In the time before the tournament started, Ceilsea began transforming her best sketch of Shaelis into a clay model she could use as reference for the full sculpture. She kept it hidden in her room, so that Shae wouldn’t see it and object. If they could keep secrets, so could she. She also sent a message to the king not to expect her in the royal box.
Eventually, she reconnected with Rivonae. The siblings waded into the crowd of commoners trying to find space in the amphitheater. Her mother had probably contributed to the plan to organize the spectators. It wouldn’t surprise Ceilsea if there was a system for people to pay for earlier entrance, so merchants and such could get more desirable locations to view the fights. Above the crowd, Odiame’s parasol was easy to spot. When they reached her, Ceilsea saw that she had completely changed her outfit. She was in layers of green and cream with gold chains dripping over them. She also wore a veil that covered the lower half of her face in matching gold and green. Like Ceilsea, it was clear that Odiame had to put on an appearance for her audience. This must be her public persona, before it must have been her casual appearance. Ceilsea wondered how she afforded all the gold that made her shine like a jewel.
Odiame lowered the parasol and placed the point in front of her. Ceilsea could barely see her smile beneath the veil, but her eyes sparkled with mirth. She greeted them and guided them through the throng. As they descended, people stood aside for them, some for Odiame, some for Ceilsea. Near the bottom but not all the way to the ground of the arena, and centered for the perfect view, Ceilsea saw their seats before they arrived.
It wasn’t a box, but it was trying to be. The performers had constructed walls by draping fabric over a wooden frame. The ground was covered with rugs, blankets, pillows, and small stools. Most of the performers and guests were standing in front of the structure on the platform below, to discourage people from blocking the view. They’d roped off their section and some of the ‘guests’ looked more like bodyguards.
Odiame guided them to the lower section, under the rope and the watchful eyes of their guards. She introduced a handful of the performers to Ceilsea and Rivonae. They made small talk before the circuits started. Odiame stayed close to their side redirecting the conversation if anyone tried to fawn over Ceilsea or ask invasive questions. Ceilsea appreciated Odiame’s attentiveness even if it was not subtle. She could tell Odiame was accustomed to serving high-status patrons.
As the circuit fights started, the guests slowly made their way up to the more comfortable seating area. Odiame saved their group a spot with a clear view of the arenas. It also had a clear view of the royal box. Rivonae took a stool and slowly stopped talking as he watched. Odiame sat on a pillow talking to various people while keeping one eye on the fights. Ceilsea lounged on a few pillows, eyes wandering.
Ceilsea finally focused when a familiar figure entered the royal box. It was the same stranger from that morning that Odiame had called Rodnes Selts, who had led Shae away. He stood at the back of the box. Then he made his way over to the far side of the box from her parents and sat next to a noble. She guessed it was Loxere. They had very thin delicate features and long straight dark hair. They wore long flowing dark clothes and didn’t even turn when their bodyguard arrived. Selts put an arm on their shoulder, and then leaned in and whispered in the noble’s ear.
Ceilsea didn’t notice that she was staring until Odiame commented, “Noble Loxere mainly keeps to themselves. You shouldn’t feel bad that you didn’t know them before today.”
She didn’t really care. She didn’t strive to keep track of nobility. However, she was curious about people Shae had known. She cautiously asked, “I know you said you didn’t want to gossip, but do you know what the noble is like? What do people say about them?”
Odiame smiled as she popped a grape under her veil into her mouth. She answered, “There isn’t much to say, certainly nothing scandalous. They keep their life private and run a decent territory. The biggest news was their gender realignment and the fiasco with Child. They would have been completely obscure, if not for your champion.”
Ceilsea didn’t bother to correct her. She was pleased her plan was already working.
Rivonae added, “From what I remember, the one time I met them they were reserved and quiet. Selts probably felt like Shae insulted them when Shae refused and decided to act on his own. Loxere wouldn’t say anything themselves.”
“Well, Selts can rest assured that most of the capital is confused why the wayzard would turn down a steady position,” Odiame said, her eyes drifting away from the box, “Speaking of them.” She motioned to the arena where Shaelis was entering with an opponent.
Ceilsea’s focus shifted. Shaelis seemed prepared and started pacing, waiting for their opponent to settle in across from them.
“You never did tell me how you thought training them went this morning,” Ceilsea told Vonae. He had shifted in his seat and looked more serious when Shae had appeared.
“They improved more than I thought they would. They are definitely a quick learner, but I have to rein them in. I think whoever trained them before pushed them too much,” Vonae told her. He shifted and jerked forward with a shout. Ceilsea glanced back and saw that Shae had lost. Vonae pointed, “See, they aren’t focused. They probably used most of their energy this morning.”
“Knowing your limits has its own learning curve. We’ll have to see how harsh a lesson they learn today,” Odiame commented.
Then three of them went quiet as they watched. Ceilsea could only tell the difference between a win or a loss. Shaelis scraped by, but barely. With every mounting loss, their frustration became more visible as they paced and picked at their clothes. They seemed to be sweating more than their opponents and kept glancing around the crowd. However, they won enough times to be in the upper half of the circuit. As soon as the fights were finished, they rushed out from the arena.
More than the training, Ceilsea wondered if the attention was getting to them. In the midst of the crowd, she was better able to hear people cheering for their favorite fighters. She heard both encouragement and insults aimed at Shaelis. Not to mention, Selts never seemed to take his eyes off of them. Shaelis had many things to be distracted by.
She was worried how this would affect them going forward. The attention and the talk were only going to escalate. Shaelis may not be cut out to be a champion.
“Of course…” Vonae muttered, and Ceilsea glanced back at the arena.
The next circuit included Miennere, who performed even better than the previous days. She won every fight and finished at the top of her circuit. Ceilsea didn’t hear any cheers or heckling for her. People must know who she was, but they didn’t seem to care. Odiame watched both Vonae and Ceilsea for their reaction, but true to her word, she refrained from saying anything about their family.
“Odi,” one of the other performer’s called the dancer. “Master Omnish is here and asking for you.” The speaker was a smaller acrobat who slipped through the crowd in the tent with ease.
Odiame glanced over and then back at Ceilsea. Vonae was still absorbed in the fights. She whispered, “You don’t mind, do you? He bought me a hall here in the capital so I have a permanent place for my show when I’m not touring. I have to cater to him.”
Ceilsea nodded, knowing the patron’s demands came first. She wondered why that name sounded familiar, until the acrobat disappeared and reappeared with the merchant Odiame had been accompanying a few days earlier.
Odiame rose and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, then she motioned to Ceilsea. “You know Mistress and Master Brijas.”
Ceilsea nodded and Vonae glanced over at him. He hid his exasperation from everyone but his sister, and then readjusted his body so that his legs were between the lounging Ceilsea and the merchant. Ceilsea smiled.
“Good day! I didn’t expect to see…either of you here,” Omnish said, giving a wary look to Vonae. “Your sister competed quite well today! You both must be proud.”
Ceilsea looked at the ground, and Vonae kept his eyes on the fight. Vonae answered, “We are proud of her for many things.”
Odiame swooped in to shift the conversation away from the topic. “Did you see Shaelis Child, Mistress Ceilsea’s favored fighter? They seemed to be struggling today.”
“They are just a wayzard. It’s not like they have a chance,” Merchant Omnish said. “Were they the champion you were talking about before, Miss…?”
“Shaelis is a friend. I’m being supportive,” Ceilsea answered innocently in opposition to his search for gossip.
“They are playing the Evening Song tonight, aren’t they?” Omnish pressed relentlessly. Odiame looped her arm around his and tugged. Ceilsea didn’t know if the identities of the guest wayzards playing the Evening Song were divulged to the public, but the merchant had found out somehow.
“Mmmm, yes, you should look forward to it. They are very good,” Ceilsea continued, barely engaging.
“So I’ve heard…”
“Master Omnish, there are some traders here I’d like to introduce you to,” Odiame told him, leaning in close to his ear though unable to whisper in the din of the crowd. The people Ceilsea saw hovering around were all performers interested in greeting a rich man.
“Of course, my dear,” he answered, patting her hand. The two melded into the crowd.
Vonae stood and said, “Do you want to go?”
“Do you?” Ceilsea shot back.
“I need to blow off some steam,” he muttered, running his fingers through his hair. Ceilsea followed his gaze down to the arenas; there was Jala, perfectly calm and put together, bowing to a crowd that was calling her name. Ceilsea had missed the circuit, but it was obvious she had won. The knot in her stomach tightened.
“Alright,” she answered her brother, without comment. She could have teased him that he had never wanted to leave early before, but it didn’t seem appropriate.
She told the acrobat to give Odiame their excuses, and the siblings made their way out of the amphitheater. Vonae headed to the palace training yards almost immediately, but Ceilsea floundered. Nothing in the tournament today had gone the way she hoped. Jala and Miennere were still obviously contenders for the champion’s tournament and Shaelis was not. Her optimism wavered, and she wondered why she’d changed all her plans on a whim if it might not work out.
She took a deep breath and decided to throw herself into her work. An hour passed as she worked on the griffin sculpture. She heard the crowd outside her courtyard get louder. The circuits were shorter today with fewer competitors. After the circuits concluded, she thought they were having some exhibition fights. By the sound of the crowds leaving, they were not as popular as the main event.
She expected Shaelis to come as soon as the crowd shifted in the direction of the campgrounds, but they never appeared. Another hour passed, and then another. Ceilsea tried to focus on her work, but as Evening Song got closer, her mind wandered. What if today had been too much for Shaelis? What if they lost hope that they could win at all and they had given up? What if they had been running from Lord Loxere and now Shaelis had been discovered? Would they have to go on the run again? Would Shaelis bother to talk to her before they left or would they just leave?
Ceilsea stopped chipping away and stared at the corner where Shaelis usually slept. She cautiously approached and brushed the branches away. Shaelis’ bag was there, minus the instruments they were using in the fights. That must mean they were still in the capital. But where?
Unable to focus, Ceilsea left to clean herself up before returning to the courtyard. The colors in the sky shifted to reds and oranges. Shaelis didn’t know how to get to the organ, so they had to come here first. She fidgeted, wondering what would happen if Shaelis didn’t show up. Iscano would probably step in to play the Evening Song, but it would be an insult to the High Wayzard and disgrace Shaelis’s non-existent reputation. She couldn’t protect them. It would be nearly impossible for them to be accepted as a champion if that happened.
Ceilsea was pacing when the lock on the outer door to the courtyard clicked open. Shaelis entered, sweaty and disheveled. They headed straight to the bush their bag was under.
“Where were you? Master Iscano is going to be furious if you’re late,” Ceilsea said close on Shaelis’ heels.
“I had to prepare,” they stated, stashing their remaining belongings in the bag. They turned to her. “Are we going or what?”
Ceilsea didn’t know what they meant by ‘prepare’, and she didn’t have time to ask.
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