"But it’s far too dangerous…"2

"Don’t worry. Something like this hardly counts as danger."0

What were they talking about? She seemed about to face her uncle’s side in the tournament. Still, the lordship? Had they struck some hidden pact to wager the outcome of a so-called friendly match?0

Just then, attendants came to report other matters to Rubia, cutting short the women’s conversation. I watched Christina continue her training in the clearing with deliberate defiance, and my thoughts grew heavier.0

What was Kirk planning? Perhaps, he’d secured the aid of the imperial ghosts hiding in Erast. Would those ghosts, who claimed to intervene only in special incidents, truly involve themselves in something as trivial as a tournament? 0

This is worth investigating. 0

***0

I slipped into the place where Rubia’s uncle and his pack were holed up. Kirk’s hair was a tangled mess, and empty bottles of strong liquor littered the table. He appeared much more of a mess than the last time I’d seen him. Would the duke’s ghosts really help such a filth? 0

For now, all I could do was wait. They had dealings with Botis’s envoy, which was...0