“Banish it all to the frigid depths, Champion,” Odysseus said, his voice nearly close to a shout. The prince’s usual knowing façade was gone and now there sat in its place a visible lack of control.

He wasn’t making me feel any better. This world had squirrels that could change colour, birds large enough to carry away children and the Urocy.

So what passes for a hunt worthy spider?

“Could you not have come to me with your discontentment?” Odysseus continued. “Because then I would have offered some form of entertainment that is not our current circumstance. Perhaps a bard, a puppeteer, or a jester. Anything. Instead you had to go to Allycea, a woman who finds enjoyment from pitting herself against beasts.”

“What am I going into?” I asked, panic warring with irritation.

“A hastening of our plans,” he said, wearing a frown and his eyes in deep thought. “You have learnt much these months and this might be a boon.”

The words tried and failed to catch. It felt like Odysseus was speaking a language I recognised but couldn’t understand.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not understanding you, Your Highness,” I said, doing my best to keep my tone restrained. “I want to know what I’ll be hunting. You haven’t told me.”

“That is not of import,” he said.

Not of import.

I bit my tongue because I could feel a snide comment coming. My expression twisted, revealing my barely restrained frustration. Thankfully Odysseus didn’t notice.

“Then what is of import? Your Highness?” I asked, the words said through gritted teeth.

“How you present yourself,” he said. “Sir Norbert, the master of the hunt, and his squires will be in attendance. He is a man from Haddock – do you remember these lands?”

Really?

But I took a breath, tapping on lessons that had been hammered into my head by a staunch woman. Althor was the centre of the Commonality, which meant celestial rivers passed through the kingdom as they ran past the country; these rivers didn’t pass through every duchy, and these lands had nicknamed the Forsaken Lands.

Haddock was one of these Forsaken Lands, and that was enough for me to remember scraps of information.

“Haddock,” I said. “It’s ruled by Count Montgomery, I think.”

“Good,” said Odysseus. He took a deep breath and smiled, standing with more confidence. “Good.”

“Is that important?” I asked. “That he’s from Haddock?”

“Sir Norbert is of peripheral importance. He is a landed knight and that means he is in regular company of the nobles who call the castle home. No doubt he will tell tales of your performance during this hunt, and his word will be of some difficulty to counter if you were to embarrass yourself.”

“So don’t screw up,” I said, bitterness over running my words. “Which I guess in this scenario isn’t as important as not dying.”

“I have given you a pistol,” Odysseus said dismissively, “you will be surrounded by my sister and her ladies-in-waiting, not to speak of the three warriors who will serve as scout and an extra layer of protection. Death is not something you have to worry about, but the damage you might wreak is something else entirely. I know you might be panicked,” he said, giving me his full attention, “but it is important to remember what is most important.”

I don’t know guy. What’s really important for me right now is my life.

“Okay,” I said, working on my breathing. “Okay. Okay. I’ll do my best not to screw things up.”

“Remember all that I have taught you and all shall be well,” he said.

I swallowed, nodding. My mind started to craft little scenarios, visualising meeting new people and how I would have to talk to them. There were ranks in my head and there was a sense of how I compared to each, but…

“Where do I stand compared to this master of the hunt?” I asked. “My standing is still a fuzzy concept.”

Which was bad when it decided so much of how interactions were supposed to be structured.

“Traditionally the Champion is of equal standing to a duke,” he said. “But you have yet to earn such esteem. As you are, I would put you lower in status than a baron. Show your respects to Sir Norbert, but remember that you are above in status to his squires.”

“I don’t want to be too low on the totem pole, right,” I muttered. Thoughts of what the spider might look like still flickered past but focusing on what was in my realm of control helped give me a sense of calm.

“I am glad you understand,” he said. “Keep a cool head and there shall be no problems.”

My stomach fell. “Dude—I mean, you’re just tempting fate, now, Your Highness.”

He tsked, frustrated. “Yes, how foolhardy. The Fates are cruel at the best of times, and by offering them a challenge, they might seek to test you harshly.” He sighed. “There is nought that can be done now…though we might hold all other lessons today so you might practice your marksmanship.”

You still haven’t told me about the spiders, I thought, but we were already moving, Odysseus wearing an expression of one who didn’t want to be disturbed.

The training room was empty, but marksmanship wasn’t something I needed help with. Bangs filled the empty space and my arm guarded against the buck of my gun; after each shot the gun need me to pull back he knocker, but after almost two months the motions had started to get smooth. I still wasn’t a very good shot though, and it was made worse by Odysseus who paced behind me.

“Your Highness,” I said. He stopped, turning to me with narrowed eyes. Tone, I reminded myself. “I don’t presume to give you orders, Your Highness, but your pacing isn’t making things easier for me.”

Odysseus stood in place, mouth pursed. I returned to firing, ignoring whatever he was feeling.

“There—” the gun went off, swallowing whatever he had been about to say. I let out a long breath and restrained my expression before I faced him. “I am only considering the course that tomorrow might take and its repercussions.”

“And you wanted me to be in on it?” I asked.

Odysseus seemed surprise by the question. “I will admit I have taken to finding comfort in speaking to you,” he said. “You are a good listener, knowing which questions to ask. It is an oft overlooked skill.”

That means you’re starting to mean more to him, I thought. It just wasn’t enough to get me out of this hunt.

“If you feel like it, you make continue, Your Highness,” I said. “It might help me understand the politics of the castle better.”

He hummed, his head bobbing. “There are lords and ladies who live in the castle,” he started, “they are of little importance on their own but the relationships they hold elevate them. Lord Simmons is the uncle of Baron Flint of Kempston,”

“Kempston is in Harrengrove,” I said, a bang following the words.

Odysseus nodded. “Lord Simmons has a son who is of an age that he will need a knight to squire him. I know for certain that he has been talking to Sir Norbert on it – knowing that the huntmaster is favoured by Father. If this is successful, word might very well reach Duke Owain the Senior.”

“And that’s good,” I said. “Word reaching him before he sees me, like you did with Surefoot.”

“Yes,” he said and stopped. I turned, he was looking at me with hard eyes. “This is important Champion, much more important than it might seem at first. And I worry that…well, that you might run during the hunt.”

My mouth, preparing a rebuttal but none came out.

Talking had kept me focused, but as in the moment of uncertainty my imagination ran wild with images of nightmare spiders – some being able to teleport and others being able to fly, controlling gravity, playing with light or spitting lightning.

I swallowed, my heart beating so fast it hurt. My eyes wandered towards the exit while my mind focused on the impressions, narrowing the range so it had workable information and then doing its best to decipher the best way to move through the minefield. My body vibrated and I felt closer to running, mentally filing away all the people who could be threats so I could either punch them or run around them.

It took all of my restraint not to try and run. How much worse would it be when I saw a gain, fire-breathing spider?

“Champion,” Odysseus said, his tone tight. The prince’s eyes were on my gun and his fingers were bent – prepared to fire a spell. “As I said before, you do not have to worry about your life being in danger. My sister and the huntmaster will have enough might to protect you.”

I nodded, breathing deeper and slower. “Priorities,” I muttered under my breath. “Okay.”

My hand shook as I pointed it at my target. I evened out my breathing, pulled back the hammer and squeezed the trigger. The shot met its mark.

“If this goes well,” said Odysseus. “There will be greater freedoms in store for you. We been unable to explore the castle with you so busy with your lessons, but a victory here will mean that you do not need such a strict schedule.”

I kept shooting, getting lost it in and finding some mental footing because I was actually hitting my marks.

Your targets will be moving.

Which was something that had me near panic again.

***

I felt them enter before I saw them. Allycea with her ladies-in-waiting, accompanies by a man in his late teens. He wore full plate painted red and yellow, overrun with diagrams in sweeping lines and celestial gems set where the diagrams started; and from his shoulders fell a heavy red cape.

“Fates damn it all,” Odysseus muttered.

“Do we have a problem? Your Highness?” I asked.

“The man in armour is Baron Owain the Younger,” he said in a whisper.

“Son of Duke Owain?” I asked.

Odysseus nodded. “He is a direct line to his father, so—”

“Be impressive,” I said, nodding.

Owain was tall and broad shouldered, with dark hair and a full beard that made him look defined. Allycea occupied his attention, everything else not deserving even a cursory glance. The princess wore an impassive expression, close to a smile without ever reaching it, while Cybill who walked behind them looked disgruntled.

“Is he going to attend the hunt tomorrow?” I asked.

“If he knows of the hunt, then no doubt he will request attendance,” said the prince. “A request that will be hard to deny. Now silence, I will introduce you.”

Allycea’s ladies-in-waiting seemed different. They wore dresses instead of their usual training gear and they were quiet, gazes unfocused and as their expressions showed nothing. It was what I’d expected from gender dynamics when coming into this world and it was unsettling to see it after over two months were things had been normal.

Owain stopped talking as the group reached us; his eyes found me, sliding over me from head to toe before he smiled, attention going to Odysseus.

“Prince Odysseus,” he said, giving a minor bow. Owain’s voice was loud and boisterous, filled with a bit too much happiness. “It has been sometime before we last met.”

“Yes,” Odysseus returned. “If I remember correctly, it was during my departure from the halls of the temporal school. You had gone to visit your brother.”

Owain hummed. “All of it done to become a historian,” he said. “Quite unexpected. A prince becoming a storyteller of all things.” He punctuated the statement with a chuckle.

Odysseus frowned while Allycea looked like she wanted nothing more than to punch Owain in the face.

“I would introduce you to Champion Jordan,” said Odysseus. “Recently summoned from realms beyond our ken.”

“Well met, Champion,” he said. “I am Baron Owain of Harrengrove.”

“Son of Duke Owain of Harrengrove,” I said, nodding. “Well met, Baron.”

“You have been told of us?” he said, his expression imperceptible. Owain had bushy brows that wriggled time he talked, a long nose and a jaw that was too square. He held himself like a pretty person when he wasn’t.

Focus. You need to bullshit your way through this conversation.

“I’ve been told about what’s going on in Althor and my part in it,” I said. “The borders are under siege and since your father’s lands touch them, your family is one of Althor’s foremost defenders.”

Owain smiled. “You have the right of it, Champion,” he said, standing taller. “For us there is a greater urgency in the conclusion of these troubles than there seem to be in the east.”

“All of Althor stands to lose if Rowan continues to grow in power,” said Allycea, the words hard.

“Which is why the work with the Champion is so important,” said Odysseus, smoother. “His education and training will be the deciding factor.”

Owain’s eyes moved to my gun.

Surefoot had warned me that the gun would be trouble and I could see it in Owain’s expression.

“I’ve gathered that we’re short on time,” I said to the unasked question. “Swordsmanship or archery would take too much time to learn; with the pistol, I can be out helping Althor much sooner than later.”

It was all bullshit, and it felt so paper thin I worried what I would say if he called me out on it. The truth was that I didn’t want to fight and anyone worth a damn might know that since I’d outright said it a few time. I just hoped that Owain hadn’t been clued in.

“Princess Allycea understand this urgency,” I continued, letting my mouth run – less chance of overthinking. “It’s why she planned a hunt tomorrow. Perhaps you’d like to tag along? Your Honour?”

The last was said off-handedly as I remembered that I hadn’t once referred to him using his proper title.

Please don’t go south. Please let this work.

I stopped myself from fidgeting as silence stretched between us. Owain’s expression was opaque, hard eyes boring down on me. I felt the impulse to look away, towards any of the others for a better read of the situation, but that felt like giving ground.

“It would be an honour, Champion,” he said, finally. My shoulders almost sagged in relief. “I still have to meet with His Majesty, the King, but I am glad of this diversion. It gave me the opportunity to meet Althor’s Champion.”

Althor’s Champion?

“Are matters dire at the borders?” Allycea asked. “Is that the reason for your arrival?”

“Only a complication,” said Owain. “Nothing you should worry about, Your Highness.”

Allycea’s expression grew cloudy.

“Even so, perhaps my sister might be able to aid whatever efforts you wish to put forth with Father,” said Odysseus. “It does not do to leave a resource unutilised.”

Owain grew quiet and then hummed, nodding. “I lose nothing by telling you of the troubles at the border. There exist copper deposits running from Harrengrove to Eastchester. Pacts and agreements ensure that none take from the lands of the other, but since Rowan’s anarchy there have been worries that the people of Eastchester would overstep.”

“You were proved correct, I assume,” said Allycea.

“Yes,” the baron returned. “There has been an increase of people who work the mines and we believe that it is in Rowan’s favour. It easier to work electrical magic utilising copper and it is not out of the question to assume that the blasted mage might have some scheme up his sleeve. Worrying of this increase, Father ordered that we mine our own copper to depletion. But there was trouble.”

Owain paused, his expression settling into a frown that made his brows wriggle.

“At some point our yields started to decrease. We thought that the mines were running dry but Father was rightly cautious. He sent in a spy and not long after we found out the truth – a spatial mage in the ranks of the miners, stealing the deposits.”

“Was this man caught?” Allycea asked.

“He and his helpers were caught, yes. The ended his own life while rest were executed,” Owain said, his voice not even changing inflection.

My stomach dropped. I looked at others expecting affront but none existed. It took all of my focus to keep my composure.

“What information had you gathered beforehand?” Odysseus asked.

“None from the mage,” said Owain. “The miners were offered homes and profits for the copper. We found a list on the mage’s person, written in code, but we assume it listed the work of each person. Very likely there was truth to the promise.”

“It is an enticing proposition and no doubt there are many who would accept even with the risk to their lives,” said Odysseus. “This report should be sent to Father post-haste, then. It shows the rot of Rowan’s existence continues to grow by the day.”

“I should take you to him,” said Allycea.

“Thank you for the escort,” Owain said as Allycea’s ladies-in-waiting, “but it will be unnecessary. I wish to have word with Her Highness.”

They bowed and Cybill stared after the pair as they walked together.

“You did better than I had expected, Champion,” said Odysseus. My mind felt on the backfoot, still thinking about those miners who had died for wanting homes and a measure of wealth. I smiled. “Bold of you to make the invite yourself, but it shows initiative.”

“Initiative that will have to be aided by actions,” said Jaslynn. Freda walked to Cybill’s side and took her arm. “You should begin to practise with moving targets. Hopefully it should be enough to make a difference.”

“Okay,” I said, doing my best to push my mind away from people’s executions and focusing on tomorrow. There would be giant spiders that I would be expected to fight and I needed to be prepared for that. “Okay.”