Page 69 of Corvak's Challenge

"I am no splice," the man claims, speaking in a strange tongue that the embedded translator in my brain picks up.

How does one battle an opponent there are no records on? What are his weaknesses? His strengths? What if he has hidden abilities, like the poison barbs of the Threshians…but wait. There arenobattles.

There are no tournaments here, no gladiator competitions.

I do not know how to get over this.

"We're so happy to meet all of you," Aidy says at my side. Her voice is sweet and full of smiles, and my mate extends her right hand out to them. The human female takes it, and they move their joined hands up and down.

Then the human female looks at me again. "Has anyone ever told you that you look like someone?"

I shrug. "I am a splice. I imagine I look like a great many someones."

"There are many splices at Icehome. You are in good company," Thrand says.

"And they all have better manners than Valmir," April pipes in.

Valmir just growls.

I decide I like April.

Nadine steps forward, pulling a pouch off her waist and holding it out. The scent is that of dried meat, and she offers it to Aidy. "Are y'all okay? Because you look rather rough, no offense."

I bristle at her words. We look like survivors. We look like warriors. To my surprise, Aidy smiles and then begins to cry. She steps forward to take the bag, sniffing. "It's been a long few weeks."

"Oh, honey," Nadine says, and pats my mate on the shoulder. "I can only imagine."

They share an impromptu hug, and when they pull away, Aidy is smiling. I am not. I should be the one comforting my mate. The fact that a human stranger gives her more comfort than I do eats at my gut. I am not enough for her, and the realization wounds me.

I am not programmed to make friends. My memories are all of competitions and battle rules. I am made for rivals. But…there are no games here. I must keep reminding myself of that. These people are allies. They are not enemies, and I should not view them as such.

"Now that everyone's met again, can we please focus on me and my broken ankle?" Valmir snaps. "I'm not going to be able to walk back to the village. It's healed wrong, and trying to put pressure on it is like being stabbed over and over again."

"I'd like to stab you over and over again," April mutters.

Idolike April.

Even though we just packed up and left the cave, we retreat back to it again. Nadine directs U'dron and Thrand in the making of some sort of platform, using their flat sticks for the bottom. April repacks bags, and I am left to sit with my mate while we snack on Nadine's food. I am not hungry, but if I do not eat, I think Aidy will stop. So I slowly chew on pieces of jerky and watch my mate.

"They seem nice," she says in a low voice. "What do you think?"

"Nice," I agree, though the word feels foreign in my mouth. A victory isnice. A good meal isnice. People are simply competition.

Aidy turns to me, arching a brow. She knows me well enough that I cannot deceive her.

"This is difficult for me," I say in a low voice. "I have no memories of friends. Only competitors. It is hard for me to see them as anything but rivals."

Her expression turns sympathetic and she squeezes my knee affectionately, moving closer and pressing up against me. "We'll figure it out. Just…if you get nervous or upset about something, talk to me before you react? I can tell you my point of view and we can compare."

This seems wise. She's not dismissing my concerns, merely wanting to talk them over first. My Aidy is so clever. "I am glad we are together."

Her smile brightens. "We're not doing this any other way. We're partners."

I hand her another piece of jerky and vow to be the best partner possible.

Once the dragging contraption is built, U'dron hauls it outside while Thrand lets Valmir lean on him. I'm not sure if he's simply pretending to be injured worse than he is or if his ankleis truly that bad. The limb is slightly swollen, but I also notice that he seems to be more affected by it when April is paying attention. He makes faces and groans as he's lowered onto the platform with legs—Aidy tells me it's a "sled"—and then U'dron grabs the harness and hauls it along. Valmir holds onto the sides and looks over at April, who is pointedly ignoring him. The sound of their resonance is louder than any conversation and makes the mood of the group awkward.

We walk until it grows dark, and then a tent is pitched. There is no cave nearby so the females pile into the tent to get out of the wind, and we males sit near the fire to keep warm and to watch over things.

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