The Sports Captain's Tale полностью

I glanced at the survivors – Jerry, Bill and Mildred – then led the way along the boundary line. It was risky to stay so close, for all the reasons I mentioned earlier, but the rest of the teams probably wouldn’t want to come looking for us. Probably. If you crossed the line, you were out. No arguments would be accepted. We moved in absolute silence, not daring to say a word, as we made our way to Blair’s base. I was entirely sure he would come out ahead, even against David. His charmed slaves would draw his fire long enough for Blair’s team to get the advantage and overwhelm him, then release his teammates and return to his base. It was the only way he could declare victory …

He needs as many of his teammates free as possible, I reminded myself. Sarah might pick up a few more points – perhaps. It depended on how the scores were calculated, after the match. David certainly would, unless he got very unlucky. I didn’t think it would make any difference, but you never knew. Blair had enough enemies looking for a way to embarrass him that it would be wise to cover all the bases. If they insist he was beaten on points … they might just steal his victory from him.

Jerry put his lips close to mine. “Hell of a gamble,” he whispered. “What if David wins?”

I shrugged. I’d thought about it and that was all I could do. There were no guarantees Blair would win the coming fight, but … I was betting on him. David wasn’t a bad captain – and I rather liked him – yet when it came to being an asshole Blair had the edge. He wouldn’t have gotten so far if he wasn’t capable of thinking outside the box …

“We wait and see,” I said, finally. “Now … you know what to do.”

I braced myself as Blair’s base came into view. It was identical to ours, surrounded by wards that should – should – have kept us out. Mildred went to work, weakening the wards enough to let us slip into the base itself. It wasn’t cheating, not in a legal sense, but it was unheard of. No one bothered to break into a base when laying siege to it was quite enough. I laid a handful of warning charms around the edge of the clearing, listening carefully as the sound of fighting echoed over the field. Someone shouted … I had no idea who. Blair and David were going to war …

“Done,” Mildred said. “Get inside.”

I stepped through the gap in the wards and into the base. The interior was as bland and boring as ours. I was almost disappointed. Sneaking into bedrooms and offices was an old school tradition – I’d done it myself – but there’d always been some kind of reward, even if it was just bragging rights. Here … I was surprised he hadn’t tried to smuggle in alcohol or something else that bent the rules to the breaking point. I would have expected it from him.

“Against the wall,” I hissed, casting an invisibility charm. “When they enter and close the door, hit them as planned.”

I leaned against the wall and waited, feeling the seconds ticking away like hours. Blair thought he’d won. Or David … if David had come out ahead. Whoever it was, he certainly thought he’d taken out my entire team; he knew he had to return to his base to declare victory. Or … had the trick failed? The plan had seemed so clever and cunning – if cruel – when I’d put it together, but … would it survive contact with the enemy? I knew, now, why the sergeants had warned us so often that war was a democracy. The enemy got a vote – and his vote could easily undo ours. If I’d misjudged the situation …

The wards crackled in warning. I braced myself. Blair was returning, convinced he’d won … he had to be. If he knew we were still unaccounted for, he’d be searching for us. He’d have no choice. We might win by default if we ran out the clock. The wards crackled again as the door opened, Blair’s team swaggering into the chamber as if they’d won. And they thought they had …

I raised my hands the moment they closed the door and cast the spell. It was a weak spell that rarely worked against even slight resistance, but they thought they’d won. Blair’s eyes went wide, a moment before he morphed into a toad. The others cast their spells at the same time, wiping out Blair’s entire team. They’d never expected to be ambushed in their own base … I laughed, despite myself, as the toads croaked in outrage. We were going to earn so many points we might win even if they – somehow – turned the tables.

It was a moment that called for supreme dignity, for honour and respect to our defeated opponents after we’d won. It was a moment that demanded I take my victory with good grace …

“Fuck you,” I said, cheerfully. “Who’s laughing now? We won.”

And we had.

“I don’t know,” the Grandmaster said, “if I should reward you for your tactics or have you caned for cruelty to animals.”