by Victor Kloss
He had been thinking about different diversion tactics and had completely forgotten that he was in the Diplomacy simulation room, trying to deal with some ice trolls.
“I’m sorry. Can we try that again?”
“No time,” Marie said. “Others are waiting.”
Ben gathered his stuff and started to leave.
“Ben Greenwood.”
Ben turned back towards Marie, who was giving him a stern look.
“From next week, I expect more concentration, yes?”
Ben nodded furiously. “Absolutely. I’m really sorry.”
“Don’t apologise – it’s your future at the Institute that is at stake,” Marie said. “Your second-grade exam is coming up, and you are starting to fall behind.”
Ben cursed as he left the room. Great, another thing to worry about. Marie hadn’t been the first person this week to comment on his poor performance. As soon as this spellstrike game was over, he would focus on the apprenticeship.
On Friday, the day before the game, Ben didn’t even bother trying to work on the apprenticeship. His instructors didn’t seem to miss him, and he suspected they realised it would be a thankless task to get him to concentrate.
Will ordered them to hang out together as much as possible, but most of the time they just lounged around in the common room, drinking tea, and occasionally talking about the game. They got plenty of encouragement from fellow apprentices, but just as many digging jokes from others, though there would have been more had William not been around.
“Put that book away, Charlie,” William ordered.
Charlie shut the book, reluctantly. “There’s so much more to know. This book goes over the top ten most famous games in detail.”
William calmly sipped his tea. “There’s nothing we can learn now that will change anything. We have decided on our strategy. We can only execute it to the best of our ability. So stop worrying about it.”
“Well, I think we’ve become a pretty good outfit,” Ben said.
He got a few eager nods, a few impassive stares, and a few scornful laughs from the other apprentices in the room.
“We’re going to get slaughtered,” Simon said.
“Come on, Simon,” Natalie said. “That’s not helpful.”
“The odds are against us,” William said. “But I think we’ll give them a game.”
Ben watched Will closely. Though he kept his expression neutral, it was obvious to him how William thought the game would end.
“Well, it’s only a game, right?” Natalie said.
“Please don’t say that,” Simon said, covering his eyes with his hand.
Charlie put down a bun he had been tucking into.
“Natalie’s right. It’s not as if the fate of the Unseen Kingdoms rests on this game. I don’t think the dark elves are watching, thinking, ‘We’re going to declare war unless Ben’s team wins tomorrow’.”
That got a few laughs, even from Simon, and the group lightened up a little.
Ben sipped his tea, deep in thought. How important was the game? It had all come about because of Aaron’s misguided belief in thinking that Ben was the one apprentice who could rival him for future leadership at the Institute. The truth was, Ben hadn’t given one moment’s thought to leadership. He had years to think about that and couldn’t believe Aaron was scheming already. The problem was, though he didn’t care, he certainly wasn’t going to become one of Aaron’s lackeys, which was what Aaron had proposed. “You are either with me or against me.” And so began Aaron’s plan of destroying Ben’s reputation, starting by humiliating him at spellstrike. Ben knew he could, and perhaps should, have just declined the game. But Aaron had managed to get under his skin, with his suave charisma, dishonesty and arrogance. He was infinitely more irritating than Joshua, who was at least up front with his feelings.
And so, he had fallen right into Aaron’s trap. At best, they would lose honourably; at worst, they would get humiliated. Either way, Aaron would work out how to use the result to highlight his own importance, while squashing Ben’s.
“I want you all to get a good night’s rest,” William said. He turned to Simon. “That means no Xbox until 3am.” Then to Lydia. “I don’t want you reading your romance novels until the early hours.”
Ben saw Lydia blush for perhaps the first and, almost definitely, the last time.
“Sleep is important, especially for a morning game. Have a good breakfast, and we will meet at the front of D’Gayle’s mansion at ten o’clock. That will give us two full hours before the game starts.”
— Chapter Six —
The Big Build-Up
It took Ben an eternity to get to sleep, but thankfully he had planned for that eventuality and went to bed extra early, so that when he woke the following morning he felt fully refreshed. He had a proper breakfast, attempted a couple of polite words with his grandma, and then headed out the door.
He met Charlie outside Croydon headquarters, and they headed down to the Dragonway together.
“I think I might have overdone it on the breakfast front,” Charlie said, patting his stomach. “Three eggs, four pieces of bacon, beans, two hash browns, two slices of toast with jam and a cup of tea.”
“No sausages?”
“Oops, forgot them. Four sausages. They were the skinny kind, though.”
“Which makes it okay, of course,” Ben said with a smile.
“I think I was owed a big breakfast after that week of hell Will put us through,” Charlie said. “I’ve lost so much weight that I’m going to have to buy some new trousers this weekend.”
Charlie certainly did look trimmer. He walked with a certain confidence, and his breathing seemed more relaxed than usual. Whatever happened today, the training had certainly done Charlie a world of good.
They tried talking about other topics, even branching off to Elizabeth’s Armour briefly, but it was difficult not to come back to the spellstrike game, and for the entire journey they talked for the hundredth time about the various strategies they might take once the game started.
When they pulled up at Alexia Bay station, Ben noticed just how many other apprentices had turned up to watch, as well as a fair few Institute members. He felt like a celebrity as they stepped off the Dragonway.
“It’s a popular game,” Charlie said, as they made a beeline for a taxi. “I bet the Institute members just want to get away from the constant pressure of the dark elves for a few hours.”
It was slightly unnerving, as they hadn’t expected anyone to be watching. Ben, however, was used to a bit of a crowd from playing football. They were glad to get into the air, away from the stares, and enjoyed the short journey over the bay and inland towards the D’Gayle mansion.
The others had already arrived, and they were loosely surrounded by other apprentices wanting to wish them well. The taxi landed them expertly, despite the foot traffic on the path.
“Over here, guys,” William said with a wave.
The greetings were short, and Ben sensed the tension on each of his team members’ faces. Only Simon seemed truly at ease. He had probably decided they were going to lose and didn’t really care, as long as he had fun.
The front gates were open, and plenty of people were walking in and out. Will led them round the house. To their surprise, two buggies had been reserved for them. Ben had imagined Aaron wanting to tire them out by making them walk.
They drove through the estate until they came upon the battleground. Despite having seen it before in full light, the battleground seemed even more impressive, with much of the lower tier now filled with people.
“Game faces, guys,” William said, as he led them down the stairs.
Ben’s heart was pounding as he followed William down the stairs. Near the bottom was a security guard, who let them through, right onto the battleground.
There must have been several hundred people watching. From the centre of t
he battleground, it was hard to make out faces, and Ben stopped trying to pick out individuals. Aaron’s team had yet to arrive and, for the moment, they were on the battleground alone. Ben took it in once more, but this time with a critical eye. He had studied exact layouts of the D’Gayle battleground on paper, but seeing it first-hand was something else. In the distance, he could just make out the enemy’s owl tree, looking over the battleground like an air traffic tower. The middle of the battleground was where it got interesting. You could either try to go overground, using the trees and their bridges, or you could risk the tunnels, though Ben knew many of them would be booby trapped. Alternatively, you could stay at ground level, using the many small houses and beautifully crafted wooden statues to run and hide behind.
“Team Greenwood,” a firm voice called out.
Ben turned. A referee, dressed all in black, was waving at them to approach the centre circle. The D’Gayle team had arrived, and were standing just behind the referee in a line. They were dressed in matching dark green outfits, with the word “D’Gayle” written across their chests. Ben had to admit, they looked impressive, especially when compared to their own gear, which ranged from jeans to tracksuit bottoms.
“Camouflage,” Charlie said. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
“It’s overrated, that’s why,” Will said.
“Line up facing the D’Gayle team,” the referee said. “Captains in the middle.”
Ben was pleased to note the brisk, no-nonsense tone in the referee’s voice. He was a bald, ageing man with a perfectly groomed moustache and hawk-like eyes. A whistle dangled around his neck. Hopefully he’d be able to weed out any devious tricks Aaron might have up his sleeve.
“I’m going to make this quick, because we are due to start in seven minutes,” the referee said, tapping his watch. “This might be a friendly school game, but that does not in any way negate the rules. There is absolutely no physical combat, no fire breath from the darzels, and no communicating with anyone outside the game. Furthermore, anyone found using spells they were not issued with will be automatically disqualified. Any questions?”
Charlie raised a tentative hand. “What spells are we issued with?”
“I’m just coming to that,” the referee said a little tersely. “Standard issue for the game is thirty freeze spells, twenty blast spells, and twenty freedom spells.”
Ben had to mentally recall what each spell did. The blast spells eliminated the player straight away; whereas the freeze spells did exactly that – froze them in place, where they could be unfrozen if shot with a freedom spell.
“There will be six neutral players in today’s game,” the referee continued.
Neutral players. Ben remembered them well, as Will had been eager to know just how many would be playing today. They were on neither side, and would shoot anyone on sight. Fortunately, they couldn’t move from their designated positions, and could be shot, just like any other player.
The referee pointed to a series of large plastic balls, set on wooden poles. Each one had a label on.
“Load up your spellshooters,” the referee ordered.
Ben went over to the ball with his name on. There were seventy pellets inside, each a different shade of grey. He watched as the others twisted the middle of the ball, and the top half came off. Ben did the same, and spent several minutes loading up his spellshooter until there was a multitude of pellets floating around his orb.
The referee gave a blow of his whistle. “Into your positions!”
The crowd cheered, and Ben felt his heart jump up a gear. He glanced at Charlie, who had suddenly gone extremely pale.
“Back to the owl tree,” William said. Ben noted the red flag he was carrying in his hand.
He set a quick jog, and they followed. It wasn’t long before they were standing under the tall, skinny trunk of the owl tree. Joining them was a darzel, lying casually in the grass.
William turned to them, his face serious, but calm.
“Natalie, get into position,” he said, giving her the red flag. Natalie nodded and immediately started climbing the tree.
“Simon, do your thing,” William said.
Simon gave a mock salute, and darted away, heading right into enemy territory.
“Defenders, get into your positions. Lisa, mount the darzel.”
Ben watched as Lisa, Damien and Lydia quickly spread out in a rough diamond formation. Finally, William turned to Ben and Charlie.
“You guys know what to do, right?”
Ben nodded, and pointed at a nearby tree. “We’ll climb that one. It’s fairly straightforward, and has good links to the main trees.”
“Good choice,” Will said, nodding. “Now, listen, there is a chance that you will run into some of the neutral players in the trees – that is often where they are stationed. Normally I say don’t waste your pellets on neutrals, but if they see you and are blocking your way, you may have to take them down.”
“Got it,” Ben and Charlie said.
“And remember, if you see the enemy below, don’t shoot at them. That will only alert them to your presence. The whole point is we want you to get into their territory unseen. I know it will be difficult, but just let them pass. We will deal with them here.”
William placed a large hand on each of their shoulders. “Good luck, guys.”
A loud, piercing whistle cut through the forest, and Ben heard the crowd cheer again.
“Go!” William said.
— Chapter Seven —
Spellstrike
Fuelled by an almost overwhelming surge of adrenaline, Ben darted for the tree, Charlie right behind him. His eyes were fixed on the lowest hanging branches, and he jumped, grabbing a branch with both hands. He scrambled up like a monkey. Though he knew the enemy wouldn’t be anywhere near yet, he wanted to get above ground level as quickly as possible. He climbed steadily until he reached the rope bridge, which spanned a good twenty yards to the next tree. Twenty yards of unprotected walkway, with nowhere to hide, should they be spotted.
Ben glanced at Charlie, who was right behind him. He was shaking a little, but gave Ben a reassuring nod.
They crossed the ladder and reached the next tree without incident. Ben was now counting the seconds, knowing it wouldn’t take the D’Gayle team more than a few minutes to show up. He was looking down so intently that he almost missed the branch he was aiming for.
“How about you look ahead, and I’ll look down,” Charlie said.
“Good idea,” Ben said. He led them onwards, through the trees, searching out ladders and roped bridges, taking them ever closer to enemy territory.
A cackle of laughter and several loud spellshooter blasts almost shook Ben from the tree.
“Down there!” Charlie hissed, pointing.
Ben had to adjust his position to get a direct look at the forest floor. There he saw Simon’s unmistakable ginger hair, hiding and ducking behind a tree. Every so often he would peek round, and fire a series of remarkably accurate shots at the green-uniformed D’Gayle team. Ben counted five of them. One was frozen in place, and another was down permanently.
“Simon is good, isn’t he,” Charlie said.
Ben grinned. “Yes, he is.”
At that moment, Simon made a crazy dash to a large fallen trunk. Spells flew everywhere, but Simon somehow managed to make it to the cover, and hit the ground. Slowly, he crawled forwards, until he was at the trunk’s end. He stuck his spellshooter out, and returned fire. Ben couldn’t believe how accurate his no-look shots were.
“Would someone please down that little pain in the backside?” a familiar voice cried.
Ben was delighted to hear the frustration in Aaron’s suave voice. There he was – hiding safely behind a large tree. If Ben shifted his position, he might be able to get an angle on him.
“No,” Charlie said, the moment he saw what Ben intended. “Remember what Will said: we are not to gi
ve away our position, under any circumstance.”
Ben grit his teeth. “There are five of them here – we could take them out and practically win the game.”
“Wrong. You shoot, and they’ll probably just run. That will completely ruin Will’s plan.”
Ben took a deep breath. “You’re right. What a shame – I was really looking forward to unleashing hell on Aaron. It would have been such fun.”
They took one last look at Simon’s plight, which was starting to look a little desperate as the D’Gayle team slowly started to close in on him, before they continued on their way.
They had passed six opponents, including Aaron, which meant there were just two left to encounter.
“I bet they’re defenders, protecting the flag somewhere,” Charlie said.
“So if we find them, we’ll probably find the flag,” Ben said.
“Unless they’re playing some sort of diversion tactic and are actually nowhere near the flag,” Charlie pointed out.
They continued through the trees and across the bridges, but it was slow going, though they went with less caution now that they had passed the attackers.
Ben was making good progress over a particularly long bridge, when a familiar voice came out from nowhere.
“Ben? Can you talk?”
It was Natalie.
“Your spellshooter,” Charlie said.
Ben lifted the bottom of the handle to his face. “Nat, is that you?”
“Yeah.” Natalie’s voice sounded breathless. “The enemy has just arrived. There are five of them. Simon managed to hold them up for a while, but he was able to remove only one from the game. That means there are two left for you to deal with, protecting their flag.”
“Doesn’t that include the owl, who can’t even fight?”
“I don’t think they bothered having an owl,” Natalie said.
Ben lowered his spellshooter and promptly started climbing down the tree.
