THE SWORD see whether I’ve put my bets on the right man. Let’s hope his riding, his arm, and his bow are all strong today—for his own sake as well as for ours.”
Entrelac was in a festive mood. Because it was a holiday, no one was working the fields or plying the waters of the two seas. Everyone crowded the lanes, laughing and talking with friends. Acrobats, jugglers, and flame eaters in bright costumes performed their tricks for the people’s amusement. A baker hawked honey buns at such a good price that Stratetix bought three, then added six more for the children playing marbles in the dirt. “Oh my!” Ana exclaimed. “No marbles will shoot from those sticky fingers!” She pointed to their honey-covered hands, but the delighted children didn’t seem to mind. The crowds began to converge on the coliseum at the edge of town. It was a U-shaped building of stone, set on the shoreline with its open end facing the Tooner Sea. The massive structure gathered the Chiveisi in its arms for sport and drink. When the games were over, the coliseum would vomit its occupants out to a night of revelry. Ana marveled at the arched facade of the coliseum. Idols of Pon, Elzebul, Vulkain, and Astrebril stood in each archway, for this building belonged to the four traditional gods of Chiveis. She thought about the symbolism in her poem, which the old priest had considered blasphemous. Apparently at least one person had understood her veiled critique of the state religion! A colossal golden statue of Astrebril the Great overlooked the main gateway to the amphitheater. He was a dragon god with the bearded face of a man and the body of a serpent. Bat wings rose in covering splendor from his scaly back. His head was crowned with rays of light, symbolizing the sunrise whose daily renewal depended on him—or so it was said. Ana shivered. As the family approached the gate, a stern Vulkainian militiaman warned them back. He gestured with his acid spray gun to indicate the reason they must wait: a parade led by the High Priestess herself was approaching the coliseum. 104
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