“Is she your wife?”
“No.”
“Girlfriend? Sister?”
“No, and no. Merely a good friend who is particularly skilled in most of the core areas required for the games. It was a good partnership.”
“Until the big wigs made sure she couldn’t compete, right? I heard about them pulling some shady stuff if a team was too good.”
“And you heard correctly. And thus, I find myself bound to you, an utter neophyte without a hint of knowledge or skill of any use in the games.”
“You can’t know that.”
“It is a reasonable assumption.”
“I’m not going to argue with you about it.”
“Thank the gods for small mercies.”
“But I am going to keep asking questions. If I’m stuck with you playing this stupid game, then I need to know as much as possible about it. Like, who arethosepeople?”
He followed her gaze to the cordoned-off tables where the elites dined separate from the commoners.
“The five families. You have already met Flagro and Galla. They are Chancellor Vinchi’s children.”
“You have some beef with that Flagro guy.”
“We grew up together. Or more, we grew up at the same time. He has always been this way.”
“A lifelong rivalry?”
“I would not call it that. He is an arrogant ass, and I want nothing to do with him, but the games are the one time I have no choice but to deal with him and his nonsense.”
“Fair enough. And the others?”
“Do you really want a list?”
“I might not remember them all at first, but it’s good to know your opponents, so yeah.”
“One of the first logical things you’ve said thus far. So, that there is Regent Anjello’s son Broodius and his mate Obliosa. Those two you’ve obviously met. Then that one there is Lord Kuantos’s eldest heir, Aden. He competes with Trammia, eldest daughter of Dominar Reejellian. And Reejellian’s eldest son, Lonks, seated on the far left, competes with Lord Kuantos’s daughter Quilla, the one at his side. And then the two withpurple hair? Those are Bladzo and his sister Skeetaxa, the twin siblings of Primus Dinokta’s house.”
“It all seems pretty incestuous.”
“The elites keep their grasp on the reins of power by staying close. Intermarrying and competing are standard practice. That is also why the games are so popular. It’s the one opportunity for a commoner to ascend.”
“I’ve heard that word used before. What exactly does it mean in this context?”
“To ascend is to become wealthy. More than just that, it means you will be elevated above commoner status. It is why the citizens are so incredibly fond of the games. It’s the chance to cheer for an underdog—one of their own—in hopes they can live vicariously through them in their quest for ascension. It also means the elites would have to treat the winner as an equal, and if there is a new winner from the lower classes, each of the families is required to contribute equally to the winner’s victory purse, with one notable exception.”
“Let me guess.Unlessthe winner is one of them.”
“Exactly. It is not only in their social interest to win the games, but their financial interest as well. This is how they shield and hand down generational wealth. Of course, there are many years of intermarriage and mingling of bloodlines, but almost always within the existing group, though none are Infala bonded but rather unions of convenience.”
“About that Infala thing. I kind of understand a little bit of it, but not the whole thing. It’s some kind of magic tattoo thingie that draws you to someone?
“Far more than that. An Infala union occurs when two Infalas find one another and grow identical. It is a powerful bond that is undeniable and draws you to your mate.”
“I’m not too fond of the idea of some tattoo telling me who I can be with.”
