The horses circled and reared at either end of the lists with their riders sitting proudly in their saddles. On one side was Sir Marc on his tan charger and on the other was Sir Peter on a majestic white stallion. Both horses were in full bard that matched their rider's armor. Sir Peter even had a lacy white handkerchief tucked into his armor – a token from a lady no doubt. He put his helmet on and closed the visor; Marc did the same. The horses were straightening to face each other now at either end of the field. The two knights were handed their lances as they prepared to charge each other. Once they were both ready the flag bearer waved the flag and quickly ran away to avoid the now charging horses. Dirt flew from the horse's hooves as they quickly ran each other down. Neither man flinched as they aimed their lances. With a crash of wood on metal the two knights met in the center of the lists. Splinters of the broken lance showered the two riders. Marc's lance was in ruins while Sir Peter's remained intact. Marc had won this round and earned a point. Kol and I cheered from our place in the stands along with the rest of the crowd around us.

The riders went back to their starting points to prepare for another go. One of Marc's squires brought out a second lance and exchanged it for the broken one. They returned to their positions and once again charged. Marc's lance splintered against his opponent's chest again and he won another point. If he won again then he would advance on to the next round. The third time they rode, Peter's lance broke as well as Marc's but it was not enough to win. Marc would be moving on and be one step closer to winning. I jumped in excitement at Marc took his victory lap around the tilt.

"He won," I exclaimed to Kol.

"It seems he has improved since the last time I saw him compete." He tried to sound unimpressed, but I could tell that Kol was proud of his friend. "Come; let's go see what else is going on around here. I heard that there is a troupe of troubadours who have set up their wagon out behind the arena and are performing songs and skits about the competition."

I nodded and followed Kol out of the arena and around the side to where there was a painted wagon surrounded by people in brightly colored clothes. Two muscle bound men in ill-fitting armor rode ridiculous little wooden horses and pantomimed Sir Marc and Sir Peter's match while three women sang their cheers from the side. A tall thin man in a bright orange cape told the story the men were acting out from an old tree stump nearby. They looked silly, but I had to give them credit for coming up with something so quickly after the event it was portraying.

"And so the brave knights took their places at either end of the field. Fear and anticipation pounded in their hearts as they faced each other. With a noise like rumbling thunder, their horses sped down the lane and they collided forcefully in the center. The noble Sir Marc prevailed against his foe that was sent back with dented armor and a lance that was unbroken." The caped man called from his place on the stump. The two men playing the knights ran at each other with rainbow rods to represent lances. They were careful to not hit one another with the sticks; still one man fell over as if he had been struck. I smiled at their antics.

"A point for Sir Marc is won and they retake their places for the next round. Again they ride and again only one lance is broken. Another point for Sir Marc is won, and only a single lance stands between him and victory. Again the two knights charge each other and this time no lance is left unbroken and both brave men win a point for themselves." The man waved his arms dramatically in time to his story. While the man playing Marc pranced around their small performing area the three women chanted his name.

"I'm really glad Marc isn't here to see this," Kol whispered to me. "His ego is already too big for him and having an entire play about him would make him completely unbearable."

I could only imagine what Marc would say if he was here to see the performers. He would probably be basking in the praise people would give him. If the actors saw him they would call him forward which would further the cheers and I could picture him reveling in the attention. He was probably off somewhere now with a flock of admirers surrounding him and telling him how well he did in his defeat of Sir Peter.

The performers had arranged themselves for a song about a mouse and a wren, which was also acted out. The women had donned animal masks and were dancing around with the men as they sang. Around them, the onlookers clapped in time to the lively tune. The woman who was the wren was thrown into the air while she spread her arms. Feathers were attached to her sleeves to look like wings. She gracefully glided through the air and it was simple to imagine her actually flying on her wings. While she was tossed into the air, the mouse dashed around the man on the ground and lamented about how it could not fly like its friend. While she was singing, the other man stepped up and tossed her into the air as well. Somehow they had made the ears on her mask wave about wildly to seem like she was flying with them. The crowd laughed at the mouse and the wren that were now both flying high and singing happily.

"I wish I had ears that I could use to fly," Kol commented as he watched to men and women take their bows before launching into their next skit about the tournament. "It would be much easier for getting around places."

I looked at Kol and tried imagining him with ears large enough to fly with. "Would you not want wings to fly instead? I would think it would be the more practical means of flight."

He shook his head and scoffed. "Practical is too mundane for me. I do not want to be burdened with the ordinariness of wings. No, I want to be unique and fly with my ears. All birds have wings to fly, but it is much more uncommon for one to have the gift of flight through other means. Leave wings to the unimaginative and the boring people of the world. As for me, I shall use my ears."

I snickered at his passionate speech about flying with one's ears. Leave it to him to shun something as ordinary and mundane as having wings in favor of ears for flight. He smiled proudly at his joke until a small boy ran up and tugged on his shirt sleeve. Kol turned to look at the boy, who could not have been more than ten, and his face immediately turned serious. I tried to see the boy better from where I stood on Kol's other side. He was small for his age and wore grubby street clothes and a floppy hat that sat unevenly on his young head.

"I has news for ya, sir, from Digger on the lower east side. I spoke to the missus and she told me to come find you." The boy said.

Kol looked around furtively and pulled the boy back away from the crowd. Tentatively, I followed. I was curious what news the boy was delivering. All of Kol's joking and laughter was gone away and his voice was bordering on severe when he spoke. He had crouched down to be closer to the boy's eye level. His new expression reminded me of when we were in the alley facing those men. "What has happened?"

The boy gulped and looked nervously at me like the news he had was for Kol's ears only. I looked away sharply but still strained my ears to hear what he said. Since Kol was crouched near to him, the boy did not speak very loud. "They found him, sir. They are waiting for you at the Scrolldart Tavern. The missus said to not do anything with him until you gave the word."

The cold look I had seen once before touched Kol's features and I felt a tremor of fear. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. He handed the money to the boy. "Thank you for finding me. How long ago was he found?"

"He was found early this morning by Digger near the wall. You know Digger, he's a big man and caught him as easy as you like. He brought the rat straight to the missus and he's been there all day while we looked for you, sir." The boy was turning the gold coin in his fingers while he explained what happened.

Kol smiled, but it was not a kind smile. "He was probably trying to escape, the fool. He should know that no one escapes me once I decide to find them. Doesn't matter now though; he'll learn soon enough the cost of his actions."

I didn't like Kol like this. He was a completely different person and he talked as his he meant serious harm to the man who was allegedly caught this morning. When he was like this, I had no doubt that he was someone to be feared and did lead a dangerous gang in the lower city. It was such a stark contrast to who I now knew him to be: the son of the captain of the guard. Why would he need to even venture into the lower city if he was part of one of the most well known families in the city?

"Kol?" I squeaked. I didn't know if I wanted to understand or just run away from him.

He seemed to have forgotten that I was there and turned to face me briefly before turning back to the boy. "Return to the Scrolldart and tell them I will be along later tonight and keep the man comfortable until I arrive." The way he said the word, I knew that the poor man who was captured would be anything but comfortable. Kol reached out his hand to the boy. His first three fingers where splayed out while his pinkie and thumb were held down. The boy mimicked the motion and his three fingers crossed with Kol's.

The boy ran off back the way he came and Kol stood to face me. His face was still hard and he offered no apology or explanation. I stepped back under the intensity of his dark gaze. "What are you going to do now?" I asked quietly. I did not know if he would be angry with me for hearing his conversation with the boy.

Kol lifted his chin slightly, daring me to challenge him. "What do you think, Ebb? You must have your opinions of what you just listened in on. Tell me, do you now think me a villain?"

I shook my head and whispered, "I don't know what to think."

Now Kol's lips tipped up in a crooked grin that did not quite reach his eyes. He appraised me and I did my best not to run or quake where I stood. He took a deep breath, "So should I tell you the full story? I'm sure you are dying to know why the son of Captain Rydell is kidnapping people on the streets of the lower city. Can I trust you with such secrets?"

Oh no! What a place to stop, eh? I do love my cliffhangers.