Zero months. Zero days.

Theo sat in the waiting chamber outside the arena where the duel would take place, attempting to put everything else out of his mind. There had been final gambits, final preparations, and final soulcrafting, all of it in the past now. He emptied his soul of everything except his objectives.

Only the fight remained.

~ ~ ~

Nauda had expected the duel to take place in the Yorthin Coliseum, though in retrospect she realized that it was a bit large for a single fight between two individuals. Instead their group had gone to a small arena owned by the House of Coin, officially serving as a neutral location. Though House Blacksilver had sent representatives, Nauda didn't feel that they truly counted as allies, since they were only there for the sake of the political balance.

They had been kept in their own waiting room at first, while Theo departed to prepare. He carried most of their sublime materials, wore Fiyu's bracers, and they had plans for her staff as well. Eventually they were allowed into the central arena chamber, so Nauda examined the room carefully. The Armeau family had already proved willing to hire mercenaries and attack outside the terms of the duel, so she wanted to be ready.

As soon as she arrived, however, she realized that she didn't need to be worried about that. An Authority from the House of Coin sat in a walled podium to serve as a judge, and there were many other soulcrafters present. Both sides had apparently agreed not to bring anyone above Ruler, but she saw another Authority in the crowd: Tythes sprawled across four seats, balancing an entire tray of pastries on one foot and occasionally shoving one into his mouth.

Looking away from him, Nauda analyzed the arena instead. It appeared to be a simple block of golden marble, though she noted several spheres along the edges that felt like sublime materials and could no doubt form a barrier to keep the fight contained. The platform itself was reasonably large and the ceiling was moderately high, which she thought was fair to both contestants. Of course, given that Theo's life was on the line, she would have preferred a bigger arena.

"I am worried," Fiyu said quietly, for perhaps the fourth time that day. She needn't have said it, given the anxiousness written across every line of her face. Nauda remained unsure how to comfort the other woman, so she just smiled back.

"We've done everything we can. We'll have to trust him."

Fiyu didn't respond, just shifted her head around as if trying to observe the whole building at once. There wasn't much to observe, since the building wasn't packed and the majority present were well-behaved House officials. With one obvious exception... who she just then realized was ambling in her direction.

"Here to make a profit in the aftermath?" Tythes handed the tray of pastries to a random soulcrafter moving in the other direction and they had no choice but to take it. He leaned against the seats beside them and smirked. "Surely you're not stupid enough to believe your little friend has a chance of winning?"

"Are you here to make a profit?" Nauda asked. "Or do you just need someone to bully?"

"I am an Authority! You will treat me with respect!"

"Of course, Lord Tythes. Forgive me for troubling your glorious mind with such questions."

He glared down at her, eyes twitching as if he wasn't quite sure about her tone... except there seemed to be something darker lurking underneath. Tythes abruptly brought his presence down on her, and Nauda winced, but she refused to look away from his gaze.

"I should crush the life from you right now." Tythes leaned closer, his face becoming sinister. "In fact, since we're already here to watch an execution, perhaps I'll-"

When he started to raise his hand in her direction, Nauda reacted first, thrusting her staff out so the forks caught his arm. She knew she had absolutely no chance against his strength, but with so many soulcrafters around them, she didn't think he would truly strike her. He certainly looked shocked, staring down at his arm bound in place.

"Oh, how quaint." Tythes began to move his arm, exerting only a fraction of his strength to continue moving it toward her. Nauda braced herself against the floor and fought back as well as she could, not giving up a single inch. "Why bother fighting? You know you'll never change anything. The powers that be can never be toppled from their perches, so you might as well begin groveling beneath them."

It required all her strength just to remain standing, much less speak, so Nauda just gritted her teeth and refused to give way. Tythes still forced her backward, driving her to the ground with deliberate slowness, watching for her to collapse. Fiyu hovered nearby, standing ready but aware that she couldn't truly help. Nauda's effort was equally futile, but she couldn't tolerate that smirk...

"Enough." The Authority from the House of Coin raised a finger in their direction, not containing any cantae. Tythes heaved a great sigh and stepped away, while Nauda dropped to one knee, keeping herself up only by leaning on her staff. "No fighting outside the duel."

With that, she turned away in perfect disinterest. Still, the House of Coin had enough political power to keep Tythes in check, and he seemed to have grown bored with their contest. Instead he dropped down into one of the seats nearby and stuck his feet up on the arena, which required quite an awkward stretch.

"You're confident in your friend, huh? Dumb. You are a dumb person."

"Why should I bother talking to you?" Nauda said. "You just want to amuse yourself."

"Oh, to the contrary." He sprang upward with alarming speed, eyes suddenly fixed on hers. "I'd like to see your spirit break. Why don't we make a little bet on this duel? When you lose, you'll have to break that staff of yours in half, lick my boots, and tell me that you'll never defy your betters again."

"Why would I agree to that?"

"Hmm, what meaningless prize would convince you to take such a stupid offer?" Tythes pretended to consider, then reached into the back of his pants, apparently to scratch. Just as Nauda curled her lip in disgust, he pulled his hand back out, revealing a pristine white piece of marble. "What about a Chasm Invitation? Your little friends seemed to be interested in those."

Nauda hesitated, looking for the trap within all the posturing. Was he really just a fool, using his House's wealth to humiliate others? It would be easy to believe, yet she always felt something slightly more sinister from him, just underneath the surface. His offer seemed to be real, and his smug confidence certainly was...

If she couldn't trust her allies when this much was on the line, who could she trust? Nauda straightened and stared directly back at him. "Then it's a bet. I'll collect the Invitation from you after the duel."

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this!" Tythes gave a giddy little laugh, spun in a circle... and then flattened Nauda and Fiyu to the floor with an overwhelming flood of cantae.

Not prepared or braced, Nauda dropped immediately, and she felt her soulhome shudder. Tythes wandered off the next moment as if he'd forgotten them, taking the hat from a nearby official and placing it on his own head. Beside her, Fiyu released a small sigh and struggled to climb back into her seat.

Before Nauda had fully recovered from the sudden assault, another Authority stepped beside them. It was Tythes's supposed aunt, gazing down at them with sad eyes. When they focused on her, she gave them an unnecessarily low bow, considering that she outranked them by every possible standard.

"I apologize for this," she said softly. "House Crimson is... not what it once was."

"Can you not do something to stop your relative?" Fiyu asked. The older woman shook her head.

"I am the House's past, a foundation on which others should build. I... hope that you will not hate Tythes, despite his behavior. Please accept this as a small apology." The Authority handed them a small box, bowed again, and then departed as quietly as she came.

Though suspicious, Nauda decided that opening the box in this company was safer than opening it anywhere else. It proved completely ordinary, and inside, there was a powder... Nauda's eyes shot open as she realized what she was looking at. The powder was in fact a sublime spice, ground down to a fine form and refined by spiritual processes. Not only did it resonate with powerful cantae, it could easily be added to sublime foods to significantly increase their strength.

"Is it a trap?" Fiyu asked. Nauda handed the box to her, but though Fiyu tilted her head at it, she didn't seem able to sense anything other than its potency. It was a deeply wholesome gift, which just made Nauda more suspicious.

She couldn't understand if House Crimson was really so chaotic, but perhaps that was all a distraction. These antics gave them an excuse to have two Authorities present, more than any other House, with which they could... do what? As little as she trusted them, she couldn't come up with any kind of coherent plan for their presence here, so perhaps it really was just the whims of a powerful child.

Before anything else could go wrong, the sound of a ringing bell filled the chamber. Once everyone was silent, the Authority from the House of Coin rose to her feet. She stepped forward, sweeping her eyes across the audience with an expression of utter apathy, and spoke in a neutral tone.

"We have assembled here today to witness the duel between Esaire ai Armeau, hosted by the House of Burning Leaves, and Peanen of House Blacksilver. The duel will be until defeat, which I will judge as a neutral arbiter. If the House of Burning Leaves is victorious, they will be permitted to take their criminal from the city. If House Blacksilver is victorious, the Armeau family must answer for their vendetta and then be ejected from the city."

That seemed to be new, so Nauda perked up, wondering if Blacksilver negotiators had been at work, or if Theo himself had managed to push the terms. She wasn't sure, as there had been no sign of them since they arrived.

At that moment, the Authority rang her bell again, and the combatants entered from opposite sides. Esaire wore the same elegant clothes he always had, as well as his armament gloves and his new sword. Theo no longer looked shabby next to him, gleaming in his white cloak that didn't match the dark expression on his face. They stepped up into the arena, but remained silent.

"When the duel begins, this space will be sealed until its conclusion. Are both duelists fully prepared?"

Esaire snorted and looked away, but Theo shook his head. "Not yet. Nauda?"

She rose to her feet, letting everyone look at her, and then hurled her staff upward so that it spun end over end before landing in Theo's outstretched hand. It would have made more sense to just toss it over, but they'd practiced that move, and efficacy wasn't the point. Theo couldn't really use her staff... but Esaire spared a glance in her direction, a slightly troubled expression on his face.

"Now I'm ready." Theo gave a smirk that she would have thought was real if she didn't know him better, then spun her staff around rapidly before lowering it to his side.

Some in the audience sat forward with new interest, but the presiding Authority had barely even looked at anything that occurred. "If that is all, then we are prepared. The match begins now."