Page 74 of Steel & Thunder
“Oh, Ragnar and I have heard all about you.” He quirks his eyebrows at me.
“You know Ragnar?” That means he probably knows a lot more than the general public.
“You could say that.” He reaches into his shirt to pull out a thin gold chain. With a lock. A collar. I take a moment to look him over. He’s about as tall as I am with naturally tanned skin. His black hair is shaved on the sides while the middle is longer and brushed back. His right ear is pierced with a single gold loop and his body is lithe, though I guess all elves are. Wait, was that racist?
“So, you’re his avakesh.” I shouldn’t be surprised, he is friends with Khazak after all.
“For three years now. Four in two months.” He’s talking about the date of his enslavement like it’s an anniversary.
“Wow and I only just finished my first week.” And will be gone in two months.
“A very interesting first week from what I’ve heard.” He’s smirking.
“...What do you know?”
“Pretty much everything. Khazak and Ragnar are best friends—have been their whole lives.” That would explain why Ragnar was so willing to cover for him. “The first thing he did after accepting your challenge was stop by our place to let us know. He wanted us to get good seats.”
“You guys were there?” So far, other than Brull, I’ve been pretty lucky in not meeting anyone who saw me. Or at least no one else has brought it up yet.
“Front row.” He looks pleased.
“Oh gods.” I bury my face in my hands.
“Hey, I don’t think you have anything to be ashamed of.” He manages to sound supportive and suggestive at the same time. “That was an amazing match. Both the fight and the after-battle show.”
“Thanks.” You’d think I’d be over getting embarrassed by this by now, but nope.
“I wanted to hire a choreographer for me and Ragnar’s, but he wouldn’t let me.” He pouts. “Said it all had to be real.”
“That sounds...” Hold on. “Wait, you planned your fight?”
His eyebrows furrow. “Well yeah, we’d been talking about it for like, two years at that point—”
“You were already together?” His boyfriend enslaved him?!
There’s more confusion, then a look of realization, and finally a sigh. “Shit, he still hasn’t told you?”
“Who hasn’t told me what?” I grit out.
“David I’m not sure I should—”
“Uh-uh. This whole week people have been making it seem like there’s something different or weird about what happened that day, and I know I’ve heard something about Khazak and having plans.” I specifically remember Brull saying they had talked about “plans for this” right after meeting him. “You need to tell me what the hell is going. Now.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking, I swear.” He holds his hands out in surrender. “Look, I only hesitate because I think someone else should be telling you.”
“Telling me what?” I’m starting to get frustrated.
“About the Nagul Uzu’gor.” He bites his lip. “The battle between you and Captain Ironstorm is the first real invocation of the ritual in something like over a hundred years.”
“What? What do you mean by ‘real’?” How exactly do you fake something like that?
“Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, before there was ever a city, there were different tribes of orcs fighting for control of the area in the forests,” he starts his explanation, leaning against a table. “The ritual wasn’t a ritual at all. It was more like a game. I don’t know what it was called then. Captured enemies—prisoners of war—would be forced to fight against their captors. If they won, they would be freed and allowed to return to their own tribes. But if they lost, they were forcibly conscripted into the army of whoever had captured them. Usually with added subjugation and humiliation.”
“Yeah, that part sounds familiar,” I grumble. “Remember? You were there.”
He ignores my comment, pressing on. “Over time, there was less fighting and warring over land, and the ritual changed into what it is today. It turned into something done between couples of a certain persuasion. It’s almost like getting engaged, but with more sex and tying people up.”
“Wait, did we get engaged?” What exactly was that paper I signed with my blood?! “Am I married?”
