Vespir wasn’t surprised when the bells chimed to signal the end of the Game. She’d sat cross-kneed on the floor after Antonia had left, waiting for Hyperia to be declared the winner. She just hadn’t expected it to take this long.
She supposed the chaotic attack in the ballroom had set things back. At least she hadn’t been there. This was one mess they couldn’t blame on her, no matter how they tried.
Wiping her eyes, she sidled along the hallways until the guards herded her into the large, rosy parlor where they’d begun the competition. When she entered, something immediately caught her eye.
Hyperia looked as if someone had struck her in the stomach, hunched over, hands on her gut. Lord Volscia, beside his daughter, looked sickly, too.
What had happened?
Emilia and Lucian huddled with their backs to the walls. Only Ajax, arms crossed and legs confidently spread, appeared satisfied. No. No, it couldn’t have been…him.
“Shall we?” Camilla said. Petros had only just entered the room, looking a bit pale. Whatever happened in the ballroom, it’d thrown their grand ceremonies off. Neither priest looked like they wanted to be showy now. “The winner,” Camilla announced, “is Lady Emilia, with three Houses.”
No one looked surprised, or at least, not that surprised. Vespir was too numb to be shocked by anything.
“Bring forward the box,” Camilla said, gesturing to the table. One of the Volscia guards in his gold livery brought it. The priestess opened the latch, lifted the lid…and gasped. “What the—” she whispered. For the first time since Vespir had met her, she appeared dumbfounded. “Who has taken the pendants?”
The box was empty.
Everyone shared baffled looks. Vespir was half-afraid they’d start blaming her. After all, she was a commoner, and those jewels were expensive. Finally, Ajax snorted and shook his head, whipping his plait of yellow hair back and forth.
“You.” Camilla narrowed her black eyes. She appeared this close to losing her temper.
“If I couldn’t get a meeting with any of you fine lords and ladies, I figured I ought to take a souvenir of the experience.” The Tiber boy bared his sharp little teeth in a grin. Vespir’s chin wobbled as she tried to hold back shocked laughter.
“Where are they?” Camilla snapped. Instantly, the room’s collective gaze went to the pouch at Ajax’s side. The priestess ripped it away and poured out a glittering handful of fine jewels. The pendants, however, were nowhere to be found.
“You think I’d keep them in a sack?” Ajax winked. “Use your imagination, Your Grace.”
Vespir struggled to control her breathing. Her shoulders began to shake.
“Where are they?” Camilla snarled. “Return them, or there’ll be consequences.”
“I thought you were saving the killing-me part for later.”
“How did you even get in here?”
“Come on. Let me maintain my aura of mystery.”
“High priestess, I swear the door was locked and the guard posted,” one of the soldiers stammered.
“Doors.” Ajax tsked. “I’m way beyond doors these days.”
That did it. Vespir collapsed to her knees and burst out laughing. The room stared as she pointed with a shaking hand at every one of them in turn.
“Look at your faces,” she gasped amid giggles. All these poncy lords and ladies, priests and soldiers, undone by some little…“And you.” Vespir grinned at Ajax. “You’re…so…stupid,” she said, barely able to get the words out. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and rocked with laughter.
“Um, let’s finish this,” Petros muttered to Camilla. He had a point. The longer this went on, the more humiliating it’d be.
“Fine,” the priestess said, taking a book from Petros’s hands. She spoke at a clipped pace now, as if running against the clock. “Emilia of the Aurun, take the collected wisdom of our most recent emperor, Erasmus. Let it guide you on the path to great statesmanship.” The priestess all but shoved the book into Emilia’s hands, while the girl blustered her thanks. With that, Camilla turned glinting eyes to the rest of the room. “As for the other rankings. Lucian of the Sabel shares second place with Hyperia of the Volscia, with one House each. Vespir, servant of the Pentri, and Ajax of the Tiber tie for last.” Camilla practically bared her teeth. “Normally, the penalty would apply to both of you, but due to Ajax’s unorthodox manner of playing, he descends to last place on principle. Therefore, the punishment is entirely his.”
Well, that was one good thing to happen to Vespir. And the boy didn’t seem all that perturbed by his loss.
“What’ll it be? Is Hyperia going to punch me in the face?” Ajax worked his jaw. “I might enjoy that.”
Vespir heard the Volscia girl scoff.
“Pride in an emperor is commendable; arrogance is the opposite.” Camilla glanced at Petros, who appeared to understand her implicitly. The old man nodded, the bags under his eyes growing more pronounced with his smirk.
“Arrogance is often a marker of the lowborn,” Petros continued. He eyed Ajax from head to toe. “You will strip yourself and your dragon of the Tiber family colors and partake in the next challenge as you began this Trial: a humble, illegitimate boy.”
The grin withered on Ajax’s face. He touched the collar of his crimson cloak as if it were a talisman. Emilia and Lucian appeared sympathetic, while Hyperia seemed to relish this.
“Can I…go change?” the boy muttered.
“Here, Lord Ajax. If you please,” Petros hissed.
Vespir watched the boy fumble at his cloak’s clasp, let it slip from his shoulders to pile to the floor. He took off his jacket, his lips pursed in a hard, white line. Ajax threw the jacket after his cloak and stood there in his white shirtsleeves and black trousers. Without the fancy attire, he was a scarecrow of a boy.
“Give me my bag,” he growled, snatching at the sack and kneeling to shove his treasures inside.
“Of course,” Camilla purred. “A little thief deserves his loot.”
Ajax froze, fist tightening around diamonds.
Throw it in their faces, Vespir thought. But he tied up his pouch and got to his feet. The two Tiber boys snickered, but Ajax would not look at them. He kept his fists at his sides, and gradually everyone’s glance slid past him. Forgotten, as usual.
Only Vespir saw the one, brief moment that his chin quivered.
Camilla clapped her hands. “With that, the Game concludes, and the Race begins. To dragonback, everyone. Your next and final stop is the capital.”
As Vespir climbed onto Karina’s back, she prayed for another glimpse of Antonia. The girl wasn’t standing next to her parents, who looked smug about how the evening had played out. They sneered openly at her. Vespir, blind with rage, barely restrained herself from going over there and kneeing Lord Pentri in his highborn balls.
Karina chirped, bending her long neck to glance over her wing at Vespir. The dragon nudged at her shoulder, and Vespir touched her forehead to the dragon’s snout. Karina gave a coarse lick with her forked tongue.
Just like when you were born, girl.
Vespir’s eyes burned to imagine those priests cutting her beautiful baby’s throat, her dragon screaming for Vespir as her life bled away. But Vespir would be dead herself by then.
No one will ever know about me or Karina. It’ll be like I never existed.
The ultimate sacrifice, and none of these fine people cared.
Next to her, Ajax climbed onto his dragon. The boy’s face was wan, his eyes puffed. Astride his dragon, who gawped with abandon as he spread his batlike wings, Ajax spared her a sour glance.
“What?” he asked.
“They don’t get it,” Vespir replied, nodding at the nobles in their finery, jewels winking in the torchlight. “They’ll never understand what it’s like to be us.” She petted Karina’s neck. “I should’ve been last. When they snubbed me, I gave up. At least you fought back.”
Ajax sniffed.
“Yeah. Thanks.” He looked to the sky. Vespir rolled her eyes; she didn’t know why she bothered reaching out to this kid. “Vespir. Catch.”
She jumped in surprise as something arced through the air. Vespir grabbed it, thinking it was a coin. When she opened her hand, she found the Pentri crest. The silver disc was cool against her skin, the green Pythos dragon insignia set in emerald. Ajax cocked his head, a smile returned to his lips.
“Where’d you hide this?” she asked.
“I’ve got ways.” With that and a dry chuckle, he took off into the sky, Dog snuffling in contentment as he swooped after the others. They were growing distant, outlines against the moon. Gritting her teeth, Vespir rose with Karina to go after them, not bothering to look back at the Volscia palace. There was nothing for her on earth anymore. No home. No family. No Antonia.
All she had was Karina, who purred as they cut through a wisp of starlit cloud.
Karina, her only reason to live.
To fight.
All she needed was one single victory to have a shot at the throne.
The Race was on.