The conversation with Yak and Tool stopped just as they were clearing up my doubts.
"You must be the savage," said a voice behind me as a hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed hard. I turned around.
"You'd better not do anything stupid, Katim," said the bald man, looking at the man behind me. "All in good time," he continued, picking up his dagger from the table.
"This isn't your business, Tool. Mind your own business," the voice replied as I tried to catch a glimpse of his face and he squeezed my shoulder even harder. I quickly thought about grabbing my mace, almost instinctively, but then I remembered I hadn't brought any of my things since I woke up tied to that stone statue.
"I hadn't brought any of my things since I woke up tied to that stone statue." "You're breaking the rules, and that makes it everyone's business now," he replied, his gaze sharpening. "When was the last time you got a haircut, Katim?" he continued, drawing his dagger and testing its edge.
"You should learn to keep your mouth shut. You've got nothing left to lose, but I see that doesn't stop you from being so arrogant," my man chimed in, drawing his own dagger as well. Then I could see him clearly. He was quite robust, a bit taller than me, with long, flowing hair that reached his chin. While these two argued, Yak, like me, just listened. He took a handful of white worms, brought them to his mouth, and before putting them in…
"You should leave. You're making the people at the table uncomfortable," Yak said with a cold stare. I hadn't noticed the people around us because of the tension, but it was true. Everyone had stopped eating and was staring at us, some with distaste, others with reproach, some with panic, many with anticipation, and a few with indifference.
He sighed and sheathed his dagger, glaring at Tool and then at me. "We'll see each other later, savage," he snarled as he walked away toward the crevices. Yak continued eating.
"That guy's afraid of you," I said, taking a bite of my prickly pear and trying to peel it with my hands.
"Everyone's afraid of him. I'd be stupid not to," Tool replied, sheathing his dagger and placing it on the table.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"See Yak's ponytail?" he said, pointing to his long hair with a pitaya in his hand. "Haven't you noticed he's the only one around here with such long hair?" I looked around and he was right; almost no one had such long hair. On the contrary, there were more people with very short hair or no hair at all.
"The tradition in this community is that every two months there are fights. If someone challenges you, you have to accept, and the loser shaves their head," he said, biting into the peeled fruit.
"And if someone refuses to fight?"
"You shave your head anyway, as a symbol of weakness... five days ago was the last combat ritual, and I think you already know what that means."
"I'll prepare you for the fight," Yak said, taking the fruit I had just finished peeling from me. "Don't get confused, your fight is different. What Tool is talking about is the ritual of the two moons, which align every forty days. Yours, on the other hand, will be a fight for a marriage ritual," she said as the girls arrived with some jars.
"Drink up, guys," said the one with curly hair. "Come on, Yak," she said, enthusiastically handing him a jar of white liquid. They both sat down at the table.
"When a young woman turns eighteen, she must choose a fiancé. When the blue moon rises and the red moon sets, he will fight against anyone who wants to marry her. The winner must repeat the process until no one else comes forward for a fight," Tool said as Kin poured the white liquid into a similar jar.
"That doesn't explain why I was kidnapped," I replied as Waax placed a jar of the liquid in my hand.
"Drink, it's pulque, a drink we usually have around here." If I hadn't seen the other two drinking, I would have been suspicious of her.
"Drink it, it's pulque, a drink we usually have around here." If I hadn't seen the other two drinking it, I would have been suspicious of her. "A young woman can choose a savage to marry only if she is capable of capturing him herself; the only one permitted is a relative," Yak said after a long swallow. "Your battle is different, as it's a marriage ritual. Your fight is to the death, with daggers as your only weapons, and nothing covering your body."
"Don't worry about that. Eat. The old woman will examine you after the meal," Waax said before continuing to eat and taking my arm.