Binky McFearsome's Arc

Chapter 3 of 4

Binky and Davan reached the tournament grounds at dusk, the giant bunny plodding behind them. The Champion Grand Stadium rose ahead, its banners snapping in the wind, its stands still empty before tomorrow's fights. But Davan kept glancing back at the road. "They followed us," he muttered. "The rope had a tag. The guild tracks their gear." Binky patted the bunny's soft ear and grinned. "Then we'll thump 'em when they come." His pet fly, Tipsy, wobbled off his shoulder and drifted toward the tents, dizzy as ever. Inside the grounds, a stout old man in a purple robe met them. Gold stars stitched his sleeves, and a jeweled staff shone in his hand. This was Aldric Tournefield, the Grand Maester who ran the whole tournament. His eyes went wide at the giant bunny. "My pet!" he cried, hurrying forward. "You found her! She bolted from her pen days ago." Behind him trailed a sour young man in red robes, Aldric Quillsworth, the Maester's helper, arms crossed, lip curled. "You expect a reward, I suppose," Quillsworth sniffed. While the Maester fussed over his bunny, Tipsy the fly wandered outside past the tents. Binky chased after his pet. He rounded a wagon and froze. Griggs Skinner and Silas Crowe stood in the shadows. And Quillsworth stood with them, whispering. "The Maester never suspected me," Quillsworth hissed. "I hired you to snatch the beast. We ransom it back, and I take the coin." Griggs bared his teeth. "Then that fat dwarf ruined it." Silas gripped a rope with a brass tag, the same mark Davan had found. "We tracked him here by his own trail." Binky's kind heart went cold. The bunny wasn't runaway loot. Quillsworth had planned the whole theft. Binky stepped into the open. "You're the master!" he boomed. "You tried to rob your own boss!" Griggs threw his knife. It struck Binky's chest and clattered off like it hit stone. Silas swung the tagged rope. Binky caught it in one fist and yanked. Both poachers stumbled forward. Binky knocked their heads together with a hollow crack, and they dropped. Quillsworth spun to flee, but Davan slid from the dark and hooked his ankle. The helper sprawled in the dirt, screeching. The Grand Maester arrived with his guards, staff raised. Binky held up the brass tag. "Your helper hired 'em," he said. "He wanted to ransom your bunny." Quillsworth wailed his innocence, but Silas, groaning, spat the truth to save his own neck. The guards hauled all three away. Aldric Tournefield laid a hand on Binky's arm. "You saved my pet and unmasked a thief." His eyes narrowed with new interest. "A dwarf who shrugs off a knife. You've entered my tournament, haven't you?" Binky beamed. "I aim to be champion, sir." The Maester smiled, but it was not all warmth. "Then I'll be watching you closely, champion." Binky had made a powerful friend. He had also drawn the eyes of the one man who could expose everything.