by Jacinta Jade
Zale let her slide from his grasp, his eyes still wanting, but his hands kept obviously still by his sides.
‘You’re forgiven,’ she whispered, gazing at him for a long moment.
Zale’s golden eyes were intense. ‘I’ll follow you wherever you go,’ he vowed. ‘And I’ll ask again in two turns.’
Siray swallowed as the air between them seemed to pulse. ‘Genlie will be expecting me back,’ she managed to get out. She forced herself to take another step backwards, to increase the distance between them. And hopefully lessen the heat.
Zale nodded, his face conflicted. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘You go on ahead. I need to send a message off anyway, but then I’ll join you again soon.’
Siray nodded back and strode across to the door. Reaching out her hand to the pad to activate it, she paused and twisted back to look at Zale. ‘Forgive me now, for asking, but … I saw Melora speaking to you before you joined me in the rec room. What did she want?’
Zale shook his head, his face showing contempt. ‘Melora has many times previously indicated that she has an interest in me and would accept my attentions, should I wish to pursue her.’ He snorted. ‘What she doesn’t realise is that I can barely stand her, knowing her for what she is—a cunning and cruel person.’ He crossed his arms. ‘She said she had been watching you and I, and that she thought I was making a mistake in becoming friends with you. I, of course, told her it was none of her concern and walked away.’
Siray nodded, glad to put that worry to rest. ‘Thank you for telling me.’ She turned towards the door again, but something made her glance at him once more, and she was forced to take a breath as their eyes connected again, the feelings inside her holding her feet in place.
It took a supreme effort of will to force herself to pivot back to the door and to activate it, after which she almost fell through it and out into the hall.
Thankfully, no one was in the corridor as the door swished closed behind her, and Siray took the time to get her breath back. What had that been? She couldn’t be attracted to three males at once; it was ludicrous!
But there was a heavy feeling in her stomach, and already Baindan and Deson’s faces were appearing in her mind, while Zale was tucked away in her heart.
Choose, their faces seemed to say to her.
But she couldn’t—she still had feelings for both Baindan and Deson, and although Zale undeniably roused something within her as well, she would not let any of them fight over her. Her thoughts continued to whirl as she strolled along.
Genlie, she decided.
After Deson’s match, she would pull Genlie aside and tell her all about it, and Genlie could advise her on what to do.
Having decided on a firm plan of action, Siray pushed her discussion with Zale to the back of her mind and wiped all concern from her features as she entered the recreation room once more.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
AS SIRAY STEPPED through the doorway into the room, she felt the heightened tension of the people within and looked around for the cause. As she did, a waving Genlie caught her eye and Siray hurried across to her friend.
‘Good—you’re back,’ Genlie said with relief when Siray reached her. ‘What did Zale want?’
Siray breathed in and then sighed. ‘To complicate things, it seems.’
Genlie arched an eyebrow quizzically, but Siray saw Baindan walking briskly in their direction, so she shook her head quickly and said, ‘I’ll tell you later.’
Genlie nodded, and then Baindan was there before them.
‘We’ve grabbed some spots down the front to watch Deson’s match. You better come join us now, though, otherwise you won’t be able to squeeze through later.’ He wheeled about and began leading the pair of them through the crowd, Siray directly behind him.
Along the way, Siray saw Genlie wave at someone else and, twisting her neck, saw Kinna weaving through the crowd to join them.
‘We’re going to watch the Deson take on Melora,’ Genlie explained over her shoulder as she trailed Siray.
Kinna sounded confused. ‘I thought that was still one match away?’
‘It is, but Baindan has the others holding a bit of space for us, and we don’t want to lose it.’
‘Fair enough,’ came Kinna’s response. ‘I think I’ll be just as interested as you to see who wins that one.’
Following one after the other, they eventually managed to squeeze their way past people starting to crowd the spaces around the elevated table and reach the others.
When the rest of their group spotted them, Genlie grabbed Kinna’s wrist and pulled her forwards to introduce her. They were all chatting happily when they noticed the crowd around them become livelier as the participants in the third match approached the table.
Siray’s interest grew when she saw four players, all males, approach the table. She stretched her neck to see past Tamot to read the match board. When she couldn’t, she asked the group in general, ‘Is this a team battle, or a four-on-four?
‘I believe it’s four-on-four.’
Zale’s voice came from behind her, and Siray took a moment to take a steadying breath as she remembered their earlier kiss. Then she pivoted to face him. ‘I haven’t seen one of those yet,’ she said carefully.
Zale’s face, thankfully, didn’t show that anything unusual had happened between them.
Genlie got excited. ‘These are much harder, aren’t they?’ she asked Zale.
He nodded. ‘Instead of having to watch for one attack and try to overcome one defence, you could potentially be attacked by up to three opponents at once. In this type of match, your pregame strategy is almost as important as the game itself.’
That intrigued Siray. ‘You mean like thinking about who you’re going to attack, who might attack you, and who the others might attack?’
‘Pretty much. Then there’s also the potential to form alliances, or just to try and intimidate your opponent.’ He shrugged. ‘After all, if you can try to get in their head before the game, then they’re usually easier to beat.’
Siray looked over at the table where the four males were now gathering but had yet to take their seats. As she considered the players, she realised she didn’t really know any of the four who were about to do battle. So, she decided she would try and guess who would win before the match started.
After looking at them all carefully, she decided she would back the dark-haired male who stood behind a chair on the far right-hand side of the table, calmly looking at his opponents, as if neither the looming match, nor the babble of the growing crowd, bothered him.
Confident in her choice, she told Genlie and Kinna her observations, Zale also listening in.
‘I disagree,’ Genlie declared. ‘I think he’—she pointed at a rather tall male standing on the left—‘will win. There’s just something about the way he’s watching the others.’ She turned to Kinna. ‘Who would you pick?’
Kinna contemplated the players quickly but then shook her head and smiled. ‘I won’t weigh in on this, as I know them all better than both of you, which would give me an unfair advantage.’
When Genlie turned to look at Zale, he also shook his head ruefully. ‘I’ll have to follow Kinna’s lead, I think.’
‘Fine.’ Genlie turned her full attention back to Siray. ‘What’s my prize if I beat you and guess right?’
‘Prize?’ Siray raised her eyebrows and chuckled. ‘Since when are we playing for a prize?’
‘Since now,’ Genlie said matter-of-factly.
Tamot sidled in closer. ‘The loser could get the other person’s meals for the day,’ he suggested.
‘Perfect!’ Genlie exclaimed.
Siray sighed but then laughed. ‘Okay. Agreed.’
They rapidly quieted along with the rest of the crowd as the four males sat down in their chosen seats and placed their hands on the pads in front of them.
When the mist projected above the table coalesced, it had four colours instead of two. It showed
the usual orange and purple, but it also contained one green and one white section. The entire projection flashed through each of the different colours once, then settled down to display the four colours again.
The pads glowed beneath the hands of the players, and the match began.
It was a much longer and far more intense match than any of the others Siray had previously seen, and the projection assumed wonderful shapes as it billowed and froze in different directions. After a time, though, she could see that the projection was expanding purposefully towards one of the four players.
‘They’ve singled out one person to eliminate,’ Zale whispered in Siray’s ear, the feel of his breath sending a shiver through her.
A moment later he was proved correct, as the combined green, purple, and white projections advanced to touch the face of one male. The pads under his hands went dark.
With one player eliminated, the other three refocused their attacks, and the projection mirrored the adjustment in strategy, shrinking down and reforming, the remaining colours whirling.
The mist of the projection pulsed and wheeled faster now, and Siray had the impression of quick jabs and rebuttals. Then the projection lurched in one direction before it froze.
Confused, Siray twisted her head and whispered to Zale, ‘What’s happening?’
He was silent a moment before he whispered back, ‘I think one of them decided to run the risk of dropping his defences for a moment, so he could focus all his strength on attacking one of the others and try to overwhelm. Chancy strategy, though, and its backfired.’
Indeed. Even as Siray watched, the combined colours of purple and white advanced with another lunge, and the hand pads of the male now surrounded by the projection went dark.
This turn of events left just two players battling it out—the two that Siray and Genlie had selected.
Siray couldn’t hesitate to notice Genlie bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet, and Siray smiled at her friend’s competitiveness before swivelling her head back to watch the match.
As the crowd continued to watch and cheer on their players, the projection shrunk and swirled again, and then, very slowly, the white half began expanding in one direction. Towards Genlie’s player.
Siray smiled happily as she realised she was about to be proven correct in her choice. Ever so slowly, the white mist continued to expand, and she crossed her arms, satisfied.
‘Mmmmm,’ came Zale’s whisper. ‘The Traverder Expansion. Good move.’
‘What?’ she whispered back without taking her eyes off the match. Was that what her player was doing?
‘Watch,’ Zale just whispered.
She did. The expanding white mist had managed to slide two-thirds of the way across the table towards Genlie’s opponent, when suddenly, it shrunk, and the purple side grew in volume to race for the male Siray had backed.
Her player’s hand pads went dark, and the tall male’s pads lit up, proclaiming him the victor.
‘Yes!’ Genlie cheered, dancing on the spot as applause from the crowd sounded out around them.
‘What happened?’ Siray asked mournfully, raising her voice to be heard over the cheers of the crowd and Genlie’s happy laughter as she twisted to face Zale.
Zale smiled in amusement. ‘He pulled the Traverder Expansion move to defeat his opponent.’
Siray just stared blankly at Zale for an instant before she said, ‘And for those of us who don’t speak gamer?’
Zale chuckled but obliged her by elaborating. ‘In the Traverder Expansion, you carefully pull back your defence again and again, lulling your opponent into the false belief that they are slowly whittling down your defences.’ He moved his hands to demonstrate as he explained. ‘Meanwhile, you’re actually whittling away at their defences as more and more of their attention is transferred from their defence to their attack. And, just when they think they’re about to win, you crush them.’ He closed his fist.
‘Well,’ said Siray glumly, ‘it worked.’
‘I won!’ Genlie chose to cheer again at that moment, but then she hugged Siray, so Siray smiled at her.
‘Guess I’m getting all your meals tomorrow, then.’
Genlie nodded, smiling cheekily.
The quieting of the crowd made Siray shift back around to eye the game table, and she spied Deson and Melora making their way to their seats from opposite sides of the room.
Melora paused just before taking her seat to give the crowd a playful smile and wave, causing some to cheer and call out her name.
Siray snorted at the spectacle. It didn’t surprise her in the least that Melora would perform for the masses.
Deson, however, didn’t look at anyone as he took his seat and placed his hands in position on the pads. Once he was ready, he focused his attention on the opposite side of the table.
But Melora wasn’t there yet. She took her time sitting down, still casting smiles towards the crowd as she pretended to limber up her hands and roll her shoulders, causing some of the spectators to laugh. When she finally looked across the table at Deson, she flashed him a stunning smile before placing one of her hands on the pads.
Zale was still standing close behind Siray, so she twisted her head slightly to ask quietly, ‘What is she doing?’
But instead of Zale answering her question, Kinna did. ‘She’s playing him,’ she said promptly from Siray’s side. ‘I expect she’s been cosying up to him all evening, getting inside his head.’
‘But Deson wouldn’t be intimidated by her,’ Siray responded, frowning.
This time Zale did answer. ‘Intimidation isn’t how she does it,’ he whispered. ‘She prefers a … warmer approach.’
Then Siray understood. And her mind flashed back to when she and Genlie had seen Melora talking with Deson earlier that day. She narrowed her eyes as she focused on the female again.
As Melora finally settled both her hands onto the table, the pads of each player lit up, and the match began.
Siray didn’t know if it was her imagination or not, but the colours of the projection appeared to swirl above the table for a lot longer before they eventually settled down into the usual orange and purple.
Then the mist of the projection began to move.
It made little advances towards both Melora and Deson before shrinking toward the middle again. This repeated for a time, drawing murmurs from the crowd. Siray examined the faces of both Deson and Melora. Their eyes were narrowed as they focused on the projection and each other, their forearms tense as they kept their hands steady on the pads.
Then, the purple field expanded, just a little. Towards Deson.
As it advanced again, Siray glanced at Melora and saw her face had changed slightly. She still looked focused, but she also appeared to be flashing Deson a flirtatious smile. And it seemed to be enough to distract Deson, letting Melora advance her attack further. Siray shook her head, unable to believe such an obvious strategy was working.
‘Deson’s not going to be able to hold her off for much longer,’ Zale whispered. ‘He’s too unfocused.’
Siray agreed, as it was clear that Deson didn’t seem to know where to focus his gaze now, and he was continually shifting his shoulders.
She turned her attention back to Melora, wondering when she had begun planning her strategy against Deson, and began wishing with all her might that Deson’s projection would crush hers.
The projected mist froze in its advance towards Deson.
And because Siray was looking at the curly-haired female in that instant, she saw the shift in Melora’s face.
Up until that point, Melora had still maintained a coy smile, probably in case Deson locked eyes with her, but that expression was fading fast. The female’s eyebrows drew tightly together, and it appeared as if she was trying to figure something out, her brown eyes narrowing quickly.
Siray held her breath as the mist of the projection began to alter direction, moving towards Melora. Was Deson about to rally?
Then,
Melora’s gaze flicked to the crowd and scanned for an instant before landing on Siray’s face. Her eyes widened, almost in recognition, before she scowled. Her hands shifted on the table, and her pads went dark.
Deson’s lit up.
A stunned quiet held the crowd for a moment. Then the cheers and cries of congratulations broke out across the room. Deson was now third on the leaderboard.
I won! By the Mother, I actually won!
The thought pushed its way into Siray’s mind, and she giggled, realising that Deson didn’t know he was projecting to her.
Genlie was jumping up and down on the spot, cheering loudly for Deson, while Siray was clapping like made, unable to believe the turn in the game. She smiled and also shouted out her congratulations towards Deson but then was distracted as Melora rose abruptly and pushed away from the table, shoving through the crowd and storming from the room.
Genlie also saw her leave. ‘Obviously can’t handle defeat,’ she commented smugly, some of the spectators around them muttering similar comments.
Siray didn’t say anything but kept looking at the door Melora had just disappeared through. Was that really Melora’s problem? She didn’t like the female, but Melora hardly seemed like a person to lose so easily. And why had she glared at Siray right before she’d lost?
Siray ducked around the waving arms of her group as they continued cheering and moved closer to Zale, who was frowning. ‘I thought Deson was going to lose,’ she said in a low voice to him.
Zale nodded slowly. ‘It certainly looked like he was.’ He was quiet for a moment as he peered over at the table, but then he shrugged. ‘He didn’t actually defeat her, though. The shift of her hands meant she was disqualified from the match, automatically making Deson the winner. Maybe he actually managed to refocus and throw her off-balance long enough to cause her to do that.’
‘Well done, Deson!’
Genlie’s loud cheer caused Siray to whirl around.
Deson was walking towards them, having worked his way through the crowd congratulating him on his side of the table. He was smiling broadly.
Tamot slapped Deson on the back as the victor reached the group. ‘Top three! How did you manage to turn that around? We thought it was going to end badly for you.’