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That was entirely unhelpful. And suddenly I understood why they left me out of their discussions so often. The rulers of Elfhaven juggled so many things all at once. So many relationships and subtleties and so much knowledge of the social and political workings of the world around them. I couldn't hope to keep up.
"Why would the humans want Lion team to win?" I said, focusing on the most obvious question. "Explain, please." I needed to understand these things. I needed to keep up.
King Bane scoffed. "Power and influence, of course," he said easily. "Like always."
Queen Iris nodded. "Sometimes the best way to get what you want is to have the ear of someone who can get it for you."
"I get that," I said slowly. "If the Prize turned out to be one of your children, or one of your other relatives, they would have someone in place to whisper in the ear of the king and queen." In that instance, the chosen champions would be very well placed to make sure their sponsors in the human kingdom got the best trade agreements and the favor of the nobles here in Elfhaven.
That all made sense. But something else didn't. "What I don't understand is why Lion team, specifically? I don't think you fully comprehend how…well, to put it bluntly, how stupid they are. How oblivious their leader is to his own social failings." I shook my head. "They certainly wouldn't be my first choice if I were trying to select a group of males to carry out my political machinations. They have no tact or subtlety."
But Queen Iris just lifted a brow at me. "Are you certain they aren't merely pretending to be simpletons to avoid suspicion?" She gave me a soft, sad smile. "Your accepting heart is admirable, Katrina. But I think you would do well to realize that not everyone is as they seem. We all don masks sometimes."
Then she shrugged and gave me a wry smile. "Or maybe they were chosen precisely for their lack of intelligence. Puppets are much easier to manipulate when they aren't able to fully comprehend the distant outcome of their actions."
I mulled over her words as we left to go about our day. For all we knew, the men of Lion team weren't even aware that someone was rigging things in their favor and trying to push them into position. They could be unaware enough to think that they were simply winning on their own merit alone.
I supposed we would find out soon enough, one way or another. But I almost dreaded the answer. Because I feared that in some ways, I was as easily taken in as Lion team. Perhaps I really didn't know anything at all about any of the champions who were competing for a place in my life. Perhaps they all wore masks. Even Raven team. And that was an unsettling realization.
Chapter 41
The Champions' Ball was the event of the year. Unlike many of the royal parties hosted in the palace, this one was open to everyone, not just the affluent. Highborn and lowborn, rich and poor, and everyone in between—they all gathered to feast and dance amid glittering opulence. The ballroom flickered under the warm glow of thousands of candles. The tall, arched ceilings were festooned with flowering vines and lit by the magic of fae lights. And fireflies danced like living stars above the richly dressed patrons.
The event was a masquerade, the faces of the guests hidden under elaborate masks and glamor, both physical and magical. It was a chance for everyone to mingle without fear of judgment and without the barriers of social class. Tonight, a group of men would win the chance to bond with a noblewoman. The winning team could be composed of lords or laborers, people of any class. Tonight, anything was possible. Some of the richest fae nobles were probably dressed as peasants, and there were undoubtedly poor farmers who had saved up and rented garb to make them look like visiting royals. Stepping out of their usual roles and not knowing who they dallied with was a heady experience. It was titillating and freeing.
But for me, it felt as though I walked on thin ice, just waiting for the floor to shatter beneath me and leave me frozen and drowning.
The king and queen gave no hints about the outcome of the tournament, making everyone wait for the announcement at the ball. There were the official public scores, but the people knew now that there was also a secret tally going on behind closed doors—my own input that judged the teams based on their behavior, rather than their wins. And that made the outcome more uncertain to the citizens who waited with baited breath to find out who had won. There was also the little matter of the sabotage that the public wasn’t yet aware of. I knew who had won, and it wasn't the team that appeared to be in the lead based on the public scores.
Would the citizens of Elfhaven be happily surprised? Or would they make a fuss over the way the winner was decided? And did I care about that at all anymore? My heart said no. But my more rational side—the side of me who was stewardess of Larkwood and knew how important public opinion was—that side was a bit worried about what the people thought.
here was still information missing. Pieces I didn't understand. But the most important thing was that either Hamartia or Bellspear had hoped to sabotage this tournament for their own gain. Now I was forced to play the game alongside the king and queen, and make a public spectacle of it all for their amusement. And as a warning to the human rulers. Not only were they going to be chagrined to realize that the Prize they sought was no princess or fae of royal blood. But they would realize the king and queen of Elfhaven were onto them, and anyone with a single grain of sense would know that didn't bode well their life expectancy.
I squared my shoulders, touched my fingertips to the intricate white stag mask that covered my face, and prepared to enter the ballroom. The crowd was already loud and boisterous, drinking and dancing to the lively music that filled the space. A dizzying rush of color and activity whirled around me, glittering masks and smiling lips everywhere I looked. It was dizzying.
My dress had a small train, and I worried someone might step on it in the press of people. Glancing behind me, I turned slightly to gather up the gauzy fabric. The gown was light blue, most of it made of flowing layers of chiffon. The fabric faded and changed color in places, with hints of pale turquoise amid the blue, all of it fading to white at the tips, like foam-crested waves in the sea. Vines and flowers trailed up the center of the front and back of the dress until they met with the muted green leaves that flared over my hips.
Above that was a corset-like bodice of pale green that hugged my body and accentuated my curves. Stylized vines and branches twisted up from the back and peeped over my shoulders, adding to the forest-themed look. I had even obtained a set of pointed tips for my ears, intricately woven gold wire encrusted with glittering gems.
The dressmaker had done wonders altering my costume after I returned from the Untamed Wood and decided I wanted to add more forest elements and the stag mask. It was gorgeous. But it was hardly subtle.
I turned from gathering up the train of the gown to find Bach standing before me. Of course, he was masked, just like everyone else. But his costume wasn’t even vaguely trying to hide his identity. And even if it did, I would know his broad body and the timbre of his deep voice anywhere. The curve of his chiseled lips was forever rooted in my memory. "Pleasant evening, mistress," he said politely, sketching a formal bow as if I was some highborn fae noble.
His manners were perfect, but his voice sounded tight. Of course he wasn't thrilled to be here. He was only here because the queen had refused his request to withdraw from the tournament. I tried to remind my racing heart of that fact, but I couldn't help the thrill that lit through me when he spoke.
He knew the stag mask was for him. For them. Only the men of Raven team would understand the reference to our forest guide. I curtsied, unable to stop a wry smirk from lifting one corner of my mouth. "Sir."
Bach held out a hand. "One last dance, miss Rina?"
I wanted so badly to tell him the truth, but I couldn't. Not yet. I swallowed back my words and forced a bland smile as I took his hand. "Of course, my lord."
He spun me out onto the dance floor, my ridiculous gown and the long tails of his velvet jacket swirling out dramatically around us. One of my hands was engulfed in his warm grip, while the other rested on his beautiful coat. The garment was a rich blue nearly identical to the color of his eyes, embroidered all over with gold thread in the shape of ravens. His mask was a raven as well, the rich black of its feathers stark against Bach's gray skin. Iridescent black feathers flared out from the mask over the fan of his uniquely shaped water-dweller's ears.
"Do you already know the outcome of this game?" he murmured to me as we spun about the floor.
I met his blue eyes, my heartbeat heavy in my chest. "I can't tell you the outcome," I said truthfully. "There is a spell preventing it."
It surprised me I could say even that much about the queen's spell. But it hardly mattered now, so close to the end.
