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She finally asked him, “I have one final question for you. The Tennebrisian law states that the winner must take a wife prior to the coronation if they are not yet married. If the tournament ends in your favor and you’re victorious today, do you have someone in mind? All the other competitors today are already married. Are you, perhaps, engaged and keeping it to yourself?”
Everyone in the Hall fell silent. All the females leaned forward in their seats, simultaneously holding their breaths. After all, this was why half of them were watching. They wanted to know if there was a chance to be chosen, to be his wife, his Queen.
Sie was silent for so long that I didn’t think he would answer. Then he said, “No, I’m not engaged, and I don’t have anyone in mind.”
A few girls squealed amongst themselves. Yuri and Vallie both visibly sat up a little taller. Yuri, with a massive smile plastered to her face, Vallie with her hands covering her mouth.
“So if you don’t have anyone in mind, you’re aware that the High Council then chooses a wife for you in an arranged marriage?” Sie gave a subtle nod. The interviewer grinned excitedly, believing she was finally getting into the juicy questions. “Does this concern you? Tennebrisians pride themselves in marrying for love. If you win today, you will be giving up that right. You will be forced to be with whoever the Council selects for you for your entire life, not just your rule.”
This was yet another reason Tennebris varied from Lux. The Dark Kingdom encouraged marriage. Everyone had to marry, except the King’s Guard. I remembered when I was younger, my professor explained the reason why Guards don’t have a significant other—because an Advenian would always choose to save their loved ones over whom they are supposed to protect.The nice thing about the Dark Kingdom was that you had the choice. You could select anyone you wanted. You could marry for love. That’s why there had been so much talk about the only rank five not yet choosing his bride. He could have anyone he wanted. He could choose, yet he didn’t.
“Duty is more important to me than a wife. It hasn’t been my priority to take one. If I am to be the King after this, I have no issues with the High Council choosing her for me.”
Vallie frowned a little bit. Yuri said, “I’m sure he just hasn’t met therightgirl yet. Once he sees me, he will change his mind and discover what love is.” All of Yuri’s friends nodded in agreement. I rolled my eyes. How thick and self-centered could she be to assume that she would marry him?
“Dream on,” Vallie chimed in. “He’s mine.”
“To me, it sounds like he only cares about being King and having power. I wouldn’t get your hopes up on love. I’m pretty sure a marriage to him would be platonic at best,” I remarked, quieting their giggles.
One of Yuri’s friends added softly, “That’s probably true. I heard he has lots of Advenian females throwing themselves at him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a ton of mistresses and affairs. He doesn’t really seem like the type to love someone. He’s too cold and closed off.”
Yuri ignored her friend’s comment and glared at me. “No one asked your opinion, nix. Just because no one will ever choose you, doesn’t mean there isn’t a chance for the rest of us. Who would want to marry a nix anyway?”
Vallie gave me a weak smile, reaching across her brother to squeeze my hand before she frowned at Yuri. “Be nice.” Yuri tsked and ignored her, but once her gaze settled on Miles who looked like he was about to punch her in the throat, she turned her attention back to the screen.
“Don’t listen to her,” Miles leaned in to whisper to me. “Any guy would be lucky to have you.” I gave him a small smile before I turned my attention to the screen as well. The only perk of being a known rank zero was that no one was interested in me. Yuri wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t feel like hashing it out with her. I had to be on my best behavior with the Trials just days away. I couldn’t risk having another fight on my record. The Goddess knows I had too many already.
After Sie’s interview, they interviewed each of the four remaining contestants individually. One of the males seemed promising. His name was Robert Bashington. He stood about a foot shorter than Sie in height but made up for it by being ridiculously broad. I was surprised he could fit through a door frame. His hair was shaved so short that you could only determine his true hair color by his dark bushy eyebrows. He was a rank four and competed ten years ago in the last tournament, but didn’t make it past the second round. At least he would have the advantage of knowing what to expect, and had probably dedicated the past ten years to training harder.
The rest of the interview process took about an hour. Most of them talked about Sie and how they planned to beat him. It was crazy to me how this whole tournament seemed to revolve around him.
The second portion finally started, and we watched the screen as all the men were ushered around the base of a small enclosed arena. Steep bleachers were erected high off the ground in a circle, completely surrounding the competitors. The stands were filled with members of the high rank society who were watching the tournament in person. Maybe one day, if I became a guard, I could watch the King’s Tournament from the stands too.
The screen panned the crowd, then landed on the current King. He looked apprehensive, slouched shoulders, sweat beading down his forehead and building in his thick mustache. I wondered how he felt about all the gossip regarding Sie.
If Sie did win today, it would make King Lunder’s rule short. With only three King’s Tournaments won, he would only have ruled for thirty years. It would also make Sie the youngest King ever elected for Tennebris and the first Dark King in a long time to be a rank five.
King Lunder made a short speech reciting the same lines every King made at the beginning of the tournaments according to the books I’d read. I found myself zoning out his words and staring at Sie. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He didn’t seem nervous about what was to take place. He had an air of confidence, even though the other four males held murderous gazes all directed at him.
After King Lunder’s speech, an announcer who introduced himself as Effin came on. “Thank you, King Lunder, for those words of encouragement. What an honor it is to be hosting another King’s Tournament by your gracious side. We will now begin the second round of the tournament. Five men passed the written portion and will be fighting against one another. Now remember, abilities are prohibited during this round. You will fight until your opponent is either unconscious or surrenders. There will be no deaths. I will announce the competitors one at a time as they enter the arena, along with their official ranking and their passing scores for round one.”
Effin paused dramatically. “Robert Bashington, rank four, scored ninety-one percent. Adam Ontinio, rank three, scored ninety-three percent. Sie Noren, rank five, scored ninety-six percent.” The crowd burst into cheers that Effin was desperately trying to quiet before he continued. Sie stalked out toward the center of the arena, his shoulders wide, head held high as his dark eyes narrowed, taking everything in. He nodded toward the other two opponents as he joined them at the center.
“Please welcome Savern Abre, rank four, scored eighty-nine percent. And last, but certainly not least, Nathan McRee, rank four, scored ninety-two percent.” Effin didn’t stop the cheering this time as all five men gathered at the center. A loud bell chimed through the speakers, lingering a few seconds before the announcer exclaimed, “Begin.”
FOUR
SIE
I zonedout the deafening roar of the crowd as soon as the announcer bellowed to begin. I turned toward my opponents, sizing them up. I quickly realized that all the males stood together, facing me.
“So this is how it’s going to go,” I grumbled under my breath as the men launched toward me in unison. I knew that I had to take one of them out immediately—a knockout. I wouldn’t make it long in the fight if it remained four on one. It would also be to my advantage to scare them all from the start, making them hesitant to come at me. I quickly scanned them, searching for the weakest one.
Recalling that the announcer said that Adam Ontinio was a rank three, I found him amongst the group charging at me. He stood about a foot shorter than me, with lanky limbs and a scrawny body. Good enough.
I used my footwork to position myself in front of him, letting him come to me. Giving him false hope, he threw wide.
I leaned back on my heels, balancing my body weight as I dodged his fist. I didn’t hesitate as I landed a front kick to his face in a matter of seconds. My leg snapped up and I heard a sharp crunch of bones, breaking something. He stumbled backward, trying to steady himself. His scream echoed throughout the arena as he clutched his nose, attempting to stop the gush of blood pouring out.
