Page 21 of The Genius
“Who, Mila?”
“Yeah, who else? You didn’t think I would call Laura or Magni gentle, did you?” The two of them were stubborn Northlanders with a love for weapons and fight techniques.
He kept his eyes on the screen. “Mila is the best. She runs an animal shelter now, you know, helping sick and injured animals.”
“How old is she? Twenty?”
“Sounds about right.” Tristan said and waved over a service-bot selling ice-cold beer.
“Is it true that she’s going to have a tournament?” I asked.
“I don’t know. It’s possible. Both her parents are traditionalists and want her to marry a strong warrior.” He reached for the beer, asking me over his shoulder, “Do you want one?”
“No thank you. I don’t drink beer.”
Tristan got what he needed and the service-bot left. “It’s inevitable that she’s been influenced by Magni and Laura to think a tournament is a good idea.”
I took another small bite of the breadstick and scratched my nose. “It’s so old-fashioned. Men fighting for a bride…”
“At least the minimum age of the brides was raised to twenty-one. It used to be eighteen up until seven years ago. Mila still has time to make up her mind.”
“Tournaments are barbaric,” I exclaimed. “Mila is too good a person to be pressured into something that medieval.”
“Hey, it worked out well for Laura and Magni. They seem happy together. Maybe it’ll work out for Mila as well.” Tristan gave me a small smile and looked back at the race.
My analysis of his body language told me that he didn’t want to discuss it further, but he had triggered me and I began ranting. “Tristan, did you know that until June 2433, brides were only fifteen years old when they were dressed up and made to pick between five champions? The warriors were grown men, sometimes more than twice the age of the bride, and they held enormous power. Their child brides couldn’t work, vote, or even walk freely. To say that it might work out for Mila is both ignorant and mean. If you consider yourself a friend, you should do everything in your power to stop her from marrying a stranger.”
“But Mila isn’t going to be a child bride, is she? She’s an adult and capable of making her own choices. If she thinks a tournament is the way to find a husband, then I’m going to support her right to choose that for herself.” Tristan patted my shoulder. “Let it go, Shelly, it’s none of our business.”
But letting go of things was hard for me, and I needed the last word on the matter. “It’s just that I don’t believe in tournaments. It’s wrong.”
“Then don’t have one,” Tristan said pragmatically.
“Mila shouldn’t have one either,” I insisted.
“And maybe she won’t. It’s probably just a rumor or wishful thinking on Magni’s part.”
I leaned forward in my seat, both my elbows on my knees and my chin resting in my palms. “I hope you’re right about that.”
Two minutes later Tristan jumped up from his seat. “That’s it! Take him, take him, take him!” He raised his hand in a fist and screamed out with joy when his drone overtook a large green one on the large screen. “Son of the Devil, he’s in third place now…” Tristan’s eyes were wide open and he gave another scream of excitement when his drone overtook another competitor. Leaning forward, he pointed to the side. “They’re going to be flying through here in a second – get ready.”
I stood up too, infected with his excitement, and cheered with him when the small dots on the horizon quickly grew in size.
“Yes… come on. Push her. Push her to the max.” Tristan was up on his toes when his drone sped past us in a flash. The crowd exploded in a rush of adrenaline with the speed and closeness of the drones. Men were roaring their excitement, and when Tristan’s drone took the lead my friend celebrated with everyone around him.
“I fucking designed that drone. That’smydrone,” he told the men around us, who gave him words of admiration.
Technically, it wasn’tTristan’sdrone, but for once I understood that now wasn’t the time to point that out.
When he flung his arm around my shoulder, I looked up at him and smiled. “Looks like you built a good drone, Tristan.”
His face split in a wide grin. “Of course I did. Told you, I’ve got both looks and brains.”
CHAPTER 6
Sex-Bot on a Field Trip
Marco
