Lukas cheered with the rest of the crowd as Reza walked from the arena with his opponent in tow. It had been an exhilarating first bout, and Lukas wondered if any other fights could match it.


    "Absolutely amazing. If all the fights are as exciting as that one, we will have a wonderful day of entertainment." Lord Rewan yelled loudly over the crowd as they cheered for Reza. "Wish I had known Marius was going to do so well. I should have bet on him. Why Baldric thought hiding behind his sand was such a good idea, I cannot fathom. I lost some good money on that one."


    Lukas glanced over at Lord Rewan. He didn''t look or sound like he was mad about the loss. The man took another cup of red wine from a servant and drank deeply with a smile the entire time. The other members of the main box, along with Lukas, had all been surprised by Reza''s win. Though Lukas knew he should have expected such a showing.


    He shivered, the memories of the soldiers outside the walls returning to the forefront. He pushed the memory back, looking around the box for a distraction. Most of the group were the unnaturally black-robed priests of Sorana who had invited them to the contest as their guests. But there were others like Lord Rewan who were guests of the church. Lukas thought he heard Rewan talking to a cousin or brother earlier, though he could not be sure as he hadn''t been listening closely. Lord Rewan was joined by his wife and a couple of servants who had kept him and all the guests with ample wine and delicious food.


    Lord Rewan leaned over to Lukas. "What did you think of Reza, my boy? My daughter is close friends with him. I regret not following her suggestion."


    Lukas shrugged. "I didn''t realize people were betting on the outcome. But I would have had to choose him. He was the man that saved my life outside the walls."


    "Of course, of course, I did not put two and two together. Sulli, did you bet on the boy?" He raised his voice so Lord Sulli could hear him.


    Lord Sulli glanced over at Rewan. "I don''t gamble when I’m not certain of the outcome. A hundred fighters were too many for pure skill to win out. Maybe when it''s the duels, I will make a bet."


    He spoke calmly and kept his eyes on the arena, specifically the disappearing Reza and his opponent, Desmond.


    Rewan laughed. "My good man, what''s the fun in that? I''ll bet on my children for the next two fights, but there''s no entertainment or fun without a bit of money on the line."


    He clapped Lukas on the back. "I''m sure the boy might have some fun with a bit of coin."


    Lord Sulli looked at Lukas with a questioning look.


    What should I do? Lukas looked back at his Uncle, but nothing gave him any indication of what might happen if he did try to gamble. He did have some coins that his uncle had provided him with. And it would be fun to make even a small bet, maybe ten ghouls or something, to have something to root for in the rest of the fights. No one from the Sulli family was fighting in the contest, and Reza was probably the only person he had perhaps met. He knew the name Baldric, but only because of his reputation among the noble families. But no, it was better to play it safe like his uncle seemed to be doing.


    "No, thank you. I agree with my uncle. I don''t really know any of the fighters besides your children, as you say, and I could not form a coherent decision to put money on the line. I concur with my uncle; knowledge is needed prior to any decision." Lukas took another sip from his wine glass. The cool liquid helped with the rising heat of the day.


    "The Sulli''s are not being any fun," Lord Rewan waved over the bookmaker that had recently entered the main box.


    "Yes, my lord. What will it be for the next bout?" The man bowed and pulled out a small tablet with names and numbers written across it.


    "The same, ten thousand ghouls on Sabine Rewan." Lord Rewan pulled a square of wood and handed it over to the bookkeeper. The man, his face neutral, took the piece, and it disappeared under his robes.


    The bookie made some quick strokes on his tablet and bowed again. "Very well, sir. I will be back after the bout if you have any winnings or you would like another bet."


    The bookkeeper glided away and left the box.


    Ten thousand ghouls on a single fighter? Such a sum would not have crossed his mind. His paltry bet he had thought to make seemed like pocket money compared to such a sum. It was a ridiculous amount of money for such a fight when just numbers might take the best fighter out. He glanced over at Lord Sulli to see if he had any reaction but couldn''t catch his eye, who was talking with a priest of Sorana in hushed murmuring.


    He glanced at the others in the box. It did not seem such a considerable amount of money shocked anyone in the box. As he looked around, not a single person seemed to react at all to the amount of money. One priest even gave him a knowing smile, but Lukas quickly dropped his face. He settled back into his seat.


    Lukas knew all the noble houses were rich, but throwing such a sum on multiple fights showed the wealth that Rewan had and used for fun. Lukas thought he had known the nobles'' wealth as his Uncle processed, but it seemed he had been vastly wrong. His time away from the city with his family on the estates had been detrimental to his understanding of the vast wealth and power people like Lord Sulli and Lord Rewan possess. Another item to add to his already growing list of information he needed to learn, or he would be at a considerable disadvantage to his peers. There are so many things to do, and I’m sitting here enjoying a few fights.


    Lukas kept quiet, focused only on his thoughts until a hand on his shoulder brought him back. Turning to Lord Sulli, he leaned in to hear what his uncle wanted to say over the noise of the boisterous crowd.


    "I was very impressed with both of the fighters at the end. Reza used his wraith very impressively. I think both are good candidates as your teachers, and I may approach both fighters to be your teachers unless someone else catches my attention."


    Lukas sat back, amazed. He hadn''t thought that Reza might be an option to be his teacher. How he moved with his wraith and treated her reminded him of the only rule he had learned from Marcellus. After watching the duel between the two monsters, Desmond would be quite the catch. His fighting ability eclipsed anything Lukas had ever witnessed; every swing or block of the sword was an extension of Desmond’s arm. If he could learn half of what Desmond showed, Lukas would be one of the finest swords in the city. Both had shown skill beyond measure, and Lukas could learn much from each.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Why, of course, I would love any help. Reza was the one who recommended that I visit the library." Lukas could feel the excitement of the possibility to start training with his wraith. He had been connected to him for weeks without ever trying to understand the power he provided. If they accept, the two may be the key to understanding it. And Hopefully soon, as Lukas wanted the process to begin in earnest with no delays. "When will you ask them?"


    "I''ll send Baru to Desmond tonight. His family is close to ours. I think I can convince him to make an agreement. We are going to the play tomorrow with the Rezas. I can talk with him then. But I doubt there will be a problem with either; Reza would be a fool not to accept.”


    “Why would that be?” Lukas asked, though he quickly understood why before his uncle could answer. “Never mind, any opportunity to connect with the Sulli Family would be an opportunity to not squander. He will use to like the party I went to to make inroads into furthering his family reputation and power.”


    Lukas explained, trying to ensure his uncle understood that he knew how things worked in the city.


    “Very good, Lukas,” Lord Sullli complimented Lukas before his attention turned to the arena.


    The crowd had begun to roar excitedly, and Lukas quickly realized that the next bout would start shortly. The gate had opened again, and more combatants began to appear.


    "Do we know anyone in this bout?" Lukas asked no one explicitly as he looked through the fighters'' names on the program handed out to the box. He recognized Sabine Rewan right away, and a few had last names of families very familiar to him but no one he outright knew.


    "My daughter is fighting in this bout, my son in the one after that." Lord Rewan responded.


    Lord Sulli examined the group of soldiers with a keen eye for a few moments before he responded. "Derek Simmi or Petri Healia will be her biggest competition; they are both highly regarded in the legions."


    Lord Sulli scanned the list again. "These first bouts have fewer impressive names than the rest. What the organizers were doing when they packed the rest with some of the best fighters, I won''t understand."


    More than one of the priests glanced over to Lord Sulli. They had a mix of reactions from guarded anger to outright shock. He ignored all of their reactions, focusing on the fighters below.


    Lukas wasn''t sure how to take the comment. He wasn''t sure if his uncle was arrogant and had no care who heard his words or if it had been an intentional action towards the priests his son had recently been a leader of. Either way, they all had heard him. What are you thinking, Uncle?


    It felt like a misstep; the church was powerful, and it was never good to make influential people displeased with you.


    Lukas was ripped from his thoughts as the priest Victor rose from his seat and began to speak, his voice enhanced by his wraith for all to hear.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, after such a stunning first fight, we are just about to begin the second."


    Lukas sat back, waiting for the fighting to begin again, tuning out Victor’s voice. The man did not take long, but all Lukas was interested in seeing was the fighters below and how they used their Wraiths. Reza had made a few suggestions, and Lukas wanted to use this time to enjoy himself and learn more about how people worked with their wraiths. Reza and Elana were a partnership, with Reza always trusting his wraith to be in the correct position for his powers to work. While Lukas had noticed several in the first bout used their wraiths more like tools, there was cohesion like Reza. Desmond was a bit more mysterious, as Lukas never noticed his wraith out. He had one, for sure, as every contestant was required to have one, but Lukas had never spotted it for the entire fight.


    Lukas was pulled back into the action as Victor’s hand fell once again. The fight started in earnest again, and it was just as fierce and impressive. It was not as flashy as the first, with Desmond and Reza quickly cutting through the crowd before ending the fight in a spectacular duel that felt more like an end-of-contest fight thrash the first of many rounds. No matter, this round ended with another individual duel that enthralled everyone.


    Sabine used her mass of arrows to shoot at anyone who came near her position near the wall. As Lukas learned almost instantly in the fight, Petri was a hulking individual who many of the fighters had to join together in the battle''s early stages to take out. Petri didn''t go down easily nor without casualties. Before glowing a soft yellow, Perti took about ten people out of the competition before he was overwhelmed by the numbers.


    "Now that''s unfortunate; I wanted to see more of him." One of the other guests behind Lukas shouted. Lukas agreed; the man had been extraordinarily frightening and might have won had the rest not joined against him. Unfortunately, the man was a well-known powerhouse of the city, like Mycelia in the previous match, and had been the number one target. The fighters all moved away from him after he started to glow; his roars of frustration were enough to put fear into anyone in his path. Surprisingly, the rampaging man did not try to attack anyone and even set the man he had gripped by the shoulder down behind him, allowing the warrior to retreat before he was overwhelmed. Lukas was impressed the man had such control over himself amid the fighting.


    With Petri eliminated, the bout continued until Sabine and Derek were the last left, and everyone else was removed from the fight.


    Lord Rewan shouted like a madman, and even his much more reserved wife was up watching the fight with an intense focus. She also winced several times as Derek’s sword came close to Sabine on different occasions.


    Late into the fighting, Lukas saw that Sabine only had a couple of arrows left, though dozens were strewn across the area from multiple combatants. Her skill with a bow was almost impossible. Shot after shot had hit its target. Derek had kept his conjured shield up, protecting much of his body as he moved forward, his wraith following behind. Each arrow sent cracks through the shield, though Derek reinforced and repaired the damage as quickly as Sabine could make it.


    Multiple arrows bounced off his guard as Sabine edged away, keeping their distance. However, her arrows quickly ran out, and she pulled multiple daggers out, moving close to engage him.


    Sabine took a slash across her leg before getting past Derek and cut twice across his back. She retreated away and grabbed up a couple of arrows, shooting them as she continued retreated, sending them behind her with ease that made a shot Lukas thought would be nearly impossible for anyone else. Each one bounced off the shield, and the cracks were relieved in seconds. The fight went on like this, shot after shot or dagger bouncing off the shield as Derek tried to move into range, and Sabine kept him at a distance. The fight ended as Derek tried to catch Sabine off guard; the man rushed her, lowering his shield enough that an arrow caught him in the collarbone. He glowed softly, and Lord Rewan and his wife yelled in delight.


    "My beautiful daughter just won me a lot of money. Oh, wonderful." Lord Rewan was beyond himself. Hollering and laughing like a madman, he pointed down at his daughter, who embraced Derek before raising her hands.


    The statement soured the moment slightly as Lukas saw the slight change in Lady Rewan''s composure. "Husband, be happy for your daughter and not just the money," she scolded him.


    Lukas tried to keep a straight face, but Lady Rewan noticed.


    Lord Rewan calmed down instantly, looking guiltily at his wife. "I''m sorry, dear; I am very proud and maybe doubly proud if Lucien can do it." His eyes were beaming.


    I''m almost certain he''s thinking about his next bet. It was written over his face: He would be betting on his son''s win and hoping for another payment.


    And Lukas had been right. Lord Rewan doubled his bet on his son and again made a very healthy win. Lucien won in spectacular fashion, using his sword with such brutal ferocity as his wraith moved with elegance around it, dancing. Each fight was entertaining as the hours passed, and the sun started to set in the west as the last and final bout ended with a man named Durris becoming the victor.


    Lukas had sat there enthralled by the contests and enjoyed the entertainment with everyone in the arena. He learned much while watching the wraiths and their pact wielders fighting before the crowd. The remarkable powers and wraiths shown made him even more excited and nervous about starting his training. Lukas shivered, the cold starting to set in as the night reigned over the city. The crowd was leaving, and the city around the arena had come alive. The fear of the last few days was a distant memory to the city.