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  “Mud worms?” Rast muttered. “What the hell are those?”

  He got his answer soon enough as the two female attendants—one of whom was Nadiah’s friend—stepped forward. Both of them were holding a long, thin stone platter and on each platter was a thick black earthworm-looking creature as long as Rast’s forearm.

  Though both worms were the same length, Rast couldn’t help seeing that one was much livelier. It writhed and wiggled so much it nearly escaped its stone platter twice and the girl holding it had to push it back.

  In comparison, the other worm was limp and sluggish. It barely lifted its head and couldn’t be bothered to move an inch in one direction or another. Magistrate Licklow examined both worms, pronounced them “equal” and gave the lively, wiggling worm to his son.

  This meant, of course, that Rast got the limp, tired looking worm which, now that he looked more closely at it, seemed obviously sick. But sick or well, what the hell was he supposed to do with the damn thing? Were they going to have some kind of a worm race? If so, he was going to protest because Y’dex had obviously been given the worm to beat. In fact—

  His thoughts were cut off abruptly as Y’dex lifted his own, writhing black worm, and bit off one end. He grinned at Rast fiercely, black slime dribbling down his chin, and swallowed with obvious enjoyment.

  “What the hell?” Rat demanded, repulsed, as the Tranq Prime male took another big bite of the still wiggling worm. Was the contest of wills about who could do the most disgusting thing? Watching Y’dex chow down on the oozing, thrashing worm made him feel like he was on some kind of sick reality show. Suddenly, he felt a soft nudge at his elbow.

  “Huh?” he looked down to see Nadiah’s friend, Lydiah motioning at the limp worm on his platter.

  “Eat it,” she hissed. “Quickly—you will not be able to compete in the challenge of wills unless you do.”

  “Eat it?” Rast’s stomach rolled in protest. He’d had some more of the excellent bread Nadiah had brought him for breakfast but now, at the thought of eating the live worm, it had decided it wanted to come back up. With a grim effort, Rast held it down. “Look,” he muttered under his breath. “How in the hell is eating a live worm going to help me compete in a challenge?’

  “The mud worm gives limited short term telekinetic ability,” she replied in a low voice. “The male who is able to lift the largest boulder with his mind will win the challenge.”

  “Seriously?” Rast looked at her in surprise. “Eating one of these suckers makes you able to move things with your mind?”

  She nodded. “And the more lively the worm, the greater your ability.”

  Rast frowned. So that explained the fact that Y’dex had been given the wiggly worm while he got the limp noodle.

  “Don’t worry,” Lydiah hastened to assure him. “Y’dex and my father think Y’dex has been given the worm with the most life, but it is untrue. Look closely at yours—examine it.”

  Hesitantly, Rast poked at the limp worm, causing it to roll over. What he saw made his gorge rise again. The entire underside of the worm’s belly was writhing and bulging. It was as though there were hundreds of tiny things in there, trying to get out.

  “What the fuck?” he whispered, grimacing at the disgusting sight. “Is it pregnant or something?”

  “No. Your worm has been stung by a marlot.”

  “A what?” he demanded.

  Lydiah looked impatient. “A marlot. A creature that usually lives in harmony with the mudworms and endows them with their telekinetic abilities. But when one spawns, they inject their eggs into a mudworm. When the neophyte marlots mature, they eat their way out. This worm is about to burst—the larvae inside it will give you uncharted abilities!”

  “Let me get this straight,” Rast muttered. “You’re saying that this worm is filled with other worms? And you want me to eat them all?”

  “Yes!” Lydiah nodded her head eagerly. “It took me hours to find one like this for you—the marlots spawn only rarely. Eat it quickly before Y’dex gains the upper hand.”

  The idea that he had to eat not only the thick black worm but also its contents of writhing larvae nearly made Rast puke on the spot. He didn’t consider himself a squeamish man—he’d eaten everything from blood sausage to haggis in the past. But at least all of that was dead, he thought, looking at the worm in dismay. Y’dex, meanwhile, was nearly halfway finished with his own worm and still grinning fiercely as he chomped.

  Rast was about to refuse when he looked up and saw Nadiah watching him with anxiety. She was twisting her fingers together the way she did when she was nervous, and the look in her deep blue otherworldly eyes was one of fear and concern. Suddenly his own words came back to him. “No matter what it takes, no matter how hard it is, I’m not giving up until you’re free or I’m dead,” he had told her. Of course, when he had made that vow, he’d imagined some kind of duel to the death—not eating live animals. But that didn’t matter—a promise was a promise.

  I have to do it, Rast realized. No matter how disgusting or repulsive it is, I have to do this for Nadiah. He sighed. And to think after all this is over, I don’t even get to stay with her in the end. But that doesn’t matter—what matters is freeing her from that bastard of a fiancée of hers.

  Speaking of Nadiah’s fiancée, Y’dex was starting on the last third of his worm and Lydiah was tugging at his elbow anxiously.

  “Eat,” she whispered. “Please, off-worlder. You must eat!”

  “You’re right.” Not giving himself time to think about it, Rast grabbed the worm and took a huge bite from one end.

  The taste was even worse than he’d imagined. It was a cross between mud, blood, snot, and rotting fish—a dirty, salty metallic flavor with a rotten, bitter aftertaste as though he’d been chewing aspirin. The texture was fleshy and sandy at the same time, a little bit like eating soft-shelled crab that had been severely undercooked.

  But worse than the taste was the sight. After Rast bit off the end, grayish-red larvae came writhing out the ragged hole in the weakly struggling worm. They were bathed in a coating of slimy black mucus and making a faint, high pitched sound as though to protest the invasion and destruction of their home.

  “Excellent! Look how many of them there are!” Lydiah sounded excited for him. “Quickly, off-worlder—eat them! Eat them all!”

  Rast wanted to gag but he knew if he did, he’d never be able to start eating again. Grimly, he swallowed the bite he was chewing, closed his eyes and dove in again.

  The larvae writhed against his tongue, making him feel like he had a mouthful of bugs. Which I basically do, he thought, feeling sick. Heedless of their struggles, he ground them between his teeth where they popped like rotten grapes and released a liquid that tasted like stale urine which ran down the back of his throat.

  His stomach rebelled but Rast refused to throw up. This is for Nadiah, he told himself. All for her. I have to do it, I can’t quit now.

  Closing his eyes he took another bite. And another, and another. He told himself that after this, he would never complain about anything that was served to him ever again. Not that he was usually a picky eater but anything would taste better than a live worms stuffed with baby bugs.

  Rast didn’t know how he did it but somehow he finished the worm, right down to the last wiggling end. His chin was dripping with black mucus when he was done, his stomach was rolling and his eyes were watering fiercely but somehow he managed to keep the nauseas mess down.

  “Water,” he begged hoarsely. “Can I get some water?”

  “Here.” Lydiah poured him a cup and handed it to him quickly. “This is a cleansing drink—it will remove all traces of the worm from your palate.”

  “Thanks.” Rast took a huge gulp of the minty tasting stuff, trying to get the rancid taste out of his mouth. Then he wiped his chin on the steaming cloth she was holding out to him which seemed to be saturated in the same stuff. “Needed something to wash down the worm chunks,” he told her, hand