Chapter 27

"You needn't worry, it's nothing dangerous," Cassia reassures.

"At times," Nalia slips in.

I stand in front of the vanity. Cassia threads the back strings of my torso garment, tightening it like a corset. My sheathed daggers are strapped to my thighs, overlaid with an ankle-length skirt with dual slits to conceal them but still gives me ease of movement.

Cassia is plaiting my hair in a three-row braid. Stylish yet functional.

 "The Virdi tournament has occupied a longstanding position in the annals of history. While it may appear rudimentary by modern standards, its significance should not be overlooked. It's a show of virility, dexterity, to truly attune one to nature."

"Attune?" Nalia repeats with an exaggerated snort. "You mean to go against," she corrects with a wry laugh. "And should you really be dispensing advice so generously? It's not fair to the other candidates."

"By others you mean, Herem Vince," Cassia says.

She pulls so aggressively, I stumble back a step.

She mumbles an apology, but I wave her off.

Lila echoes my own qualm, and says, "You've been feeding him information?" Her volume rises, tenor sharpening with maleficence. "Urza lem ka waza lu ka empus."

"Easy sister," she says and guides her free-flowing, dark emerald hair to fall down one shoulder. "Technically, no, since he's not been in his bedchambers of late. Can never seem to find him."

"Or perhaps he's been avoiding you," Lila retorts.

Nalia slithers around her sister as a serpent would, eyeing her down before she slinks to the other side of the room, nearing the brink of an open archway. For necessary protection, they should have at least built a railing. However, what troubles me goes past Cistern's gates.

Vince's persistent absence provokes concern from me, as once again he was missing this morning at breakfast. I wonder what the Herem is up to? I mean, we are allowed free rein. We can roam as we please at our leisure as I have with both Cassia and Lila. The only time that we are all forced together is when it's time to dine.

But it seems something occupies the busy Herem.

"I am not the Reling, Hence, I am not obligated to maintain the same level of formality and humorlessness as you, Cassia—" she says and then shoots a disapproving glare at Lila, "—whereas you're just an ass-licking shrewd."

Lila gapes at her with stark ire. Still fresh with anger, she finds the wisdom to smother her retort.

"Back to the topic at hand," Cassia says sternly. Her fingers working near my hipline, moments from finishing. "Theoretically, no weapons are allowed, but countless times it has been used, so as they would. I will turn a blind eye to your daggers. An extra layer of protection won't hurt."

I glance at her from over my shoulder and nod gratefully. "I see, but you are all avoiding my one question. What is the Virdi tournament?"

"You'll know soon enough," Nalia says and turns her back to the archway.

She extends her arms to rest her palms on the frame. I care little for her, but I do not wish to see her plummet to her death either, as she totters at the very edge. And to my surprise, Lila strolls to the open archway; adjacent to Nalia, preparing herself as if she's about to leap into infinity.

"There we are," Cassia says, and walks to the archway beside the vanity. With her back faced to me, she outstretches her hand, fingers sprawled and a familiar green glow ignites. Promptly, creaking noises like the snapping of branches and a riot of rustling of leaves sounds. Then a large branch appears into view. It elongates itself at the foot, a step away from the floor of the bedchamber. Cassia steps onto it casually and revolves to face me, whereas I am stuck where I stand.

She stares back at me with a bored look. "Come, it's faster. I do not have the energy to walk out of this annex and still, travel beyond the Citadel."

Gathering my wit, I raise a finger to point at her. Then I pivot my torso to glimpse Nalia and Lila, already standing on mystically summoned branches. "You... you all share the same ability?"

Nalia frees a loud, condescending laugh. "You can be such a Hera sometimes, just because you are of wise origins, it clearly still doesn't exempt you from basic ignorance."

Her mocking grin withers into an antagonistic look. Nalia lifts a hand, fluttering her fingers in farewell as a green glow balls in her palm. The branch she stands on descends before she disappears out of sight.

"Aurora," she says wearily, like a parent trying to beckon their child for the hundredth time. "Come along, or we'll be late."

***

The Virdi tournament is held outside the Citadel. There are only two points of entry, the threshold that we came in from and the one at the rear that we all are using. By all, I mean the entire Terra population. This tournament is of great importance to the people. Fortunately, the palace and the annex that I reside in are near that threshold. Leading the trek beyond is the Regulus and the Regine that are flanked by their fiendish guards. Behind them is Cassia and her sisters with a troop of palace guards.

Duce Merian, the Herems and I travel with our remaining guards since Primus Kelan's departure; a constant, gnawing reminder of his absence, has taken the other soldiers with him. Behind us is the Terra nobility. And after them are the rest of the Terra people, all of which are making a mass exodus from the Citadel to just beyond the gates.

From there, people ascend, starting with the Regulus and his guards. There are terraces that crown the trees above, wooden platforms that round the necks of the trees beyond like tiered stands. Nothing as grand nor as legendary as the coliseums in Umbria or Sorcia. But clearly a place of spectating, and it grants everyone an excellent bird's-eye view.

Of what? We are yet to find out.

Duce Merian is called by the Regulus himself to join him and his royal family. The only ones with dual platforms that are bordered with a cast iron railing, the same wrought designs from the palace. Our guards encircle Duce Merian, standing on the platform below the Regulus.

The Herems and I are ordered to remain on ground level, form a line, and wait until all have taken their positions.

"What do you think this game is?" Dario asks from my one flank. His gaze floating with the clouds, watching them watch us, spectators scaling up the trees in throngs.

"You know as much as I." My gaze travels with the climbing hordes and scampering lots eager to rise and wait for whatever this is to commence.

I glance at Solaris on my other side. His eyes are a haven of sea-blue swimming in an ocean of odium. All of the Herems wear the same attire, alike to my own with thick vests on, sleeveless with a thin brown roping woven along rims and the hems. 

"Have you ever wondered if there are any dangerous creatures in the celestial forest?"

A smile crawls on my face. Apprehension knits itself into Solaris's expression.

"Of course they are," I say calmly. "We encountered none on our trek to the Citadel but make no mistake, all kinds of creatures creep in the lands of Urium."

Solaris finally meets my gaze. Those empyrean eyes twinkle with amusement. "Are you trying to scare me?"

I smile back at him. "As if I had to."

He jostles me with his shoulder. I react with a soft elbow to the ribs, which triggers a low chuckle from him.

"Whatever this mystery tournament is, I'll have to show you who truly fears," he says, narrowing his eyes at me playfully.

Looking forward, I say, "The answer will remain the same, Herem."

After a long while, both at our front and rear, it is completely vacant. A widespread passage of forest ahead, with trees of spectators that line the flanks, the Terra all high above. Unidentifiable birds fly overhead in an unnatural pattern. It is as if they themselves are spectating, or spectating for others too far inland to see from all the way at the front. So close to the Citadel's second threshold.

"Many good fortunes to you, Aurora," Dario says, with his gaze trained ahead of him.

I thank him with a smile and my eyes stray down to his hand. He has a similar ring tattoo on his index finger in the shape of a short spiral, dark brown just the same, but the patterns differ.

How did I not notice that before?

Shortly, a being appears several meters ahead of us. A multi-horned Terrian encased in an emerald floor-length robe, with dark brown drapings that stream down his shoulders. Umber brown horns sweep out from his temples, elongating at a curved height. He outstretches both arms and revolves whilst he speaks. And of course, he speaks in the tongue of the Terra, utterly foreign to us outsiders. But his voice prevails through this part of the celestial forest, the acoustics amplified, easily reaching the masses.

"Purebloods of the Decuria."

We all whirl around to see another being behind us. His clothing matches, so I assume he is the secondary host.

"Welcome to the Virdi tournament, an event long held in our—"

"I do not care for the history of your tournament," Markiveus interrupts. "Just tell us what it is, what we must do and what we must not do. What is the objective?"

"If you can let him finish his sentence, perhaps you would know by now," Tamani chides.

I look to my far left to see peeks of his auburn hair.

"Why don't you do what you do best and be Vince's mute lapdog." Markevius barks back. "Stay silent."

"Shut it!" Vince silences. "Both of you."

His words become flesh.

The Terrian looks back at us patiently. He restarts. "The objective of the Virdi is simple, with both pleasure and peril to guide it. You will until the setting of the sun," he answers without answering. "Once the ram's horn sounds, the race will begin."