“And controlling the king too,” Ere added. “Arthur is under some kind of spell. Perhaps Guinevere’s henchmen are as well, to make them unnaturally strong or fast. Killing machines.”
He speared Rui with a meaningful look.
“This is why I caution you. Do not ever underestimate your opponents. Assume Guinevere has tricks up her sleeve. Be prepared for sabotage, underhanded moves and even assassinations. I know all about these plots, having perpetrated more than my fair share in my inglorious past.”
Rui sheathed her sword and crossed her arms.
“And yet this information changes nothing in what I must do.”
“No,” Ere agreed. “But perhaps you will do it differently. Don’t just focus on the prize, Rui. Keep your eyes on your opponents too, whether they are in the arena with you or in the spectator stands.”
She took this advice to heart and determined to pay more attention.
She was not one for intrigues. Her thought process and approach were always the shortest and most direct. That was how she found her treasures, after all, by cutting out the other noise.
But Ere was right. There was more at play here than simply winning or finding the jewel they were after. Something nefarious and, to Sorin’s point, stinky, was afoot.
Another thought came to her, but she hesitated to give voice to it.
Ere must have seen something on her face, for he asked, “What is it?”
After a few moments of indecision, she finally said what was on her mind.
“What about Wolfe? Where does he fit into Guinevere’s schemes? Should we warn him as well?”
Ere regarded her unblinkingly for so long that Rui almost gave in to the compulsion to fidget. It felt like the male could see into her thoughts and soul.
“He is your opponent,” Ere reminded her softly.
Gently.
The way one reminded another of something unpleasant and sad, but nevertheless true.
“I know that,” she said.
“For all we know, Wolfe is also one of Guinevere’s henchmen.”
“He isn’t,” she countered immediately.
“I don’t think so either,” Ere allowed. “But he is still your opponent. In order for us to win the prize, he must lose.”
Rui didn’t say aloud what she was thinking to herself.
She didn’t want Wolfe to lose. She needed to talk more to him to understand why he wanted the Dragon’s Eye. Perhaps they could both have what they needed. Perhaps she could help him before she must return to her own realm.
Ah gods! A part of her didn’t want to return to her own realm. She wanted to be where Wolfe was. She wanted to know him truly.
But she feared that he would never know her. That she could never reveal her dragon side to him.
And so, she must leave him. She just wanted to help him, spend more time with him, before the inevitable departure.
“If you don’t think he’s under Guinevere’s influence, then he must be in the same danger as I am,” she reasoned. “We must warn him.”
Ere’s eyelashes flickered tellingly.
“What is it?” Rui immediately asked.
“Even though I don’t think the warrior is one of Guinevere’s henchmen, she appears to want him to advance in the competition.”