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Days Until
AUTUMN EQUINOX
6 Anthros’s Sword, 1597 OT
ONE OF THEIR OWN
At twilight, Karege hauled Lio off his cot and stood him up. “On your feet, Sunshine! We don’t have much time to prepare you.”
Lio’s fangs shot out of his gums, and his magic fought against the confines of his body. Where was his Grace?
He tried to think through the instinctive, protective rage coursing through his veins. She was with Mak. Nothing could happen to her.
Lio rubbed his face. “Prepare me?”
“To survive a fight with Sunburn,” Karege said, “you’ll need at least a year of training with the Ashes. Unfortunately, we only have a couple of hours while she’s still in Council.”
Lio looked around and saw that Kella and Hoyefe were also waiting for him. They weren’t at the Castra any longer, but in a Hesperine tent, and Lio could sense the Summit Sanctuary’s ward outside. It seemed Karege had hauled Lio here in his sleep like a sack of turnips.
“Tuura is still at Patria, isn’t she?” Lio asked.
“On guard against the Collector.” Kella sat astride Tilili, sharpening her fortune blade. “Lyros is with her and Solia.”
Hoyefe straightened Lio’s robe, which seemed like it was trying to choke him. “Alas, you’ll have to solve your romantic woes after the battle.”
“But this battle is for Cassia,” Lio said. “For us, for Solia’s blessing. I need to make Cassia understand.”
Kella held her blade up to the spell light. “The time to help her understand would have been before you accepted the challenge. Too late now.”
“Is Cassia coming to the match?” Lio asked.
Kella shrugged. “That’s anyone’s guess. But if she doesn’t, you’ll simply have to do your best without her blood.”
For the first time, Lio felt an inkling of doubt about rushing into this.
Kella’s fortune blade suddenly came sailing toward him. He moved to one side, and it flew past his arm on its way to stab a pillow on the cot.
Kella cocked her head. “Decent reaction time for a Hesperine right out of Slumber. You might last a few minutes in the ring.”
Lio had endured half a year of Craving, hadn’t he? He had bested the Dexion in the gymnasium. And he had survived battles far more dangerous than a sparring match with his Grace-sister. “Oh, I’ll last longer than a few minutes, I assure you. Will Solia receive any preparation with Hesperine warriors? I want to ensure our match is fair.”
Karege laughed. “She’s been fighting with me for years. She doesn’t need any preparation.”
“On the contrary,” Lio said, “I do not believe she’s prepared for me.”
After a day without Cassia and an hour of practice with the Ashes, it felt as if Hypnos himself had raked his claws through Lio’s veins. But when he stepped out to the Charge’s sparring grounds behind the pavilion, the glory of the scene managed to reach him through his misery.
A ring of pennants marked the arena, banners of black and white and red that might have waved here since the first Equinox Summit. Rudhira stood in the center, the night wind stirring his braid. Every Hesperine errant in the camp had gathered around to watch. Lio felt their weary hearts thrilling to the promise of a spectacle to brighten their long, doubtful nights. Their power throbbed around him like applause, ready to cheer on one of their own.
In this match, he was their own.
“Best of luck, Sunshine,” Kella said, her tone sincere.
“You all have my gratitude,” he told her and her Ashes, before they joined Solia on the opposite side of the ring.
His Grace-sister gave him an almost lazy salute. He bowed. Then Mak and Lyros left her side to join Lio.
Lio glared at Mak. “If you don’t tell me where Cassia is, I’ll drag it out of you in the ring after I’m done with Solia.”
