The game manager's room was cold, as usual, but my under robes were soaked through with sweat. Today, I knew I wasn't the only person sweating. We all felt the pressure because the integrity of this year's tourney was in far more danger than I had ever imagined.

Yes, disruption to the tourney and chaos were the objective I'd had in mind for months. But it was as if I had hoped to sabotage a single building and accidentally put the entire city at risk. If Brynn Stygos could actually win…

The thought was too dangerous to entertain, even in the safety of my own mind.

Norick moved to my side as I lingered near the back of the senior game managers, all of whom were watching the Master's Eye wordlessly.

The tomte man lifted his big eyes to me, voice barely a whisper. "Are we safe?"

I shook my head. "It's bad."

He nodded, as if he had suspected as much. "I have connections. We could flee the city."

"Do it," I said, speaking loudly enough that two nearby Senior Game Managers turned to glare at me. I lowered my voice, leaning closer to Norick. "Do it. Please."

"You'll come with me," Norick countered. "You must. If it's not safe for me, then surely—"

"I have to see this through."

Norick glanced over his shoulder at the kiergard who stood on either side of the double doors to the game manager's room. "They won't let any of us leave if it gets worse. If that assassin can't kill Brynn…"

"I know. I know, Norick," I said with a sigh. I had looked deep within myself many times these past few days. I had asked all manner of questions.

Most of all, I wondered if anything I had tried to do would even matter. Seven years ago, my sister had joined the tourney as an Aspirant. She had been clever and more powerful than any could have guessed. Within days, she forged alliances and staged two shocking betrayals that would've easily had her within the top ten points scored and on track for a historic ranking as an Aspirant.

And they'd made an example of her.

Back then, I'd only been an observer. But I'd watched as it became clear that the people behind the game were pulling the strings. Nobles suddenly knew things they shouldn't have possibly known, and they attacked her in her sleep. And, naturally, the protections "failed" at that precise moment.

She was slaughtered in her bed like an animal, and they hadn't just let it happen. They made sure it happened exactly as it did. And they made sure everyone was watching.

At first, I thought about joining the games myself. But it didn't take long to see how stupid that was. I'd only be at their mercy again.

So I set my sights on something else. I wanted to destroy the games from within. To send the message they so desperately wanted to censor, even if it was just once. I wanted people to see that ordinary individuals were just as capable as the nobility. And I hoped that seed would plant itself firmly in enough minds to eventually cause some meaningful change.

But I had only intended to nudge one more Aspirant to levels of success like my sister had achieved. As amazing as she was, there was never any thought that she could win. The idea of her finishing in the top seven had been scandalous and wondrous enough on its own.

Brynn was charging toward a victory. There was no way anyone here would allow it to happen, and there was no lever I could hope to quietly pull to help him along, now. This had become far too big. So big, in fact, that I knew every life in this room was in danger because of it.

Because of me.

And was it worth it?

I absently chewed the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.

I didn't know.

But I could feel Norick watching me in the nearly silent room, the only sounds the occasional rustle of armor from the Master's Eye view of Brynn sitting cross-legged in a wooden building by himself.

"Okay," I said, doing my best to wear an expression I imagined a woman who planned to run would wear. Fearful. Shameful. Panicked. "I'll come with you. But when? Where?" I kept my voice low, but the others had begun discussing what they thought Brynn was doing.

From the bits I overheard, the fear was he might be planning to use an Ascension Token…

Gods. If he did that, the kiergard would close off the room instantly. An Iron ascending in the middle of a tourney, and an Aspirant, at that…

"The docks," Norick said. He clutched both my hands. "I have a contact. We could be halfway down the cave system toward Coil by next morning."

I glanced at the Master's Eye.

If he was truly about to ascend, we might lose our lives even if Rake kills Brynn. I needed Norick to leave while he still could.

"We can't be seen leaving together. At my signal, you go. I'll follow shortly after. Wait for me in the corridor. If I'm not there in ten minutes, leave without me."

Doubt flashed in Norick's eyes, but only for a moment. The tomte was a trusting person, and I had never deceived him before. I'd never had need to…

He nodded gravely, then slipped back toward his desk, watching me intently for my signal.

I let out a slow, shaky breath, then turned my attention to the Master's Eye. For several minutes, nothing happened. Brynn only sat, head bowed slightly as if he was deeply focused.

The doors burst open with a thump that made all of us start. I turned to see a junior game manager jogging into the room, her face plastered with sweat as she gasped for air. "Senior Game… Manager Valric…"

Valric's lips turned up at the corners. "Catch your breath, woman. You're breathing all over me."

Brynn wasn't really doing much, so Valric and the girl had the attention of the whole room. Junior Game Managers sat taller at their desks, watching while trying not to make it obvious.

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The girl scooted back from Valric, head bowing profusely. "Apologies… sir."

A few awkward moments passed as she tried to gain control of her breathing. When she spoke, she was still huffing, but at least able to form complete sentences. "I served the naidu the king's papers, as you requested. I have the list of all Brynn Stygos' accomplishments."

The doors were still wide open, so I didn't even notice at first that Divine Footman Amuntep was striding into the room.

"Which you will surrender to me," Amuntep said, his eyes flashing with danger as he approached the pair and held his hand out toward the girl.

Valric licked his lips. "I requested—"

"You will surrender them to me," Amuntep said. He didn't raise his voice, but there was a cold edge in his words that made me inch away involuntarily. An icy presence filled the room.

It was the feeling of a Silver flexing his aura.

I'd only felt it a few times, but I felt it now, and it made my knees threaten to buckle and my eyes search for the floor.

Valric took a step back. "Of course. They are yours, Divine Footman."

Amuntep snatched the rolls of parchment, then looked at the junior game manager. "Did you look at these?"

Her eyes widened at his attention. She looked as if she was trying to shrink in on herself, arms folding as she shook her head, lips clamped shut and eyes wide. "N-no, Sir."

"Divine Footman," Valric hissed.

"No, Divine Footman," the girl repeated. "They are s-sealed. The naidu—"

"Good," Amuntep said, examining the roll of parchment with some magical touch that made yellow light flash for a moment, revealing a ring of strange symbols drifting around the papers.

Valric waited several seconds, wringing his hands as he couldn't seem to keep his eyes from the parchments detailing Brynn's accomplishments.

I had to admit my own curiosity was burning, even with all the danger threatening to come crashing down on us at any moment. The right to demand an individual's accomplishment history wasn't oft exercised, and only a king could demand it. The naidu had also been known to refuse the request, even from kings.

Valric finally seemed to muster the courage to speak to Amuntep, who was watching the Master's Eye while everyone else seemed to be halfway watching the Divine Footman. Amuntep had simply tucked the accomplishments into his pocket as if he had no interest whatsoever in reading them.

Valric cleared his throat. "I thought we could perhaps use the accomplishments for clues. Clues about how this man has managed to undermine the integrity of our tournament."

"Has he?" Amuntep asked, avoiding the question while keeping his eyes trained on the Master's Eye.

The other Senior Game Managers took a step back from Valric.

To Valric's credit, he stood his ground under the Divine Footman's scrutiny. "He's an Aspirant, Divine Footman. His role is to struggle and fail. And while I know I need not remind you of this," Valric said, leaning closer and lowering his voice so only the Senior Game Managers could hear. "The King often makes… assurances to those he holds dear. Assurances of how the tournament will play out, and part of our role in those cases is to see that His Majesty's word is proven true."

Amuntep's smooth forehead creased and he took a sudden step toward the Master's Eye. His breath caught, powerful chest lifting as he held it.

If he had been listening to Valric, he had stopped now. Every part of his focus was on the Master's Eye. On Brynn.

I looked at the view, but didn't see anything changing.

What does he see?

The others noticed the Divine Footman's interest and began squinting at the Master's Eye, as if searching for a hidden clue.

"He's doing it…" Amuntep whispered.

The three words registered in me with the certainty of a cold fist closing around my stomach. I whirled, met Norick's eyes, and mouthed the word "now."

Norick stood shakily, gathered a few papers, tucked them under his arm, and began walking toward the still-open doors to the game managers room at a brisk pace. The kiergard standing guard at either side made no move to stop him, and I was able to feel some semblance of relief to see him turn and disappear around the corner.

Goodbye, old friend…

Someone gasped, and when I turned, I could see why.

Brynn Stygos was covered in a soft blue glow. It gathered around his skin like fireflies circling a flame. More and more of them came, flickering into existence, then swirling slowly around his skin and gathering in a swarm so thick he could barely be seen through the brilliance.

The dust on the stones around him rattled, then lifted to float a few inches above the ground. A deep thum sound came from him as an invisible wave of force blasted outward, disrupting the floating dust and scattering the blue butterflies.

He stood slowly, looked down at his hands, and then formed a fist. Another wave of force blasted out from him, stronger than the first. It shook the roof of the shoddy wooden building and rattled the door on its hinges.

"Check him," Valric said. "C-check him now."

I already knew what we had just witnessed, and others around the room knew it too. Several of them were inching toward the doors even now, hoping to slip out as they sensed what this could mean.

A junior game manager approached the Master's Eye with a lens held over his eye by a shaky hand. He lifted it for only a moment before freezing, then lowering his hand. "Silver… Senior Game Manager. He's Silver, Level 1."

The double doors closed with a boom, and both kiergard stood in front of them. The scrape of their weapons being drawn was like nails on stone, and I refused to look.

They won't kill us yet. Not yet.

They'll wait to see what he does. They'll give Rake a chance to put him down before anyone in the viewing portals has a chance to realize what has happened.

Valric's throat bobbed as he stared, shaking his head. "That's not possible. I watched him. He never produced an Ascension Token. Check it again."

The poor man lifted the lens again, looked to Valric, and nodded. "Silver, Sir."

Valric's mouth twisted as he backhanded the boy across the face. Valric was old and frail, but the sound was sharp and the boy reeled to the side, clutching his face as he hurried back to his place.

Valric did an admirable job of reclaiming something resembling calm. His body stopped shaking. His hands unclenched. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then smiled. "Our assassin will do his work. Silver or not, he's only just advanced. Rake only needs to bring him down before he has time to gain more levels and unlock the potential of his new Rank. Nothing has truly changed."

Orcus folded his big, muscular arms over his chest. "And if Brynn prevails?"

"Turn off the protections. If Raith fails us, we don't need him living to talk about our… bargain. If the assassin can't bring him down, we'll only be left with one choice."

The words hung over us as we watched Brynn stand oddly still, almost as if he was staring at the wall of the small room and studying something only he could see.

Only one choice. Yes.

We all knew what that choice was and what it would mean if we had to employ it. Releasing the beast was the ultimate sign of failure for our order. Some of the Junior Game Managers might even keep their lives if we released the beast and it successfully eliminated the problems, but for those of us in charge?

We were doomed. There was no way any of us would leave this room alive. The beast would maybe salvage some of our reputations in death, but it was an act of duty. Not a decision that could save us.

The only way any of us would live was if Rake managed to kill Brynn. And soon.

But even as I felt death closing its skeletal hands around me, I felt an odd sense of relief. It would be over, then. The struggle. The fear. The anger.

I'd be with her, and I could face my sister and say I did everything I could to strike back against the system that killed her. I could face her with honor in my heart, and that mattered.

Even if it meant I'd lost my senses, I found myself smiling as I watched Brynn finally begin to move and head for the front gates of the outpost. I smiled, because I wanted him to succeed. I wanted him to burn as much of this festering system as he could, even if I knew there was no way he'd keep his life in the process

I looked to Amuntep and found myself surprised by the intensity in his eyes. He was watching Brynn with such scrutiny and focus… I couldn't say why, but it was unsettling.

Amuntep was a Divine Footman. Even the most catastrophic failure in this tourney wouldn't get him killed or even dismissed. At worst, he would face a slap on the wrist from his superiors and be asked to write a report on what went wrong. So why did he look so… invested?

Brynn waved off a trio of grommets who had dyed their hair bright colors and were holding small furry pigs. They offered them to Brynn, but he shook his head, walking past them and heading for the gate.

The kiergard named Erasmus opened the gate for him, and I watched Brynn step out into the clearing beyond—toward the assassin waiting to take his life.

Dozens of men and women's fates hung in the balance. The next moments would determine if we lived or died, and every single eye in the room was fixed on the view of Brynn Stygos.

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