We were nearing Clan Elk’s tent when the raucous noise of booing and cheers reached our ears. I stopped cautiously, but Theo showed no signs of alarm.
He shook his head at my expression and ran a hand over the back of his neck.
“It’s only the brawls.” There was a slight longing to his tone.
“The brawls?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, but they’re silly, really.” He shrugged with more sheepishness than I had seen in him. “Men from different clans compete in fighting.”
Several of the people around us headed in the direction of the cacophony, all of them speaking animatedly about which clans they hoped would compete.
“Do you want to join the competition?”
“No, of course not.” He shook his head. “I’m escorting you.” But a fresh round of cheers went up, and his eyes drifted toward the sound.
A small laugh escaped me. This was almost better than seeing him blush. “I could use a nap anyway. Why don’t you go, and I’ll meet you back at the tent?”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his hazel eyes lighting up with excitement.
I nodded. “Of course.”
He hesitated, clearly still debating what to do.
We eventually compromised when I allowed him to walk me back to Elk’s tent. I waved goodbye before passing the four guards standing at the entrance, nodding to them as I entered.
I hadn’t been inside the tent for more than a handful of minutes before I promptly spun around and exited again.
A tiny twinge of guilt pricked at my conscience, but…I hadn’t technically lied. In fairness, I could have used a nap. I just wasn’t going to take one.
And I would meet him back at the tent once I was done watching.
The sound of booing reached me from the direction of the fights, and I chewed thoughtfully on the inside of my cheek. I had seen a small dose of Theo in action when we had gotten attacked, but the focus then had been staying alive. I was curious to see his training up close.
So, I strode confidently out into the direction of the brawls.
The two roaring crowds on either side of a makeshift arena made it easy enough to find. My presence garnered more than a few looks, but no one actively tried to stop me as I squeezed my way toward the front so I could see.
I was halfway through the large, sweaty crowd when a man yelled something in the common tongue. I didn’t catch much, but “Theodore” rang out loud and clear.
I pushed my way forward with a little more urgency. There was no way I would catch any of it standing behind men a foot taller than me. Finally, I managed to get somewhere close to the actual ring.
Theo and another man stood across from one another, shirtless.
It was a sight to behold, all tan, defined abs and bulky biceps.
In a flurry of movement, they flew at one another, narrowly dodging the other’s fist. Theo gave nothing away as he waited for the smaller man to attack once again. As soon as the man did, Theo went low and swept his legs out from underneath him, knocking him to the ground.
Cheers rang out, and a few boos as well.
Theo backed up, a large smile taking over his face as he waited for his opponent to rise. When the man was back on steady feet, he said something to Theo in Socairan that made everyone laugh, including Theo.
Then the man was flying at him again.
Where Theo used targeted, powerful blows, the shorter man was all fast moves and quick, relentless hits. I winced when his fist made impact with Theo’s side several times in a row. Theo grimaced, backing away, even though he had a wide opening when the man swung too hard and missed.
Again and again, they pummeled each other with practiced skill.
I was staring at them, transfixed, when a voice to my right startled me. “My coin is on Tuomo. He’s smaller, but he’s fast.”
The voice was deep with almost no trace of an accent, but I didn’t tear my eyes from Theo long enough to put a face to it.
“No,” I argued. “Tuomo is wearing himself out too fast with those unrelenting strikes. Theo—dore,” I hastily tacked on the end of his name before I was caught being informal again, “is saving his energy. He’ll come in with the heavy blows soon and end this.”
Sure enough, a few minutes passed and Tuomo’s movements got slower. Theo came in with a solid right punch, followed quickly by one from the left. The smaller man went down.
I turned to the man at my right with a victorious smirk I couldn’t quite suppress. He stood closer to me than I realized, enough that I could make out the intricate black-on-black stitching of his finely made tunic.
My gaze traveled upward to his bemused smile, only to watch it morph into something more sinister when his gray eyes landed on mine. I tried to step backward, but there were people crowding behind me.
“Who are you?” the man demanded. His gaze shot to my hat, and he narrowed his eyes as though he could see right through it.
“Who are you?” I shot back, already failing in acting like a demure lady.
Oh well. The man in front of me couldn’t have been much older than I was. It wasn’t like he would be on the Summit, though I supposed he could still run tattling.
“I’m—”
“Lord Evander,” Theo’s voice startled me from my left, louder than I expected it to be now that the noise of the fight had died down.
He must have jumped over the double-log barrier to get here so quickly. For all that we were supposed to be hiding what was between us, he hooked an arm around me and pulled me against him, away from the other Lord.
“Did you need something?” Theo’s voice was cold and commanding.
Evander… The name pulled at my memory, and I tried to remember what Iiro had mentioned about him. Just that he was from Bear, and worse than his father.
Clearly, there was no love lost between him and Theo, judging by the tension rippling off them both. Lord Evander’s stormy gray eyes never left mine, though, twin orbs of disdain.
“I asked you who you were.” His high-handed tone was even worse than Iiro’s.
I lifted my chin. “Ah, but you didn’t ask nicely.”
He narrowed his eyes, an expression I couldn’t read crossing his face. Before he could respond, Theo steered us away, making for the outside of the circle.
The crowd parted for him, either because they had just seen him in action or just because he was a man, and I resisted the urge to scowl. I wasn’t the only one. Aggravation emanated off Theo in waves.
Only when we were all the way in our tent did he finally come to a halt, spinning me toward him.
“What were you doing over there? Do you realize the kind of danger you’re in from the other clans? Especially from Bear?” He added the last part a little quieter, his eyes softening as he looked at me.
“To be fair, I did only promise you fifteen minutes of good behavior. So, really, this is on you.” I gave him a wry grin, one that he fought not to return.
He squeezed his eyes shut, and I got the sense he was slowly counting backward from ten.
“You said there was a truce,” I reminded him.
“Between the clans, of which you are not. And even then, that’s not to say no one ever breaks it and risks the consequences.” He sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “I swear, Rowan. One way or another, you are determined to get yourself killed.”
