“There is a bit of time,” Relan said. “There’s blood on your cloak, too. What happened?”
“I had a little run-in farther out. The first guy was not working alone.” Faust glanced up at Relan and a gasp caught in his throat. Relan’s eyes were dark and cold, betraying the man’s true demeanor.
“What happened to the men that attacked you?”
“They were killed.”
“By who?” Relan snapped.
Faust kept his mouth shut. He would not reveal Aris to Relan. He didn’t want his mysterious knight to be discovered before the challenge even began. “I defended myself.”
Relan glared at Faust. “Do you see why you must not leave the castle? Not everyone approves of you.”
“I did not think . . . anyone would be after me. I will not ask to visit the market anymore.”
Relan sighed. “I’m glad you understand. I can only protect you when you are within my sight.”
Faust knew better. Relan had those people come after him, but it made little sense. They were supposed to have a truce with the Kingdom of Windilum.
“We must hurry back,” Relan said. “If you were attacked, there is a possibility of more lying in wait now that they know you are outside the castle walls.”
“Yes, sir.” Faust trudged along beside Relan with a frown. He slipped one hand under his cloak and pressed his side. It stung, but the medicine hadn’t worn off too much at least. He would feel this even more later, but it was worth it. Aris’s magic rivaled his and Konrad’s, and there had to be a reason for it. Perhaps Aris had met Linos. The deity may have blessed Aris with his power. A stone user didn’t normally carry that much magic.
“King Faust.”
Faust stopped and turned his head to the side.
“Who was the young man? Why did you hand him coin?” Relan asked with a hand on the hilt of his sword.
Faust’s heart skipped a beat. “I simply let a promising young fellow enter the Knight’s Challenge. He happened to be where I ended up and was concerned with my present state.” He raised his bloodied glove. “I thought it best to send him on his way before he asked too many questions.”
Relan’s frown deepened. “You are betting that he will best me in battle?”
“I have a feeling he will.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Faust adjusted the high collar on the warmer version of his crowning attire and all but his face was covered. The bandages beneath the fabric gave him more warmth, but he was denied extra pain medicine. It was his punishment for not reporting to a Kingsley Knight. It made it difficult to sit upright, but he would receive even more punishment if he failed to appear anything but regal during the tournament.
Faust stared at the arena. One hundred knights were lined up to fight for the honor to serve him, but he could guess what most of these knights wanted. They saw him as a captive who needed the comfort of another, and his fortune was just a bonus. Honor was quick to be overshadowed by greed and lust. Little did they know of the game they were walking into. Emoris and Lathil wanted pawns, not equals.
Faust glanced to his left where the seat remained empty. If he couldn’t figure out a way to escape Emoris and Lathil, Kees would be subjected to this game with him. He needed to prevent Emoris from giving him another chain with this tournament.
Emoris’s throne sat above his and with one glance back, Faust could see Emoris was in his usual royal regalia, covered in gold and fine jewels over his tunics. The deity sat there in boredom, but it didn’t detract from the power Emoris carried.
“It is time, Your Excellency,” Relan said.
Emoris rose from his throne and waved his hand, earth magic bleeding into the air. The icy floor of the arena shifted and turned back into dirt without disturbing the knights, garnering applause from the people, but once Emoris stepped into the light from underneath the royal canopy, the deity was met with immediate silence.
Faust stared ahead; his people were wary of Emoris. The merchants had spread the information about his condition already.
“We gather here for our king, Faust Kingsley’s protection,” Emoris said. “As many of you have heard, Faust was attacked within the last two weeks, even on his small journey to visit the market this morning.”
Faust clenched his jaw at the reminder.
“Thus, I beseech all the brave men that are participating in the Knight’s Challenge to come to his aid. The victor will be given the opportunity to become King Faust’s personal knight, but only if the victor can defeat Relan in battle,” Emoris said with a wave of his hand.
Relan stepped into the light.
The crowd gasped, and some applauded for the great fight ahead.
Faust observed the knight’s reactions along the arena floor. Some knew of this factor while others had not. There were at least four strong stone users, one of them Aris—his aura blazed the brightest. A small smile twitched upon his lips as the veiled curtain dropped over the royal seats, shielding him from view. The people could not see his reactions, but he had not missed how his people watched him instead of Emoris during the speech.
Emoris raised one hand, and the silence returned once more. “Let the matches begin!”
Faust observed the current match with great interest. Aris’s matches were by far the most entertaining. He was smaller, but Aris danced circles around the much larger knight. The sword Aris chose was light and of the highest quality, the armor much the same. Faust gave a small smile. Aris had chosen the castle’s merchant without realizing it.
“That knight has an interesting fighting style,” Emoris said. He motioned for a servant to bring him the registration book. “What number is he?”
“Number one hundred, Your Excellency.”
Emoris flipped through the pages as the spotter declared that number the victor. “Aris,” he read.
Faust had been correct at least, but Aris couldn’t hide from him. His aura gave him away.
“How strange. He didn’t add a surname.” Emoris stood and rested a hand on the empty throne at Faust’s side. “He chose a fancy blade and armor, highly expensive, and the blade has magic stones embedded in it. Whoever this Aris is, he has great taste to be in my court.”
Faust kept his head straight. Emoris would be less willing to accept Aris once he learned that Aris used sky stones. It was the only stone the deities didn’t like. Faust could only assume it was because the stone was linked to Linos, the real sovereign deity. If Emoris found out Aris’s real affinity early, he would try to disqualify Aris.
“That young knight will be your opponent, Relan.” Emoris sauntered back to his throne, passing off the registration book to the servant he passed.
Faust settled back into his throne with a quiet sigh. Aris was smart to have a helmet. If he hadn’t, Relan would have ratted Aris out early. Only the stone users were left, and Aris used his sparingly, but he didn’t seem to need them to defeat his opponents. Faust was looking forward to learning what else he could do.
Faust continued to observe Aris’s movements in his next match. He was nimble and quick with the way he jumped left, right, and rolled away from his opponent. He sprang up, gripped the hilt of his sword, and spun with great agility, kicking up dirt. He hadn’t used his magic for this match and chose to tire his opponent out instead, suggesting Aris must have had an excellent teacher.