“Oh, no you don’t,” she said after dinner as he tried to head out on another fruitless patrol. She latched onto his arm like a parking clamp. “You won’t do anyone any good by running yourself into the ground. You’re taking the night off.”
“Yes, friend Shan!” boomed Ragvald, overhearing. The wyrm cut across the dining hall to join them. “Even the strongest ax-shaft will break under pressure. You must rest, the better to fight another day. Besides, you cannot think to abandon the steading now. It is a most special night!”
He blearily tried to remember the schedule. “It is?”
Apparently, this was news to Leonie as well. She checked her clipboard as if something might have magically appeared there without her knowledge. “Ragvald, what are you talking about? It’s just games night.”
“Yes!” Ragvald pounded his fist against his chest. “The most sacred of rituals! How else is a war band to forge true bonds of deepest trust and respect without testing each other’s strength and cunning?”
“We’d better not play Monopoly,” Leonie murmured, the corner of her mouth lifting. “But well said, Ragvald. Come on, Shan. It’ll be good for you.”
“Hey, Shan!” Estelle returned from taking the dirty dishes back to the kitchen, the rest of the pack on her heels. “You’re not trying to escape, are you?”
“Run now,” Ignatius advised.
Estelle elbowed Ig in the ribs. “You have to stay, Shan.Ragvald’s going to teach us a traditional game from his homeland.”
“Oh, no.” Ignatius took a sharp step backward. “I amnotbeing dragged into another toga honk.”
“Don’t be such a baby,” Estelle said, while Shan was still trying to figure out if he’d misheard that. “And you can’t run away either, Ig. Ragvald said we’d need everyone for this.”
“Yes, all must play!” Ragvald flung his arms wide, as if to embrace the entire group. “Come, hearth-ally Shan. This must be done by all, or none. Surely you do not wish to disappoint the younglings.”
Privately, Shan thought that several of the kids—Ignatius and Spencer in particular—looked like they would very much like to be disappointed. It was clear none of them were going to be allowed to excuse themselves, though.
“Of course Shan will play,” Leonie said, amber eyes dancing. He wasn’t sure why, but she was definitely holding back a laugh. “He couldn’t possibly miss an opportunity to experience a genuine wyrm tradition. What a wonderful idea, Ragvald. Will your pack be joining us as well?”
“Not this time. My young warriors have already chosen another activity for the evening.” Ragvald gestured across the hall, where Moira was helping her group set up Scrabble boards. “One which I am forbidden from participating in again, alas. The princess was very firm about that. I do not know why. I am sure I formed my words correctly. The children certainly recognized them.”
“Well, their loss is our gain.” Leonie clapped her hands together. “Come on, pack. Everyone follow Ragvald.”
Shan had distinct misgivings about what wyrms might consider fun. Still, it could have been worse. At least the kids weren’t insisting they all play Twister.
Whatever Ragvald had in mind, apparently it wasn’t a tabletop game. The wyrm led them all out of the dining hall,into the wide central area at the heart of camp. A few other groups were scattered around, playing card games or just chatting.
Ragvald picked an empty spot, close enough to the firepit that they could all feel the warmth of the flames. Humming under his breath, he pulled a succession of colorful pillows out of thin air, arranging them in a rough ring.
“There,” he said in satisfaction. He sat back on his haunches, gesturing for the rest of them to make themselves comfortable as well. “For this game, we must all sit in a circle. Each of us not too close, not too far.”
Finley seated himself on a cushion between Rufus and Spencer. “What are we playing, Ragvald?”
“I am not sure how to translate it into your tongue.” Ragvald rubbed his beard, frowning. “But I am sure you must know it, even if by another name. It is a simple game at heart, and an old one. Perhaps the oldest of all.”
“This had better not involve rope again,” Ignatius muttered. “Or axes.”
“Rest easy, young one. This is a test of neither strength nor endurance, but of trust and daring.” Ragvald reached out a hand, as if to grasp an invisible doorknob. “We require only one thing.”
With a flourish, he produced… an empty bottle.
“Goodbye,” said Ignatius.
Estelle grabbed his shirt as he tried to depart, though she also looked rather alarmed. “Wait. Let’s hear him out.”
“Nu-uh.” Archie scrambled back as if the wyrm had produced a gently fizzling stick of dynamite. “No way. Not even for—ow! Beth!”
Finley gulped, looking like he was bracing himself to reach into a barrel of spiders. “We did all agree that we’d do whatever Ragvald said.”
“Yeah, but only because we thought he was gonna comeup with something awesome.” Archie folded his arms with an air of finality. “I’m not playing Spin the Bottle. Especially not with a bunch ofgirls.”
