Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

The cavern finale of the prior day had drawn a great many visitors to the city from far and wide, and while Dorrin and Ziana toiled away, fighting for their very survival against hot, cold, and even beasts, the gambling community swelled in size as it accommodated the newcomers. Among them, however, were a rather unusual pair. A Nimenni prince and his human mate.

Heydar and Darla had arrived in a modest ship, not drawing much attention or fanfare as others made far more overt efforts to be noticed. When his name, rank, and lineage were announced, however, all the stops were pulled out for this most unusual and honored guest.

"Your Highness! We are graced with your presence!" the official concierge for the elites and their friends exclaimed as he rushed to greet the couple.

He nearly did a double take when he saw that this decorated and renowned warrior's companion was the same as one of their replacement competitors. A human , of all things. Credit given, he did manage to hide most of his shock, though Heydar's trained eyes picked up a few micro-expressions the man had been unable to prevent.

"And I see you have brought your… consort ?"

"She is my mate ," he said plainly, showing no sign of annoyance, as one would expect of someone of his standing. "My Infala mate."

The concierge couldn't contain his surprise this time. It was all far too much. "My apologies. I meant no disrespect, I assure you," he said giving Heydar a little bow.

"Of course not."

"Still, Infala mated? With a human? How unusual. Did you know we had two humans in this year's games? Though one was already eliminated."

"Yes, we are well aware," Heydar replied, glancing at his woman to gauge her mood.

Darla was perfectly capable of speaking for herself, and under most circumstances she wouldn't have held back like this, but the situation was unique , and it was very important they raise no attention while carrying out their plan.

The concierge smiled as he gave Darla a quick once-over. "Might I ask, and I hope it is not out of place, but I was under the impression those of her world did not possess the Dotharian runes."

Heydar let out a warm and friendly laugh, though Darla could sense he very much wanted to punch this smarmy man square in the face. "Yes, it is true. But when my mate was welcomed in by one of the many friendly races on this world, they recognized her plight and provided her with a full set of Dotharian runes."

"But you said you are Infala mated. How can that be in so short a time? It is unheard of."

At this his laugh was genuine, a look of the deepest love cast at his mate. "Her kind are unusual to say the least. Exceptional, even. And her abilities with the pigments are, indeed, unheard of. And, to my greatest delight, we are most securely bonded."

He leaned over and gave Darla a kiss on the head, this powerful warrior simply unable to contain himself for a brief moment. They'd bonded recently, that much was clear, and the intensity of their devotion to one another was readily apparent. And for this woman, this human woman, to have secured so impressive a mate spoke volumes for her.

"Now, speaking of her kind, my beloved expressed great interest in meeting this competitor from her homeworld. There are so few within the Dotharian realm, as I'm sure you know."

"I do. But there is a restriction on visitors for her. I'm sure you understand. She is, after all, a replacement partner and as such is subject to a more stringent set of guidelines."

Heydar frowned. From anyone else it would be a benign expression, but coming from one of the Nimenni royals, and a general no less, it was enough to shake the man to the core. But he was diplomatic, opting for the carrot rather than the stick. At least, for now.

"I do understand, and of course that is a perfectly normal parameter under normal circumstances."

"I'm relieved you feel that way."

" But my mate is not a normal visitor, nor is this a normal request. I am, after all, High Aldwin Heydaricus Afflantia Matzur, heir to the Nimenni throne, though I am not one to leverage my position normally. But for my mate I will do anything, and if you can help us, I would be personally grateful to you for your understanding in making an allowance just this once."

The man blushed despite his years of training. For the crown prince of the Nimenni to address one of his lower status in such a manner was utterly unheard of, and it was a heady feeling filling him from the experience.

"Well, it is only a guideline. I think I can arrange something."

Heydar smiled bright and grasped the man warmly by the shoulder. "You have no idea how happy you have made my mate. She sometimes longs for her home, and this will please her greatly. Thank you, my friend. You are a good man."

That was the bright red cherry on top of an already overwhelmingly wonderful cake. This sort of thing could make one's career. If the Nimenni prince was pleased with him, there was no telling what position he might ascend to when the elites heard of it.

Of course, Heydar and Darla had ulterior motives, but if they did this right, no one would be any the wiser. At least, not until it was too late.

The concierge spoke quietly into his lapel, a tiny mouthpiece relaying the request to the appropriate staff. He paused, listening a moment, then turned his full attention back to his guests with a smile.

"It has been settled. They will be brought to the Vorkathian meeting room, reserved for only our most honored of guests."

"Thank you," Darla said, finally speaking up now that Heydar had worked his princely magic. "It really, really means a lot to me."

"I am so pleased to be able to be of service to you both. Now, if you will follow me, I will escort you personally. It will take a short moment for them to be brought to you as they are currently in the competitors' lodging and dining area, but it should not be long."

"Thanks. You're the best."

The walk was short, and their guide excitedly pointed out the many features offered during the games. Food areas as well as drinking and gaming halls, naturally, in addition to the wide assortment of other forms of entertainment which were all being put to good use on this day off from competition.

The room they arrived in was actually a standalone building, small and circular with a domed roof and ornately decorated walls, water and plant features spreading all the way around it. When the doors silently slid open, they found that the interior was equally impressive. Comfortable couches and chairs, as well as what looked like a bed folded up into the far wall.

From what Heydar had informed her on the way, sometimes patrons wanted a little something more out of those they supported. It was an unspoken thing, but it reminded her of what she'd heard of old Roman gladiators pleasuring the elites of Rome. It seemed even here the ruling class liked to get their freak on with the commoners from time to time.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable. They will be with you shortly. And if you need anything, please do not hesitate to call."

"Thank you," Heydar said, shaking the man's hand, something he'd probably brag to his friends about when his shift was over, so overwhelmed was he by the whole experience. Normally he was treated like a piece of furniture. But this? To actually be seen by a prince? It was heady stuff to say the least.

The door closed, leaving them alone and Heydar wasted no time walking the room, looking around with an impressed expression on his face as if appreciating the decor. His hands, however, were busy in his pockets. He motioned for Darla to come sit with him.

"As I expected, there are a wide array of spying devices in the room."

"And you disabled them, of course."

"Actually, no. I have muted them for the moment, but the technology is rather basic. Nothing my tools cannot handle. Once the others arrive, we will capture their likenesses from these very systems, then an altered signal will be relayed back. Whatever we speak of, whatever we do, it will look like we are merely discussing your home, the games, and other randomly generated talking points."

"You have all the best toys."

"A benefit of my position. But we will first need to interact with them for a few minutes to collect enough baseline data."

"Got it."

"Good. I'm unmuting us now, but I've reduced the sensitivity of their listening devices by the couches and those chairs. We can key them in there."

"Will do. But how did you know they would be listening in on us? Not that I mind your taking precautions."

He chuckled, kissing her on the forehead. "You forget, my love. I am a Nimenni general. And these overconfident ‘elites' as they call themselves? They have no tricks I have not seen a hundred times. Now, let us prepare for our visitors."

The couple relaxed, putting on a show for the observation systems. The tiny device in Heydar's pocket was a very powerful tool from his people. As a prince he had access to pretty much everything, but he was also a decorated general, and one who led his men from the front, following the truest example of leadership with but two words. Follow me . As a result, his men would do anything for him. More than that, he had firsthand working expertise with pretty much all of the tools his special forces team used.

And this? Spycraft was easy compared to most of what they usually had to do.

Dorrin and Ziana were ushered in a short while later, the door closing behind them. It took them a moment, but each of them reacted more or less the same way, though for different reasons.

"Another human!" Ziana blurted, her eyes widening in shock.

"It cannot be. A Nimenni general? I heard one was on our world but thought it was just a rumor," Dorrin said, equally surprised.

"Yes to both counts," Darla replied with a laugh. "Come on, you two. Come sit with us. We have so much to talk about."

Dorrin and Ziana did as they were asked, sitting between the two visitors, the seating carefully arranged to seem casual but actually quite intentional in its spacing, allowing each pair to lean closer as they spoke.

Darla smiled as she whispered to Ziana in her best ventriloquist impersonation. "Act normal. We need to make small talk for a minute before we can speak freely. Don't nod or react, just chat, okay?"

"It's so great seeing someone from back home. You don't know what this means to me!" was Ziana's reply.

Heydar and Dorrin had more or less the same sort of brief heads up and subsequent small talk, the group talking casually for several minutes. A little vibration notification in Heydar's pocket changed all of that.

"We are clear," he said. "There is now a decoy signal generated and fed into their systems. We may speak freely."

"A Nimenni general to see us?" Dorrin blurted now that he was free to express his surprise more openly.

"Actually, we're here for her," Darla replied for her mate.

Dorrin turned to his companion. Sure, she was a human, just like the woman visiting them, but the Nimenni had also come to see her? It made no sense.

"I don't understand? Her, that makes sense. But you ?"

Heydar shrugged. "She is my Infala mate, and where she goes, I go. What she desires, so do I."

At that Dorrin paled. "Your Infala mate?"

"Yep," Darla confirmed. "Don't worry, it surprised me too at first."

Ziana's confusion was equal, if not greater than her partner's. "Hang on. That Infala thingy actually worked?"

"Yep. And let me tell you, it's even better than they say," Darla replied, sharing a smoldering look with her mate. "Anyway, that's why we're here. To see you."

"Because I have some of that weird ink?"

"Pigment," Heydar corrected. "And not because you have received the runes, but because yours are incomplete."

Dorrin and Ziana shared a look. "You know of this?" he blurted. "But how? We realized what the Chancellor's Skrizzit had done, but we did not dare speak of it aloud."

Heydar began removing small pouches from his tunic's inner pockets. "We learned of this gross violation of Dotharian law from another. Maria, she is called."

Ziana nearly jumped to her feet. "She's okay? I thought she was being sequestered."

Heydar nodded, carefully laying out small vials of pigment and the tools with which to apply them. "She was, but she was freed and brought to us by an ally. Her runes were finished properly, but we thought it only fair that yours be seen to as well. And my mate wished very much to meet you, of course."

Darla rested her hand on Ziana's arm. "Don't worry. Heydar's a skilled Skrizzit, and we got some of the most powerful pigments you can find. He's gonna fix you right up and complete what that other asshole left unfinished. You've been competing at a disadvantage this whole time. We're going to see to it that changes."

"I–I don't know what to say."

"Say thank you, and take off your clothes so he can see just how much they left incomplete. We really need to let him get started. He's fast, but there's no telling how long we've got before they come to take you back."

Ziana nodded, stripping at once. Despite these two being strangers, one was human, and from Dorrin's reaction to the other, he was something special, though she'd get that story from him later. Whatever the case, for now she would put any shyness aside and let him do his work.

"Daaamn, girl," Darla said, noting the love bites and bruises with an appreciative chuckle.

Now that made Ziana blush.

"No judgment. Good on ya, I say," Darla quickly added.

Heydar paid no attention to that but just leaned in close, examining her skin with an intense gaze. "It is better than I feared. Like Maria's, it was mostly the Infala that was neglected. It makes sense. That is the key rune binding all others, and if it is not finished just right it can prevent the others from connecting."

"What does that even mean?" she asked.

"It means that I do not have as much work as I anticipated. And judging by the design, the powerful pigment I was planning on using will settle in nicely. In fact, you should be healed and manifesting your enhancements in no time as the other runes are well set in your flesh. Now, take a seat and relax. I will be as quick as I can."

He set to work, his hands steady and firm as he began marking her body, completing her nascent Infala so her other runes could thrive. She still had a long way to go where the Infala was concerned, but the rest of her would benefit immediately. In short order the work was done, her runes suddenly tingling in her skin as they really connected for the first time.

"This feels sooooo weird."

"You'll get used to it," Darla assured her. "It just takes a minute is all."

Heydar turned to Ziana's partner. "I have pigment remaining, and it is quite powerful. You are protecting this woman, and, if you wish, I will add some of it to your own runes to increase your potency as well."

"You would do that for me?" Dorrin marveled.

"We are not so dissimilar, you and me. We each found ourselves protecting a human woman. And, as we have heard from many present at the games, you have also found your partner to be far more formidable a woman that you might have expected."

Dorrin looked at Ziana, a swell of warm happiness in his belly matching hers. "You could say that."

"Then allow me to help you."

Dorrin didn't think twice. He shed his tunic and let Heydar do his work, the new pigment reacting immediately with his older ones, enhancing them all.

"It's funny," he said as the Nimenni general worked. "It was only a short while ago Ziana was arguing with one of the elites as her partner played Bolaxis, utterly fearless despite her lack of rune power. But now? Now she'll be on even footing, and I thank you for that."

"It is our pleasure," Heydar replied. "You know, my mate is quite a Bolaxis player herself. Perhaps those two will enjoy a game together once this is all over."

"But women don't play."

Heydar looked at Darla with a straight face, but only for a moment, both of them cracking up simultaneously. "My friend, there are many things I have learned recently, and top of them all is never underestimate a human woman. They are capable of far more than you'd expect."

Dorrin looked at the two humans and pondered just what that might mean, wondering if he'd find out firsthand, and if so, how soon.

He wouldn't have to wait long.