Iscano returned to his husband as Ceilsea turned to refocus on the arenas. She had missed the only person she had a passing interest in. Shae had won so she would have another chance to watch them later. After waiting what was certainly hours for someone she knew to come back into the arena, she asked her brother how much longer it would be.

  “They have to get through the first round and then the loser’s fights to truly eliminate the worst. It’s only going to be the first round today I’m afraid,” he explained and Ceilsea groaned a little too loudly. The nobles around her stared.

  Their parents who had disappeared, returned and her mother whispered, “Why don’t you take Yippinee to get something to eat and have a break from the fights?”

  She nodded, and a guard escorted them from the box toward the palace. The crowd was thick and excitable. Once the guard had to grab Ceilsea to keep her from being hit with flying food, but they had created a clear pathway to and from the royal box, so they avoided the worst of the crushing crowd.

  Back in the palace, there were light refreshments set out in a sunroom. Ceilsea and Yippinee grabbed some fruit and olives and retreated to the family’s living quarters. Ceilsea kicked off her shoes and Yippinee sat on a sofa with his book.

  “Wake me up in an hour or so,” she told her little brother who nodded without looking up.

  It was amazing how much sitting and being bored out of your mind could exhaust a person. With fresh food in her belly, she couldn’t have stopped herself from dozing off if she had wanted to.

  Ceilsea woke, an unspecified amount of time later, to her sister loudly bragging on the other side of the door.

  “Did you see it?” Miennere asked. “I used that fake you showed me and I got them! I beat them all. It was almost too easy!”

  Miennere must have cornered Vonae. He stepped through the door trying to lose her.

  “I tried not to watch. I’m not going to give you feedback, remember?” He said dryly. In his hand, he had a plate of food.

  Miennere was sweaty and dirty and still wearing some of her leather training armor. Ceilsea knew she wasn’t supposed to be in this part of the palace dressed like that.

  “Did you actually advance a round? That’s a surprise,” Ceilsea asked to annoy her sister. Ceilsea sat up and brushed her hair back from her face. Yippinee hadn’t looked up when their siblings entered. Ceilsea had a feeling it had been more than an hour.

  “I hate both of you!” Miennere snapped. “The one time I try…anything, you just—” She was too worked up to finish the thought and stalked off towards her room. The door slammed behind her.

  Rivonae sat down on the sofa beside Ceilsea.

  “I should probably go back, shouldn’t I?” she mused.

  “Give me five minutes and all three of us can go back together,” Vonae said, getting a glance from Yippinee. “They are almost finished with this round, I promise.”

  Vonae’s idea of ‘almost finished’ was quite different from Ceilsea’s, but after her nap, she took it more gracefully. She watched the crowds or gazed up at the overhang above the amphitheater, which had always entertained her. She’d always loved rocks and stone, even when she was young. Smooth or textured, she liked how purposeful each shape had to be. Nature or human-made, the shapes could last centuries or shatter in seconds. Large land features like cliffs and outcroppings had first inspired her to sculpt. Most would say she was crazy for finding more enjoyment tracing veins of minerals and imperfections in the rock than in watching fighting human beings.

  “This is the last circuit for today,” Vonae informed her, shaking her from her daydreams.

  Ceilsea stood. “I’m going to find Shae with Master Iscano then.”

  “Fair enough,” he said.

  The rest of the family didn’t seem to mind when she left. Iscano met her gaze and followed her to the back of the box. Since they weren’t returning to the palace, they were on their own to face the crowds. Iscano might not look it, but he had been a traveling wayzard in the past and could hold his own against any threat. She supposed that was why her parents entrusted her to his company.

  Ceilsea figured the best place to find Shaelis was the training grounds, despite the fact that they seemed to prefer her courtyard. Surely, they took her request to stay out of sight seriously enough not to spend more time there during the day.

  Luckily after walking around a little bit, they found Shae on the edge of one of the training fields, practicing throwing sword shots in the air. Perhaps they had noticed the same issue that Vonae had and were trying to work through it. When Ceilsea waved, they stopped and walked over to her, a little more willingly than she expected.

  “Ceilsea, I was just about to go try and find you. I need to talk—”

  “Shaelis, this is Iscano Reberia, the High Wayzard,” she interrupted them and motioned to her companion.

  Shaelis froze for a moment, then stiffly bowed. They shifted their tone of voice and respectfully said, “Hello, Master. I’ve heard your evening songs these past few nights and they are technically superb.”

  “You gain a level of perfection when you play the same thing every day. Your counter songs today were quite innovative and well played, considering the distractions. I can’t say I ever heard anything like them,” Iscano politely returned the compliment. “Tell me Child, do you have any experience playing evening songs, or performing for large cities?”

  “I was trained to play the Echoing Organ at the Fortress of Ililoqua, so… yes,” Shae answered.

  That piqued Ceilsea’s interest. Ililoqua was a fortress built into the bottom of a mountain. The organ’s pipes were run through the rocks before reaching the open air. The music could be heard around a battlefield or in all the surrounding villages. She had heard there was a looming statue of a dragon above the keyboard. She wished to see that someday.

  “How did you get that mentorship? That organ is one of the biggest instruments in the world. It’s not something most people learn on,” Iscano remarked, obviously impressed. He had traveled the world before meeting his husband and knew about many instruments from many different countries. He was not easily impressed.

  “You just invited me to play on this city’s own impressive organ after only hearing a few riffs in the middle of a fight. I think you know how,” Shae said, their usual smug attitude returning. “If people think you have talent, they give you all sorts of opportunities.”

  Ceilsea could confirm that, but it begged the question—what was Shae doing here? She could not make sense of the fact that they were not playing music, but fighting with no support and using only a fraction of their talent.

  Iscano was too taken aback by the rudeness of the remark to question Shae’s motives. He fumbled to return to more civil conversation, “I wouldn’t be asking if his majesty didn’t want to make a showcase of the Evening Song to add to the festivities.”

  “Fair enough,” Shae replied, unfazed.

  “Would you be available to play two nights from now?” Iscano asked.

  “Of course. I don’t have a lot going on. I’m in a strange city where I know almost no one,” Shae told him, less than politely.

  “Good. Meet me outside…actually, if you don’t mind, Ceilsea, could you show them directly to the antechamber on that day?” Iscano turned back to her.

  Ceilsea nodded. “I was going to ask if I could watch anyway.”

  “There’s not going to be much to see,” Shae said.

  “I could say the same thing about the tournament, but look at how many people are watching,” Ceilsea countered. The last circuit must have finished, the training field was suddenly flooded with people.

  “We shall meet you then,” Iscano told Shae with a nod.

  Ceilsea began to follow Iscano through the crowd back to the palace, but Shae grabbed her wrist.

  “Wait. Can I talk to you in private?” Shae half-whispered. They looked concerned.

  Iscano stopped automatically, waiting for her, and she looked after him. The High Wayzard would not like to be left waiting. She feared he would tell the king and her parents that she was surprisingly close to this stranger. If they thought this was suspicious they would watch her closely. Unwanted suspicions could ruin everything. What could Shaelis possibly want from her now? She’d been nothing but helpful to them without getting anything in return.

  “You’ll have to be quick. I have a reception to prepare for and the High Wayzard is staring,” she told them with a fake smile. “Remember, I can stop being nice anytime I want.”

  Shae removed their hand, taken aback. “I don’t… I’m not asking for anything. Do you think I like begging for a place to sleep? Did you think I’d be honored to be dragged into performing like your pet? You could’ve just kept your mouth shut and we wouldn’t have been seen together at all…”

  “Why wouldn’t you? Isn’t it helping you? You would just be another fighter without something to make you stand out,” she told them. Shaelis didn’t seem to realize how valuable her time and attention was.

  “I don’t need your help. It will only make me a target,” Shae snapped.

  “Then why would you be seen talking to me more? I’m the pseudo-princess, remember? Anyone in my orbit is a source of gossip,” she started to get heated. More and more people were moving through the training field, making Shaelis fidget. They really didn’t want to be seen with her. Why had they even stopped her in the first place?

  “I’m so sorry. I should have realized the pseudo-princess is too busy to talk to the likes of me. I’m lucky to be able to hide in the dirt under your bushes at night. I should be grateful for every second you’re willing to spare me, your pseudo-ness.” Shaelis was almost growling, their voice low to avoid being overheard.

  “I have responsibilities. I can’t spend all my time and energy playing with you,” With that, Ceilsea turned and followed Master Iscano. He led her away from Shaelis into the surging crowds. Shae disappeared shortly thereafter.

  Ceilsea had no idea what that conversation had been about. How could they ask for help over and over, and then treat her like she had some kind of disease? She knew her social standing made a casual connection to her perilous, but it wasn’t her fault. She never wanted to be the pseudo-princess. She just wanted to be herself. Maybe once she finally escaped the capital, she’d finally be able to find someone who didn’t just want to use her for her talent or her connections.