Page 31 of Tournament

I almost cackled in glee as I spied on Lion team. I watched them pool their magic together to cast a spell that would locate precious metals and gems. For all my distaste toward their leader, Lion team was still technically in the running. They could possibly win the tournament, depending on what royal objectives the king and queen were hiding from me. But this choice made them much less likely to get enough points to stay in the running.

I slid from my hiding place among the dense undergrowth, gently stepped over a family of mushroom sprites, and levered myself onto Balefire's back. One team down, three more to go. I pushed aside my desire to rush off to find Raven team. I was closer to Bear, so it made sense to check on them first.

As I made my way through the dense, magic-steeped forest, I let the grounding, invigorating energy of the place soak into my being. It reminded me of the Wild Wood back home in Larkwood, though the forest of my home was darker and more foreboding than this place currently seemed to be. I loved the solitude and the aliveness around me. I always felt the most fae when I was in wild places like this, the human blood in my veins overwhelmed by an older, more powerful and knowing side that I didn't often feel.

I wondered if this was what full-blooded fae felt every day. Were they always so connected to the pulse of life around them? If so, it would explain why full-blooded fae—especially highborns—struggled so much with their primal urges during the wild moon. With my mixed heritage, it had always been fairly easy to follow conventional wisdom and stay safely tucked away inside on wild moon nights.

For highborns, the urge to answer the moon's call was much stronger. But it could still affect me if I tarried in the woods too long. I shuddered to think of the primal thing inside me taking over completely. What dark urges might seem normal to that ancient power that would make the civilized part of my brain quiver in disgust? Would I wake up somewhere unfamiliar, bathed in blood and covered in mud and scratches with no clue where I'd been or what I'd done the night before, the way my stepmother said she once had after staying out too late on a wild moon night?

Shaking off those unsettling thoughts, I traveled through the forest for an hour or more before I finally came upon Bear team. I wasn't sure what they were looking for, and it seemed they weren't certain either. The men were currently sitting in a loose circle with their assorted mounts tethered nearby while they discussed plausible options and ideas. It was amusing to listen in on their conversation, and I had to try very hard not to laugh at a few of the things they thought might be Elfhaven's most precious resource. But they were at least being thoughtful about the mission before jumping to any conclusions. And for that, I had to give them credit.

I mounted back up and left them to their planning. They had a few days yet to figure out their plan of action and find their treasure.

As the day wore on, I was able to find and spy on the other two teams as well. They were relatively easy to find at the moment because they hadn't had too much time to travel. But I also had help from the little charm that was secretly connected to their emergency medallions. The four gems on the ring I wore were each attuned to a team, and they glowed brighter the nearer I got to the men. Since they were all fanned out and moving deeper into the woods, it took me a little longer to find Peacock team than it had to find Lion and Bear, but I managed. It was late afternoon by the time I caught up to them. Only to find them stopped in the middle of a clearing as they argued.

"The skin is rare!" One of the fussy highborn men insisted. "Made into a belt for the king or queen, it would garner instant respect the moment they entered a room. And it would grant them bargaining powers that would be helpful when they meet with foreign dignitaries."

"There are more valuable things hidden here, I know it," another insisted. "One giant basilisk pelt isn't important enough to all of Elfhaven to be the prize we're after."

"The same could be said of the dark ent wood." Another of their team insisted. "Yes, a staff made from it would grant the user power and strength, but surely if the king or queen wanted such an instrument, they would have long since obtained it themselves. And we all know they wouldn't necessarily condone killing either of these beings without reason. We're missing something," he huffed. "The officials said that whatever we're seeking, it's valuable not only to the royals or to the capital city, but to the entire kingdom."

The leader of the team shook his head. "We're not thinking big enough. Grand enough." He tossed his perfectly curled red hair over his shoulder and frowned as he straightened his riding jacket—which was trimmed in velvet and lace. The jacket was undoubtedly beautiful, but it was also absolutely ridiculous for foraging through the Untamed Wood. These were the dandies of Peacock team we were talking about, though. I would expect nothing else.

If this team won, I would need to guard my coffers well, lest Larkwood's entire budget be spent on fancy dinner jackets and gem-encrusted hair clips.

"It has to be a resource that will bring great wealth or power," the team leader mused. "Not something as simple as gold or gems. But maybe…." His bright hazel eyes gleamed with lust at the thought that was clearly forming behind his perfectly primped and pretty face. "Mage dust. That must be it. The royal diviners are always on the lookout for new wells of mage dust. And it has thousands of uses. It would benefit the entire kingdom and increase the wealth of the capital city in one fell swoop."

They were all talking now, but it seemed they would eventually agree with their leader's epiphany.

I shook my head and squeezed Balefire's sides with my knees, gently easing him away from the group. While Peacock team was certainly more clever and thoughtful about their answer than Lion team, they were just as wrong. Of course, they had no way of knowing that, and I suppose mage dust was a decent guess.

It might even be important to the royals, if Peacock team found a pocket of the stuff—except for the secret that I held smugly inside myself as I departed. The mage dust well that had recently been found in Larkwood was enough to fill the kingdom's needs for a long time to come. It was also conveniently located in the mountains, in an already established mine that was unoccupied by any particularly feisty, unpredictable guardian spirits. So, much like the gold, they probably wouldn't risk disturbing the nature spirits here in the Untamed Wood just to get more mage dust.

Wealth and prosperity were one thing. Greed was another entirely. And the one thing my people knew better than many other races we encountered was how to tell the difference. It was best to maintain a balance with the natural world…otherwise, there would be consequences.

The sun was sinking toward the horizon when I found Raven team. I pulled on Balefire's reins, halting my pooka friend under the spreading branches of an ancient plum tree, both of us still hidden by my disguise charm and by the clouds of dusty mauve blossoms around us. Raven team had stopped for the evening, and they were setting up a camp and getting a fire started, laying out bedrolls, and preparing to cook their dinner. They didn't seem rushed or concerned. They weren't arguing. And they all moved about and worked together like it was second nature. Like a family well used to spending time together, even camping in the woods. They also seemed well-equipped, thanks to my early warning of what was to come.

Fife was doing something with his magic. I watched curiously as he sketched a complicated symbol in the air with his nimble fingers before crouching and digging his fingertips into the earth. A flare of power moved through his aura as he cast his spell, and I grinned like a child. It was always thrilling to watch a cleric work high magic, and this close, I could feel a faint echo of it in my own aura. Like catching sight of a long-lost friend in a crowd. Instant recognition and excitement for something I couldn't quite grasp.

I didn't let myself think too hard about how the feeling seemed more intense with Fife than it ever had while watching other clerics work, or how it called to something deep inside me that I didn't understand.

The magic faded a bit as it settled, and Fife tilted his head, his silky black curls falling across his face and hiding his brilliant crystal green eyes. But I saw a faint smirk tug at the corner of his bowstring mouth. I didn't know what he was doing, exactly, but I was suddenly reminded of the way he had seen right through my previous disguise charm.

Damn it, I had paid three times as much for this one. He had better not be smirking at me! He was in the middle of casting a complex spell. There was no way his ability to sense peripheral magic was that strong.

"What did you find?" Mirri said, crossing over to crouch near Fife. "That look on your face says it must be something priceless."

Fife shook his hair back out of his eyes, and I swear he was looking right at where me and Balefire were concealed beneath the flower-covered branches of the massive, ancient plum tree.

"Priceless indeed," he said with a grin.

Then he turned his attention back to Mirri before the other guy could catch where he was looking. "You were right. The conditions are favorable, and the earth says there is a field of moonsilver plants not too far from here. We should be able to reach it by tomorrow." He frowned. "But then the question is whether any will be ready for harvest. If not…." He shrugged.

Moonsilver plants. They were incredibly rare. The field must be in an uncharted area of the forest, because it wasn't on my list of possible treasures. But if there really was an entire field of moonsilver plants here, then Raven team was absolutely certain to win this challenge.

There were a lot of ifs involved, though.

Moonsilver was a potent herbal ingredient that could make medicines to heal nearly any illness, no matter how severe or how far it had progressed. It was sought after by the most talented healers, who could use their magic in conjunction with the flower's essence to make a concentrated form that would last for ages, requiring only a few drops to combat even the worst sickness.

---