9

You're not exactly sure what you're doing, but you try to reach out to that feeling you got when you cast your first spell.

At first nothing happens, but then you do feel something. You're not sure what it is, but the birds seem to have that same feeling around them. You wish you knew more about magic.

"Strange…." you say.

"What?" Sir Kelton asks.

"Nothing," you say quickly. The last thing you want is to tell Kelton you just tried to use magic right next to him.

"Ready!" the herald yells.

The flag lowers, and birds take flight in a cascading wave as the horses charge toward each other.

Fizza's lance explodes on her opponent's face.

"Yeah!" Sir Kelton yells. "That's how it's done!"

But the rest of the crowd hardly seems to notice. People are now swatting at crows and ravens, fighting to see the competition below. Birds are pecking at peoples' food and flapping angrily at children.

"Halt the tournament!" a clear, powerful voice rings out. You look up to see that it's the Queen. She turns to the Contessa, and they look to be discussing something. A few minutes pass as they discuss, and the Queen's younger relatives get involved too. There seems to be an argument, but the Contessa appears to be commanding the most attention out of the four. When she talks, the others listen.

"What are they talking about?" you ask.

Sir Kelton only shakes his head.