The day of the contest was bright and sunny, although the wind was still strong, slicing through clothing as it blew. Stathis was at the tilting grounds, trying to find a horse suitable to joust with. Janaxia was tagging along, having been almost clingy since yesterday, rarely leaving Stathis alone, as she planned tactics, Semari having returned with bits of rumour and gossip from the town. Currently Janaxia was showing interest in the horses, checking their teeth and hooves. Virtually all of them were too lean, built for travelling and stamina, rather than the thunderous power required in a joust.

Stathis called the ostler over, asking which of them were available to rent for jousting. They shook their head. ‘None. All paid for already.’

‘Really? All of them? Janaxia, we might have a problem. Unless you can summon up a horse, then we’ve only got our riding steeds.’

‘Conveniently, I believe I may be able to help with that. If we repair to somewhere with a little privacy, then I may be able to resolve this issue.’

They wandered past the betting tent, where the chalkboard was covered with numbers for the tournament, with an entire section dedicated to the contest between herself and Larrik. Janaxia examined it with distaste.

‘You appear to be quite unfavoured in the oods. Is this Larrik truly so fearsome?’

‘He’s a really good fighter, yeah. Wouldn’t want to go up against him unless I had to – he’s strong and fast, even if he doesn’t have any magical tricks. And that magical sword of his is quite strong as well, although it’s made to fight undead rather than people. Flares to life when fighting them, burns straight through. Saw him cleave right through an armoured skeleton knight once.’

‘What of his companions? Are they as potent?’

Stathis answered. ‘I know a bit about them. Gethren’s another knight, he’ll be doing the jousting, so won’t be a problem, although he is an excellent horseman. Murretha Blackstaff’s an old hand – guess he’s in it for the money? Powerful, but I think you can take him.’ She looked at the board. ‘Surakuzaka must be doing the racing, never heard of him, maybe he’s local, or new to this?’

Quite a few of the other adventurers were looking at them, clearly eyeing them up before deciding on bets. Janaxia met their gaze, quickly arranging her clothing to best advantage, shifting her cloak slightly to show off her shoulders. ‘Do you think there will be anything untoward?’

‘You mean like cheating? No, Larrik might be a prick, but he does live by the code, even if he lives by the whole code. So he won’t do anything outside of the rules. Some more time to prepare would have been nice though! Sorry about getting you involved with this though, Janaxia. Did you ever get anything similar?’

‘My family believed in a decidedly robust approach to determining prowess. And if we were found wanting, then the consequences could be both… severe, and unpleasant. Still, the breaks and other wounds all healed soon enough, and there was no permanent scarring. And of course, if our blood was ever called into question by an outsider, then action would have to be taken, lest we be thought weak. Mother believed very strongly that full force should be levied in such cases. Always rather messy, of course, especially when blood and suchlike required cleaning, but recourse to such is required under such circumstances. Would you not agree, Stathis?’

‘Didn’t your mother once kill someone and then raise their body as a zombie slave? That seems excessive.’

‘Ah, Madam Jenthera, I assume you mean? She was being quite insufferably rude; she could have apologised but instead reiterated her offences, in even plainer language. She was quite exceptionally crass and vulgar. Really, Mother was being quite restrained – she could have claimed the woman’s soul as well as her body. It was practically an act of mercy, allowing her soul to move on to the next life, and only retaining her body as a token of victory. Although perhaps commanding it to dance was a little gauche, I suppose.’

‘I don’t think you can do stuff like that, but if you can, please don’t. Raising up zombie servants is really not going to help, and is a good way to get into a lot of trouble.’

They moved away from the tent and went outside the town walls, finding a quiet and unused area. Janaxia opened up her book, the wind suddenly colder and stronger as the pages turned themselves, indecipherable text flashing past. She cradled it in one arm, tracing a figure into the dirt with a stick, a look of distaste on her face, probably from having to perform such a menial task. Stathis kept a safe distance as Janaxia began to cast her spell, words vanishing from memory as they were spoken. A doleful wind started to blow, contained within the boundaries of the sketched shape, soil whipped up by the air, Janaxia trying to shield her hairstyle from it, even as the dirt marked itself on her clothing. Stathis stuck her fingers in her ears, trying to drown out the eldritch non-words as they scourged her soul, Janaxia’s horns somehow even blacker than usual, drinking in the light.

The ground faded, seeming to turn to mist, on the other side an endless black void, broken only by impossibly distant pinpricks of light. Stathis cautiously approached, not stepping over the line but looking down, vertigo making her head spin. With her foot, she scraped some dirt over the edge – it stayed on the surface, the effect clearly not a gateway. Janaxia tutted and glared at her, until Stathis stepped back, away from whatever ritual Janaxia was casting. She seemed entirely unperturbed by the depthless void beneath her, as streams of magical energy peeled forth, forming into a quadrupedal shape of red and black. It took quite some time to form, the shape flickering and wavering as Janaxia continued to cast her spell, chanting softly throughout, the sound strangely soft and gentle, despite being impossible to recall.

Then, suddenly, it was complete. The dark pit vanished, becoming normal ground again. Stood atop it was a horse, sleek and muscled, with onyx-black hide, and a mane of black hair shot through with red. Stathis cautiously approached it, wary in case of attack. It whickered at her, nuzzling her when she got close. She patted its head, cautiously extending her senses – there was the usual vicious ice-storm of evil and doom coming from Janaxia, but it seemed normal enough, at least for a horse that had been magically summoned from an infinite void. It was sturdily built, strong, and almost excessively friendly, continually trying to push itself against Stathis.

‘A useful skill, how long have you been able to do this?’

‘Considering how enamoured of Hakara you seem to be, I thought it prudent to expand my range of abilities, lest I face rejection. Would this steed be suitable for use?’

It twisted around, head moving towards Janaxia. Before she could dodge, it licked her face, a long string of dribble messing up her hair. She sighed and gave it a pat on the head before trying to push it away, as it continued to try and sniff and lick her.

‘Yes, it’ll do. Quite well, by the looks of things. Does it run out or anything? It’s not like a trapped spirit or ghost or demon or anything, trapped and bound into servitude?’

Watching Janaxia struggle with it was quite funny, her strength insufficient to stop it nuzzling and licking her, her hair getting slicked into moist spikes, quite a change from her usual immaculate appearence. Between her ineffectual struggles, she managed to respond. ‘I do not believe so, no. It is a coalesced entity of magic, and will persist until destroyed – have you not heard stories of the knights of old that summoned up glorious steeds to be their allies? Such things would seem of interest to yourself. Although I did not expect it to be quite so friendly. Back, you beast, back!’ It ignored her entreaties, happy to try and nuzzle her more.

‘Nice. And other people can ride it? You don’t seem able to command it.’

Fighting it off was consuming all Janaxia’s physical efforts, as she kept her mouth closed as it licked her face. I thought it would be more amenable to reason, but the thing really is excessively friendly! If you could kindly aid me? Horses and the safety of innocent women are both within your area of expertise, are they not?

‘Innocent seems a stretch for you! Come on, she’s not made of sugar, leave her alone.’ Stathis whistled, managing to draw the thing’s attention, pulling it away from Janaxia, leaving her looking very bedraggled, hair grimed and spiked, fine clothing in disarray. Janaxia immediately began to cleanse herself with magic, globs of spittle removing themselves from her hair, before it started to restyle itself into its normal glory.

‘There’s no need for crudity, or to cast such aspersions upon my character. Nevertheless, I believe the steed should be suitable?’

‘Yes. As long as it doesn’t turn into a demon or anything, it looks great, thanks.’ She stared into an eye, checking for any gleam of infernal crimson within the soft brown. It blinked at her and snorted, trying to rub against her again, far too friendly for something crafted from a void beyond mortal comprehension. ‘We’ll have to get some tack for it, but that shouldn’t be hard. Have you prepared everything you need? This isn’t going to drain you for later or anything, is it?’

‘I’m sure I shall emerge victorious. And no, such a feat does not drain my mystical reserves.’ Janaxia kept a slight distance from the horse, wary of getting licked again. ‘Although I do hope that we will be successful. It would be rather regrettable if you were to lose your hands.’

‘Yeah, you don’t need to tell me that! Anyway, if you follow the plan, you should be able to win.’

They walked back, passing through the fair. They passed a new stall, proprietor only recently arrived, their wares gleaming gold and silver, ornately made jewellery bright beneath the sun. Janaxia approached, clearly drawn by the wealth on display, tilting her head to examine some of the finer pieces, seeming to be particularly drawn to a golden choker. Stathis looked for herself – everything was exquisitely crafted, but then she saw the prices, neat little plaques by each object, with far too many zeroes on. They’d have to raid a goodly amount of a dragon’s horde for themselves to buy even the cheapest piece! And yet Janaxia was eying them up with interest. Well, maybe they would be added to one of her future ensembles; unless she was hiding a horde of gold and gems somewhere, there was no way she was buying any of them.

While she browsed, Stathis took the horse, quickly finding the required gear - not that it would be needed for long though. She got the horse saddled and bridled, ignoring its persistent attempts at friendly nuzzling, feeling almost mean about doing do so, especially when it gave her a sad-eyed look. That done, she returned to Janaxia, still rapt with fascination over the jewellery, pulling her away.

‘Come on, you’re not a dragon. Anyway, you can make whatever jewellery you want, can’t you?’

‘Well, yes, but there is a certain pleasure in owning the thing itself, rather than creating a simulacrum. Much like a fine gown is pleasing to possess, rather than creating a simulacra from magic. And it presents less difficulty in case of disruption to my spells.’

‘Doesn’t seem a lot of difference to me, but you’re the expert. Although I doubt you’ll be buying anything from there, it’s pretty pricey.’

‘One can have aspirations, nevertheless. Although, sadly, yes – the prices were rather high. But perhaps we will encounter great wealth here? Or you could trade your opponent’s blade, when you win; an enchanted weapon should fetch a fair purse.’

‘I’m keeping that for myself! Be nice to have a decent weapon. We need to get in place though, it’d be shit to get disqualified for showing up late. You take the horse, it keeps trying to lick me. It’s not bad, but I wouldn’t have thought you’d summon something so friendly.’ She passed the reins over to Janaxia, who immediately had to protect herself from the horse’s affections, trying to keep her hair un-slobbered, dancing around as it tried to lick and nuzzle her.

A crowd had already gathered to watch the contest, and then to participate in the other competitions. Bets were still being taken, the odds on Stathis winning having somehow gotten even worse. Semari and Hakara were waiting for them, Semari having chosen, for some reason, to dress up. With a bandana covering her face, and a frilled silk shirt, she looked like a well-to-do highwaywoman, if one lacking in weapons.

The jousting tilt was all set up, a long fence separating the lanes, lances held at either end by attendants. ‘Right then, we’ve managed to find a horse. It’s quite friendly, so watch out, but should get the job done. Are you ready for this, Semari? And why are you dressed like that?’

‘I’m being mysterious. Like a black knight, only I’m not a knight! Given that everyone seems to think you’re dodgy and suspicious, I don’t know if I want to be associated with you, so, like, I’m disguising myself. Y’know, if I have to leave and join another group.’ She hunched slightly, attempting to skulk, but looking more like she had a stomach complaint.

‘That seems a bit excessive. And I think you should be more worried about the sparking magical bracer you wear, it’s sort of distinctive. Anyway, just follow the plan and it should be easy.’

‘These rules seem pretty stupid.’

‘Yes, but they’re the rules. And I like having hands, and I’d appreciate keeping them. If we win, I’ll treat you to dinner.’

‘For this, it better be a big dinner! Like, half a cow or something.’

‘Even you couldn’t eat that much. But yes, thank you for your help, really.’

Semari turned towards the horse, which immediately tried to eat her hair. She jumped back, out of reach, glaring at it.

‘It’s very friendly, although I’ve no idea why. Janaxia summoned it.’

‘It’s not a demon or something is it?’ Semari moved around to the side and poked it, then ducked to look at it from below. ‘Hey, it’s a lady-horse. I thought dude-horses were normally used, ‘cos they’re, like, bigger and meaner. Has it got a name?’

Stathis looked at Janaxia, who shrugged, apparently not caring to comment upon the gender of magical horses or to supply a name. ‘So I guess we got a mare.’ It turned to look at her, letting her pat it on the head, ruffling the black and red hair. ‘Um, is Mavrosa OK?’ It nuzzled her. ‘She’s called Mavrosa.’ She turned to Janaxia. ‘Is this a normal horse you summoned, or is it super-intelligent or something?’

‘I believe it should be more intelligent than most steeds. And, as such, is likely more intelligent than Semari.’

‘Oi! I heard that.’ Semari slapped the horse on the side, the impact having little effect. ‘I’m the one in charge, right? So just listen to me and…’ It turned around with surprising speed, moving up close to Semari and managing to lick her as well, her hair spiking up before she could dodge back. ‘Eww, slimy.’

Janaxia was looking inexplicably smug, as Semari tried to wipe the gunge out of her hair, before Stathis spoke. ‘Stop playing with Mavrosa. You’ll only upset her before the jousting.’

A loud horn blast shattered the air, the chatter of the crowd cut silent. Aside from those participating in the contests, it looked like the entire town had turned out – there was even something like a royal box for what were probably the rulers, with Tunera looking stiff and uncomfortable in fancy clothing, next to presumably her father, carrying the silver spear. As well as Tunera, there were two other children – one young, no more than ten years, the other still a baby, carried by an attendant. Carissia, inevitably, was with them, although her ashen colours looked positively dowdy amidst the brightness of the tents and banners.

The horns blasted again, commanding silence. Lord Verinal stepped forward and spoke, managing to project his voice enough to be heard. ‘Greeting, all! Travellers and friends both, welcome to Fort Verinal! It is my honour and privilege to be hosting this tournament. The winner shall receive this blade, recovered from an ancient elven tomb.’ He held up a sword, its fine workmanship obvious even from here. ‘As well as a sum of gold. But first, there are other matters to deal with. Larrik Guthrena Estherthorne, Knight of the Sun, has challenged Stathis, Knight of the Sun to a duel of honour, alleging misconduct and treachery upon her part.’

Stathis squinted. Was Carissia snickering? She couldn’t see properly, but the veil seemed to be shaking more than it should be. She looked around the crowd – Larrik was easy to spot, but there was also a group of figures, all of slight stature, their forms otherwise hidden behind green cloaks. Stathis began pushing her way through the crowd, moving towards them, trying to ignore both the dirty looks she was getting, and the long litany of her alleged crimes being recited. It was still going by the time she reached the figures, Larrik having apparently identified every action she had ever taken that could be interpreted as even slightly less-than-perfect, and stretch them into hideous-sounding crimes.

The green-clad figures were mostly shrouded, their faces hidden behind bandanas, but one turned, Stathis recognising a flash of jewellery on a pointed ear. She pushed closer. ‘Parth? Is that you?’ Despite the rudeness, she tugged away the cloth in front of their face, revealing Parth, who stared impassively back at her. ‘Good to see you. Sorry to throw this on you, but I could really do with a favour in a hurry.’

‘Payment.’

‘Seriously? Not even a “hello” first? Fine. You lot want that sword, don’t you?’ Parth gave a slow, barely perceptible nod. ‘Good. If I don’t get goddam maimed, then I’ll help you get it. All I need you for is one thing.’ She whispered a plan to Parth, who looked at her, then rolled her eyes.

‘Humans are strange.’

‘No offense, but so are elves. Either way, it’s pretty easy for you. And I suspect you’ll find it funny.’

She leant in, continuing to whisper the plan into Parth’s ear. Parth listened, then gave a rare smile, and nodded. ‘Agreed. Amusing.’

‘Good. Just try and win, I’d rather not lose my hands!’

Parth shrugged, giving every indication of not caring, as the rest of the elves murmured amongst themselves respectfully.