Chapter 24

All was stillness until the white silk dropped for the third time. Then the booming sound of hoof beats mixed with the shouts of the crowd. The light met the dark and both took each other full in center of the shields, shattering their lances. Setryv was lifted completely out of his saddle and thrown back, hitting the ground so hard his helmet was jarred from his head. Stars exploded all around Setryv though his eyes were jammed shut. When he was able to open them, it was to a severe pounding and the still visible stars. Then the stars gradually faded away to reveal a sunlit framed knight in black armor upon a jet black Gwher staring down at him.

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The award ceremony that night was a somber one. The most frequent topic of conversation among the attendees remained the SoulSlayers. Rumors and gossip concerning Rhenycyn, Jhyrenne, Fhyndhella and Dhonlaa were a distant second. After them were Mharkhel, Setryv and Ellycyn. Vhalkhette, though her skill and courage would be vividly remembered, no longer felt the spotlight on her.

The holders of the top ten point totals received their due recognition, awards and monetary prizes. Vhalkhette had finished third with a total of one hundred sixty points and many secretly wondered how many more points she could have accumulated if she had been healthy. Second place went to a bitterly disappointed Setryv who edged out Vhalkhette by ten points. The unvoiced opinion amongst those who concerned themselves with such things was that Setryv had always been second to Mharkhel. This had put to rest any doubt. Mharkhel amassed two hundred five points, the first champion to score more than two hundred points in over ten years. All in all, it had been generally considered one of the best trevhettes in recent history. The last time the top three contestants all scored over one hundred fifty points was back in 2964.