Page 62 of Infala: The Bonding Games
“You know you’re going to pay for what you did,” Galla hissed.
“Yeah, you keep saying that. And yet here we are,” she shot back, not once breaking the stare down with Galla’s asshole brother.
Flagro finally looked away, quickly moving one of his pieces with the confidence of a man never challenged.
“Ooh, you sure you want to do that?” she asked with one brow sarcastically arched high.
“You are a female. This sort of thing is beyond you.”
“Sure, buddy. You keep telling yourself that. But where I’m from that little thing hanging between your legs doesn’t mean you’re the smartest guy in the room. Which you’re clearly not.”
Dorrin suppressed a chuckle as he gave the cable a little tug. “Come on, Ziana, this bores me,” he said. “Let’s eat.”
“Good idea. Watching Flagro lose really works up an appetite.”
The two strode off before the sputtering man could formulate an appropriately vitriolic response. No one talked to him likethat. He was Flagro Vinchi, son of Chancellor Vinchi. How dare they?
Apparently, quite easily, it turned out.
“You certainly made an impression,” Dorrin said with an amused tone once they were out of earshot. “Not easing up on yesterday’s conflict, I see.”
“He was being a dick. And what I said was true. That was a bad choice. He’ll lose that game in five moves.”
Dorrin turned his head, sizing her up as they walked with an odd look in his eye. “You could tell that?”
“It was pretty obvious.”
“Seriously? From just a glance?”
“Once you understand the patterns, it’s really just pattern recognition and then playing based on the most likely next moves. Didn’t they ever teach you that?”
“As I said, I am a fair player, but not an expert by any means.”
“Well, trust me on this one. Your game may be a little different, but I’ve played a lot of chess in my day.”
“Noted,” he said, mulling over the rather surprising revelation. They reached the buffet-style serving area just a moment later, and just as their noses had informed them there was an impressive spread laid out for the surviving competitors. “May I make selections for you? I believe I understand the flavors that will please your palate the most.”
“Wow, look at you, Mister Take Charge. Sure. Surprise me.”
“I will do so with pleasure,” he replied, a hot look in his eye that made his double meaning readily apparent.
The two carried their trays to an open table and sat down, digging in with gusto, the first bite triggering their salivary glands into overdrive.
“Damn, this is good!”
“I know.”
“I didn’t realize just how hungry I was,” Ziana said between voracious mouthfuls. “And is it just me, or is thisreallygood today? Like, better than usual.”
“It is not just you, though I do believe we may be enjoying it a bit more than we normally would, given our recent energy expenditures,” he replied with a little chuckle, scanning the area to make sure no one would overhear them.
Fortunately, while the prior night had been one of unusual camaraderie, today things were back to normal. At least, mostly. And as a result, they were eating all alone.
The atmosphere was calm, and the number of active competitors had been reduced significantly. Whether they had become injured or had simply not made it to the exit in the allotted time, the result was the same. Their numbers were shrinking.
Something else was different. A tall, brightly clothed woman with a rather regal air was walking to some of the pairs and having quiet words with them, after which they would follow her out of the dining area. She would return shortly thereafter, but without the competitors.
“What’s going on?” Ziana asked, a little nervous.
