Page 15 of Infala: The Bonding Games
“I am nottryingto say anything. My point is clear. You have put in the effort, for which I cannot find fault. But you are too weak and too slow to be a proper partner, and injuries will only make your shortcomings stand out more. Now come, we will eat. At least they spare no expense on feeding participants in the games, and that one thing we willbothtake pleasure in.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Boy, you weren’t kidding,” Ziana said as she polished off a plate of what Dorrin had informed her was something of a specialty for the game. A type of stew usually reserved for military campaigns, sporting events, and anything that might prove exceptionally exhausting, above and beyond the normal rigors of life. It was delicious, and on top of that she felt as if every bite was soaking directly into her drained muscles.
“Pace yourself,” he reminded her. “There are many other items being prepared, and you would not wish to eat too much of just that one. Plus, it can be somewhatbindingin large quantities.”
She paused mid-bite. “It’ll plug me up?”
He nodded. “You would need to eat quite a bit more, but yes, that has been known to happen, and we do not yet know how your body will react to this particular dish. Therefore, I advise you hydrate well and eat sparingly of each item. It will give your body ample opportunity to process the food while also allowing you to sample a wider variety. I am under the impression, given your recent arrival, that you would enjoy that, yes?”
“Yes, definitely. Thanks for the heads up.”
“Heads up? Why would my head be low?”
“It’s a saying on my world.”
“It makes no sense.”
“It does if something is flying at your head.”
He shook his head in disagreement. “If something is flying toward my head, I would thinklook outorduckwould be a more appropriate warning.Heads upjust makes no sense. In fact, if anything, it would cause one toraiseone’s head, making them more at risk for injury than reducing it.”
“I—actually, now that you mention it, I suppose that’s a valid point. I mean, it’s like most colloquial phrases in that we really don’t think about how they became expressions in the first place. I just never think about it like that, you know?”
Dorrin shrugged and continued in his steady rhythm of moving food from his plate to his mouth. While Ziana was rather enjoying the novel flavors, her unwilling partner seemed to be eating without relish but rather a mechanical efficiency. Feeding a machine and nothing more, every bite restoring his energy for the next round of exertion, whatever that might wind up being.
They ate in silence a while, Ziana occasionally making comments about this dish or that, greatly enjoying at least this part of her latest ordeal. Dorrin would occasionally grunt or nod, but beyond that he was anything but talkative.
“You don’t really talk much, do you?” she commented as her belly grew full.
“I only speak when I have something to say.”
She was waiting for his usual snark to follow, likely in the form of, “Unlike some,” or something similarly rude, but he left it at that, though she didn’t think it was necessarily because he was becoming more polite for her benefit. She watched him a moment, sizing him up now that they’d had some down time together. He was gruff and abrupt with her, but he didn’t seemlike an overtlybadguy. He just didn’t want anything to do with her.
Unfortunately for both of them, the cuffs on their wrists meant neither had much choice in that matter.
“Well, if you don’t have anything to say, I’m going to ask you some questions. I’m kinda in the dark here, and I could really,reallyuse some information.”
“Very well,” he grumbled. “What do you wish to know?”
“Well, how about something simple to start? First off what’s the deal with these games? I mean, it’s like some sort of massive spectacle every few years, but why?”
“That is not simple. The games have been going on since long before I was born. Commoners are afforded this one opportunity to compete against the ruling elites.”
He fell silent, returning his attention to his meal.
“And? There’s clearly more to it than that.”
“And the games are a massively popular form of entertainment with visitors from all around, not just this region, though the competitors are only locals, per custom and rules.”
“Except for us fill-ins, right?”
“Correct. The rest of us are born and raised here, and we have trained long and hard to prepare for these games.”
“But your partner?”
“She was injured.”
