Project Fall (snippet)

“Let’s go, Quin!” Cyrus shouted, turning back to the jousting field. 

Quin donned a thin, bronze breastplate and mounted a horse, the only animal allowed past the magical border of Vitaschola.

The professor in charge, who Cyrus had yet to learn the name of, ordered the two jousters to their starting lines and began to count down. With his breath held, Cyrus watched as Quin and his competitor were handed lances and charged at each other.

Cyrus didn’t look at the results, instead, he found his eyes inexplicably drawn to Rhi, studying her reaction. She had all but frozen in place, her face growing pale as she watched Quin ride. When Quin managed to knock his opponent off his horse, she let go of a shaky breath.

“She’s caring,” Cyrus noted. “But she’s selective in who she chooses to care about.”

Cyrus forced a deep breath. He tried not to think of his family. It had been easy when he was living on the streets. It’s hard to think about your family when you’re too busy trying to focus on where you were getting your next meal from.

“But it’s been easier to think of them here,” he noted. “I’m closer to them here, even if not physically.”

Quin’s foe remounted his horse, and they each rode back to their starting lines. Cyrus, unwilling to be alone with his thoughts, wandered over to where Rhi was.

“He’s pretty good at handling himself,” he remarked to her, hoping to get in her good graces by complimenting her best friend.

She nodded distractedly, not taking her eyes off Quin. “He knows how to get back up fairly well, I just hate seeing him get knocked down.” She gave him a sly look. “You, however…”

Cyrus smirked. “Please. You’ll love seeing me joust.”

“And why is that?” she asked dryly.

He gave a mock frown. “Well, all the other girls seem to enjoy it.”

Rhi snorted. “Please. There’s nothing appealing about watching a group of guys sweat and try to beat each other up.”

Cyrus’s eyes flitted to the field. He wrinkled his nose. “It is pretty gross.”

She cracked a minuscule smile.