Dad closed his mouth and dropped his hands to his sides.
Daniel still had his eyes narrowed at Talbot. “And then what?” he asked him. “What do you do at the end of the ceremony?”
“Then I’d submit to you,” Talbot said. “Ensure you’re the last man standing.”
“And what would you be getting out of it?” Daniel asked.
“Your trust. A place in your pack. Except for my brief time with the Shadow Kings, I’ve been on my own since I was thirteen. I want a place to belong.” He smiled at Daniel—one of his warm smiles that made you feel like you’d been friends for ages.
“I like this plan,” Jarem said.
Daniel gave a great sigh and looked at me. “You should have a say in this, too, Grace. Do we bring Talbot into the ring with us? You and I can fight, but we let him do the dirty work?”
I looked from Daniel, to Talbot, and then to my father. He turned away so I couldn’t see his face. I imagine it would be hard listening to your little girl deliberating over whether or not people should be allowed to die.
“Okay,” I said. “But only if circumstances absolutely call for it. I think every challenger, no matter how ruthless, should be given the opportunity to submit first.”
“I agree,” Daniel said.
“If that’s what you wish,” Talbot said.
Daniel extended his hand toward Talbot, and the two of them shook on it, sealing the deal. Something stirred in the pit of my stomach as I watched them. Most likely anxiety, knowing that in a little more than thirty-six hours’ time, we’d all be fighting for our lives, side by side.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
Other than the few rules Jarem had already told us about—the boundaries of the ring, and the last-man-standing-wins part—it started to become clear to me that the rest of the ceremony was pretty much a no-holds-barred free-for-all.
Weapons of any variety were allowed—except for vehicles. Challengers could choose to fight in either wolf or human form—the most advantageous choice being wolf, as most Urbat were stronger in that state. And any pack was allowed to send in as many challengers as they wished.
“Then how come the other packs don’t send in tons of challengers? We’re sending in more than one fighter? Don’t they stand a better chance with more?” I asked.
“Usually only one champion is sent into the ring by their pack because they risk losing each person who enters,” Lisa said. “Most packs are small. The Etlu clan is forty strong—or was before Marrock and his lackeys left and you all joined us. The Oberot Clan has twenty-seven members. But most of the other packs are less than a dozen members each. If you only have ten people in your pack, you’re not going to risk five of your men. Even two would be considered too great a risk, you see?”
I nodded.
“It’s the lone wolves you really have to worry about.
Challengers who have no pack of their own to be accountable to. They always fight the dirtiest.”
“Who we need to be the most worried about is Caleb,” Talbot said. “We’re getting off track, worrying about anyone else. Any other challenger is merely a distraction. Caleb’s coming here with an army of Gelals and Akhs and Urbats. Don’t forget that. And he doesn’t give a damn about casualties. He’s planning on bringing as many Shadow Kings into that ring as he can.”
“And he must have a lot of Gelals and Akhs,” Daniel said. “Based on how many he was willing to send to that trance party.”
“Is that allowed?” Lisa looked at Jarem.
“It’s never been done before. Gelals and Akhs do not normally ever interact with the Urbat. But it is not against the rules.”
I scrubbed my hand down the side of my face. A few minutes ago I was fretting over the prospect of our going up against a handful of challengers. Now it was sounding like a few dozen, or even more.