Chapter 29

The next day would see the King's Contest, a highly anticipated event. This was a military engagement pitting all the assembled forces of the respective cities against each other. Six representatives from each city combated simultaneously against their adversaries on horseback with defeat coming by being unseated. Like the joust and hand-to-hand combat of the trevhette, the combatants used specially dulled weapons. After the initial meeting with lances, the knights would then revert to their swords. Two prizes were awarded: the highest prize went to the city whose knights were the last to remain on the field of battle; the other to the city whose knights unhorsed the most opponents. Only Kho Rhon'ah, which was symbolically represented by Athar, and Mhykord'ah, the city of clerics, did not compete in the event expected to be won by Bhel'Ehzz and the Knights of the Flaming Sword.

After putting their things in order and taking a short rest, Syrqyndyl and the Warriors of the Wood left the castle for the Royal Commons. There they examined the field, sized up their opponents for the King's Contest and pitched their tent amidst the others from around Khaballe. The elves erected their brown tent with a green embroidered leaf between that of Sagghez'ah and Mhykord'ah.

Syrqyndyl looked at the surroundings, thinking that it felt like it had been more than five years since the last time he had been in Bhel'Ehzz. Everything looked pretty much the same to him as he looked at the other tents, trying to determine who had returned from the previous Journey.

The tents were set up in a circle, beginning with Kho Rhon'ah. The wizard's tent was empty. It was striped gold and purple with emblems of a key and an opened book in the opposite color interspersed on the canvas. Though they were not a part of the battle, Athar and his wizards would view the Contest from here.