a purpose here. He merely wandered and drank himself silly most of the time. When I first met him, he was in jail for brawling and not paying his bar tab.”
“He’s a good man.” She ran one finger contemplatively around the rim of her goblet. “Er…dwarf?”
“I have no idea what the right term is.” Justin shrugged. “And, yes, he is.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if all your good deeds have made him want to go home and help his family,” Tina pointed out. “You’ve defeated evil wizards and demons and so on, right? Maybe he wants to do more of that. The dwarves must have some enemies.”
“I don’t know.” He looked at her in surprise. “I suppose I never knew much about the wider world. In a video game—a normal one—there’s always a pressing crisis like a huge war. I never heard about anything like that. It was only things like Sephith—little villains terrorizing one village at a time.”
She nodded. “Well, we can ask him. He’s not leaving tonight, is he?”
“No. He said he’ll take a few days and he’ll go with a caravan. I think I managed to persuade him not to go as a guard.” He shook his head. “I had to tell him he deserved to be carried home like a prince instead of letting him think I was coddling him.”
“But you were,” she guessed and took a sip of wine.
Justin nodded somberly. “The healer said it will take time before he’s back to full strength. She healed the wound but apparently, only the body can do some of it. I hadn’t realized someone could get injured so badly in the tournament.”
Tina fixed him with a curious look. “We keep rising through the ranks. Will we continue to compete?”
“I think we have to.” He shook his head. “That’s how we get the key.” He sank into silence.
“Justin?” Her voice was low. “You’ll be able to come back, you know.”
He looked quickly at her.
“You have to be here right now because you’re healing,” she said, “but I’m here and I’m healthy. They can put you in the game. You can see Lyle again.”
“I know it’s ridiculous to care.” He gave her an embarrassed look.
“I read my favorite books over and over again,” she responded with a shrug. “And if I could actually talk to the characters? I’d never stop reading.”
Justin smiled at her. “Thank you for coming here—and for understanding.”
“I’m glad your mother forgave me enough to let me try,” she said.
“Wait, what?” He looked sharply at her. Now he remembered the way his mother had looked when he asked about Tina. She had been angry. “Oh, no—my mother blames you, doesn’t she? You know, if our parents hadn’t insisted we go on that date—”
“It was my fault.” She took his hand and looked seriously at him. “And I’m glad I can come here. I wanted to help, even though I didn’t know it would be this much fun.” She squeezed his fingers.
He returned the smile easily until he realized how perfect this moment felt, with their fingers touching and the wine making his head buzz, and the lights the perfect muted glow.
When the door opened, they both drew back as if they’d been burned. Justin could see her blush as the innkeeper and his wife entered with heavy trays of food. They were careful not to look at the young couple, but he could sense them trying to decide if they had interrupted anything.
The amount of food they provided was truly staggering. There was a shank of something that looked like lamb but must have come from something the size of an up-armored Humvee. It was coated in spices and salt, its skin crackly, and it smelled divine. Roasted vegetables lay around it. Platters of salad were provided as well, and rice with herbs, and more bread. Dumplings sizzled in a hot dish, covered with bubbling cheese, and another bowl contained something that might be pasta.
And there was so much more wine. The innkeeper and his wife topped off the goblets and withdrew like ghosts.
“Well, I don’t think we’ll fight in the tournament again,” Tina said. “Unless there’s a way we can win by lying on the ground and crying about how full our stomachs are.”
“Are you suggesting…” He felt truly sad. “That we should try to moderate ourselves?”
“Fuck no,” she retorted. “This is a made-up world. They’ll find another way to get you that key. Eat up.” She picked a potato up with her bare hands and