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Sana’a gave it some thought, her eyes tracking Keb and Kiho’s exit, then across the arena to where a cluster of fighters stood staring at her.
‘I’m a lone operator,’ she ventured. ‘I don’t do well in clusters and crews.’
Unless it advances my oath cause, she thought.
Kaniz was quick to draw. ‘You’ll get extra for your effort, book better contests, win higher prizes and get paid for certain for each bout. Like any sport, vultures circle the ring and fleece you if you’re not in with a solid training crew. You’re good, and I also know my sponsor will like you. She champions women fighters.’
Sana’a’s interest was piqued. ‘Who is she?’
Kaniz leaned forward. ‘She is married to the prince-hawk himself, Kaadiq. Son of the recently passed Kíríga. She’s also the sister-in-law of Kalila, the old King’s sibling. Rumour has it the two loathe each other.’
Sana’a’s heart rate picked up, and she fiddled with her shotel hilt, pasting on indifference. ‘Just like you said, royals come with their piles of shit. Not sure I need it. Rumours of how messy the fight for the monarchy is leave me cold. Not sure I want to mess with royals, given the old King’s sister seeks the elusive usurper and ferments troubles in the court.’
‘That she does,’ Kaniz mused. ‘She likes drama, and the usurper is all everyone can talk about outside the arena. Kalila also desires the crown for her son, Kashin, and according to some, she hunts the legendary hawkstone, if it even exists.’
‘What does she have to do with your k?thi k?st?’
‘She doesn’t. I just don’t like the woman. However, because Kesia is our sponsor, Kalila hates our guts and undermines us any chance she can. She despises that we win so often and that she has to wager on us most weeks to make her money back.’
‘Is that right?’ Sana’a murmured. ‘Does she attend the matches?’
Kaniz jerked her chin. ‘She never misses a major one. She shows up with her son Kishan for many of the smaller bouts. I hear they’re in deep with the schill-lenders, and since the Kíríga’s death, their debts have only mounted. So it’s a sure bet we’ll see much of them this match season.’
Sana’a hid her sudden engrossment in the topic with a flick of her hand. ‘Like I said, I care less for royals, titles and shit like that. I just want to get paid. Mayhaps I can find safety and power in being numbered with your k?thi.’
Kaniz nodded, her eyes glittering. ‘You will. Besides, I like you. You’ve got fresh spirit, and we need that to spice up the bouts. We’ve been staling for some time.’
Sana’a stretched a hand and shook Kaniz’s. ‘Lead me to water, and I shall drink.’
The training íkhara was noisy over the next few days as preparations for the match season unfolded.
The air was thick with the clang of koya on metal, the thud of bodies hitting the ground, and the grunts of exertion.
It was a symphony of chaos and will, a miniature battlefield preparing the fighters for the inevitable battles.
Despite her quiet personality, Sana’a warmed to Kaniz’s k?thi crew.
Some were wary, but most welcomed her. They trained alongside her with competitive posturing yet ribbed her like she was one of their own.
News of her blade skills spread like wildfire through the íkhara, and soon, their training sessions became a spectator sport.
Sana’a gave them the spectacle they came for, making Kaniz grin no end.
Yet, at the back of her mind, she could not let go of him.
Sana’a spent her mornings and practice sessions wondering whether her planned ruse would work.
On a man so cerebral, his presence was so palpable throughout Kos.
It even engulfed her even while she was asleep.
Wherever he was, she was sure he, too, was aware of her arrival on Katáne because, heck, the man had abilities far beyond anything she’d ever come across.
She’d met men, kings, generals and princes of might with exponential capabilities, she thought as she duelled with Kaniz early one morning. Yet this one soul sat above them all, this unknown, untapped soul, with his heat-seeking eyes and an energy that whipped around him like a storm.
Many moons ago, she’d sought her mother’s advice about her oath and the King she was meant to kill.
The Queen had warned her about the bearer of the hawkstone.
