There was silence for a few moments after Ruena’s demand. Soral’s automatic response that Blade was Storm’s apprentice must have died in his throat as he scrambled for another explanation. Ruena had found that even if he wouldn’t lie to her, he wouldn’t always tell her everything either. An unpleasant name came out when Soral began his explanation.

  "I found him when I took out the Blacksmith's outpost," Soral explained, "I couldn't just leave him there, so I sent Blade somewhere that suited him."

  Ruena got the sense that there were still some important details missing, but the person in question was right there, so maybe he couldn't say them. At least Blade seemed to agree with Soral's explanation. In the end it wasn't important so Ruena let it slide. She had more important things for Soral to do. He might be able to make it fast enough for Ruena to negotiate her own terms for success.

  "Got it," Soral replied before she could even ask, "I will bother Densooth until he arranges a negotiation. Your plan is sure to work!"

  It was hard to say exactly how much of Ruena's half hatched plan he had heard from her thoughts, but at least he seemed confident in its success. It was always convenient to have someone who could truly understand exactly what she wanted without her having to explain anything. Even without all of the incredible powers that made up the enigma called Soral, his curse alone made Ruena think she never would have made it this far without him by her side.

  Soral did not return until the next morning, but the beaming smile on his face said everything. He succeeded. It was probably better not to ask how, especially since he had taken so long. What mattered most right now were the results. Just how much negotiation power had he been able to secure for her? Who would she be negotiating with? These were all important questions she needed to ask.

  "Before the fight, you will be able to meet your opponent and the judge and negotiate the terms with them," Soral revealed, "Densooth and Florfana's king will probably be there too."

  "Thank you," Ruena told him, both to the convenience of his answering unasked questions and to his success.

  Things had turned out far better than she had hoped. Being able to meet her opponent before the match wasn't a perk she was expecting to get. Then again, if it was truly a Protector as she suspected, they probably figured it wouldn't make a difference. It was hard for a little foreknowledge to make much of a difference in the face of overwhelming strength.

  "I want to watch the match," Blade declared.

  Ruena had forgotten for a moment that he was still there, but he had insisted on staying to spar with Ruena and help her practice until it was time for her test. Storm had reluctantly stayed as well to watch over him. Blade was a bit battle hungry, but Ruena could not deny how much of a help he had been.

  "I don't see a problem with it so long as you behave," Ruena told him, "but you have to convince Storm. You know he wants nothing to do with Florfana."

  It was no secret that the majority of Cats that had left Florfana would do anything to avoid having to go back. Storm wasn't a Cat, but he had enough Protector traits that she could easily assume he was related in some way. Blade seemed to know far more than she did by the way he grimaced at her words. That did not change the fact that she could not afford to invite a dangerous being and a child to such an important event unsupervised.

  “If I convince him, I can come?” Blade pressed, determined to get an answer on the spot.

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  “Yes, so long as he accompanies you,” Ruena confirmed.

  As soon as she gave her permission, Blade took off to track down Storm. It didn’t take him long to secure Storm’s permission, and before Ruena knew it they were all on their way to Florfana together. The closer they got to the kingdom of animals, the busier the roads became. It was as if they were preparing for a festival, not a potentially deadly battle as people from all across Althaedor gathered together.

  As soon as they arrived at Florfana’s royal palace Ruena was led to a private meeting room while her companions were taken somewhere else. Well, most of her companions. Soral made it clear in no uncertain terms that he would not leave Ruena’s side until the moment the battle began. That is how she found herself in a meeting with a rather unlikely assortment of people.

  There was Densooth and Florfana’s king who she had been warned about previously, and there was a Cat who must be the protector she would be going up against. What Ruena had not expected was the familiar face, or rather mask, standing behind him. Meeting a warlord right at the border of the territories was one thing, but Florfana was nowhere near it. That could only mean this warlord was here to acquire a protector.

  He had seemed confident enough when he had faced Gero during their takedown, but for a warlord to stand before royalty and the Queen’s advisor so boldly was a whole new level. There was no way Densooth did not know where he came from. As for Florfana’s king, he didn’t seem to see anything wrong with it. That probably meant he dealt with the Warlord Territories often.

  “You will have to excuse the extra guest,” the king told her, “You see, your opponent already has a buyer lined up and he is here to make sure his investment is secure. I see you brought an extra of your own.”

  “I see no problem in attending such an important meeting with my betrothed,” Ruena pointed out, “Though if I do win this bet of ours, you will no longer have the authority to deal with this Cat.”

  “Regardless of the outcome, Marx will be coming with me,” the warlord spoke up, “That is why I must make sure you have no intention to kill him.”

  “I’ve told you that the whole point of this test is to put your lives at stake,” the king of Florfana grumbled, “but fine. Negotiate your own terms for winning. So long as you put on a good show. And Marx, you know what will happen if you lose.”

  Ruena glanced at Soral, who nodded briefly. There was no need for them to exchange any verbal words. There were hostages involved here. That changed things a little, but Ruena had no intention to lose. Why should she when Soral was perfectly capable of taking care of everything behind the scenes?

  “In that case, I have a proposal,” Ruena began, “I am sure neither of us want to lose our lives so I would like to add two additional win conditions. First, getting our opponent to surrender, and second escaping the arena.”

  The Cat, Marx, frowned at her suggestions. “You do understand that both of those conditions are favorable to me, right?”

  “Since this arena is your home turf, and you are both stronger and faster, escape would only apply to me,” Ruena added, “It shouldn’t be hard for you to keep me from escaping, but it would be impossible for me to stop you.”

  “That sounds fair,” Marx agreed, “It would be better for you to surrender quickly so I don’t have to hurt you too much.”

  “I am afraid it is against my nature to give up before even trying,” Ruena replied.

  Besides, now that such a perfect plan had fallen into her lap, how could she let go? Once Soral rescued the hostages, all she would have to do was let him know and he would surrender. That is, if he believed her. It wasn’t a tactic she wanted to use, but it was one she would use if she had to. Ruena could not afford to lose now. Not after everything she had done to get here.

  “Those conditions are all well and good, but I would like to add my own,” Densooth spoke up, “Killing is not allowed. The death of the opponent will count as an immediate loss. Nearly killing will be fine since I have hired the best healer Belleas can offer for this event.”

  “I second that rule,” the warlord agreed.

  “Very well,” the king reluctantly gave in, “The new rules are now set. I will have someone guide you all to rooms so you can rest and prepare for the battle.”