The officiant looked up at the board as it changed yet again, the entire crowd along with the players in absolute shock at what they saw.
“No. No! This is impossible!” Galla shouted as the score shifted.
“I assure you, it is correct. The bonus ruling has been upheld, and the points awarded. You have won the final game, but those points change the standings. The two top teams are now tied.”
Ziana felt elation, fear, panic, and a whole host of other feelings flood her body. “What does that mean? What do we do now?”
The officiant answered her, his voice suddenly amplified for the whole arena to hear. “Now we hold a tiebreaker.”
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 hadneverhappened. 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 hadanyonedo 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 likesof 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.
