Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

The rules were simple. Simple, but something that had to be dug up and verified by multiple parties. There would be one final event. An additional day of the games that was entirely unplanned for. Lodging arrangements would be extended, gaming halls would stay open round the clock, food and entertainment services would see an unexpected boon from not only those staying longer, but also the additional visitors who were now flocking to the city for this unheard-of event.

A tiebreaker? It hadn't happened in over a hundred years. And between an elite team and commoners? That had never happened. It was unthinkable. Naturally, the gambling community was going wild.

As for the next steps, they were simple. Incredibly simple, in fact, designed to be so transparent that no one could hope to find a whiff of impropriety in the process. Five events would be selected at random to be placed on a wheel. Not selected by a computer, but scraps of parchment folded and placed in a container. The highest member of the elites would then draw them out publicly for all to see. All but the competitors, that is. They would only learn of the possible outcomes when the wheel was spun.

As for that, it was to be a simple disc on a pin. No gears or anything remotely mechanical that could be manipulated. The wheel would spin, and the wheel would stop, all of it occurring under the scrutiny of the countless gamblers watching with great interest. This was the sort of thing upon which fortunes were won and lost and eyes from far and wide would be locked onto their screens.

Once the event was selected, the competitors would be ushered to whatever surprise might face them to begin at once. No preparation time. No planning or strategizing. Each team would go in with an identical lack of readiness, further adding to the drama.

And the gambling crowd would eat it up.

Without the benefit of knowing what to prepare for, the two remaining teams were left to themselves to do pretty much whatever they wanted until the following afternoon. Since it was only the two facing off, there was no need for an early start time. This allowed them to sleep in while also giving vendors, food sellers, and, of course, gamblers, plenty of time to enjoy the extra day of the games before the main event.

Dorrin and Ziana spent their evening quietly, eating well, taking a long walk, talking about life, death, their future, and, of course, Dorrin's outrageous risk and what it meant to their blossoming relationship.

While his jeopardizing his freedom had pissed her off, she also had to admit that he'd put everything on the line because he believed in her, and Ziana had never had anyone do anything remotely like that for her. They had flipped the script, their grudging partnership now a blooming romance. And while their runes were now linked, even before Heydar put that pigment into their skin, something was brewing between them the likes of which neither had ever felt before. The new pigment merely locked it in, intensifying what was already growing organically.

They made sweet, tender love that night, perhaps saving their energy for the next day, but also because the emotions they felt welling within them were of the nature that slow and intimate connection was what was called for. They'd done the frantic and animalistic thing and done it well. Now it was time for something else.

Lying in each other's arms as they drifted off to sleep, Dorrin and Ziana whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears, swearing their devotion to one another even if their Infalas did not match. They were a team. A partnership. A couple. And it was a bond they would only strengthen as time progressed.

Morning came and with it a sense of hope, along with a fair bit of nerves.

"What if it's something ridiculously hard?" she asked.

"It won't be anything we cannot succeed in," he replied. "The patrons of the games would not allow it, and the Chancellor is well aware of what would happen if it did."

"So we really just wing it?"

He kissed her forehead tenderly. "That we do. There is no sense worrying about what we cannot control, so we should enjoy ourselves while we can. The reality of today's challenge will be made clear soon enough."

"So, breakfast?"

"You read my mind."

"Or I know your stomach. You're insatiable."

He pulled her close, cupping her ass firmly. "And I like to eat food, too," he growled, biting her neck.

"This is the one time I'll stop you right there, buddy. We need to get going."

"Fair enough," he said, giving her ass a little squeeze then stepping back.

They dressed quickly and headed out into the fresh air, holding hands as they walked, their commitment to one another no longer needing to be kept a secret. After what he'd done yesterday, it wouldn't have been a secret even if they wanted it to be.

They found the dining area empty, the chefs ready to serve them whatever they wanted. With all the other teams eliminated, there was no need for a buffet to handle the numbers. They ordered a well-balanced and nutritious meal, which they enjoyed at their leisure.

Interestingly, Flagro and Galla did not show up for breakfast. Apparently, they decided to dine at home on this last day of the games. The real last day, that is.

"Well, I guess this is it," she said as they finally made their way to the arena.

"Don't worry. Whatever the event is, you know I have faith in you."

His words warmed her heart, but Ziana couldn't help but still be nervous. There was no telling what they might face, and they'd have zero prep time before launching into whatever was in store for them.

The arena was cordoned off into three large competition spaces, each blocked from view from field level but easy to see from the stands and video projections for the fans. One for each of the possibilities on the wheel that could take place inside the arena's walls. The other two options would require travel outside, and a pair of fast ships were standing by to shuttle them to those locations if that happened to be the case.

"Dear guests," the announcer's voice rang out, the corpulent man waving to the crowd, all five elite families seated behind him in their seats of honor for such a rare event. "Welcome to the final day of the Husken Games!"

The crowd cheered, as expected, while Dorrin and Ziana were ushered to the platform where Flagro and Galla were already waiting. The wheel was a very boring device. Wood, not metal, so there could be no claims of magnetism or other trickery. And each of the events had been scrawled onto the equally sized spaces. Dorrin read them all in a flash. Ziana took longer, not knowing what they all meant.

"I don't get it."

"I'll explain once they spin," Dorrin replied in a hush. "But it seems someone tried to stack the deck against us."

"Shit."

"No, it's good. Very good. They've played right into our hands."

"How?"

"Shh. I'll tell you in a minute."

The announcer's voice cut through the air once more. "As you know, today we see something the likes of which hasn't occurred in over a hundred years. A tiebreaker!" The crowd cheered on cue. "And to spin the wheel of fate, none other than our master of ceremonies and patron of the games, Chancellor Vinchi!"

The elder Vinchi rose, waving to the crowd, his children applauding fiercely as their father strode to the wheel. "Today we witness history," he said in a loud, steady voice. "Today we witness two great teams, formidable in their own ways, competing to prove who truly is superior."

Everyone knew he favored his kids, but no one could say the man didn't know how to put on a show.

"And now what you have been waiting for." He placed one hand in the air, turning it this way and that to show it was empty.

No trickery on his part, not here, not now. Dorrin knew better, though. They shenanigans had taken place long before the wheel ever made its way to the podium.

The chancellor grasped the wheel and gave it a mighty spin, the disc whirling around and around. The crowd held its collective breath as it slowed and finally stopped.

"Corsus Maximus!" the man shouted, drawing a huge cheer from the crowd.

Ziana didn't like the look on Galla's face. "What's that? They look really happy with it."

Dorrin leaned close to her ear, covering his mouth with his hand. "An obstacle course, but one specially tailored to test speed and strength. It's a fast, showy course, designed to showcase what power runes can do."

"Is that what you noticed when you saw the wheel?"

"Yes, but not only that. All five of them were similar type events. The selection wheel itself was unrigged, but the choosing of the events was clearly not. All are intended to give the elites the advantage because of their runes, and Flagro and Galla have particularly strong ones."

Ziana realized what he was getting at. "Runes they still think I don't have. At least, not completed, anyway."

"Precisely," he replied with a tiny grin. "And oh how they are going to be surprised."

She fought hard to suppress the laugh that threatened to burst from her lips. They had no idea that Heydar, the Nimenni general, had gifted her and Dorrin both with very potent pigments when he finalized her runes. And now that they were firing on all cylinders, this supposed handicap wasn't one at all. In fact, as good as she felt, she wondered if it might have even given her the advantage.

Don't get cocky, Zee , she reminded herself. First win, then you can gloat.

They rounded a corner, and the course abruptly came into view. It was big , and she could readily see how speed and strength would be crucial. Obstacles were tall, requiring a lot of effort to surmount, but there were long gaps between them, allowing the faster runner to make up lost time. There were ropes, swinging bridges, and heavy logs that had to be lifted and dropped across a gap to create passage. Again, strength and speed blending across the challenge.

"Okay, so what do we?—"

The starting gong sounded and Flagro and Galla took off in a flash.

"Go!" Dorrin shouted, taking her by the hand and yanking her into action as the momentary shock passed.

"Fuck. When you said no warning, I didn't think it would be like that," Ziana groaned as they scrambled up the first wall.

"No one said it would be easy. Now come on, they're ahead of us!"

Ziana pushed harder, her runes flaring to life as her limbs drew power from them. Suddenly, climbing wasn't so hard at all, and in short order they were over and onto the sprint to the next obstacle.

The two teams jockeyed for position, each taking the lead and losing it repeatedly as they suffered through what seemed like an endless succession of grueling challenges. Corsus Maximus, indeed. The damn thing felt like it would never end.

"Take the left, I'll take the right!" Dorrin commanded as they reached the large log they needed to flip to cross a wide gap. Now that they were close, she could smell the hot sulfur water far below. To fall wasn't just losing time. Mess up here and you could die.

"Heave!" Dorrin grunted, the two of them lifting in unison, their matching pigment combining force and giving them an extra boost of power.

Flagro and Galla were neck-in-neck, but they were struggling with their own log while watching with amazement and utter shock as the supposedly weaker woman was more than pulling her own weight. That was when they saw the faint glow under her top.

"Her runes," Flagro grunted, straining harder. "They're working."

"Shut up," Galla hissed, well aware of the eyes on them, hoping no one was listening as well.

"Then hurry!" her brother growled back. "They're pulling ahead."

"I'm not blind!" she shouted, her grip slipping as she raged.

The log swayed, then fell from their hands, crashing back to the ground. They hurried to lift it again, but Ziana and Dorrin were already across and sprinting to the next challenge.

"Don't look back," Dorrin urged, keeping his lover firmly focused on what was in front of them, not behind. "Now run like your life depended on it."

She did just that, matching his pace as they flew through the course, their linked Infalas glowing, the pigment drawing them to one another and creating a feedback loop of increased intensity and strength. They ran with an intense focus on the ground just in front of them but abruptly stopped when a loud horn sounded high above. The crowd let out a massive cheer.

They looked around, breathing hard, wondering where the next obstacle was. They'd been pushing so hard they hadn't realized there wasn't one.

"Congratulations!" the officiant exclaimed, hurrying over to the couple, the elites politely clapping but their faces showing anything but happiness. The officiant was oblivious, or, at least feigned it very well. "And what a win!" he exclaimed. "Let's hear it for the victors!"

The crowd roared even louder, shaking the very ground upon which they stood.

"We won?" Ziana gasped, looking around in shock. "That was it? It's over?"

She spun quickly, looking for Galla and Flagro. It took her a minute. They were still two obstacles behind. With the game over, they were simply making their way to the finish line at a leisurely pace. She turned to Dorrin and leapt into his arms.

"We won!"

He kissed her hard, tears in his eyes, streaming down his cheeks. "We did. You were incredible."

" We were incredible."

He shook his head. "No. We are incredible," he corrected, gathering himself a moment then raising an arm into the air in a victorious wave to the crowd. He lowered it, almost sobbing with joy. "I can finally fulfill my promise," he said, then stepped to the officiant, back straight and head held high. "As winner of the games, I officially claim the release of my father as my prize."

"Done," the officiant said, not bothering to look at the Chancellor, who was undoubtedly not happy with that request.

It was one thing to give this man and his partner an estate and fortune drawn from the five families, but to free his father? The same man he'd personally had locked up? It was adding insult to injury. And he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Ziana leaned into her man, wrapping her arms around him hard. He reciprocated, holding her tight, their pigment pulling them even closer. Sure, they were sweaty and gross, but she couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be.