“Wow! Um, I guess it’s true, but I just mentioned it to a friend yesterday.”
“It’s a small world, Katherine.”
“Yes, I can see that. Is there a problem with me trying? I mean, I know it’s never been done before. But I think we have a good shot at it this year...”
“I’d advise against it.”
“But…why?” I hated my sputtered reply, more surprised than anything that Ryker would say something so abruptly. He had always taught us to look at each scenario from every angle. If we closed our minds to new possibilities, then we might miss something important.
“The tournament is more than a game, Katherine. The powers that be put them in place to bring the domes together. You know, a friendly competition to share our strengths. You wouldn’t want to upset that delicate balance, would you?”
My mouth fell open, but no words came to mind. These were not Ryker’s ideas, nor did it make sense for him to discuss this with me at all. Why would he care about the tournament? No, there had to be something else at play here, and it wasn’t goodwill toward our fellow man.
Chapter 3
MY STOMACH KNOTS began to unfurl, and blurt of laughter erupted from my lips. “You had me going there for a minute, Ryker.” The tension holding me stiffly relaxed.
Ryker shook his head, suddenly more serious than I’d ever seen him. “I’m not joking around, Katherine. Unless you’re prepared to accept responsibility for whatever comes of this stunt you’re planning, I’d suggest you drop it altogether.
“Do you realize the Dragon’s Dare came into play the last time a group attempted to win all of the games for one dome? Do you really want to be responsible for having something more dire implemented because of your silly notion? The tournament is more important to our society than just winning for the sake of winning. It’s about working with all of the domes in perfect harmony.”
None of this made sense, least of all coming from my teacher. Never before had he expressed any interest in our extra-curricular activities, so this departure from the normal seemed rather suspect.
My heart pounded furiously, and I crossed my arms. “Now, wait a minute. We’re always told to do our best, to excel in each of our areas of expertise. It sounds like you’re suggesting that we don’t do our best and throw the tournament just to appease the feelings of the students in the other domes. I can’t agree with that, Ryker. I can’t believe you’d even suggest such a thing to me.”
He didn’t seem phased by my rebuttal. Either he didn’t listen, or he didn’t care. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This friendly discussion will be the kindest one you’re likely to receive. Besides, I don’t think you’ll have enough time on your hands considering this new food resource project.”
My eyes narrowed as it all came together in my head. Was he trying to manipulate me? I didn’t like this one bit. “Is that why you asked me to participate? You just wanted to eliminate my free time?”
“Remember who you’re speaking with, Katherine. But, to answer your not-so-polite question, I asked you to join because you’re one of my best students. With your natural leadership skills, I trust you to guide the team to success.
“Besides, I knew you’d already know about the shipment, and I didn’t want you to shirk your other class assignments because you were thinking about when we’d get to the new stuff.” One corner of Ryker’s mouth lifted to show his acknowledgment for my father’s position.
It seemed nothing escaped anybody’s notice, including my private family dynamics. “I’m sorry for how I spoke to you just now. And I’ll keep your counsel in mind regarding the tournament.”
I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I’d just made it to the exit when his parting words almost made my steps falter.
“We’ll be watching to see that you do.”
What the heck did that mean? Did he just threaten me? I practically ran to the Commons to join my friends. Trying to make sense of Ryker’s thinly-veiled threat, the noise of so many conversations hardly even registered in my mind. Who would be watching me?
Glancing around the large cafeteria, I didn’t see anything or anybody out of place. Just the usual Commons patrol stood at the exits. Did they contribute to the rumor mill? It certainly seemed probable. Now I viewed everyone with an eye of suspicion.
With practiced steps, I wove my way through the tables to take my place between Alyssa and Anna. Having navigated this path every school day for the past twelve years saved me from my absentmindedness. Even Alyssa had to thump me on the arm before she broke through my maze of confusing thoughts.
“What’d Ryker want?” Alyssa’s tone sounded annoyed at having to repeat herself.
“You’re not going to believe it.” I struggled to make sense of the convoluted mess. “He told me to give up the idea of winning the whole tournament.”
“What?” Drew said. “What’s it to him?”
“Basically, that’s what I asked him too, but marginally nicer. Although he did remind me that he’s our teacher.” That admonition stung even now as I rehashed it in my head. I’d never had any trouble with any of my professors, to the point where the other students teased me for brownnosing.
Anna squeezed my arm in sympathy. “Ouch. I’m sorry, Kat. I guess this means that we’re not going to try. Natalie just told me about your plan in first class. I thought it sounded pretty amazing. Bummer.”
“Wait!” Drew jumped up from his chair across the table, leaning forward on his fists. “He can’t do this to us!”
I stared unbelievingly at Drew. “You didn’t seem so keen on it when I first brought it up. Why do you care?”
“Because the tournament is ours!” He waved his hand toward the people outside the Commons. “All of the adults in these domes have had their shot at glory already. None of them had the talent to attempt what you proposed. They’ve had their chance; now it’s our turn!”
“He has a point.” Marcus nodded at his best friend.
Ryker’s comments to the contrary sprang to my mind. “I don’t think it was ever a matter of talent or lack of desire.” I pulled my lunch out of the bag, resting in my lap. Even as I chewed the ordinary, lumpy mixture from the container, I wished it was some exotic soup.
“What makes you say that?” Drew’s fists turned white where they rested against the table.
I struggled to swallow the lumpy bite. “The last time a group tried to run the tournament, the officials introduced the Dragon’s Dare. Then people started to die because of the games. Ryker warned me to reconsider because something else, possibly worse, could be implemented because of our scheme.”
Drew’s ready reply didn’t make it past the first syllable as he realized the problem. Returning to his seat, his eyes squinted dangerously. “I say we do it anyway! Besides, it’s not like we’ve got anything else to look forward to in these five domes. We should take the risk now because if we pass it up, we’ll always regret it.”
My tablemates continued arguing while I ate. Having arrived late, I needed to rush to finish in time. A smile formed on my lips, and a chuckle escaped before I could contain it.
“What’s so funny?” Alyssa turned to face me.
“You guys! Don’t you see? None of you were for this idea of mine until someone told us not to do it. Now, you’re all fired up to make this happen.”
“So, what’re you saying? You want to give up on the idea of winning it all?” Drew’s eyes practically challenged me to admit it.
Setting my now-empty dish down on the table, I swallowed my last bite, purposely taking my time before answering. Making eye contact with each person, I leaned forward and watched as they mirrored my motion to hear my answer. “Definitely not! If anything, I’m more determined than ever.”
“I don’t know.” Natalie looked toward me with a frown. “What if Ryker’s able to cause trouble for you after you graduate? Are you willing to risk your whole future just for the tournament? It might not be worth it.”
In the olden days, Natalie would have stuck her tongue out at Drew. Today, she merely stood her ground without raising her voice. “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to be part of it. I love the idea. I’m just worried about Katherine. She’s got plans to get into the space program, and I don’t want her to jeopardize it over this.”
“If Kat wins the gladio game, then she can be assured of that position as part of her prize.” Drew seemed rather smug with his summation.
I could always count on Natalie to look after everybody like a mother. Yet, she did have a valid point about the risk. It made me think of an alternative idea. “What if…” I paused while I rapidly reviewed several scenarios. “I took the lead for the gladio game. Then each of you could lead your own sport. That way, even if someone were assigned to watch me, then they’d have no idea how to stop us. It doesn’t make sense to risk the Dragon’s Dare when only one person can win. We should only put our best candidate forward.”
“I like it.” Drew quickly nodded, resuming his seat with his chin resting on his clasped hands. “With a few words in the right ears, the rest of us can also discourage people from even entering in the first place. We’d just have to remind them of the consequences of losing.”
Natalie tapped her index finger on the table to get everyone’s attention. “Some people will still think it’s worth the risk. Even with the Dragon’s Dare, they have a twenty-five percent chance of nothing happening to them or a twenty-five percent chance of getting a year’s worth of better food rations.”
I could practically see the wheels turning in Drew’s head. He liked nothing better than a good puzzle to solve. Well, he might like challenging authority equally as well, but I couldn’t dwell on that right now.
Drew started nodding with his eyes brightening. “We could have code words and secret meeting places.”
The girls scowled at him, clearly not sharing his enthusiasm.
I chuckled. “Okay, Drew, let’s not get too carried away. This isn’t a security threat where we’d need to go that far. Besides, we already get together for storytime. Why not just meet in the backyard before it begins to update everyone on our progress?”
Natalie turned toward me to pointedly ignore the boys. “Where do we start?”
“Let’s keep this low-key. Don’t start telling anyone who’ll listen what we’re planning, or the other domes might start a resistance group.”
“Good thinking.” Marcus folded his arms and leaned back. “I guess that gets me off the hook for participating in the gladio game. I don’t have a prayer of defeating Kat.”
Alyssa playfully nudged her shoulder against mine. “You’re easily the most talented swordswoman in all of Heliok.”
I basked in the praise. I did have the best talent for the sport, but I didn’t want to come across as patting my own back. After years of sparring with my sister and father, I had learned techniques nobody ever taught during school-sponsored practice.
My father’s height practically dwarfed me, and his strength made all of my classmates look like weaklings, but it also helped bolster my confidence. I’d regularly defeated him over the past several months, and I knew he hadn’t held back anything during our training sessions.
Besides, I had a family tradition to uphold. My father had won the gladio trophy during his senior year. Brekke had conceded to my talent surpassing her own and made me promise to win it when my time came. I had to live up to their expectations and my own.
I looked at each of my girlfriends. “Now, I think Alyssa should lead giostra, Natalie will take ringen, Violet has the batalo match, and obviously, Anna will handle auchieball.”
“Wait! Where does that leave us?” Drew gestured with his thumb to himself and Marcus.
“Simple! You’ll both run messages between us. Nobody would ever suspect a group of girls attempting something like this. How much more confusing could we make it?” I lifted my eyebrow and pursed my lips.
“If you really wanted to confuse them, then you should have me lead the…” Drew doubled over, his breath rushing from his mouth when Marcus sucker-punched him in the gut.
“Leave it be, Drew. Kat’s right, we’d do the most good as the go-betweens. We could even come up with coded messages to confuse anyone who might intercept our information.”
I barely restrained my eyes from rolling at their idea of fun. Getting down to business, I leaned forward on my elbows. “We’ve only got a few more days to get this together if we plan on actually having a chance at succeeding. Okay, girls, do you have any ideas about who you’re going to talk to about the plan? Keep in mind, we want as few people as possible, and just those who reside in Dome 2.”
“It’s too bad we can’t have Mitch move from Dome 1 before the games begin. He’s really good at hand-to-hand combat. Have you seen him in the cage?” Violet sighed, dropping her chin onto her palms.
“Are you crushing on him?” Alyssa couldn’t resist teasing.
Violet shook her head, but the blush rising through her cheeks told another story entirely.
We couldn’t afford to have the girls upsetting one another, so I jumped into the conversation before it could get any more embarrassing for Violet. “Yes, he’s good, but there won’t be any exceptions to the Dome 2 rule. Besides, Violet, I’ve seen you run circles around everyone during practice, and you’re not even trying. They have no idea what you’ve got in store for them.”
Color rushed into Violet’s cheeks. Even through her crippling shyness, Violet channeled all of her awkwardness into outmaneuvering every opponent in the fighting cage. I wouldn’t even be tempted to step foot into the same cage with her.
I tapped my lower lip with the tip of my index finger. No matter which scenario I came up with, none led to any adult interference. “I still don’t understand why Ryker would care what we did with the tournament. Does anyone have any ideas?”
“Maybe Silas got involved.” Alyssa didn’t make eye contact with me.
“True, he did come to our class right before Ryker pulled me aside.” Yet something still didn’t add up.
“Well, it doesn’t take a genius to put that together.” Drew snorted at his own joke.
I leveled a fierce glare across the table. “It’s not always that simple. For all we know, Silas came to talk about starting the new crop experiments. After all, that’s what Ryker originally spoke with us about after class. Only after everyone left, did he talk to me about the tournament takeover.”
“My bet’s still on Silas. That man can’t be trusted.” Drew’s voice rose with his desire to be right.
Hastily, I nervously glanced around. “Shh! You don’t want to bring attention to us with that kind of talk, Drew.” I rested my chest against the edge of the table so I could whisper. “None of us trust him. Especially after we all had to switch to the gruel once he took over the position.”
Natalie nodded her agreement. “But until we have any evidence against him, we need to keep our traps shut. You won’t do any of us any good if they throw you out of the airlock during the daylight.”
Looking stricken, Natalie glanced my way and held out her hands to me. “I’m so sorry, Kat. I didn’t think…I mean, I wasn’t trying to remind you about Brekke’s accident.”
“It’s okay, Nat. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.” I patted her hand comfortingly. “You only spoke the truth about the consequences of speaking out of turn against the government. We need to be more careful now that we’re drawing attention to ourselves.” I raised one eyebrow at Drew, hoping he would take the hint.
The threat of punishment seemed to sink in, and we went silent. I couldn’t imagine how we could go from talking about the Tatsu tournament to getting killed for treason. Maybe our imaginations were working overtime and borrowing trouble.
A group of students walked past our table, a few of them glancing our way at our sudd
en silence. Talk about drawing unwanted attention. I needed to change the subject. “We can discuss this after school today.”
Alyssa shook her head. “Are you sure about that? Ryker told Brodie to come by after school’s out to get started with the new project.”
“Ugh, that’s right. Why would this opportunity have to come up right now?” I didn’t need so much coming at me all at once.
“Grandma Talya always says ‘when it rains, it pours.’”
I scoffed at Drew’s ridiculous comment. “What does that even mean? There’s no such thing as rain.”
Alyssa practically jumped out of her seat to answer. “I asked her that once, as well. She explained that it meant troubles find a way to add on to one another at the worst possible times.”
I packed my lunch container away in my bag. “That’s definitely true.” As usual, the meal break went by entirely too fast for my liking. “Okay, well, it seems as though Alyssa and I won’t have time to meet until later. Maybe the rest of you could get together to discuss what you’ve each decided for your sport.”
Anna shook her head. “I can’t; I’ve got auchieball practice after school.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s plan on arriving ten to fifteen minutes early at storytime.”
Going our separate ways, the enormity of the task I’d set on us started to sink in. What if all these distractions were designed to keep us from achieving our goal? Could Silas really have some involvement in this?
I should follow my first instinct, but it didn’t make any sense. Silas had more significant problems than worrying about some kids playing games. After all, he needed to make sure the entire population of Heliok had adequate food and water supplies.
Yet, more often these days, both provisions had unexpected complications cropping up. Which brought me right back to the special after-school project with the new seed stock. I used to believe in coincidences, but now they felt more contrived than accidental.
Dragons and Mages: A Limited Edition Anthology Page 43
