Page 102 of Tiger's Trek
Stacia backed up. “Oh no. I don’t want to be smuggled out.”
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Ne veshay mne lapshu na ushi, woman. You fill my ears with pasta.”
“Nyet! I’m not lying. I want to stay. I’m looking for someone.”
“Ah ha ha. Now I understand. You seek your springat stripling. Your attractive young man. Your beans are in flower. It makes you stupid and sick with love.”
“What? No! No beans are flowering here. You don’t understand. You?—”
He waggled his finger. “Poor little zaychik. Little bunny chasing her wolf. What a stupid little bunny you are.”
Stacia hit the bars with her palm. “I’m not looking for a wolf, and I’m not stupid or lovesick. I came because—because he needs me. He can’t see without me. He’s blind.”
Turning around, Stacia slid down the bars to the cold concrete floor.
The man didn’t leave. In fact, he crouched down next to her. “Look, I’m sorry if your man was brought in. It happens. But there’s nothing I can do once a contract is signed. I can try to find him, make sure his death is quick. Yours too. There’s nothing else I can do for you. Just tell me what to look for; give me a description. There are more than three hundred combatants.”
A teardrop plopped onto Stacia’s cheek. She swiped it away.
“What color is his hair? Is he tall? Short? Medium build? Just try and give me something.”
“He’s a tiger,” Stacia said softly.
“He’s what? I couldn’t hear you. Say it again.”
“I said,” Stacia repeated, speaking louder this time, “he’s a tiger.”
“A tiger? Huh. Well. Youarefull of surprises.”
He stood and rubbed his jaw with his palm. Stacia remained sitting on the cold floor, feeling defeated. She listened to the scraping sound of his whiskers against his hand.
“At least that narrows it down a bit,” he said. “We’ve only got four of them. One of those is bound to be him. Not that it will matter much. They’re all meant to be pitted against each other in the morning. Fierce beasts, those. Beaten all who’ve come their way.”
Stacia quickly got to her feet, determination on her face. She reached through the bars and grabbed the man’s tunic, refusing to let go even as he stumbled and grabbed the weapon at his waist.
Just as he commanded her to let go before she got the shock of her life, Stacia said, “You’ve got to get me into that match.”
Chapter25
THE ONE WITH THE MOST TOYS STILL DIES
Pasha had arranged sumptuous accommodation for his party to stay in all week long, hoping that he’d convince Nik to remain once he saw the sights and tasted the food. It was his good luck that the boy had stumbled upon the very people, er, tigers, he was looking for within the first few hours of arrival. The being known as the Ghoulish Gnome of Grotesquery hadn’t been at all certain the “family” Nik had been looking for would be found at the Novgorod Games at all.
In fact, as a betting man, he would have put down money that they were long since dead, knowing all the dangers and lethal creatures that inhabited the world in which he resided. Without some sort of magic or weapons, they were very likely to either be food fit for a beast, stolen away as chattel, or worse—that is, if they survived at all. As he well knew, there were things in this world much more terrible than death.
Still, he had hoped to convince the lad that staying the week would be good for both of them. The chanceswerebetter that Nik’s friends would be at the Games. At least, finding them at the Games or hearing word of their whereabouts would be easier than just searching blindly. That muchwastrue. Often strays and stragglers were rounded up and tossed into the Games by unscrupulous rustlers, looking for entrants that might make them a coin or two.
The boy was hopeful right now. Pasha didn’t have the heart to tell the poor lad that the arena being constructed for the tigers and the game they were designing for them meant that only one was supposed to emerge a victor. One of his contacts had set up a meeting with the new owner of the black tiger for him that evening. He was hoping he could purchase ownership in exchange for a few favors. If there was a contract on the man’s head, Pasha had the power to cancel such things if the man was open to negotiation.
Then there were also rumors of a young man of the religious persuasion with a small girl. The two of them appeared to be asking a lot of questions about the tigers, and what was worse, the man was flashing around red gold, a surefire signal that he wanted to be hauled off to the nearest gambling den so someone could see what else the good priest had tucked beneath his robes.
Unfortunately, there were a lot of unsavory elements circling the pair already. He’d have to try and locate the two of them as soon as possible before someone made them disappear permanently. Pasha would have to work quickly indeed. But tonight was about keeping up appearances. He didn’t need the boy following him. He’d wait until they were all asleep, then sneak out to meet his contact.
“Come, my sweeting,” he said to Polina. “I’ll escort you to our suite of rooms, then fetch the finest of tidbits to tide you over until morning.” Leaning over to Nik, he whispered, “I’ll find out what I can, boy. Long as you promise to watch over my girl and her sister. There’re ruffians about. Deal?”
