“Dresses?”
“How do you expect to go to balls?”
Dresses would create shadows right between her legs. Nobody wore any kind of loose clothing in the Dark Valley. But she was no longer there and had to smarten up. “I was just surprised.”
“So in short, that’s it. You’ll get some beautiful dresses and will go to the royal balls. Griffin already agreed to that. Then if I ask you to talk to someone, go in a certain direction… It’s not the end of the world, is it?”
“I need to be sure you’ll really help me.”
“No question about it. If my instructions don’t help you pass a task, you can stop helping me. If you no longer help me, I’ll stop giving you instructions. We won’t even need to trust each other.”
“Sounds good. It’s a deal, then.”
“If you need me, tell your attendant. But you won’t be alone. I put you here with Loretta for a reason. You might get a note from me from time to time. Come and meet me, then. And never aim low. Want that cup. I’ll do all I can for you to get it. But you have to want it.” His gaze was intent on her.
Zora smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”
Larzen nodded and left.
She wasn’t exactly sure if she should trust him and if he was truly going to help her win the competition. But there was something else, too. One of her goals was to get more help and support for the Dark Valley, and getting close to the prince who dealt with diplomacy could only be useful.
And he was right that she needed to want the cup and be confident she could get it. No more settling for less, settling for just enough, settling for second. She’d gone this far tricking, lying, and not playing by the rules, and there was no reason to stop being smart now. Zora was a decent fighter, but not the best, fastest, or strongest. Still, she had her mind. She could read, she could think, she could brew potions—and she’d better use all her talents.
Zora sat on the bed trying to trick her mind into stopping worrying about shadows. It had been ingrained in her from an early age. The ability to prevent dark spots was even more important than knowing how to fight. If ever a dark creature spawned in your bedroom when you were deep asleep, skills would be unlikely to save anyone’s life.
But now she had to reconsider pushing beds against the wall, especially now that she would share the room with someone. Griffin’s mocking face and comment when he’d seen her room in the house of champions were fresh in her mind, and made her feel small. Well, if she won the cup instead of him, she’d be the one with the mocking face. Simple solution. Complex execution.
Then Zora’s stomach’s started rumbling. It was already three in the afternoon, meaning she’d slept a whole lot—and missed lunch. She was trying to figure out what to do when a young woman stepped into the room. She was about nineteen, with dark hair pulled up in a complex hairdo, light skin, curvy with soft features and a warm smile.
“Are you Loretta?” Zora asked.
“Why, yes.” The girl locked Zora in a tight hug, then looked at her. “I assume we’ll share the room.”
“If it’s not a problem.”
Loretta laughed. “Problem! I asked for a friend. You think I want to be alone here, staring at walls? Plus, what’s the fun in flirting if we don’t have anyone to talk to? What’s your name, dear?”
“Zora. I’m from the Dark Valley. I’m one of the champions.”
She looked at her up and down. “Wow, impressive. I would never have guessed it. You’re lucky. They’re saying the competitors this year are looking more than fine.”
“I haven’t met them yet.” She didn’t want to be rude and cut the conversation, but there was no way she would be able to continue being civil without some food first. “Do you know where I can eat, or if I have to call someone or do something?”
Loretta pulled Zora’s hand, and soon they were speeding through hallways until they came to a gigantic kitchen with ovens on one wall, a line of stoves in its middle, and people working on counters.
They sat at a table by a corner, while someone gave Zora some soup and bread. There were no leftovers from lunch, and it was too early for dinner. Loretta knew the assistants working there, which helped a lot. She was talkative and funny, and was a shop owner who’d come to the festival to meet people, or rather, meet interesting men. From her talk, Zora assumed that the competitors were also seen as husband material. She wondered if Seth had known. No. Zora had read all the communication from the castle, and it was just about sending a strong, young warrior to partake in the triannual games. Nothing about matchmaking. Nothing even about this bloody cup.
“You look sad, dear,” Loretta interrupted her thoughts.
“Just thoughtful.”
“Are you finished?”
Zora nodded.
Loretta got up. “I know what you need, then! A bath.”
The woman took her back to the bedroom, where they got their things, then to the women’s baths. Zora memorized the passages and the ways so that she wouldn’t need help every time she needed something simple. The bathhouse had several curtained sections and attendants filling them with hot water. That was something Zora also needed, after having walked so much.
As they got back to their bedroom, Zora asked, “How do you know prince Larzen?”
Loretta widened her eyes. “Larzen?” She lowered her voice. “Prince Larzen? I don’t know him personally. Wouldn’t mind it, frankly. He’s a sight to behold, isn’t he?”
“Yes. It’s just… He’s the one who got me this room. He said he put me with you on purpose.”
Loretta threw her head back and laughed. “You’re joking, right?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m insanely flattered. All I did was ask Tania, our attendant, to send me a roommate. I never thought…” Loretta touched her arm. “So you spoke to him?”
“Just stuff about the cup.” Zora didn’t want to seem like she was close to the prince or something.
The woman waved a hand. “Oh, right. You champions and your privileges. You’ll have to help out a girl looking for love.”
Zora smiled. “I’ll try.”
Someone knocked on the door. Loretta ran to it, and hugged a small, dark-haired girl of about fifteen or so, then turned to Zora. “This is Tania, our little wish granter.”
“I’m Zora.”
The girl nodded and smiled. “The champion. I know. I’m just here to tell you that you need to be at the back of the arena at six. The champions will be presented tonight.”
Zora felt her heart speeding. Six? There was a clock in the room, and it was already four. She could barely believe that in about two hours her farce was about to become real. This was all becoming real. There was a mix of natural apprehension about being in front of so many people, plus the small fear that someone would find out her deception, that somehow Seth would find a way to expose her. And yet what she felt most was the satisfaction of enjoying something that had been meant to be his. He shouldn’t have messed with her. Annoying Griffin felt good, too.
Tania turned around to leave, but Loretta yelled, “Where do you think you’re going?”