Empire of Ashes

Chapter XXVII - War Games

The water of the lake was cold against my skin, but not unpleasantly so. The sun had been warming it all morning, so the temperature was milder than it had been a few hours ago, when I had first tried to bathe. After a minute of shivering desperately, I had called off my bodyguard and retired to eat breakfast, resolving to return with the other girls later. Only Bevan had been with me then. Now, it was everyone. The underling had woken with a splitting headache, just as Samira had predicted. He had welcomed the chance for a bit of peace and quiet away from the camp, and I had welcomed someone to divert the constant staring from the warriors whose own women were several hundred leagues away.

Melia splashed around happily, practically a dolphin in her element. She could do flips in the water, a multitude of different strokes and her particular favourite — elaborate dives. The southern girl excelled at swimming almost as much as she struggled with all other physical activities. And then there was Samira, who seemed half a fish as well. That one had grown up by the coast, navigating rip currents and tidal waves. It was only me who kept their feet firmly on the bottom, having learned my lesson on the beach.

This lake wasn't as murky as the river in the old camp, so we kept most of our clothes on for the sake of modesty. The men gave us a chance to clean ourselves by waiting patiently on the bank, wiping off armour and weapons from the night before. Every so often, the sound of their laughter echoed over the water. Then Temris, Fendur and Anlai stripped to their waists and waded in, while Bevan napped on the bank.

He had declined the chance to swim after hearing which game we would be playing, instead choosing to rest and nurse his sore head. Samira kept glancing over to where he lay, and I wondered if she actually felt guilty. Fendur's shoulder was still bandaged heavily, but he had insisted he was fit for duty and had been the first to volunteer for this game.

The first step was to partner up. Temris sought me out and claimed me before it even occurred to me to argue. I wouldn't have minded ending up with Fendur, but I knew where the best chance of victory lay, and it was not with the injured Iyrak. He was left with Samira once Anlai had joined his wife.

I stood behind Temris as he lowered himself down in the water. After some complicated manoeuvring, I found myself perched on his bare shoulders with his arms coiled around my legs to hold me in place. Once the other two pairs got similarly positioned, it was just a matter of trying to pull each other into the water. Having the tallest partner quickly proved its worth. I found it easy to get leverage over Samira and send Fendur toppling backwards during the very first collision. The pair of them fell into the lake, then surfaced a heartbeat later, spluttering and laughing.

We won a brief remission, during which Temris traced slow patterns on the inside of my leg just to make me squirm. We caught our breaths while Fendur and Samira retreated out of harm's way.

Then Anlai and Melia were upon us, and it was all we could to stay upright. Melia herself wasn't much danger — giving me a singular half-hearted shove — but Anlai was trying to take Tem's legs out from under him. I wasn't entirely sure that was within the rules. For almost a full minute we struggled against each other, until all four of us were panting and exhausted.

The last time we clashed, Temris let go of my legs suddenly. Years of horse riding allowed me to keep my balance, but it took me far too long to realise why he had done it. I slapped him twice before I caught on. While he distracted Anlai, I seized Melia as soon as she came near enough and jumped ship. Anlai buckled under the doubled weight on his shoulders, and as he went down, Temris caught me just before I could go under with them. No one had ever said it was against the rules.

"Cheaters," Anlai growled through a mouthful of water. "Bloody cheaters, the both of you."

He was the only one not laughing, but that soon changed when Fendur and Samira returned from the sidelines. Our fallen opponents ganged up to topple Tem and me into the lake. As the rush of cold water filled my mouth, I began to panic. Which way was up? Was I just going deeper? Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me to the surface, then I was pressed up against a warm, familiar body.