Page 36 of Steel & Thunder
That gets me another laugh, though it seems he wasn’t joking about lunch. I can hear him rooting around in the kitchen. That’s fine with me. Bacon and coffee, while delicious, isn’t much of a meal. Shit, I really am getting spoiled by the food here. Why is he even making me lunch? I just don’t get any of this.
“I don’t understand.” I sit up to make my statement to the room.
“What, something with the training?” the orc asks over his shoulder. “We can go over—”
“No, this. Any of it. All of it.” I stand and gesture between the two of us. “Being your, your...avakesh.” The word feels strange on my tongue.
“Well, it is only your third day, I would not—”
“No, I mean why would anyone agree to this? Being tied up, molested, humiliated.” The fact that I might have enjoyed some of what’s happened over the last three days is purely incidental.
“I think you meant ‘why would anyone agree to this, Sir.’” Good thing he can’t see me rolling my eyes. “Most people who attempt the Nagul Uzu’gor are less opposed to what awaits them should they fail.” I feel like that’s missing my point.
“Why would they even agree to it in the first place?” Assuming they actually knew what they were agreeing to if they lost. He turns to cock an eyebrow.
“Most people who attempt it are also not doing so to avoid only a few months in a jail cell.” I can’t see it, but I swear it sounds like he just rolled his eyes at me.
“Half a year is hardly a few.” I stand as I argue.
“Just so we are clear,” he starts, still focused on cutting whatever is in front of him with the knife he’s holding, “the idea that someone would wager their freedom and risk becoming an avakesh is wrong, but killing someone or being killed for the same reason would be okay?”
“I didn’t...” Glad he’s not looking at me right now. “I didn’t want to kill you.”
“I know.” He says it like it’s the simplest thing in the world.
“What do you mean you ‘know’?” I wasn’t even sure what was going to happen!
“In the arena.” He speaks over his shoulder while he works. “You had me beat. You sent me face first to the ground, and by all accounts your sword should have been at my neck.” He puts down the knife and turns to me. “Why was it not?”
“...I told you. I didn’t want to kill you.” This is making me blush for some reason.
“My thoughts as well.” He turns back to finish slicing whatever it was he was working on. “Do not misunderstand: I am happy you did not. Spirits know what might have happened if you had followed through.”
People probably wouldn’t have been too happy about me killing one of their own, especially someone so important, out in the open like that. Doubly so considering we weren’t supposed to be killing each other at all. “What would have happened?”
“Honestly, I am not entirely sure.” He seems to be using a different knife to cut into a loaf of bread now. “Killing is not explicitly against the rules. It is also not something that has happened previously, as far as I am aware. As I said, normally when someone issues a ritual challenge, they have already accepted the potential consequences of losing.”
“Sure, but why?” Feels like he’s still missing the bigger part of my question here.
“Because the intent of the relationships that result from the ritual is one of partnership. You were not strong enough on your own, so we will make you stronger together.” He speaks without looking up. “Even if they lose, as an avakesh, the person knows they can count on a warm bed, a full belly, and protection. I think the benefits for the party on my end of things are a little more obvious.” He turns his head and gives me a wink. “Again, it is not a risk usually taken to avoid only a few months of jail time.”
That answer gives me pause, because yeah, maybe I wouldn’t have rushed into things if I took a second to really think about it. Even when I was only thinking I might die, gambling my life against being locked up for a few months isn’t an equal bet. I was just so freaked out, and angry, and worried that I rushed ahead anyway. Logically, I know I should just be glad I’m not dead, but the urge to keep mentally kicking myself is just too strong.
“We all act impulsively at times, pup.” A hand holding a torn piece of sandwich is suddenly in front of my face, which apparently has my thoughts written all over it. I turn to see Khazak standing next to me, two sandwiches on a plate in his other hand. “I know you are not exactly thrilled with the circumstances you find yourself in, but I am glad our battle ended the way it did. For both our sakes. Ready for lunch?” He wiggles the sandwich piece in my face.
I guess things could be worse. I shrug and lean forward to grab it with my teeth, my lips and tongue brushing against his fingers as I do. Damn, not bad. Some type of ham? There’s some leftover bacon from breakfast in there too. I chew and follow him back to the couch, resuming our earlier positions. We eat in relative silence, my brain working overtime to process the new info. The possibility of seeing my friends tomorrow stops me from complaining about being fed again. Though, the way I am basically licking his fingers now makes this feel a lot more intimate than the other times. I stop thinking about it too much, until at one point I lean forward and lick some sauce off his thumb without a second thought and freeze, feeling my face burn red.
It’s early afternoon when we finish eating and move to the kitchen to clean up. There’s not a lot, but Ironstorm still hands me a small towel to do the drying. It only takes us a few minutes together and then Sir is putting things away and drying his hands.
“I do not have much else planned for the day, but I thought we might go for a run.” He throws the towel or a bar above the sink. “Is that something you would enjoy?”
“Running was never my favorite thing to do...” At the academy, if you pissed off your instructor, there was always a chance they’d make you run laps around the courtyard. “But it would be a nice way to get out of the house, Sir.” The “Sir” gets me a smile.
“Then we will let our lunch settle and do just that.”
Chapter Ten
We pull on our clothes about a half an hour after we finish lunch, shorts and a short-sleeved shirt for the both of us. We spent the last thirty minutes reading, or at least Ironstorm read while I stared at a bookshelf trying to figure out the titles. After watching me do that for ten minutes, he showed me which shelf held the books written in Common. Ass.
