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friends and family sent him properly to the afterworld. He would not do that to a cousin…leave him lost. He should have done this misra ago. When Ulric had not returned to the city as scheduled. When search parties had yielded no clue to his whereabouts. Ulric would not have simply left their world for parts unknown. He was too loyal, too committed to his role as Trusted. He would rather die than betray the oath to serve Garrick.
    Now it was clear that he had.
    Garrick suspected the Umam’s hand in this and he would not rest until he knew the truth. The Umam had been trying to get their hands in his inner circle for yana now. They wanted to destroy the Vena and take their lands for themselves.
    That would not happen as long as he was alive.
    “I will arrange the memory service immediately,” Jesso said. He was always the first to offer the right words or actions. It was why Jesso was his most trusted friend and aide.
    “Post the announcements. There is to be citywide attendance. Official mourning will last an entire misra. Then…” He looked into the eyes of his trusted men one by one. “Then we will select a Trusted to take his place.”
    “Have you someone in mind? Perhaps someone you’ve seen today?”
    “Perhaps. There is more to being Trusted than prowess in the games.”
    “As we all know,” Jesso said. “Come, Jun, let’s get to work.”
    Jun followed Jesso out of the stands.
     
     
    Sarea went to find her brother, rubbing her hands nervously together. What would he think when he learned that, instead of drawing attention to Dakon in a positive light, she had drawn his anger toward their family. She had just reached Dakon’s side when the horns blew, an announcement that quiet was required of the crowds.
    When silence fell, their king stood forward on the dais and said, “You have all shown great skill and promise. Those of you who are of the Order have made your king proud. Those of you who have designs toward that goal have made your mark today. For there was not a one of you I found lacking in enthusiasm…and that above all else is key to any man joining the Order.
    “The winner of today’s games is…Dakon!”
    Dakon, who had been walking toward Sarea and had been just feet away, came to an abrupt halt. Shock lined his face as he met his sister’s eyes, and then delight. She could see how joyous he was even as he tried to compose himself and walked up toward the dais. The king presented the champion’s prize, a beautiful golden statuette of a graceful cat in the motion of leaping. He leaned down into the ring and handed it into Dakon’s shaking hands. But Dakon did not betray his excitement in any other way. He gave the king a composed bow.
    “I but serve my king in all things.”
    “You and your sister should remember that always,” the king said sternly. Dakon froze, not knowing what that meant, and Sarea bit her lip anxiously. Then the king sent Dakon off and addressed the crowd once more.
    “And now on to sadder messages. Tomorrow we will begin a misra of mourning for our lost Trusted, Ulric. We will have a graven image of him made and affixed into the walls of the castle he protected so valiantly and will have ceremony to see him off to the afterworld.”
    Dakon arrived then and asked her, “What did the king mean by that? The part about me and my sister?”
    “Nothing,” she said with a secretive smile. “Nothing at all.”

Chapter Three
    Garrick sat at the head of the table, brooding. He had been doing this much of the time since he had announced the beginning of the mourning time for Ulric. But two shona had passed since the mourning had begun and still he had a dark mood upon him, as if Ulric had only just disappeared, rather than having been gone several misra past.
    But Jesso thought there was more to the mood. He couldn’t put his finger on it, and he wasn't sure Garrick even knew, but Garrick constantly seemed to be looking for someone. Jesso had caught him more than