The mixed smells of stale food from the previous day and too many people filled the arena. It was better here at the top of the walls, but it still tickled Peter’s nose, and he preferred how things had been when the three of them were wandering the streets, where the scents didn’t seem to gather so much. But Jeremy had wanted the two of them to see the view from up here. It wasn’t as high as the tallest spires, and it had nothing on flying but it was a decent view. It was more open than any tower, both down into the arena, and out across the city, fields, and lake. And it was eye level with Jarn and the bronze statue.

  Peter waved to the dragon, who called back that Andrew had been down in the plaza a moment ago. “Okay!” Peter shouted back in response. That probably meant his brother was looking for them. But it was still pretty early. They could take their time on their way back to the castle.

  “This is amazing,” Henry said, looking out over the city. He waved to the dragon as well, to which Jarn politely said hello back. “What’s he saying?”

  “Just hello,” Peter said. He looked over at Jeremy and wrinkled his nose. “I think I liked it better when we were grabbing sweats from the festival stalls,” he said.

  Jeremy shrugged. “It’s not… Well, yeah, I could do without the smell. Still, there’s a bunch of other interesting things to see around here.”

  “Yeah, where should we go next?” Henry asked.

  Jeremy thought for a moment. “Well, I remembered a place I liked here in the arena once we got here, but….” He looked toward the sun and shaded his eyes. “We probably don’t have time. Maybe save it for tomorrow morning?”

  “It’s not like we’re needed at that meeting,” Henry muttered. “We should just stay here to watch the magic tournament.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Peter said.

  Jeremy shrugged. “I have a feeling Queen Emily might be a bit upset about that,” Jeremy said. “Let alone your mother and your royal guests.”

  Henry huffed and crossed his arms.

  “Well, what’s this last place?” Peter asked. “Maybe a quick peak before heading back to the meeting.”

  “Yes!” Henry said.

  “Alright, alright,” Jeremy said. “It’s under the walls, though. Follow me.”

  “Under the walls?” Henry asked as they started descending back down.

  Jeremy nodded. “Technically, no one is supposed to interact with the participants before any of the games,” he began. “But, when I was competing, Hannah found a spot where she and a friend of hers were able to come see me during the final preparations. I’ve wondered what that would look like for the magic tournament.”

  “A friend of hers?” Peter asked, wondering why her friends would be going to see Jeremy before a match.

  Apparently it was a sensitive subject, because Jeremy blushed and looked away. “It didn’t work out. But the match was good.”

  “Wait, you lost the match?” Peter asked.

  “What? No it was… well nevermind,” Jeremy said shaking his head. “Let’s just go and see if we can still get there.”

  Peter and Henry followed him down the stairs and through the stands. The center grounds of the arena were being cleared for the magic tournament, and already people were showing up and filling in the seats lower down. Many had cheap pastries or other forms of festival food. Children sat by their parents trying to get extra pieces. As they got closer to the entrance, it became harder to get through without being jostled by the crowd, especially when a group of grim young men shoved their way out and jogged up into the stands.

  “That was rude of them,” Henry muttered, brushing himself off and glaring after them. “I should –”

  “Happens all the time in crowds, little cousin,” Jeremy called back.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “They didn’t look to happy to be here,” Peter said.

  “Bet they’re gambling,” Jeremy said with a shrug. “Probably lost yesterday and are trying to get their earning back. Come on, it’s not too far from here!” The young noble beaconed as they followed the stairs leading back out of the arena. Before they reached the exit, Jeremy turned into the high ceilinged hallway that lead between the arena’s outer all and an inner one that prevented wandering in among the scaffolding that held up the seats. Peter wrinkled his nose at the smell, realizing they were next to the privy area. Once they were past it, the only sounds were their own footsteps and the rumble of the people overhead.

  “This way,” Jeremy said as he opened a door. A set of stairs led down, as if it were going to a cellar, though Peter was sure they were still well above ground level.

  “What is this?” Henry asked.

  “I think this is a servants’ passageway,” Jeremy said. “For cleaners and others who work at the arena. But it opens up… here!”

  The wall at their right stopped, replaced by a railing the rest of the way down the stairs. Beyond was a sort of indoor plaza where a few dozen men were waiting. Most of the light came from outside through the large portcullis that must serve as the entrance into the arena proper. None of the people in the waiting area were close to it. Some were resting, others talking. A few were clearly employees of the arena itself. None paid them any attention.

  “Can we talk to them?” Henry asked.

  “I wouldn’t, unless you know someone,” Jeremy said. “Remember, they’re all trying to prepare for the tournament.”

  “Someone really needs to close that hallway.” Peter looked down and saw an older man giving them a dirty look before turning back to… whatever he was doing to prepare. Was that an enchantment like Anna’s he was making? He looked back to the other two, and they didn’t seem to have heard. He grinned to himself. They probably shouldn’t be here long, but it was fun to peak in while things were still -technically- open. He looked back out, and his grin faded. Something registered as familiar in the room, but he couldn’t place it. He started scanning, trying to spot it again.

  “It’s not like how I thought their preparation would go,” Henry said. “Shouldn’t they be practicing?”

  “I imagine they’ve been practicing,” Jeremy said. “And they don’t want to give their tricks away to their opponents.”

  “And I imagine they don’t want to be distracted by running commentary,” came a voice from above them. Peter and the others turned to see Hannah and Queen Emily coming down the stairs toward them.

  “What are you two doing here?” Peter asked.

  “Looking for the three of you, you brainless, no good, treacherous—” the queen started.

  “Calm down,” Hannah said. “Let’s just get back to the castle. We can berate them when we’re not in a restricted area,” she added, shooting a glare at her brother. Jeremy looked away, shamefaced.

  “I can be here if I want,” Henry and Emily both said at the same time.

  “That isn’t the point,” Hannah said. “It’s nearly time for the meeting. We’re probably going to be late as it is.”

  “Yes, exactly!” Queen Emily said. “Let’s get going. We can talk about you three wandering off later.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” King Henry said. “I asked them to escort me while we explored before the meeting. And we were going to head back soon. Why do you always act like you can order me around as if I were no different than anybody else?”

  “Maybe I wouldn’t if you followed the rules,” Emily shot back.

  Peter glanced at the Thornwood siblings, who were looking more worried now. “Well, I think getting back sounds good. I forgot to mention things to Andrew and Anna last night, so they’re probably pretty worried.”

  “Oh, you think?” Hannah asked. Her tone was sarcastic, but she relaxed as the royal twins backed down from their own argument.

  Just as they were about to start moving again, Peter glanced back into the group of preparing mages. Most had moved away from the group on the stairs. A few gave them dirty looks. He locked eyes with one of these for a moment, before the young mage turned away.

  Peter almost fell over the railing. “Sakir?” He burst. The young mage flinched and turned so his face would be harder to see.

  “What are you talking about?” Jeremy asked.

  Peter pointed, “That guy there is the bandit mage from Nuidia,” Peter said.

  “What would he be doing here?” Henry asked, stepping closer to the railing to look.

  “Does it matter?” Emily asked, sniffing. “I just want to get these meetings over with.”

  “I think it would, Your Highness,” Hannah said in a low voice. “He was with the Wisp Steelers, wasn’t he?”

  Peter nodded. “Yeah. And…” he trailed off. He’d started scanning the others in the room, wondering if any others would stand out as familiar. Then he caught sight of the man striding across the room, ignoring everything else as he made his way to the exit into the arena. Most people in the room ignored him, at first. Sakir and a few other’s seemed surprised to see him, but he ignored them all. He was wearing a workers uniform rather than a mage’s robes, but he had the same blond hair drooping into his eyes.

  “Zech!” Peter shouted, pointing again. The king and queen both flinched. Jeremy’s hands flew to his swords, but he didn’t move.

  “What should we do?” he asked.

  “What’s he doing here?” the King managed.

  Before Peter could think of an answer to either question, the Wisp Steeler mage stuck his hand out through the bars of the portcullis. A bright red light flashed, from his hand out of sight into the arena, followed by a sharp crack like thunder. Then Zech brought his hand back in, and began running for the exit.