So I Married a Sorcerer (The Embraced #2)

“So the fastest one wins the contest?”

Argus nodded. “Yes, but it’s more than a test of speed. There’s strength and agility factored in. You see, there are three main walls. To reach the top of the first wall, the contestant must climb a rope. Between the first and second walls, there will be a grid made of ropes suspended ten feet over the ground. The holes in the grid are large enough that a man could fall through. The ground below has been made into a giant pit of mud, so if anyone falls through—”

“He gets all muddy,” Brigitta finished.

“Exactly.” Argus chuckled. “It should be very entertaining.”

Brigitta nodded. “So where does the boar come in?”

“The boar pit is between the second and third wall. There will be nine stone columns, three rows of three, and each column will be seven feet high and topped with a small wooden platform. The runner will leap from one platform to another. If he goes in a direct line, he’ll land on only three platforms before jumping to the third wall. Then he climbs a pole and rings a bell to finish the course.”

“I see.” Brigitta took a deep breath. This sounded like something Rupert could do. After all, he had years of experience climbing ropes and maneuvering down yardarms.

“The winner will be the one with the fastest time,” Argus added. “And the loser will either have the slowest time or fall into the boar pit and be gored to death.”

She winced. Clutching her hands together, she sent up a silent prayer to the twin goddesses to keep Rupert and his companions safe.

*

He’d pulled a long straw.

Rupert glanced at the other contestants to see what they had ended up with. Since the obstacle course couldn’t handle five at once, they would be running it in two teams.

Numbers Two and Five had short straws. They would do the course first. Numbers One and Four had long straws like Rupert. The three of them would run the course together.

Number One shot an arrogant sneer at him and his companions. “Before the day is done, one of you will be feeding the boar.”

Rupert drew Four and Five aside. “Watch out for One and Two. Stay as far away from them as you can.”

Five frowned. “You think they’ll try to throw us into the boar pit?”

“Only if you’re close enough that they don’t have to sacrifice too much time. Remember, the winner is judged on speed, so do the course as fast as possible. That way they won’t have time to deviate off course to attack you. They’ll be forced to go straight through in order to beat you to the bell.”

Four and Five nodded.

“Run across the grid if you can,” Rupert continued. “If you go too slowly, you could lose your balance and fall through. Use your forward momentum to your advantage.”

Five gave him a wry look. “You don’t sound like a guy who grows grapes.”

Rupert smiled and shook his hand. “Good luck.”

Five lined up beside Two and waited for the trumpet blast that would signal the start of the race.

The horn sounded and the general dashed for the middle rope hanging from the wall. Five ran to the one on the left.

Boom. The kettledrum sounded the first strike.

Two and Five climbed, walking their booted feet up the wooden wall as they hauled themselves to the top.

Boom. Second strike.

The men started across the grid.

Rupert gritted his teeth. From his vantage point on the field, he could no longer see how Five was faring. All he could make out were the two poles at the end of the course, since they were higher. The cheers from the crowd remained at a constant level, so it appeared that nothing drastic was happening. Still, he didn’t trust Two to behave honorably. The general had committed murder yesterday.

He counted the number of drum strikes, and on the twentieth one, he saw Two climbing a spike-studded pole to ring the bell. Five started up the second pole.

“He did it!” Four exclaimed with a grin.

Rupert heaved a sigh of relief. Five had gone fast enough that Two had been hard-pressed to beat him. Indeed, Two rang his bell only a few seconds before Five.

And Rupert was now more convinced than ever that Five had been well trained for combat.

The officer in charge on the field told the second team to line up. Rupert made sure to place himself between One and Four. If One wanted to cause trouble, he’d have to go through Rupert first.

The trumpet blared, and they took off.

Rupert reached a rope at the same time as One, but he climbed faster and was the first to reach the top. He glanced at Four to make sure he was climbing all right, then took off, running across the grid, his feet landing firmly on one rope after another.

The crowd roared, then started to chant Seven!

He was almost across when the ropes suddenly heaved underfoot, throwing him off balance. He fell forward and landed facedown on the grid, which was now undulating like waves on the ocean.

A yelp sounded to his left. Four had fallen through the grid, but had caught a rope with his hands, leaving his feet to dangle over the mud pit.

Rupert glanced to his right. One was behind him, facedown and jerking the ropes on purpose to make the grid unstable. Asshole.

He looked back at Four. The Eberoni farmer was dangling underneath the grid, but still managing to move forward, hand over hand, as he made his way to the second wall.

With the grid heaving up and down, the best Rupert could do was move forward on all fours. Luckily, he didn’t have far to go.

He reached the second wall. One was now frantically trying to catch up.

Rupert scanned the pit in front of him and spotted the boar running about, desperately searching for a way to escape. The strange surroundings and the noise of the crowd had agitated the animal to the point it was ready to attack.

He jumped to the first platform. Then the second one. And the third. By this time, he had too much momentum built up, and he nearly skidded off the edge of the platform. He fell back and grabbed on.

The crowd resumed its chant: Seven! Seven! He rose to his feet. One more jump and he’d be on the third and last wall. A simple climb up the spike-studded pole to ring the bell, and he’d be done.

He glanced back to check on Four’s progress. One and Four had both reached the second wall. Four was focused on a platform, preparing to leap, when One ran at him and pushed him into the pit.

With a screech, the crowd leaped to their feet. The boar reacted to the noise, snorting and scurrying about.

Four ran for the first column to try to climb up to the platform, but the columns were smooth stone and there was nothing to hold on to.

Dammit. Rupert moved toward him, jumping from one platform to another. While he was going in the wrong direction, One leaped across the platforms, headed toward the third wall.

Four cried out in terror as the boar spotted him. Rupert reached his column and lay flat on the platform, hooking his boots over one end as he stretched an arm down to Four.

“Grab on!” Rupert shouted.

As the boar started to charge, Four latched on to Rupert’s arm.