AllFreeNovel
Share Us
27
Aidan was stunned into stiff compliance as Onnika eagerly dragged him by the hand though the roaring crowd, conflicting scents from food vendors wafting all around. Her natural excitement and enthusiasm flowed into him like a crisp drink of water through a parched throat, filling him with unexpected vitality. She stopped to admire each tall, intricately carved column lining the arena; gazed up at the clear blue sky, letting the sun warm her face; and cooed at the flocks of fluffy little critters the size of Aidan’s hand that braved the edge of the arena, looking for discarded scraps, their perky, oversized ears flicking this way and that.
Kneeling, she stretched out her hand, inviting one to come and let her pet it. “Come here, pretty baby.”
The creature sat on its haunches and cocked its head to the right.
“Careful,” Aidan warned. “They might be carnivores.”
She stood and faced him with a sigh. “You’re probably right. First rule of interplanetary space travel: Never trust anything unnaturally cute. The cuter they are, the harder they bite.”
He sent her a mocking smile. “So that clenches it. I can never trust you.”
She smiled up at him with a twinkle in her eye. “Ah, but I wouldn’t bite you…much.”
How was it that everything she said and did pleased him? Even when she was rebuking him, it was like being reprimanded by a seductive artist. He never knew what to expect from her, and because of that, every minute with her was surprisingly refreshing.
She grabbed his hand again. “So, what should we do first? I don’t see any VR tournaments this time. Shame. Of course, there’s hand-to-hand combat. Everyone loves blood sports.” She shot a dispassionate glance toward the fighting arena, where Asher was already squaring off against an opponent twice his size. Lear stood on the sidelines, conspicuously close to Caryn, her anxious gaze trained on Asher.
Arrogantly, Asher broke away from his opponent to give Caryn a cocky grin and casual wave before hard-knuckling the man in the temple and dropping him.
Aidan worried the two were being way too obvious in their ploy to get closer to Caryn in order to siphon information from her. If Caryn didn’t figure it out, eventually Onnika would. This was just the sort of conspiracy the crafty minx would see coming.
He eyed her holo-gear, hating that it hid part of her from him. What was she concealing? What would she do if he simply removed one?
“Is there always a fighting tournament at every stop?” Onnika asked casually.
“Hmm? Oh, usually.”
Narrowed eyes met his, as if he’d done something wrong. Then she brightened. “Well, you won’t be signing up for that.”
“Pardon?”
“If I don’t get to do anything dangerous, neither do you.”
He scoffed. “Of course I will fight if I have to.”
She plucked at a button of his shirt. “Okay, then. How’s this? If you fight, so will I.”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort!”
She shrugged nonchalantly, unfazed by his outburst. “That’s entirely up to you, now, isn’t it?”
He forced himself to remain calm. He hadn’t planned on fighting in a tournament until much later in the race, anyway. He saw no point in risking himself like that unless it was truly necessary. Plenty of better ways to get vouchers for now. Until then, he’d figure out how to manage her foolhardy ways.
“Fine,” he said softly. She narrowed her gaze at his easy capitulation. This time it was he who grabbed her hand, conveying her along. “We’ll find something the both of us can do.” He was going to have to watch her every second, keep her close to him. The prospect was not unwelcome.
One could always determine the culture of a world by the tournaments they hosted. This world was more ruthless than it first appeared. Aside from the one in which Asher was competing, there were two other fighting pits. The most brutal one pitted a large number of contestants against each other, all viciously battling in a savage crush of chaos. He quickly steered Onnika away from that pit, just in case she got any ridiculous ideas about teaming up.
Several tournaments extended outside the arena. The first was alongside a murky wet marsh that surrounded a center island where colorful flowers bloomed. For some reason, no one had lined up to attempt it, thought the objective seemed simple enough. All one needed to do was swim to the island, pick a flower, and bring it back.
“What’s the catch?” Aidan asked the nearby controller. With a cruel tilt to his beak-like mouth, he pointed to a dark shadow in the water. The shadow moved, interrupting the glassy surface with a wide ripple. Aidan instantly realized that something nefarious lurked underneath, likely waiting to drag down the next unsuspecting fool who dared cross to a gruesome death.
Onnika shivered and gave it a quick glance, shaking her head. “No predicting that one.” At the same time, he told her, “Not going to happen.”
The second appeared to be a race up a small mountain to a bluff at the top. Several contestants had already entered and were waiting in a line of puttering vehicles much like the one that had ferried Aidan and his crew here, a driver and passenger in each.
The registrar, another fur-skinned native, called to the gathering crowed. “The first team to bring me the gilded egg at the top of the cliff shall win two vouchers.”
