Page 43 of Royal Hunt
This line of questioning wasn’t helpful.
“You said there were rules to the games,” I interrupted, flicking a worried glance at Ellis. He stared at the fire, apparently uninterested. “What are they?”
Pari sighed. “There are many rules to the game. We’re all taught them in prison. You saw me use one: the point of order. If at any point in the game you wish to clarify game rules, ask a question, or even switch sides, you simply call out ‘point of order’ and gameplay pauses.”
Viana frowned while Lyra looked excited.
“What’s to stop us from pausing gameplay to get out of a killing blow?” Lyra asked.
Pari grinned, her fae canines glinting at us in the firelight. “Nothing, of course. The fae would consider it dishonorable, but it is a viable strategy. Though if you call a point of order and don’t actually have one, you’ll be killed for cheating.”
Gregory reluctantly sat down to join us, though the guards stayed standing behind him. They kept shooting wary looks at Pari and the other heirs.
“What other rules?” asked Maven.
Pari rolled her eyes, and started ticking off on her fingers. “Point of order. Petition. We also know every game that will be picked. We even do the games in practice at the prison, learning common strategies and scrimmaging against each other.”
Gregory reared back, shocked.
Pari shot him a glare. “If you’re going to complain about fairness again—”
Gregory’s mouth snapped closed.
“So what’s the next game?” Viana demanded.
Pari poked the fire with a stick, her shoulders tense. “Could be pennant wars. Or chess. Hopscotch or finders. With the amount of people still left, I would guess pennant wars.
The look of confusion on my face was mirrored on Gregory’s. “I don’t know any of those games,” I confessed, and a quick glance back at the guards confirmed they hadn’t either.
Pari frowned. “These are supposed to be traditional human games.” Her voice grew contemplative. “You didn’t play games growing up?”
I threw my hands in the air. “Some of us had to work the farm. Very few of us grew up in palaces with all the money and food we could have wanted. Life has been hard for a while. Not much time for games or frolicking.”
Ellis blushed. “Well, I’m sure times weren’t as tough when your ancestors played them. I’m guessing the fae haven’t updated their gameplay in a few centuries or so.”
Pari grinned, then it quickly vanished. “You still don’t seem to fully understand. What do you think the purpose of these games are?” Pari asked urgently, her brow furrowing.
Nessian glanced up from where he’d been checking the binding on Lily’s ankle. “What that large fae—Cassus—said … something about punishing our bloodlines and a convenient way to dispose of fae prisoners and provide entertainment. However gruesome.”
Viana paused from sharpening her blade to snort incredulously.
“Care to share with the class?” Ellis bit out, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Pari rolled her eyes. “Not that Cassus or Ferar will admit it, but in prison we hypothesized that the entire point of all this isn’t just entertainment for the fae. It’s too convenient how most of the fae prisoners are ones that have had bad run-ins with Cassus for one reason or another. We think he has a more personal stake in all of this that no one has figured out yet.”
Matthias stood, his voice thick with accusation. “Viana hasn’t been surprised by any of this. I think she knew all of this was coming.”
Everyone took a noticeable inhale at his words, but Viana acted as if she couldn’t even hear us. She just kept dragging her blade along the rock with rhythmic motions. After it became clear we wouldn’t move on until she answered, she scowled and slammed the knife into her belt.
“Yes, I had an inkling this might happen. I just didn’t know when.”
The others gasped, but Matthias was right. Even I had noticed it. At every point along the way Viana hadn’t been shocked or taken aback—simply pissed. Her chin tilted proudly at us in challenge. Ellis wiped his face with his hands. He looked tired and worn, and who could blame him?
“My father had me when he was quite old,” Viana continued. The other heirs nodded, but I raised an eyebrow.
“Care to explain for us mere mortals?” I asked wryly, closing my eyes. The pounding in my head wasn’t as bad if I kept them closed.
Viana sighed. “He was sixty-nine when I was born. His father before him lived to be over a hundred. Andthatman was eight years old when the games were last held. He remembered, and he and my father were able to put enough of the pieces together to figure it out. Why do you think I’ve been so serious about training my whole life?”
