by Vi Voxley
Areon was watching them, his jacket torn. Beside her, she heard Maige whimper – Ronay’s handhold was beginning to crumble.
“I’m with you,” Maige said.
Violet nodded again. The Overlord was leaving them no choice... Slowly, terribly slowly she left her last bit of safety and lowered herself to a narrow ledge just below them. It was so tiny she could barely stand on her tiptoes on it. Lavie and Halley gripped her arms, but the fear seized her throat nonetheless. Violet didn’t know whether they would be able to hold onto her if she fell. Possibly she’d pull them with her. Maybe they’d let go. She couldn’t blame them. It wasn’t like she wanted to die. She just wanted someone to live after her tournament’s first trial was done.
It was a farce, that’s what it was.
She could no longer speak nor shout. No way for her to tell her father to stop now or she and the others would fall. The other girls were slowly climbing over the edge too, but all four of them were shaking like leaves. Would they really let them fall? Were they worth nothing in the end?
Not to the crowd at least. They roared, truly roared their voices hoarse. That was the most scandalous tournament in history. And where was Irmela? Where was her mother, the voice of reason? Turning a blind eye? Impossible.
It seemed even the champions had stopped their struggles to survive to look at them. There weren’t many left now. A mere twenty or so of the Atreens’s best, and Areon – all staring at them as they put their lives on the line for theirs. It was like they were the ones on trial.
…That evil, scheming bastard.
Violet didn’t know how or why, but she was suddenly filled with the confidence of knowing, knowing what was going on at least. She’d find out why later.
“It’s a trick,” she said.
She had to force the words over her clattering teeth, because it all looked so real. The others didn’t seem to hear her, so she had to repeat herself.
“A trick?” Pearl asked. “What kind of trick?”
“I don’t know,” Violet admitted. “But nothing’s right here – the Overlord isn’t really mad, Irmela isn’t here, even though she wouldn’t miss this. They really wouldn’t let so many champions die. I don’t know why, but this is all fake.”
She didn’t know if they believed her. Maige probably did, mostly because she needed to believe her.
Violet looked down to the pitch-black darkness. What was there really? She couldn’t see the bottom of the chasm, but she had seen warriors fall with a scream. How deep did it really go?
The Overlord was still doing nothing, but it was clear their grips weren’t as strong as the warriors’. They’d fall long before the champions did. So it had to be safe.
Somehow.
“I’m going to jump,” Violet said, knowing exactly how ridiculous that sounded.
To the choir of their protests, she had to reconsider. A week ago she’d barely dared to move herself out of fear of not being proper. Now she was running around, putting her life in danger and doing something that was clearly insane.
A depressing idea crossed her mind – she was turning into Irmela.
Her sisters were protesting the hardest, of course.
“Don’t worry,” Violet said, trying to comfort them. “Do you believe they’d let us die? That he’d let anything bad happen to us?”
The others didn’t know what to say to that. Only that morning, they probably would have, but things had gone wrong so fast they no longer knew what to believe. Another falling scream pierced the air, but it didn’t have the same effect anymore, not when Violet believed they didn’t really die. So where did they all go?
The chasm was incredibly dark, shadowed and gloomy. The light coming from their stage only added to the mystery, but Violet was starting to think it was all part of the trick. If the Overlord wanted it so, it would probably be so. She unhooked her fingers, feeling the sudden tug of Lavie and Halley, both trying to hold onto her. She was very light, but then again, so were they.
“Let go,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Pearl demanded. “You’ll die.”
“I won’t,” Violet assured her. “It’s a trick. An illusion or something like that. For us and the champions. There is no other explanation. It has to be.”
The last sentence was probably meant to reassure herself, but she was more sure by the minute. The Overlord suddenly going mad made no sense but a trick like that was very much like him. Violet struggled against their hold, seeing Areon stare at her wide-eyed. For some reason, the thought of him gave her strength. Violet wondered if that was how Maige felt all the time. It didn’t feel bad at all. She didn’t feel weak. In fact, she felt stronger than ever before.
“Trust me,” she said. “This is just a trick.”
She didn’t know if they really believed her, but they must have, because, a moment later, Violet found herself falling through the air straight to the black. The roar of the crowd was deafening in her ears. Shadows embraced her and a wild thought raced through her mind.
Oh god it wasn’t a trick. I’m going to die.
And then she fell through the dark laser shield into such bright light that it blinded her for several seconds. Seeing nothing, Violet still felt the drones catch her so smoothly they didn’t even mess up her dress. After that she descended at a quieter pace, finally reaching the bottom of the chasm where she was placed to the ground.
So she’d been wrong about that one – it was a chasm, not an illusion, and it was very deep. Looking up proved her right as well. The dark shield covered the lower part, which was packed with drones and mechanical arms, catching everything and everyone that fell. No doubt foolproof and triple-checked to be absolutely functional, or the Overlord wouldn’t have been able to stay so calm.
She heard noises, trying to blink the stars from her eyes. From above, she heard Maige’s shrill scream that came to a sudden stop when a drone caught her too. Violet wondered whether she’d jumped or fallen, but it made little difference. Instead she opened her eyes to see Irmela standing before her, grinning ear to ear like usual. Behind her she could see the champions staring, their mouths open. No doubt it had been a pleasant surprise for them, to live. And now they had a calaya drop down from the darkness. What a day! A day someone could have warned her about...
“You...” Violet began, growling, but Irmela shook her head.
“No arguing from you,” she said. Several champions turned their heads in the direction of her beautiful voice. “You always supported the tournaments, whatever their trials were. I happen to agree with this particular one. Nothing is as good as the things you’ve truly fought for.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Well, what do you say? That girl is something indeed.
Despite what everyone said, Areon didn’t really believe in the demon luck that people said he was blessed with. It was a necessary belief to others but not to him. That being said, it was truly magnificent to see the chain Grom had clung to go through the laser shield. He’d actually been worried for a moment.
Pathetic, he thought, amused. I need to compliment the Overlord for this one. And they say I’m a bastard.
He’d presumed as much before, though. Judging by the way Forial didn’t appear worried at all – something had to have been going on. Areon had just thought it might be something a bit more audience-friendly. Seeing the four calayas fall and disappear into the darkness had to have been quite a shock, before the Overlord finally rose from his seat and explained the situation to them.
Violet was quite a girl. Areon had seen the fake chasm by chance, but his sight was very good and his angle much better. He highly doubted Violet had seen it. He didn’t think her suicidal. So she just called the Overlord’s bluff and chose to put her own pretty little neck on the line to prove it.
It made his hunger unbearable. He’d desired the girl for years, but this was a very nice surprise – not such a stuck-up bitch after all. He’d expected it from Maige
, sure, but from Violet? Even Forial had looked shocked, not to mention all the rest.
At least he hadn’t done anything too spectacular. Nothing but the little nook he was hanging onto – so miniature he’d nearly missed it. That really was a pity. Only Reim had seen his expert falling. It had taken some really hard calculating to tumble from the chain so precisely. At least he’d got to enjoy the way Violet had turned away immediately, not wanting to see him die.
Oh sweet girl, you flatter me.
Areon considered whether to drop through the shield or wait to be rescued. His eyes looked for Reim, to see how much he had picked up. He found him crouching on a ledge that was now emerging again at the Overlord’s command. They exchanged a look and then a wicked smile. Reim jumped while Areon shook himself free with an easy twist of his shoulders. They both dropped like rocks, straight through the shield and into the loving embrace of the drones beneath.
“That was fun,” Areon said once they landed. “Let’s do that again.”
“Let’s not,” Reim said, glaring. “When did you figure it out?”
“Grom’s chain for sure, but I guessed before. You?”
“Cheeky bastard. Of course you guessed. I’m embarrassed to say it took me until the calayas climbed on the ledge. The fact that the Overlord didn’t jump out of his skin was proof enough for me.”
They walked away, checking to see whether they were overheard. That would have been a sad way to get caught. Areon was quite sure he could get another day of fun out of the tournament before he had to start taking things seriously.
“So what do you think of our competition?” he asked.
Reim humphed. “Forial’s exactly the kind of guy you don’t want behind you in any battle,” he said.
“Ah, yes,” Areon agreed, “he gave me a nice hug before. Nearly twisted my head off.”
“And he’s still breathing?”
“Don’t be such a spoil-sport. I want to see the look on his face when I take the victory he so clearly thinks is his.”
“Speaking of that. The Overlord had to have told him, right?”
“Mhmh,” Areon said, looking behind the next corner. Blessedly empty. No doubt everyone was back on the arena, trying to piece together what was going on. He didn’t envy the Overlord for having to deal with all that. “He could have been more subtle with it, in my opinion. Rookies.”
“Don’t remind me,” Reim said, grinning. “Sarto is just too much. I don’t know how his heart still hasn’t given out. I don’t know why he fears you’ll kill him if he squanders your name too much. But we had an interesting run-in with lady Violet.”
That stopped Areon in his tracks. The fake smile disappeared.
“Talk,” he said and his deep voice echoed through the empty halls.
Reim went from talking to reporting with his usual ease. “She sought us out. Sarto ogled at her so hard I thought he’d burn a hole in her chest.”
“What did she say?” Areon asked.
“The lady asked me not to tell you,” Reim said, grinning.
“Yes, and now you’ve passed that wish on to me. Now tell me before I cut your bloody throat.”
“She wanted to make sure you were here.”
Areon thought his face simply wouldn’t bend into the kind of smile that rose from his chest. “Did she now?” he purred.
“You’re going to be incredibly mean to her, aren’t you?” Reim asked, sighing.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Areon said, but the predatory grin wouldn’t leave his face.
Damn it. He’d have to get his facial muscles under control before anyone saw him.
“You’re not going to tell her?” Reim specified, although he clearly already knew the answer.
“Oh, I’ll tell her, eventually,” Areon said. “Don’t you worry about her well-being.”
“Before or after you attempt to win her?”
“We’ll see,” Areon said carelessly. “And what do you mean, attempt?”
Now it was Reim’s turn to become serious. He stopped and looked around a few more times to make sure they had absolute privacy. “While you were busy fooling around, I went to see some duels. Grom’s good.”
“Of course he’s good,” Areon growled, annoyed. “He wouldn’t be a champion if he wasn’t.”
“I mean he’s very good,” Reim said, clearly not in the mood to joke with him. His concern really was heartwarming.
“Now you’re just repeating what I said.”
“My Prince,” Reim snapped, bringing such a growl forth from Areon that he had to take a step back, but that didn’t mean he would back down. “I mean he’s better than you. If the Overlord has duels in store, it’s bad. And if he catches even a whiff of who you are, he’ll do everything in his power to have you paired with him. Imagine it, killing you and taking the victory.”
“I’ll deal with him when we get to it. Now enough of that,” Areon said, his tone dark.
“I don’t…”
“I said enough,” he said, with his true voice. Reim stopped immediately, but his good mood was already ruined.
“One more thing,” Reim said.
“It better not be about him,” he growled.
“It is, but it’s not the same.”
“Get it out then.”
“He’s got his eye set on Violet.”
Areon took a deep breath. There were no demons making his luck, but this was just typical. He usually didn’t mean to get into any trouble or mess – it just found him. Things around him went naturally from bad to worse, so he couldn’t say he was surprised.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I watched him when Violet climbed over the ledge. At first I thought he was just interested like we all were, but when she jumped, he definitely liked her spirit. I figured he would go for Pearl, but now I’m pretty sure it’s her, yes.”
Areon nodded. “Alright,” he said. If Grom wanted Violet, he’d better be prepared to die for her.
They walked on in silence for a while until Areon gathered his thoughts. Most of them were about Violet, of course, like always.
“And you?” he asked finally. His voice was cheerful again and he noticed the change in Reim’s posture at once. The stiff attention was gone, replaced with a casual stride.
“What about me?” Reim asked.
“Who have you got your sights on?”
Reim laughed. “I’m amazed at your interest. I really thought your head was big enough to only hold one name in it at a time.”
“Don’t be rude. I’m asking for real.”
Reim considered it for a moment. “Marelle,” he said at last.
“Huh,” said Areon. “Wouldn’t have guessed.”
***
It was a dark night, even darker now with the lights of the arena dimmed. The fun was over for the day. The Overlord had sent everyone to sleep or to gather wherever they pleased until the next day. Areon couldn’t deny it had been a very eventful start to the tournament – definitely worth his time.
The calayas were housed in a great complex right next to the arena, already being remodeled for the coming trial. Areon considered staying to spy on it. Of course it was forbidden for the champions to see the arena being prepared for them, but they wouldn’t see him if he didn’t want them to. They never did. Eventually he decided against it. His heart thumped for something else – for someone else.
The complex was vast. He should have found out where Violet’s room was beforehand, but there was nothing to be done now.
Sneaking through the place wasn’t very hard, though. The tournament had been so full of emotion that most were either sleeping or talking excitedly. It wasn’t difficult to hide his footsteps in that comforting murmur and keep on going higher. The rooms of the calayas were definitely up there.
Before he found Violet, Areon found someone else.
“So?” he heard the Overlord ask through an open door, hiding behind the corner. It seemed they were completely s
ure of not being overheard. It made sense – there was an entire floor of guards between them and the lower floors. The only time they’d nearly caught Areon was when he’d been careless enough to laugh a bit at how easy it was.
“I’m not sure,” he heard Forial answer.
There was some pacing in the room. Then the Overlord continued. “Is it possible he dropped?”
“The Prince? I don’t think so. If he did, then on purpose.”
That’s very kind of you to say.
“Almost no one remained up when Violet jumped. Grom. Reim. A few others, by luck. Maige’s favorite. And that clumsy guard was dangling there. You know Violet asked me not to let him compete? I almost gave in to her request. The boy’s going to get himself killed. If not today, then soon.”
Areon grinned. Violet had asked them to exclude him? It was good the Overlord was as stubborn as he was. They would have all been bereft of such fun without it – he the most, of course. But it was good to know she cared. Even better to know she thought he was so clumsy she’d actually pleaded for him. It was nice to know the ruse was still working, even after three years.
He heard Forial murmur in agreement. “It doesn’t leave much options. Grom would fit the profile, but he’s too much of a public figure. Seen too often. He’s a leader, hard to believe he could lead a double life.”
“Hard to believe he’d pull it off,” the Overlord said.
Areon nearly laughed out loud. At least he agreed with that much.
“Of course,” Forial went on, undisturbed, “it’s possible the Raider Prince is just a figure the Raiders use to distract us. Make-believe. A collective alter ego.”
“I don’t think so,” the Overlord said. “Too many quirks and customs, too many patterns. It all refers to an actual person. No, he’s real. But I agree, not Grom.”