Beloved (33 page)

“And what about me and Xantara?”

Kira walked to the mirror, tapping Altaria on the nose as she passed. “I think I’ve already proven I would die for you when I put this stupid bracelet on.”

Altaria stood and followed Kira to the mirror. They stood side by side now, looking at each other’s reflection. “No, that’s not what I meant. Do you not consider Xantara your family as well?”

“Of course, but it’s different. You and all of Xantara are Octavion’s family—his support system. This is his home. But I’ve never had that. Not with my mother and not in the many places we moved to. Lairdor gave me that when I needed it the most. Now I have my own family and support system and I like it that way.”

“I can understand that.” Altaria adjusted the ties on the front of her vest so they pushed her breasts up and made them look fuller. They would have spilled over the top if she didn’t have a blouse on underneath. “Ready to go?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be. Are you ready to kick some butt down there?”

“I am ready to kick
your
butt.”

Kira gave her a friendly nudge. “In your dreams.” She couldn’t wait to prove to Octavion and Altaria that the old mousey Kira was dead and in her place was a strong, independent woman. She’d waited far too long for this day to hold back now, especially since they had no idea what she was capable of.

When they arrived at the arena, the opening ceremonies had already started. At the last festival there were only a few tents and a huge area in the middle where children played, but this time the place was overflowing with people and tents pitched almost as far as the eye could see. Bleachers had been erected on the north and south sides of the playing field and on the west side they’d set up a special place for all the visiting royalty. On the east side where an elevated stage stood, King Belesgar and Octavion sat on thrones. A large canvas had been stretched between poles, shading them from the morning sun.

Surrounding the Royal duo was an entourage of several castle guards, Luka, Cade, Mara and Nestor, as well as a handful of servants, including Ussay. There was no sign of Arela or Ethan, though Kira was sure they’d show up at some point.

“Wow,” was all Kira could say as she turned to watch the parade of characters streaming by. It was something between a fashion show and an animal parade with merchants showing off their wears, carts being pulled by beasts Kira had never seen before and ornately decorated carriages filled with Royals from every participating kingdom. Running alongside each carriage were dancers and people wearing masks and costumes.

“I know,” Altaria said. “It has been years since Xantara held such a festival. It is long overdue.”

Altaria led Kira up on the stage to sit on an ordinary chair next to Octavion, while Al took the seat next to her. Mahli plopped down in front of her while Nigel took his place behind them, ever vigilant of their surroundings. Kira couldn’t help but notice the empty throne on the other side of the king and wondered why Altaria hadn’t taken it. Then she remembered she was incognito—acting the part of Kira’s friend from Earth.

Is it hard? Not being the princess and sitting by your father?

Not at all. I love that no one recognizes me. It gives me freedom to do as I please and I do not have to hide while Lydia gets all the attention—as it was my whole life
.

How long will you have to keep this up?
Kira couldn’t imagine going through life here without both Lydia and Altaria.

Not long, but it is up to Father when he will reveal the truth about his deception. He does not want to offend anyone, especially the Elders of Lor who were present at my grave.

Right.

Kira was so focused on the festivities and sharing her private conversation with Altaria, she hadn’t noticed when Octavion took her by the hand. She gave it a squeeze, then looked up to see a smile on his face. Though his gaze was on the ceremony, she knew he was thinking about her and the night they’d spent together. She could feel the rapid pulse in his wrist. The simple threading of their fingers had made her heart race too. She couldn’t wait to be with him again—in private.

He leaned a little closer, still keeping his eyes on the festivities. “I apologize for not coming to the castle to get you. I have missed being at my father’s side and with all the visitors, I thought—”

“It’s okay. I understand.” Kira moved their hands to rest on his leg and scooted a little closer. Only then noticing how nicely dressed all the women around her were. “I feel a little underdressed.”

This time his full attention shifted to her. His gaze wandered slowly from the tip of her boots to the lock of hair that had fallen over her face. His eyes sparkled when they met hers. “I think you look perfect. I would not change a thing.”

“Good, because I didn’t want to change my clothes before I compete with Al.”

His brow furrowed. “With Al? What do you mean?”

“I’m competing today. You said your father gave the women permission.”

“
Royal
women, Kira. Not commoners. You would be killed in an instant.”

Octavion’s attention was suddenly pulled away before he could say anything else. The opening ceremony had come to an end. The last of the participants—dressed in a strange costume with green feathers and black draped fabric—turned to face King Belesgar and held a shoebox sized silver container embedded with gems. A gift for the hosting kingdom, she assumed. A mask hid the presenter’s face, which would have been strange if there weren’t others dressed in similar outfits. Octavion motioned for one of the guards to retrieve the box. The guard went to the edge of the stage, took the box and added it to a collection of other gifts that had been presented to Xantara that morning.

King Belesgar bellowed over the noise of the crowd for the games to begin, then disappeared.

“Where did he go?” Kira asked Octavion.

“Back to the castle. It is not safe for him to be exposed like this for very long. Too many strangers from other kingdoms, and even though Kazedon is not participating, it could still be dangerous. Which is another reason I do not want you participating in the games.”

Kira pulled her hand away and folded her arms. “Well maybe you should chain me up in your lair. I’d be safe then.” She knew he was only protecting her, but she’d been on her own long enough to know she could take care of herself, especially with her newfound skills. He had no idea what she was capable of and his resistance only made her want to prove she was more than adequately equipped to take on a royal, especially in a
game
.

Octavion sighed. “Kira, I—”

“No.” She grabbed the gem stone that hung around her neck. She didn’t want anyone else to hear their conversation.
I’m not the naive little mouse you wanted to hide away when Shandira was hunting us. I’ve changed. The Crystor has given me powers you have never seen before and I can protect myself.
She stood and faced him. “And I don’t need a body guard.” She pointed to Nigel, whose expression hardened with her words.

She took Altaria’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Come on, Al. I’ve got some aggression to work off.”

Altaria didn’t respond, but the smirk on her face said it all. She knew all too well what it felt like to be under Octavion’s thumb.

Kira didn’t have to look behind her, she recognized Nigel’s uneven steps following them. No big surprise. She knew he would forever be there for her, even when she didn’t want him around.

With the exception of the Darkords, most of Lairdor had arrived by midday and the mood was jovial and friendly. Lessa and the other ladies quickly found the merchant area, while Brenna and Blayde, along with other Royals, made a beeline for the various competitions with Altaria and Kira on their heels. Even though Kira knew she’d be no match with the sword and other large weapons, she knew she’d be hard to beat in archery and hand-to-hand combat.

With Mahli and Nigel at her side, Kira signed up for three events: Stationary target, moving target (both with her bow), and Ki—empty hand combat where weapons were prohibited and Royals were not allowed to transform. They could, however, use their gifts and powers as long as they weren’t life threatening.

Brenna and Altaria both entered small sword and Ki, which meant the three of them would fight each other at some point, something Kira looked forward to watching and participating in.

Kira’s confidence in her abilities quickly faded when she saw the caliber of skills displayed while waiting for her turn to compete with her bow. Hitting a stationary target would be easy enough, she’d done it a million times, but the moving targets were insanely difficult. By the time her name was called, she was a nervous wreck.

As predicted, she nailed the center of the target several times, taking second place to a young girl who couldn’t have been more than fifteen. Kira didn’t mind losing to her. She was quiet and shy, but had wicked good aim. She deserved to win.

The moving target competition was a different story. Half as many women signed up for the event and for good reason. Not one of them hit their mark on the first round, a large coin that was shot into the air from something like a sling shot. It was so fast, Kira barely saw it wiz by before losing sight of it. She didn’t bother wasting an arrow—she might as well have been shooting blind.

The second target nearly took Kira’s breath away. A man darted through the arena, waving a very short pole with a flag on the end. The idea was to hit the flag and not the man, but with the way he waved it, made it nearly impossible.

Kira watched as her fellow archers took aim—only one hit their mark. Unfortunately, two arrows grazed the man’s flesh, one in his left leg and the other near his right elbow. As Kira studied his dance, she realized a pattern to his routine. She counted each swing of the flag and found it went above his head on the same number each time. When her turn came, she aimed above his head and let the arrow go at just the right moment. Not only did it hit the flag, but tore it from the stick.

The crowd cheered and roared, Octavion among them. Surprised to see him there, she moved aside for the next archer and walked over to join her prince. He’d removed his crown and some of the adornment he wore earlier, but still looked the part of royalty.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

He brushed a wild strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind one ear. “I am the one who is sorry. I may have overreacted, but I have spent far too many hours worrying about your safety—over whether you were even alive. I only want to keep you safe.”

“I know, but I need to do this. I’ve learned a lot from Blayde and Brenna and I think participating in these games is good for me. I promise not to be stupid and take on more than I can handle.”

“Do I have a choice?”

“No, not really.”

“Then make me proud.” His dimples nearly jumped off his face as he scooped her up—bow and quiver jutting out in all directions—and kissed her deeply. She should have been shocked at such a public show of affection, but she wasn’t. Nothing about Octavion surprised her anymore. If there was one person on this planet that didn’t know about their union, they’d know soon enough. Rumor travelled as fast as thought here and it didn’t take much to pass news from one kingdom to another.