8

It's time for the final event of the day, and Fizza has the attention of a merry crowd. People sit around chatting about the day's events as they chew on huge bird legs and drink from wooden cups of ale. You sit with Sir Kelton as near the royal box as you can get.

You see Fizza emerge on her horse below as the herald announces the competitors. Fizza's opponent is a young man from the capital city.

"Where are all these birds coming from?" you wonder out loud as you notice the ravens and crows seem to be multiplying. They're perched on the fences surrounding the list field, and even on the fence that divides the jousters.

"Hmm. That is a bit strange," Sir Kelton says. But he doesn't dwell on it, "Look! It's about to start. Go Fizza! For the Queen!"

The flag lowers, and Fizza gallops toward her opponent….

"Oof!" you and Kelton both say as her opponent's lance breaks on her torso.

"That's all right. She's still in this," Kelton says.

You look up to see that the Queen is pointing at all the birds. There seem to be twice as many as there were just moments ago when you noticed them. Big black birds swooping in to perch on every available surface. One lands on a man's hat in the crowd below, and he swats it away angrily. Then the crowd laughs as one lands on Fizza's lance and she shakes it off.