clothes were packed into a trunk. At last, she climbed into the cage with her kehok.
This is it, Raia thought.
Her last chance to qualify for the major races.
If they’d stayed in Peron, they’d have traveled to whatever race was nearest—qualifying races were held on tracks up and down the Aur River. But since they were already in the Heart of Becar, she’d be racing her second (and last) qualifier on the same track that would be used for the finals, only a few miles from the palace, beyond the edge of the city.
On the journey to the royal stables, the black lion had been hidden beneath a shroud of red velvet, but now he traveled exposed, laden with chains within an iron cage. Riding with him, Raia felt as uncomfortable as he was. She was wearing a royal uniform, at the insistence of Lady Evara, and she hated it. The gold embellishment around the collar pricked at her neck, and the red leather felt stiff. She wished she could wear her old practice clothes. She also wished they could travel under the velvet. She felt as if she was in a parade.
She sort of was.
All the streets on the way out of the city were lined with people, cheering, heckling, and just plain gawking at the emperor-to-be’s entry in the Becaran Races.
“Everyone seems to have an opinion on whether or not we should win,” Raia said to the lion. “Of course, Trainer Verlas would say all that matters is our opinion on that.” She tried a tentative smile and wave at the crowd, and was rewarded with raucous cheers and ribbons tossed into the air.
Riding in her chariot alongside the cage, Lady Evara called, “Isn’t this fantastic? You’re famous!” She blew kisses at the crowd and then urged the horses pulling her chariot to trot faster.
It all made Raia feel sick to her stomach. She’d heard that the emperor-to-be himself would be at the race, even though it was only a qualifier. Given that, attendance was expected to exceed that of all prior years—or so Lady Evara had gleefully reported. Raia had already been invited to a slew of parties in the houses of the wealthy.
Thankfully, Trainer Verlas had declined on her behalf, saying she had to focus. I think if I attended a party, I’d vomit on the host’s shoes.
She wished they’d just arrive already.
It got worse the closer they drew to the racetrack.
Just beyond the city, the racetrack was marked with a line of flags. Raia tried to focus on them instead of the thickening crowd. She tried to steady her breathing. She felt as jumpy as a frog startled by every ripple in the water. She didn’t know how she was going to shut out all the eyes that would be on her—especially knowing that Prince Dar would be one of the ones watching.
She felt even worse when she saw the crowd by the archway that marked the entrance to the racing grounds. Clustered so densely that she couldn’t even see the sand, they were cheering for all the racers arriving.
“Splendid,” Lady Evara said. “A proper welcome. You don’t look pleased.”
“I just want to race.”
Raising her voice, Lady Evara called to the crowd, “Hear that? She just wants to race! What do you think of that?”
Everyone cheered.
Lady Evara beamed at her. “Beautifully done.”
Trainer Verlas called from the front of the cart. “Let her be, Lady Evara. Not everyone loves a circus. Raia, you’re not their performing monkey. You can play along or ignore them. Your choice.”
Trying to block out the crowd, Raia endured the rest of the journey out to the riders’ camp, a quarter mile from the racetrack. Spectators weren’t allowed in the camp, but that didn’t make the atmosphere any calmer—riders, trainers, and track officials swarmed everywhere.
Climbing out of the cart, she looked around. The camp here was much fancier than at the track near Peron: a tent for each rider and trainer, with water pumped from the river for bathing, and an enormous, magnificent stable for the kehoks, with a view of the palace. Trainer Verlas had said they’d be here only for the day, but once the qualification races finished up and all the riders and racers converged on the capital, they would move back to this camp for the remaining races—the main races were scheduled in such quick succession that it wouldn’t make sense to travel back and forth to the royal stables. Guess I’d better get used to it, Raia thought.