The King's Games

3. Rivalry

We spent the rest of the day training, and by the time we'd finished, both Tilda and I were dirty and bruised. We were tired, but it was the good kind of tired that comes from doing something you love until you can't do it anymore.

Above us, the sun was shining brightly, warming our exposed skin. The temperature today was topping fifty, so it felt positively balmy for Doldastam. Many townspeople were making the most of the weather, taking walks or working in their yards.

"You guys wanna grab something to eat?" Simon suggested as we got closer to the town square, and the sweet scents from the nearby bakery were already wafting toward us.

On the south side of town, near the palace, mansions were spread out with large plots of land. But toward the center of town, the small cottages were practically on top of each other. Their tiny yards were usually filled with chicken coops or a rabbit hutch to raise the prized Gotland rabbits.

The cobblestone streets were fairly crowded with townspeople trying to find a way to pass the afternoon, and a lot of kids running about since it was summer vacation. An elderly woman was walking a very fat goat on a leash, so we moved to the side to stay out of the way.

"I would love to, but my sister is coming over for supper to introduce her new boyfriend." Tilda rolled her eyes dramatically, the way she usually did when she talked about her sister.

"What about you?" Simon asked, leaning toward me to be heard over the increasing noise coming from the crowded town square.

His hand brushed against mine, and I moved away from him. Not that I had much space to go. The streets were getting unusually crowded the closer we got to the town square, even with the nice weather.

The town square was the true center of activity in Doldastam - bustling with shops and restaurants, where people gathered to hang out and eat. But now I could barely get by without bumping into someone, and I hadn't even reached the square yet.

"Um..." I tried to think of an excuse, because I didn't really feel like hanging out right now. Especially not alone with Simon. He was nice enough, and cute enough, but I had to kick his ass tomorrow.

"My rabbit!" a girl shrieked somewhere from behind us. "Help! Someone help my rabbit!"

Weaving through the feet of everyone on the cobblestone street, I saw a burst of white fur as the rabbit dashed on by. Not two feet behind it, a huge silver husky tore after it, pushing through the crowd.

White rabbits were the symbol of the Kanin tribe, and the Gotland rabbits were bred and cared for with great veneration by our people. Somehow, that had translated to people -particularly wealthy Marksinnas - carrying them around everywhere they went, like a Gucci handbag or diamond bracelet.

As stupid as I thought the practice was, I didn't want the rabbit getting torn to bits by a dog either.

Without consulting one another, Tilda and I leapt into motion, chasing down the rabbit. Simon, for his part, decided to take off after the dog. I jumped over a cart full of grapes, and dodged underneath an open window shutter.

Tilda ran on ahead, trying to get ahead of the rabbit. Then I finally spotted it. In a narrow gap between two shops, the rabbit tried to make its great escape, only to have its path blocked by a small stack of cinder blocks. It was trapped.

Just before the dog lunged in after it, Simon grabbed it, pulling the dog back. I squeezed into the gap, and scooped up the bunny.

It quivered in fear, and I stroked its lush fur, trying to calm the rabbit, as it burrowed into my chest.

"It's okay," I murmured.

"Did you find her? Is she - " A girl was saying as she approached me, but she stopped suddenly, so I looked up at her. When I saw who it was, I groaned.

It was Astrid Eckwell - a high-ranking Marksinna the same age as me. Her dark hair was perfectly styled back, and the diamonds in her ears probably cost more than my parents made in a year, and she had a matching necklace and tennis bracelet to boot.

As she curled her lip in disgust, I almost wished that I hadn't rescued her rabbit.

"You're getting her all dirty." Astrid thrust hands her hand out to me. "Give her to me."

"You're welcome," I muttered, as I handed the rabbit over to her.

"I didn't thank you," Astrid snapped, glaring down at me in contempt. "It's probably your mangy mutt that was chasing after her."

"It's not a mutt," Simon said, defending the dog I don't think he'd ever met before. He was crouched down beside it, firmly holding onto the husky, whose tail wagged wildly. "The dog was just playing."

"That thing is totally wild and untamed, just like that half-breed," Astrid cast her disparaging gaze at me once more. "It's disgusting that they let you go to the tracker school. You can't even take care of yourself, let alone the Kanin people."

Passersby in the crowded street had stopped to watch, and they stood in a semi-circle around us. I could feel their eyes scrutinizing my fair complexion. Astrid never needed to point that I was a half-breed - although she did seem to take great pleasure in it. It was obvious to everyone that I wasn't Kanin, that I didn't belong.

When I was younger, I used to wish desperately that I was actually Kanin. That instead of inheriting my Skojare mother's blond hair and blue eyes, I'd gotten only my father's Kanin blood. Then maybe I would be able to change color, and at moments like this, I'd be able to just disappear, fading into the cobblestones and shrubs and beige siding of the cottages behind me.

But now, I didn't want to fade away or disappear. More than anything, I just wanted so slap that smug smile right off Astrid's stupid face.

"I just saved your damn rabbit," I snapped.

Tilda had been standing off to the side, near Simon, but she moved over to me and put her hand on my arm. Since trackers were technically meant to protect all the Kanin royalty, punching Astrid could get me expelled from school. Permanently.

"You probably gave her fleas," Astrid sneered, then she turned her attention to the bunny in her arms, stroking her fur and cooing to her. "Poor Sötis. Did that dirty girl scare you?"

"She's not worth it," Tilda reminded me in a low whisper.

"Let's just get out of here." I tried to keep my cool, but my voice came out in a growl between gritted teeth.

I didn't wait to hear if Astrid had any more to say - I'm sure she did, she always did. I didn't even wait for Tilda and Simon. If I stayed around Astrid any longer, I wouldn't be able to control myself.

I pushed through the crowd around me, unmindful of the people cursing at me and telling me to watch where I was going. I needed to get away, to find some space to breathe for a minute.

"Bryn!" Tilda called after me.

Still walking ahead, I glanced back, looking for her over the heads of everyone clogging the street.

I'd just finally spotted her and the odd look of panic in her grey eyes, but before I had a chance to wonder what had her looking so frazzled, I ran right into someone. Everyone around me gasped, and I heard a women frantically scream, "How dare she!"

I looked up - my eyes following the pristine white gown lined with diamonds - into the face of the Queen.