Page 61 of Depths
“Well, I mean …” He slid his free hand through his hair in a mockery of arrogance before looking imperiously down his nose at me. “I stopped looking after I saw mine.”
“Keelan!” Sahar scolded.
But I burst into laughter until the herald started to speak. Then I swallowed my amusement and turned a courtly face out to the siren who held an amplifying shell to his mouth.
“Reef City! I am delighted to welcome you to the ultimate quest! The attempt to win the hand of our fair Queen Avia and lead Okeanos to a new day! Thirty-two men are here today competing. Only twenty of them will make it to the next round. That’s right! Twelve are going home! Their entire fate will be decided in two days.”
The man was good. His speaking was crisp. He knew how to build momentum and suspense. I did fade out a bit when he explained the point system for the joust; it was far too complicated for me to follow. An impartial judges’ panel sat on the far side of the arena. They were the ones who needed to understand the rules. All I needed to be aware of was that I got one exception. I could save one man if needed and keep him in the running.
I had a feeling I’d need that exception for Mateo, though I tried to quash it because that very thought meant I didn’t have confidence in him.
The first round went off without a hitch. Two doors opened in the walls, and a green spark raced across the arena just before Julian and one of the other competitors gave war cries, charging at one another. I hardly had time to be anxious before the round was over. They swam, they clashed. There was a sickening squelch as Julian’s swordfish speared the other man’s. Julian’s beast flicked his nose upward, sending the other rider tumbling through the waves.
Handlers scrambled out from all sides to help Julian contain his beast and then free its nose from the dead animal’s.
“Round one is complete, ladies and gentlemen!” the herald took back up his shell to declare. “And with the judges giving Julian a near perfect score for that central hit, he’ll be a hard one to beat! As we wait for the next contestant, let me remind you that all the swordfish slaughtered tonight will be distributed to the Reef’s different quarters by the City Guard. Each citizen can collect their portion…”
His muttering droned on, but I was distracted when Keelan squeezed my hand and leaned in. “I’d better go. Watching makes me want to pace and shout obscenities.”
“I don’t mind.”
“My mother would.” He raised his eyebrow.
“Just one more round, please?” I really did need to ask him about that point system. I didn’t want to sound like a dullard later when everyone around me buzzed about it.
“Fine. One. But my leg is going to be bouncing uncontrollably the entire time.”
“Good. Fine. Now. Tell me about the scoring.”
I convinced Keelan to sit there for four more rounds, explaining the rules to me. Once he left, Sahar took his seat over and—after a death glare—she began briefing me on the people who’d been invited into the tent, those that I’d need to rub elbows with when the tournament paused for lunch.
Sahar had just finished whispering about a very elegant woman who had an entire harem of brickmakers when a panel in the wall opened up, and Mateo emerged, sitting sidesaddle upon a swordfish that was at least twice as massive as the one he’d ridden last night.
Instantly, whatever question I’d had died upon my lips. My attention, which had always been split during prior rounds, turned toward the arena. Everything else dissolved as I watched him emerge. His arms were wrapped up in the reins while his head was crammed into a silver helmet topped by a plume of white ribbon that drooped sadly as the current died down. His swordfish’s nose was encased in that hideous metal again, which glinted in the sunlight filtering through the waves. It looked twice as bright, twice as harsh, twice as deadly as last night.
My throat grew dry, and my heart gave a squeeze of protest.No. He shouldn’t do this. He should quit. Stand down. I should yell out and just declare his forfeit. I should use my exception before he has to go through with this.My fear battled with the rage I knew I’d face from Mateo if I took away his chance. Our chance to be together. He’d never want to stay and look weak in front of the others. He’d hate me if I used the exception to metaphorically cut his legs out from under him. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment and urged my body not to faint, not to be sick. If he could do this, then so could I.
A noise reached my ears, and my eyes popped open, unable to stop themselves from witnessing whatever was about to occur, even if it was tragedy. Out of the panel in the opposite wall emerged one of the competitors I’d taken no notice of—I’d spoken with him a few times but felt no connection, either good or bad. I knew who I would cheer for. I found Sahar’s hand and gripped it as both men took their places at opposite ends of the arena.
Sound died down all around us.
Sahar looked at my worried expression, and her brow furrowed. “Don’t worry. I know he’s not the strongest competitor, but these sea boys have been racing around on mounts since before they could swim …” She trailed off when she saw how my eyes were glued to Mateo, how pale my cheeks had gone.
Shite. I was giving too much away. I needed to find a way to calm myself, to stop the blood pounding through my veins. But if I took my eyes off Mateo, what if that was it? What if something happened? What if this was the last moment I’d ever get to look at him? “Have you met him?” I nodded toward Mateo, trying to clear the tightness from my throat with a false cough. “I fear this competition is not quite within his skill set.”
Sahar began to answer, but suddenly one of my mages shot out a bolt of green light from the middle of the stands. It arced across the arena, tail trailing through the water so that it resembled a sickly comet. The signal to start made both the swordfish rear slightly before they charged at full speed toward one another.
They created waves as they streaked toward one another, bolts of black and silver, features blurred by their speed.
I watched the other man, a siren, pull back on the reins and aim the nose of his beast—not at Mateo’s mount … at Mateo.
Thud. Thud. Thud.My heart galloped. What the hell was that man doing? Why?
Mateo’s eyes widened as he tried to pull his mount up, to slide backward on the fish and curl his body low to avoid the sharp metallic blade. But with his poor tail control, he slid sideways toward the other swordfish. Right into the path of the blade.
The entire crowd gasped. Even the herald making announcements gasped into his shell, the sound reverberating around the arena.
All eyes were locked on the two men as the swordfish grew closer.
