Kal yelled, jumping to his feet. “He’ll forfeit his win! He has to carry out his prize. He knows that!”“Trust the boy. You trained him for strategy. The Elders will be pissed because he caught them in their own game.”“Denkar, are you fucking crazy?” Kal addressed his friend by first name. “They will execute him before they let him do this.”“Don’t you see? Look at the ratings. The citizens love him. Wasn’t it your hope that the majority would bring him in? Elder votes always occur the day after the game. If he dies, none of the elders will be re-elected. They will lose their status, their money, their mates and then be sent to be altered. They also know that if anything happens to him, the population will blame them. He’s safer now than he will ever be. He knows how to play the game. More than we ever did. Smart boy,” Denkar said proudly of his son.They watched, breath held, as Traisk untied the other two women and led them out to where the secret exit was hidden. He pushed aside the vines and watched the clock.“Are you ready?”
