Chapter Forty-Four

At the Ox farm, Fenn Fedala barred Neema’s guard from the Festival Trial and floored him when he resisted, signaling a no-nonsense ethos. Fenn pointed to surplus wagons and said, “Make yourselves useful,” starting a two-hour task without explicit instructions. Most contenders assumed they must haul the heavy loads themselves.

Havoc paired with Katsan, banking on Ox teamwork; Shal asked Cain to team up; Ruko pulled alone with grim resolve. Cain feigned a shoulder injury, then slipped away. Neema questioned the premise, noting Fenn’s weariness with paperwork and his broader message about utility and fit within a team.

Neema abandoned the wagons, entered Fenn’s office, and tackled his chaotic correspondence, blueprints, and accounts—answering Raven palace queries and organizing instructions. She recognized Ox philosophy as varied roles serving a common aim. Finding a sketch of Fenn and Shimmer, Neema and Fenn shared a fraught memory; Neema inferred Shimmer may have seen something off about Bersun, hinting at darker possibilities surrounding her death.

Outside, Cain returned leading oxen and quickly moved three full wagons, while a shattered Ruko bowed his head. Fenn declared Neema the winner as the only contender who understood the Trial’s intent; he credited Cain’s resourcefulness next, then awarded points based on wagon-pulling. Shal accepted the lesson with grace as Fenn dismissed them from the farm.