What do the children learn when they stop in a village for warmth and food during their journey in the novel, Torch?

Whe they stop in a village to get some warmth and food, the villagers rush to get "somebody so old and venerable he could not walk or stand, but was brought out in a wooden chair, and set down on the steps of the church. . . . He asked in a steady voice where are the Games." It is during this stop that they realize they have in their possession the last remaining torch in existence.