The Sports Captain's Tale полностью

I forced myself to think. On paper, his offer was workable even though it smacked of low cunning. The other two teams would never expect Blair and I to ally. We could take them both out and then … I scowled. If I trusted Blair, it would be a good offer. But I didn’t. I knew what had happened to his last set of allies. He’d let them take the brunt of the fighting and then wiped them out before they realised he’d positioned himself for the endgame. He had a point – the school would benefit from sending the best team it could muster to the big leagues – but … somehow, I had the feeling he was thinking more of his own advantage.

And I wouldn’t trust him to keep his word either, I thought, crossly. If he doesn’t offer me an oath …

Blair leaned forward. “I’m going to be Captain-General,” he said. “Do you not think I can make it worth your while?”

“There’s no guarantee you’ll take Juliet’s place,” I pointed out. There was certainly no guarantee Juliet’s successor would have the same freedoms she’d enjoyed, not after she’d abused them so blatantly. “And you don’t even know what powers you’ll have.”

My thoughts hardened. Blair was an aristo. Aristos rarely bothered to bargain with their social inferiors. They took what they wanted, leaving their inferiors to thank them for taking everything and leaving them with nothing. If Blair was trying to bargain, it suggested he wasn’t anything like as confident of victory as he claimed …

And besides, I wouldn’t trust him to keep his word. How could I?

“No,” I said. “I think not.”

Blair glared. “The others already approached you, didn’t they?”

I shrugged, noncommittally. No one had – how could they? The match below had yet to be won or lost. But Blair wouldn’t see it that way. Arrogant ass, he’d assume everyone else was the same way. And he knew I wouldn’t ally with him if I saw any other option …

“We’ll kick your asses,” he said, standing. “And afterwards, you’re done.”

He stalked away in a huff. The game came to an end. I noted the winners, briefly considering the idea of asking one or both of them for an alliance, then got up and strode away. The Grandmaster had ordered all four captains to assemble in the bunker after the match, once we knew who’d be playing in the final. I wondered, idly, if Blair would try to ally with one of them. They’d be fools to trust him, but the stakes were already dangerously high.

Mildred is the only one who doesn’t really care, I reflected. She’d come a long way in the past few weeks, but she wasn’t particularly concerned with winning or losing. She’d be happy as long as Blair lost his chance to go to the big leagues.

I put the thought out of my mind as I stepped into the bunker. Blair sat there, his face so blank I knew he was annoyed. Sarah and David stood by the water cooler, drinking water as if it was going out of fashion. Their faces and tunics were drenched in sweat. I knew why Blair was annoyed. They were both aristos, with powerful connections and enough money to buy everything I owned out of pocket change. Blair couldn’t bribe them into doing anything and he knew it. I wondered, mischievously, if they’d tried to bribe him.

The Grandmaster strode into the room and cleared his throat for attention. “It has been an interesting set of matches,” he said, with what I felt was commendable understatement. “You have all worked very hard, and performed well, and I feel confident in saying that whatever team goes to the big championship will represent the very best of the school, in everything from spellcasting to sportsmanship.”

Really? I wasn’t impressed. There’s little sporting in convincing three teams to gang up on one.

“Regardless of the outcome, I also feel confident in saying the best captain will win,” the Grandmaster continued. “BattleBorne requires more than just physical and magical skills to win. It requires a certain degree of cunning, and diplomacy, and team management. The best captains are not those who bark orders at their teams, but the ones who help their teams to develop, to expand their individual skills and work as a team. The skills the game helps you to develop are ones that are very important in other fields.”

He paused, dramatically. I tried not to look impatient. Something was coming and I didn’t think I was going to like it. The entire chamber felt as if it was hanging on tenterhooks.