Dragons Shining (10 page)

“That makes sense”, said Han. “But we don’t want our high scorer hurt either.”  There were nods.

“Just remember guys”, said Tom. “We do not want to resort to their kind of tactics. It is wrong. We keep it to one on one at all times, per the rule. Agreed?”

Everyone nodded and made yes noises. It was decided. They talked about game strategy for a while, then gathered the horses and headed to the Arena home team stable and dressing rooms.

The open bleachers around most of the huge Arena grounds were starting to fill. Fable’ Arch had one of the best Toroid arenas, used for Steeple Chase and other equine sports as well. The streets were crowded, and many cheered as the home team made their way through. Others booed and made catcalls. That was all in good cheer, and expected with any rivalry.

As they walked the horses past the front Arena gate, they noticed a large group of armed men he had never seen before, standing across the lane watching them. “Who are they?” asked Tom.

Owen did not dare any magic other than passive, yet what he sensed from the men was somewhat sinister. He sensed nothing, passively, and that puzzled him greatly. They were veiled by magic! “I don’t know, but don’t stare at them, Tom. I don’t like it.”

They led the horses to the stable, where the volunteers would put the Great Chitabion bird bone armor on them, while the men donned theirs in the locker room.

Dafford came in to speak with Owen. “Did you see those men out front?”

“Yes, I don’t feel good about them”. The others were listening.

“Well no-one knows who they are and they won’t say, and their arms and armor are all black. They are in the stands now, to watch the game. You guys keep clear of them. After the game, stick together. We have alerted the guard, but there aren’t that many guardsmen in town for the game. We never had any trouble before.”

“Who do you think they are, Dafford?” asked Heath?

“Well Baird thinks they are up to no good, so just steer clear and stay together after the game, that’s all.” With that, he left.

“This is getting better by the minute”, said Tom.

Sitting on their horses waiting for the gate, they heard cheering from the Dell’s Keep Lions supporters as the visiting team rode out.

Then their gate opened and they rode out onto the obstacle covered field. “We have seen this arrangement”, said Heath. “It was in the semis two years ago, remember?”

Owen did remember. He hoped the others did too. “That could be advantageous”, he thought.

Their fans erupted when they all had reached the field, so they all waived.

The coordinator raised the Take Position Flag.

The Fable team and the Dell teams formed a line across from the center post. The teams alternated so that there was an opposing player on each side in the line. Heath was closest to the center, next to the Dell Lead.

The Ready Flag was raised.

The center Toroid was hung on it’s post, and the green “Ride Flag” was raised.

Heath took off across the field with the Lions Lead close to him. They jumped and dodged the oxer and tri-rail jumps, hedges and water obstacles. Heath took the lead as Owen and the other riders jostled their way across in position to run or assist. The assists remained closer to the center while the runners were just outside of the assists. The Lions Runner close to Owen altered course just before a jump and slammed into him. Gander was stronger and forced the other horse away, and jumped the oxer. The Lions Runner lost his timing and had to circle back. This left no runner between Owen and the home post at the top of the course.

“Free”, called Owen loudly, signaling his advantage.

Heath reached the Toroid first and hooked it on his pole as the Lions Leader arrived and tried to slam Heath against the wall, but Tom muscled past the opposing assist and got in his way. This allowed Heath to toss the Toroid far toward the top of the field in the direction of the Dragons post. It landed between Owen and the post, just in front of a hedge.

With the Lions Runner a whole obstacle behind him, Owen had time to slow Gander, collect the Toroid on his pole, and then jump the hedge as the Lions Runner cleared the water jump behind him. Then it was a race around and over obstacles with no one in front of Owen. There was no catching Gander on this type of course. Owen ringed the post with no opposition, and the crowd roared.

Dragons 1

Lions      0

The coordinator raised the Take Position Flag.

Again they lined up.

The Ready Flag was raised.

The center Toroid was hung on its post, and the green “Ride Flag” was raised.

This time Heath jumped out ahead immediately with a brilliant start, because the other Leader and his Assist had tried to angle over and hit him. That was a mistake, and would have been a foul for a double teaming hit.

Owen had a problem because he found himself double teamed too. Gander was strong and fast, but not a quick starter. The Lions Runner and the Assist on Owen’s side hemmed him in, and the three of them jumped the first hedge together. Tom started to move toward them, but Owen waived him toward Heath.

“Maybe they will take the bait”, he was thinking as he put pressure to the right and slowed slightly.

The two Lions riders stayed with him, determined to keep him hemmed in. They did not see Owen’s ploy. Before long they were directly behind Heath. Other Lions riders and his own team started pressing in from the right because it was obvious to them that Heath would get the Toroid. The action would again be toward the Fable post. The problem with that was there were three riders blocking that route. Owen still had his escorts. When the Dell Runner and Assist finally figured it out, the Runner broke left and so did Owen, but he put on the speed at that point.

Heath took the Toroid and ran with it. Tom blocked the other Dell Assist that had come across. The remaining riders were out of the play now, behind the front lines. Owen broke ahead of the Lions Runner, but the Lions Assist still dogged him. From their position, the Lions Assist might cross Heath’s path. They were closer to the post, but the obstacles were much harder in the center. So, Owen drove Gander into the Assist hard. They struggled and slowed, jumping a combination water and hedge jump. Gander barely cleared, and the Lions Assist stumbled and went down. It was now a race between Heath and the now free Lions Runner, who had split off through the highest obstacles toward the Dragons post to try and stop him. Heath won the race by only a horse length, and that was all he needed.

The crowd roared, calling “
Heath, Heath, Heath
!”

Fable’s Arch 2

Dell’s Keep   0

The horses were beginning to tire a little by this time.

The Lions Lead raised his time out flag.

Time Out was signaled, and both teams re-entered their gates and dismounted for a short rest.

“Twice they have chosen contact instead of skill”, said Heath. He was breathing hard. “And twice they got burned.”

“I saw Owen take one of them down this time”, said Bobby.

“His horse stumbled, Bobby. I was pressing him in the jump, yes.”

“Perfectly legal one on one”, said Tom. “They were double teaming him and he pulled a really slick move to get them both out of play and behind.”

“I wondered why the field was so clear”, said Heath, laughing.

“What do you think they will try now, Heath?” asked Bobby. “They can’t beat you to the post, so they might try something drastic.”

“We can’t worry about that”, said Owen.  “We need to keep to our game plan. The only way we can lose is if they beat us fair. Anything else is bound to backfire on them.”

The Bell sounded, so the two team gates were opened and the teams took position.

The coordinator raised the Take Position Flag.

Again they lined up.

The Ready Flag was raised.

The center Toroid was hung on it’s post, and the green “Ride Flag” was raised.

This time the Lions Lead slammed into Heath, lowering his pike to foul Fire Balls front legs where the ref could not see. But his pike was ripped from his hands as both horses went down. Fire Ball struggled back up and took off. The Lion Lead had to fetch his pike, and he let go of the reigns. His horse backed off and shied.

When Heath went down, Owen slapped Gander’s flank and took off full speed toward the center post. The Dragons and Lions Assist were quicker off the line, but Gander caught them by midfield. The Lion Runner on his left was only a horse length back.  Tom rode to the right and slammed into Lion assist. They both slowed. That left Bobby and Sam on the right side, both of whom tangled with the opposing Runner and Assist.

That left Owen and the Lions Runner the only two riders in the lead to the post. Gander was faster and stronger than the Lions horse, so Owen took the Toroid, and faked a turn left toward the Dragons post, then reared and stopped as the Lions runner who had intended to hit Gander against the wall at near full speed, slammed into the padded wall instead. He flew off the horse and hit the wall with a thud, and his pike flew up into the stands. Both dropped to the ground, unmoving.

Owen wheeled around the stricken Lions rider and headed for the dragons post and the smaller obstacles nearer the wall. The noise so close to the stands was deafening.

By this time the three remaining Lions riders had cut left to intercept Owen, outmaneuvering Tom, Bobby and Sam who were a horse length behind the Lions riders.

Owen saw no way to avoid the three riders who had cut left and abandoned the center post except to pour on the speed. He saw Heath way ahead. He must have had a great deal of confidence in Owen’s ability to get the toroid. He was alone toward the Dragons post with all close Dell riders converging on Owen.

Tom managed to clip one of the three Lions horses and he went down with them. He heard the crowd gasp. Owen was penned in and hurtling toward a six foot high by six foot wide tri-rail. He would not make it. Just before the two Lions riders piled into him, he hummed the Toroid in Heath’s direction, not able to see past the oxer. Both horses slammed into Gander, not even trying to make the jump. Owen dodged one pike, and the other grazed his back plate knocking him off balance. Then all three horses and riders slammed into the Tri-rail, which was constructed with heavy wooden beams designed to fall on impact.

Owen felt a terrible pain in his left arm as they hit the tri-rail and it collapsed on top of him and Gander. Owen had broken his left fore arm and his bone armor had sliced his arm open. They were pinned under the structure and two horses. He twisted his head to see blood running down Gander’s mane and before he could react it flowed into Gander’s eyes and left nostril.

Owen quickly uttered a spell to seal his arm and another to dry the blood on Gander and turn it to carbon powder. He felt the spells weaken him slightly. But more would come. Gander was huffing and snorting. His eyes rolled white and he screamed . He started twisting and moving and the whole structure shivered. He was changing.

Owen face a terrible choice. He should kill Gander; not knowing what kind of abomination might result from breathing his blood. But he could not. “
I raised you from a Colt, and know you will not be a blood sucking monster.”
He sent soothing and a calming spell to the horse. He placed an image of Gander into his minds eye, and instead of killing Gander, he executed a strong spell of glamour that would adapt as the horse changed.

“Get off him, you bastards!” He could hear Tom shouting. “Take this you scum”, he heard Bobby shout. There was fighting above and shouts from the umpires and from the crowd.  Whistles and the sounds of armor clashing accompanied by movement as the horses on top were helped out of the debris.