Many of the people-sparks were gathered together, the market she assumed, whilst another group were arranged in a circle. Getting closer to the latter, she could see the sparks had shape, the bodies of those on the spiritual plane. She came closer, expecting to be spotted, then realised something that made her stop where she was. Although they were no longer physical, these beings were still trapped by their perceptions. They still lived within their definitions of the Nexus, despite being separate from their bodies.
Excitement bubbled up within her. She had stepped outside of everything her experience told her, everything she thought she knew. Even what she had been taught, only hours earlier by Bridyant seemed no longer relevant. She had told Stem she was powerful and now she realised just how much. She saw herself outside the Nexus and was there, looking down on the gigantic consciousness that housed their reality of the last few days.
She felt herself spinning, laughing, breathless in a vacuum and dazed. So many years of slavery to this, freedom she couldn't even begin to explain, but the feeling, oh, the feeling was...
She stopped. Stem. He really had to see this. She looked down on the Nexus, sadness growing inside her. He would find the Spiritual plane, she was sure, but this, finding this was something else. She wasn't sure anyone else could do this, except perhaps the Master.
She drifted down, desperate not to lose the swelling in her heart that accompanied the sense of wholeness she finally felt. She thought about dad, pictured him in her mind and for the first time since he died she could think about their life, their life before it all went wrong. She forgot they'd been slaves and remembered the good things they'd experienced, the small moments between them. Tears that existed only as mental projections streamed down her face, but they were tears of release, of letting go and she welcomed them.
Her foot brushed the Nexus and the emotions of thousands swept into her. She welcomed them also, the confusion of earlier no longer swamping her as she sifted through them, tasted each and let them drift away.
She thought, absently, that Stem would be waiting for her and she tried to focus. The game seemed suddenly small, unimportant when viewed through the experience she'd just had. It wasn't though. She felt complete, in control of who she was, but she didn't know magic and she didn't know if she could do anything about the spell the Atrile used. They still needed the Master and what he had promised them.
She spread herself out, searching for the right spark and soon found him. She wasn't sure how to approach someone on the physical plane from here, so she hovered next to the Keeper, waiting to see whether he would be aware she was there. He showed no sign of it, so she touched him, making her presence known whilst trying to avoid diving in. He jerked slightly, then relaxed and floated up from his body.
"You know, you can just speak to me, mind to mind. The touching is entirely unnecessary."
"Oh, sorry, could have tried that I suppose."
She grinned sheepishly. He looked vaguely put out, but nodded.
"What can I do for you?"
"So, we're going to play the game, uh, please?"
He nodded, not apparently moved either way by this revelation.
"Very well. I shall inform the Master and you will be assigned a gaming slot. Please understand, you are now in contract to the Master. Should you try to leave the Nexus without playing the game, we shall be forced to retrieve you in order that you fulfill you part of the arrangement."
She felt her confidence waver, butterflies flutter lightly in her insubstantial stomach. Then they left, driven out by the burning belief that now raged within. She looked at the Keeper, eyes flashing and challenging.
"And his part of the bargain, could you just recap that please?"
"Of course. Should you win the game, the Master will give you the information needed to counteract the spell he created for the Atrile. This is the spell used originally to capture the human minds and make them pliable, biddable. That is all he will do. Should you lose, you will leave the Nexus with nothing. However, as you may be now have realised, the game has few hard and fast rules, so there is no guarantee that you will survive it."
The entire thing was said matter-of-factly, with no apparent emotion or feeling either way. She knew there was more she should ask him, be as clear as possible about the facts, but instead found herself saying something else entirely.
"Why are you here Keeper? What do you get out of this?"
He looked at her, his normally passive face registering surprise, if only for a moment.
"Well, if God came to you and asked you to serve, what would you say?"
"Really?"
He looked askance and she tried to backpedal.
"Sorry, what I mean is, I mean, umm. Are you sure he's God, you know, really sure?"
The Keeper chuckled quietly and then looked up at her.
"What is God, child? God is an idea, a concept created again and again by thousands of races. No matter where you go in the universe, god is one of the few things that remains constant. The need to believe in something greater than yourself is, it would seem, essential to many. So, do I believe the Master is 'God'? No more than you or I. Do I believe he is unique, a force beyond yours or my understanding, capable of amazing, incredible things? Yes and frankly, that is enough for me."
She took a deep breath, hesitating, but unable to stop the words from coming.
"Aren't you getting bored though, you know, of waiting for him to do something amazing?"
The Keeper dropped his eyes for a moment, then shook his head once, fast.
"Watch the game child. See what he does for the winners. He does incredible things every day, creates change in lives far beyond what they ever dreamed of before they came here."
He paused, then began to sink back into his body.
"I will inform the Master and you will receive your slot. In the meantime, watch the game, and learn."
He walked briskly away, leaving her hovering in a corridor. She puzzled over what he'd said. It did make sense, but the feelings she had got from the Master stuck with her and seemed no better with distance. He may do good, but he wasn't a good person, at least not from where she was standing, or floating. She looked around, then remembered and with a smile, closed her eyes, imagining herself in their room.
She sunk into her body and turned to smile at Stem, who was sat much as he had been when she left. He cocked an eyebrow.
"Did you manage it?"
She giggled, rolling backwards onto the bed and spreading her arms wide. He leaned over and kissed her and she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Uh, yeah, we're in the game. You are not going to believe what else happened though."
Chapter Eighteen
She winced, jerking her own body sideways in sympathy as Bridyant twisted, narrowly avoiding the blow. The next came even closer and she only just stopped herself from crying out. The grey-skinned alien was being driven across the arena, falling back one step at a time as her competitor beat relentlessly down with his blade.
She found it hard to watch, despite Bridyant's confidence. The Master, in all his 'wisdom', had declared this a non-spiritual match, something Ally had no idea could happen. The platform that occupied the centre of the games room had been expanded and fitted with barriers; a circle of sharp chains. Despite the sudden change, Bridyant had jumped into the ring, her native short sword and knife held at the ready and waited calmly. Her opponent was bestial, literally. Covered in short dark fur and standing nearly two metres tall, it was terrifying and sent shivers down her spine when it loped in to face her new friend.
Now the creature was using its superior height to advantage, swinging a huge, square-ended sword again and again. The sword was nearly as long as Bridyant was tall, and she wondered how she managed to stay standing, let alone dance backwards.
Bridyant caught the next blow on her short sword, letting it slide off and crash into the floor. She stepped back and to the side as the next hit came in, and clashed again
st the chain barrier. Apparently realising she had nowhere to go, the alien stumbled sideways and the beast charged, blade thrust out in front. At the last second, Bridyant seemed to regain her balance, sliding gracefully sideways and the sword slide past and between the chains. Almost without moving, the small warrior was now behind the beast and had opened deep wounds on its side and back.
The creature screamed, yanking its blade from the chains as its opponent skipped lightly away and across the arena. Ally yelped, then cheered, thrusting her fist into the air. She felt suddenly guilty for doubting her friend, then watched with concern as the beast approached again, advancing far more cautiously. For all the size of the weapon, it still seemed small against its owner and she had no doubt it could move it fast when it wanted to.
The room had gone quiet, the hundreds of spectators now entranced by the contest before them. The Master had also decided that this game was 'to the death'. It hadn't come as a surprise, but still made her blood run cold. The reality of what she had agreed to the previous day sunk in, and combined with the 'real-life' nature of the game she was watching, she felt suddenly less confident.
A gasp came from the crowd as the beast made a sudden move, stepping past the alien and swinging in from the side. Bridyant's back-step only took her part of the way and the end of the sword caught her shoulder, throwing her forward and onto the floor of the arena. A roar went up as blood flew from the impact and Ally felt suddenly sick. The beast pressed, swinging furiously downward. It shouted in frustration as Bridyant rolled forward, coming up to her feet and spinning.
The beast seemed to stagger, taking a step back, before shaking its head and putting one hand to its left leg. Ally saw the knife, embedded deep and realised that Bridyant must have thrown it as she spun. Putting one dark-haired hand on the grip, the creature pulled it free, roaring as it did. Another cry from the crowd matched it as it held the weapon high, then threw it from the platform.
Apparently unaffected, the beast charged again. Ally was stunned it was still up, let alone running about. She could see the blood from the wounds on its back matting the dark fur. It had reached its feet and now every step left the dark crimson outlines of footprints. She had no idea how long it could keep going, but her doubt was beginning to grow again. Bridyant's shoulder was streaming, the blood running down her arm and side, although she appeared equally non-plussed by the injury.
A steady rain of blows were once again hammering down, Bridyant either dodging, or catching them on her sword. She was again being driven backwards and Ally found herself grabbing Stem's arm and holding on, struggling to keep watching.
Their weapons locked together and immediately the superior strength of the beast shoved the smaller player across the arena and towards the ragged chains. Silence had fallen again as the audience held their breath. The creature lashed out, kicking Bridyant in the gut, then heaved, throwing her against the chains. Ally shrieked as she hit them, then bounced off and onto the floor, blood seeping from puncture wounds across her back.
The beast bellowed, and lunged. Bridyant, somehow, pushed herself up, the blade smashing against the arena floor just beneath her. She threw herself backwards, ending up on her knees, still only feet from her attacker. It spun, the huge blade coming up and swinging as if to chop her in half across the waist. This time she dropped face down and the sword whistled over her head. She dragged her hand around and yanked her own sword across the back of the ankle nearest her. Another scream went up and she had time to roll away, howling as well as the wounds on her back dragged across the floor.
The creature was struggling this time, the leg Bridyant had sliced now almost useless. Ally punched the air again, shaking Stem by the arm in fierce glee. The audience around them were getting louder, expecting the end to come. In the arena, neither player seemed in a hurry. Ally could see that her friend was gasping, sucking in air and trying to get some energy back into her limbs. The beast was turning gingerly, keeping its foe in front of it whilst trying to keep weight off its wounded leg.
Recovered enough, Bridyant raised her sword, and the crowd cheered. She began to circle the beast, moving faster and faster as it struggled to keep up. As she had near the beginning, almost without moving she flashed past, and another gout of blood hit the floor, this time from a cut deep in the creature's knee. With both legs damaged, it fell to its knees, the huge sword now swinging wildly. Bridyant stepped up behind, grabbed it by the hair and hauled its huge head backwards. Her sword slid deep across the exposed neck and this time the blood jetted out, spraying across the arena to the accompanying screams of delight from the audience.
Ally sat down abruptly, her gorge rising. Despite the many deaths she'd seen playing the lord's game, she'd never actually watched someone get killed, not like that. The man from the Homeship flashed through her mind, his blank face a bizarre contrast to the grim satisfaction Bridyant now wore. As happy as she was for her, she wanted nothing more now than to be somewhere else. She pulled at Stem and staggered away, her stomach churning. They escaped into a corridor and she lent back against the wall, breathing hard.
She was still trying to calm herself when the Keeper appeared in front of them.
"Hello again. I'm here with news of your alloted time. The Master has declared that you shall play now. He also wanted me to mention, on the off-chance that you hadn't quite understood, that you shall both be playing. Please, follow me and we can get you prepared."
They crossed the walkway and stepped out onto the platform. It was huge this time, and bereft of the barrier. The entire shape of the games room had changed, from tall and narrow to flattened, the seats tiered now and the ceiling not far above their heads. Glancing down as they stepped off the walkway, she could see the room narrow like a funnel, and far below the glitter of stars betrayed the fate of any unlucky enough to fall.
Next to her she felt Stem stiffen and falter in his stride. From far across the platform two figures were making their way towards them. They were huge, shuffling, their oily skin and glittering eyes all-too familiar. She hissed, her hands tightening into fists.
They walked slowly to the middle of the platform; she tried hard to block out the hundreds of eager spectators sat around them. She had no idea whether there were more or less than there had been for Bridyant's fight, but knowing now how unusual their presence on the Nexus was, she imagined they had drawn a decent crowd. The Atrile were close now, and she forced herself to stare at them, glaring deep into the many facets, trying to make out some sign of emotion. She let herself drift slightly, not quite leaving her body but going to the point where she could taste their feelings.
She snapped back into herself, reeling from the anger and hate. Images of the dead Lord from the Homeship were centre-most in their thoughts, fueling the venom that poured from them. She smiled grimly, making sure they could see, then stopped and turned to face the Master. He looked at each in turn, a slight smile turning up one edge of his mouth.
"Gamers, welcome. We've already had some exciting matches today and yours promises to be just as good."
He beamed at them and she bit her lip, bile rising in her throat.
"Just so we're clear, this game is to first blood."
He raised his eyebrows and gave a pointed look to the Atrile, who stared impassively back.
"Also, the game will be fought on the spiritual plane. Any questions?"
She struggled to remain calm as he rubbed his hands together, but shook her head. Taking Stem's hand, she walked away from the Atrile, then sat, pulling him down with her. He looked wide eyed and frantic.
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
"Relax, please, calm down, I've got this."
He shook his head at her.
"Ally, I know you're finding this all easier than me, but those bastards want to kill us. Two of them against you isn't fair, however strong you are."
"It's not about strength. It's about understanding. They don't get it Stem, no one here does, 'cept maybe
him."
She wagged her head toward the Master.
"Just sit tight, and hey, you can keep trying. You'll get it soon, so why not now?"
"This is stupid, just bloody stupid. Can't we tell him, ask to postpone."
"Gamers, let the contest begin."
The voice boomed out and the crowd roared. She could see the fear in Stem's eyes, the fear for her and she turned away. She knew how he felt, but he didn't understand, not yet. He would though, they all would.
She rose from her body and surveyed the arena. She shook her head, amazed despite all she'd been through. She stood on a street, like the ones she'd seen in programs beamed from Earth. Tall, glass-fronted buildings ran down both sides, fronted by wide sidewalks. The road itself was busy with phantom traffic, crawling slowly along, whilst the sidewalks were covered in people, running, shouting, or simply standing, watching.
Everything here was a creation, a figment dreamed and made by the Master. Yet despite how well she knew that, she still felt the shoulder that brushed her aside as a man rushed by, talking loudly into his phone-specs. She could taste the air, thick with fumes and dust, felt herself squinting as she glanced upwards towards the sun. She understood that whatever she may know about the spiritual plane, her mastery of it was still a long way from complete.
She breathed deep, looking past the illusion and back into the physical world. Stem was sat next to her, face creased with worry. The Atrile were some distance away, both still. She refocused, coming back to the current reality, of cars and noise.
She felt something and spun, too slow, as a tall man with oily skin crashed into her and shoved her into the street. She flew backwards, smashing into the side of a car. Another man, almost the spitting image of the first leapt at her, bringing the metal bar he was holding swinging towards her. She tried to roll, but the pain in her back was all too real and she was only successful in twisting slightly. The bar glanced off the side of her head and flung her to the ground. She groaned, thinking dimly how pleased she was that they'd finally made it to Earth, when the bar whistled down again and the world went black.
A Game of War Season One Amazon Page 16
