Chapters (50)
- Praise for
- Title Page
- Dedication
- City of Mariit: Capital of Maynara Map
- One
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Two
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Three
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Four
- By Order of General Ojas,On Behalf of Her Majesty Hara Duja
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Five
- A Coronation Prayer
- Thirty-Four
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Thank You
- About the Author
- Violetear Books x Bindery Books
But the woman did not back away. She took a threatening step toward the man. She was taller than him, and she looked down at him with an unwavering glare. At Eti’s side, Ariel leaned over her shoulder. He whispered, “I don’t like the sound of this. We should—”
The woman let out a sharp laugh, drowning out the rest of Ariel’s warning. “And what did the Kulaws do to deserve your loyalty? Half their rulers, cruel puppet masters, eager to enslave any subject who dared defy them. The other half, greedy beast-kings, who didn’t hesitate to pick this very island to the bone. If it is their mercy you seek, brother, I pity you. For that is the true mark of cowardice.”
A deafening crack split the air as the man struck her smartly across the face. At once, the spectators surged forward in outrage. Several lunged to hold back the man from striking her again. Others tried to appease the woman to no avail. She leaped from their arms and clawed at the man’s cheeks. Dozens of smaller brawls broke out between Kulaw and Gatdula supporters throughout the crowd. People banged into Eti as they rushed back and forth across the pit. She let out a cry as someone jammed into her left side. She might have fallen had Ariel not hoisted her to her feet. Arm in arm, they fought through the sea of flailing limbs. Eti struggled to push through, but she was too small. Cursing in Orfelian under his breath, Ariel half carried, half dragged her to the edge of the crowd.
“We need to leave!” he shouted over the rising noise.
Unsteadily, Eti nodded. She grabbed his hand and made to follow him. Then a booming voice echoed across the tournament pit, freezing everyone where they stood.
“Enough!”
An imposing man in heavy armor was standing atop the platform. Eti recognized him, the warrior Vikal, head of Imeria Kulaw’s private guard. At his orders, royal guardsmen swarmed into the pit below. They pried apart the brawlers. Those who refused to stop fighting, even those with scarlet fabric pinned to their clothing, were taken away in chains.
“Rioting in this city will not be tolerated,” Vikal declared as the guardsmen subdued the crowd in the pit. “This will be your final warning. Anyone caught fighting will face imprisonment, with bail of up to one hundred gold pieces.”
A chorus of agitated grumbles rippled across the tournament pit.