Chapter 224: Raise the Stakes

By Friday afternoon, Felix had lost six coppers and was trying to argue his way out of losing another.

"I said three fours," Felix argued, shaking his wooden cup. "There were practically three!"

"There were two," Cedric said, collecting the copper from the center of the table. "And no, rounding up doesn’t count."

"He’s right," Leon agreed.

Arthur reached the table halfway through the argument. The ache in his left wrist had finally begun to ease, and he had absolutely no intention of doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

"How much has he lost?" Arthur asked, dropping his bag onto an empty chair.

"Six coppers," Emily said. She was sitting next to Cedric, her legs stretched out under the table. She pulled a handful of dice toward herself. "You playing?"

Arthur pulled a handful of coins from his pouch and sat down. "Sure. I like free money."

They were playing for a copper per lost challenge, five dice each, no wilds. The stakes were pocket change, but Arthur still wanted to win.

Cedric made cautious bids and picked his challenges carefully. By the time Arthur sat down, he’d already won more than the rest of them. Emily was aggressive, pushing the bids higher to force people into challenging her. Leon was competent but conservative, mostly calling bluffs rather than making them.

Felix gambled on everything.

Arthur caught him twice in the first three rounds, comfortably taking his coins when the dice reveals proved him wrong.

"You’re taking this way too seriously," Felix complained, pushing another copper into the center.

"You’re the one who wanted to play for money," Arthur said. He grabbed his cup and five dice, gave them a shake, and lifted the cup just enough to check his roll.

"We were supposed to review the festival rosters twenty minutes ago."

Alicia walked over and stopped behind Leon’s chair. She carried a leather satchel and looked distinctly unimpressed by the small pile of copper coins in front of him.

Leon winced. "Right. Sorry. We got distracted."

Alicia looked at the dice, then at Emily raking in another pot. She pulled out the empty chair next to Arthur and sat down. "Deal me in."

Leon sighed. "We have three rosters to finish."

"I’ll play one round," Alicia said, accepting a cup and five dice from Cedric. "Just to prove you’re not missing much."

Arthur watched her. He expected her to play like Cedric—careful and boring.

Alicia lost her first round, won the next, and seemed perfectly happy to keep playing. The festival rosters stayed in Leon’s bag. Arthur caught her watching Felix whenever he made a bid, then turning her attention to whoever challenged him.

Arthur pushed the bid to eight sixes. Alicia called him.

Everyone lifted their cups. There were only three sixes.

"Damn it," Arthur muttered, sliding his copper across the table. "How did you know?"

"I didn’t," Alicia said, scooping up the coin. "Eight sixes was pushing it. I figured I’d take the chance."

Emily laughed out loud. "She’s got your number, Vance."

"Beginner’s luck," Arthur grumbled.

The next round came down to Alicia and Leon.

"Seven threes," Leon said smoothly.

Alicia looked at him for two seconds. "Call."

Everyone revealed their dice. There were only two threes.

Felix slapped the table, laughing. "She didn’t even think about it!"

"Am I really that obvious?" Leon asked, pushing his coin across the table.

Alicia smiled. "You overcompensate when you’re bluffing, Leon. You stop blinking."

"I thought I was keeping a poker face."

"You only do it when you’re lying," she pointed out.

They played two more rounds. A group of second-years at the next table shouted over a card game, forcing Felix to move his elbow to avoid being bumped. Cedric quietly accumulated another small pile of copper, while Felix finally managed to successfully bluff Arthur into calling a valid bid.

"Ha!" Felix declared, pointing a finger at Arthur.

"Congratulations," Cedric said dryly. "You’ve successfully recovered exactly one of the ten coppers you lost."

Felix paused, counted the three coins sitting in front of him, and frowned.

During the break in the game, Leon finally pulled a stack of parchment from his bag and spread it across the table.

"The academy wants volunteers for the festival demonstrations," Leon explained, running a finger down a list of names. "I’m short two people for the archery showcase in the lower quadrangle on festival Saturday."

He looked directly at Arthur.

"Find someone else," Arthur said instantly.

"It’s only three hours," Leon tried.

"They already tried paying me with a sash and a commendation," Arthur said. "Have they come up with anything better?"

"No," Leon admitted.

Arthur shook his head.

Elara had been sitting at a nearby table with her bow case resting against her chair. She looked up when Leon mentioned the archery showcase.

"Who’s looking for archers?" Elara asked, walking over and pulling up a chair.

"Leon," Arthur said. "For the festival."

Elara looked at the parchment. "What does it require?"

"Three hours on Saturday afternoon during the festival," Leon said. "You’d run through standard target drills and maybe demonstrate a few advanced techniques for the crowd. There’s a brief rehearsal next week."

Elara hesitated, looking down at the roster.

"If I sign up," Elara said slowly, "and I have to leave the city before the festival..."

"We can find a replacement," Leon assured her. "As long as you give me a few days’ notice, it’s manageable."

Elara considered it.

"I’ll do it," Elara said finally, looking back up at Leon. "Put my name down."

"Thank you," Leon said, writing her name on the roster.

"You’ve got one," Arthur pointed out. "Good luck finding the second."

Elara looked at Arthur. "You should do it. It’s better than sitting around."

"I don’t enjoy shooting stationary hay bales," Arthur said. "If they set up moving targets, I might consider it. Otherwise, I’m out."

"I’ll see what I can do," Leon promised, neatly stacking the parchment and shoving it back into his bag. "But for now, I’m done with festival rosters."

"Good," Felix said, picking up his leather cup and shaking the dice. "Because I still have three coppers, and I want my money back."

Chloe arrived ten minutes later, pulling a chair up next to Arthur. The game continued. Felix lost two more rounds, complained loudly about probability, and immediately bid again.

The game finally broke up when Cedric remembered the assignment he still had to finish. Leon packed away his festival rosters, and Alicia made sure he left with them before Felix could talk him into another round. Elara gathered her bow case and headed out as well.

Felix counted his remaining coppers and sighed. "I’m going to the dining hall. That’s all I can afford now."

"You could’ve stopped losing money an hour ago," Emily pointed out.

"Thanks. Very helpful."

Emily laughed and leaned down to kiss Arthur. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

She grabbed her things and followed Felix out.

Chloe stayed beside Arthur, leaning against his shoulder. "Any plans tonight?"

"The Leaping Stag."

She smiled. "Tell Roxanne I said hello."

Arthur grinned. "Will do."

He picked up his bag and headed out.