses Seran.”
“Maybe Joniss doesn’t plan on choosing Seran.” Her words came out sharper than she had wanted.
“Then why does Prince Ezra seem upset?” Her mother nodded in the prince’s direction.
Renna looked down the row to see that Trev had called his assistant, Crosby, over and whispered something in his ear. Crosby nodded and delivered a message to the head of the tournament, a pudgy man with a beard, standing next to Joniss at the end of the course. Joniss shook his head back and forth with intense laughter as he listened to Crosby deliver his message.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the head of the games yelled. “There has been a change to the tournament rules. This year the winner of the obstacle course must face one last challenge before claiming the title of Tournament Champion.”
Confusion weaved through the rows of spectators, some calling out angrily.
But the man continued, “For the last challenge, Officer Doman must defeat Prince Ezra in a wrestling match.”
The crowd went wild.
The color drained from Renna’s face. “I thought it wasn’t customary for royalty to participate in the tournament.”
Her mother leaned in. “Like I said, jealousy is a powerful emotion.”
Trev
“What’s this about?” Joniss spat over the yelling crowd.
“Nothing. I just felt like changing things up this year,” Trev said as he climbed the last step onto the platform and stood next to Joniss. He unbuttoned his shirt and kicked off his boots. “Are you scared of losing?”
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the tournament prize, would it?” Joniss smiled knowingly as his eyes slid across the arena to where Renna sat in the stands.
Trev gave him a steely glare but didn’t answer.
Joniss chuckled. “You better be careful, Ezra. I won’t let you win like Drake always does.”
Joniss pulled off his shirt and climbed up onto the log suspended over the mud, walking carefully to the far side so Trev could climb up. Trev handed his shirt to Crosby and clambered up behind him, the log swaying dangerously with his added weight. Joniss crouched down and laid a hand on the rough surface to steady himself. Then, he straightened slowly as Trev gained his balance on the opposite end.
I’m probably going crazy. He and Joniss were about to wrestle on an unstable, rolling log hanging over a crate of mud, and it had been his idea.
Every wink and flashy smile from Joniss to Renna had led him to this moment. Then thinking about Joniss choosing Renna for the kiss had pushed him over the edge. Trev couldn’t let that happen. In a way, he was helping Renna—saving her from Joniss’s games. At least that’s what he tried to tell himself.
Both stood there, knees bent, waiting for the other to make his move. Joniss was bigger, but Trev had seen him fight before and knew himself to be faster. Joniss swiped a hand toward him, upsetting the log’s balance, but Trev batted his hand away. Both men adjusted their weight to find balance again on the moving log.
Joniss shuffled toward him, locking his hands on Trev’s shoulders. Trev tried to wiggle free but ended up with his hands on Joniss’s arms. The pair twisted and pulled, bent and strained, but neither fell. The log began to roll faster, and both men fought to keep their footing. Their arms dropped as they struggled to regain their balance. Then the battle started again.
Joniss lunged low toward Tre
v’s legs. He was more aggressive than usual, and the element of surprise almost knocked Trev completely off the log. He fell to his stomach, his arms wrapping around the wood to hold himself above the ground. His feet dangled dangerously close to the mud.
So this was how it would end. Trev would look like an idiot in front of everyone, and Joniss would kiss Renna. At that moment, his pride hurt more than his jealousy.
He looked up at Joniss, his cocky smile giving him a new burst of determination.
Trev couldn’t let Joniss win.
Without even thinking, Trev swung his leg up over the log, hitting Joniss hard in the shins and knocking him off balance. He waved his arms in quick circular motions, trying desperately not to fall. The log slowly shifted with Joniss’s panicked movements. Trev clung to the log, muscles tired. He couldn’t hang on much longer. Finally, the log spun just enough, causing Joniss to lose his footing. He dramatically fell back into the mud, sending splashes of the brown substance flying onto Trev’s arms and face. The crowd jumped to their feet, cheering loudly for him.
When the announcer called his name as the winner, Trev figured it was safe to let go. He slipped into the mud next to Joniss. The two men sat there in silence for a moment, flinging the sticky substance off their arms and hands.
“I guess you won,” Joniss reached out to shake Trev’s hand. The gesture was more about saving face with the onlookers than about being a good sport.
Still, it felt good. “Like you said, Joniss,” Trev said, with narrowed eyes. “I won.”
23
Trev
Bonfires lit the square in front of the palace that night for the Tournament of Champions celebration. The palace gates were opened wide to invite the entire city, from the lowest worker to the king himself. Rows of tables sat at the center of the square, each lined with platters of fruit, sweet bread, and cheeses. At the end of each table were barrels full of red punch. The steady beat from the musicians swirled through the courtyard, mixing with laughter.
The Promised Prince: A YA Dystopian Romance Page 16