by M C Rooney
“So perhaps an added bow will help,” Fred said with that ugly smile of his. “A brother to watch your back.”
“People have been known to cheat in the past,” Frank mused.
“But Hockey beat them anyway,” Fred replied.
“With our father’s help,” Frank added.
“But Hockey is not here, and Buzz doesn’t have someone like our father to watch his back,” Fred said in delight.
“The challenge will be at night, as always, Fred.”
“With fires outside lighting the circle, Frank.”
The two brothers smiled at each other, or perhaps scowled. Nobody could ever tell the difference.
The Easterner’s Camp
“Be careful with him tonight,” said Michelle.
“What do you mean?” replied Molly as she put on yet another dress. This one was blue and had been given to her by none other than Captain Edward Abercrombie himself.
Molly and her friends now all shared one large tepee, so long as they carried no weapons, due to the kindness of Todd Abercrombie. There was a thick sheet of cloth that divided the men’s side from the women, but Molly was thrilled that she was staying with her friends.
“I think he has a plan in mind for you,” Michelle replied.
“I know,” Molly whispered and sat beside her friend. “He wants to know all of the secret devices of the suit.”
“You haven’t told him all of it?” Michelle said, surprised.
“No, I only showed him two uses, and there are many others,” she replied. “Electricity and vibrations have no limits, according to the Professor.”
“So threatening you with our lives hasn’t worked,” Michelle said thoughtfully.
“So what do you think he has as a second backup plan?”
“You don’t know?” Michelle said with a small smile.
“No, I don’t,” she replied innocently.
“I think he is going to try to—” She broke off as two of Edward’s personal guards entered their tepee.
“We could have been naked!” Michelle snapped at them.
A guard called Hoodyard just grinned at her, obviously hoping that he would be so lucky.
“The captain has requested your presence,” he said.
“C’mon, get your shit into gear,” the other guard, called Famularo, said.
“Oh, well, I better go.” Molly sighed as she adjusted her dress. “Wish me luck,” she said as she followed the two guards outside.
“Good luck,” Michelle whispered softly. She thought for a moment, then called out to the father-to-be. “Roland,” she yelled out to the other side of the tepee.
“Yes, Michelle?” he replied as he stuck his head around the partition.
“You still kept that quarterstaff from the guards?”
“Of course,” he replied. “It’s my spiritual walking stick.”
“Can you crack heads open with it?”
“Of course; it’s my spiritual walking stick,” he replied with a big, stupid grin.
“Good. I think we are going to need it.”
She had a bad feeling that Molly’s innocence and Edward’s strange behaviour were going to be a very bad mix.
“Ah, welcome, my dear Molly,” said Edward as she entered his private chambers of his massive tent. It was even bigger than his father’s tent, and that was saying something.
“That will be all, Hoodyard,” he said to the chief of his own personal guards, who had escorted her.
She does fill out the dress quite nicely, Edward thought as he looked at her, and he was pleased that Hoodyard did glance at her bottom when he left. Maybe she is good enough for me.
“Would you like some wine?” he said as he raised his own full glass.
“Some what?” Molly replied.
“Wine,” he repeated.
“You want to whine at me?” asked Molly, her brow furrowing.
“No; wine. It’s a drink.” Dear God, Edward thought, first it was the horse, now this.
“Here,” he said. “I will pour you just a little.” He proceeded to slightly fill another glass. “Go on, have a sip,” he urged as he handed her the drink.
She looked cautiously at the glass as if it contained a tiger snake, then took a tentative sip. A surprised look came over her face, and she took an even bigger sip.
“This is nice,” she said with a pleased smile. “Where did you get it from?”
“We made it, in one of our townships,” he replied.
“How did you make it?” she said as she took another sip.
“Well, first we grow the grapes, then harvest them,” he said. “Then we get people to step on them in their bare feet—”
Molly sprayed the wine out of her mouth and onto the floor.
“Oh my Lord!” she said and ran towards the tall glass of water on the table.
“It’s really okay, Molly,” he said. “It’s quite hygienic.”
But it was too late, as Molly had her head back and was gargling the water in her mouth.
So much for seduction, he thought with a grimace. Might as well get straight to the point; she is a young girl and I am an attractive young man. She will be like putty in my hands.
So when she had spat out the water, he moved forward, held her in his arms, and kissed her.
Molly had just drank a new delicious type of water when the big weirdo decided to tell her that it was made from grapes stepped on by people’s bare feet. She almost gagged. And then, when she finally got rid of the taste of people’s bare feet from her mouth, the big weirdo decided to put his tongue in there. She really gagged then.
This isn’t how it was supposed to be, she thought in confusion at her first kiss.
She always thought she would be swept off her feet by Prince Charming and feel a genuine passion that would make her heart flutter. Not by Captain Emotionless here. Her heart was fluttering, but it was from pure panic.
Wait a moment, she thought as his tongue moved in her mouth like a restless eel. His advances were not wanted. He was kissing her without her permission. What did the Professor say to do with men like him?
She reached behind her, grabbed the tall water glass, and smashed it over his head. He fell down at her feet, unconscious.
“Serves you right, you dirty sleazebag,” she said loudly, then she muttered, “Whatever that means” quietly to herself.
It was then that it slowly dawned on her what she had done. The man who held her and her friends captive, the man who commanded two thousand armed men, was lying on the floor, unconscious and bleeding. He would not forgive her for this. She knew little of men, but she did recognise a walking, talking ego when she saw one.
“I have to get out of here,” she said in a panic and looked madly around the room for a weapon. She saw the weapon she wanted hanging over the back of a chair.
“My suit,” she said quietly and ran towards it.
She quickly kicked off her shoes and put the suit on with the boots and helmet and powered it up. It was time to show some people the full extent of what it could do. She walked to the edge of the tent, peeked out, and saw the back of Edward’s two guards.
“A great arse,” one of them said.
“The captain does pull them,” the other replied.
She didn’t know what they were talking about, but hitting the required buttons, she reached out and placed one hand on each of their shoulders.
“Sleep,” she commanded, and they both fell down.
She dragged them into the tent and took off their jackets. They would be unconscious for an hour or so, judging by the pressure she leant on their brain.
“No, that won’t do,” she said. “I need three jackets,” and she ran back and took off Edward’s. “He won’t mind,” she said quietly to herself. “It has a sewn hole in it after all,” and as Edward began to stir, she touched his shoulder and said, “Sleep … and don’t be a manwhore.” She knew what that meant.
She then ran out of the tent and blended into the night and
wondered just how much anger Michelle would display tonight over what she had just done.
The Westerner’s Camp
Buzz took another deep breath and steadied himself for the upcoming challenge. It was hard to focus when the Circle was placed so close to the tower, but he did try. He had decided to wear traditional clothing for the fight and discarded his headscarf and jacket and had thick war paint across his face and chest.
‘Sharpen your sword,’ his father had told him, ‘but most importantly, sharpen your mind.’
As an incentive, the electrical suit, boots, and helmet lay on the grass behind him. If anybody was thinking of challenging, the prize was there for all to see.
‘They will keep you waiting,’ Hockey had told his son. ‘Whilst you expend nervous energy, they could be relaxing by the lake fishing for all you knew.’
Buzz took another breath and kept his energy within himself.
How did Father manage to go through so many of these fights? he wondered. For forty years, he had led their tribe and must have been challenged at least twenty times.
‘He had Father to watch his back,’ Fraser had told him earlier.
So Buzz had Gaul, Cheng, Bronson, and Begovic out in the darkness, awaiting any treachery. Fraser and Fergus wanted to offer him their fealty, but as they thought they knew who would challenge him, they decided to stay neutral for the moment.
Frank it must be, then, Buzz concluded, which meant Fred was out there somewhere.
‘That was the danger of having The Circle at night,’ his father had told him. ‘You never knew if someone in the darkness was prepared to betray you.’
‘Then why have it at night?’ Buzz had asked.
‘Because we like treachery in the west,’ his father had replied. ‘It keeps us on our toes.’
Buzz looked at the circle of fire that surrounded him. He could barely see the men who were closest, and beyond that was just darkness. He sat down on the grass and closed his eyes. Keep the energy within, he said in his mind. Keep the energy within. The tower above crackled with lightning, adding to the atmosphere of impending violence and death.
The professor leant over the edge of the tower about thirty metres in the air and watched as Buzz sat down in the tribe’s so-called Circle. From here, he had a perfect view of the upcoming fight but could also see the number of men surrounding the Circle.
Poor Buzz cannot see out into the darkness, the voice said.
“I know,” the professor replied in a worried voice. “He is vulnerable to an act of bastardry.”
He has friends out in the darkness, though.
“Where? I cannot see them,” the professor replied.
How is it possible that I can see them and you cannot? the voice snapped.
“I don’t know,” the professor snapped back. “Just bloody tell me where they are.”
The voice sighed. Okay then, you see that man standing alone over to the west?
“Where?” the professor replied.
That’s the bloody east, you idiot, the voice said in disgust.
“All right, all right,” the professor said, “keep your shirt on.”
You must know I have no shirt.
“It’s just a phrase,” the professor replied, but he had now noticed young Cheng standing on a ridge, looking everywhere but at the Circle.
And to the south, the voice said.
The professor could now see Gaul with his red hair showing outside of his headscarf. He was also standing on his own, and both he and Cheng were on higher ground, where they could watch more of the crowd.
“Then where is Begovic?”
Over there at the edge of the circle, the voice replied. He is there to protect Buzz from any close encounters.
“Aliens,” the professor replied looking up at the night sky.
The voice sighed loudly.
“And finally, Bronson?” asked the professor.
Look down, said the voice quietly.
The professor looked straight down and saw a tough-looking man with his arms crossed surveying the entire crowd just the same as Cheng and Gaul were.
Now, the voice said, all we have to do is wait here for the challenger, then look for the betrayer.
The Easterner’s Camp
“Keep your head down and ride,” Molly said as she ran alongside her friends.
How is she doing this? Michelle thought in amazement. First of all, she shows up with three blue jackets, saying she knocked out Edward, and then she runs as fast as a horse.
Except she didn’t show up, did she? She just materialised out of thin air, told them they were leaving, and then disappeared from sight.
“Just ride, Michelle,” Roland called out. “And blue suits you,” he finished with a smile.
Michelle smiled back and— “No, I’m bloody angry, Roland King,” she said. “We could all get killed.”
“We’re out of the camp now, Michelle,” he replied. They had taken ten frightening minutes to steal some horses and walk through the camp. “And we can see where we are going,” he finished.
Oh, that’s right, I forgot. Michelle thought grumpily. Kind and innocent Molly McLaren not only owns a suit that makes people sleep, can make you disappear from sight, but also provides lighting for the night as well.
“I’m sorry, Michelle,” said Molly as she ran alongside her horse, a light streaming from her helmet. “I’ve made a big mess of things, haven’t I?”
“Yes, you bloody well have,” she snapped. “Couldn’t you have just let him kiss you?”
“No … no, I couldn’t,” she replied.
And she was right; just the thought of that creep touching her gave Michelle the shivers.
“Oh, all right,” Michelle said, “but I want some bloody answers.”
“It bends and produces light, the vibrations affect the earth and the brain, and the electricity from the ground is making me float,” she replied.
“That’s amazing!” Jeremy shouted. He loved every minute of this escape. “How fast can you run?” he asked.
“There is no limit,” she replied, and Michelle noticed she wasn’t even panting. “Only a lack of balance can stop your speed.”
Michelle looked down at Molly’s feet. She really was floating on blue lightning, but her forward momentum turned her movements into a bouncing motion. The electricity was pushing her upwards, her body was moving forwards, but the gravity was bringing her down.
“Your Professor friend is a genius,” Michelle said, “but why are we headed south?”
“Edward is attacking from the east,” Molly said as she bounced alongside of Michelle. “I want to head south so we can approach the tower and the Professor from a different angle.”
“We have to beat them to the tower,” Roland called out, “but the horses will need a rest.”
“And so will I, Molly,” Michelle said with meaning.
Molly twigged as to what she meant and told them to travel a few more kilometres, then they would be safe from Edward and be able to sleep the night.
But would they be safe? Michelle wondered. They were all heading to the same destination after all.
The Westerner’s Camp
Buzz awoke from his meditation when he heard a rumble of noise coming from the crowd of men.
“He’s coming,” he heard Begovic call out.
Rising to his feet, he stretched his arms and legs, placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword, and waited.
He soon saw the pinched-up face of a fully clothed Frank Carter come forward. He looked exactly like Fred and completely different from Fergus and Fraser. Buzz had wondered where Flynn was, but Fergus was unusually closed-mouthed as to where he had gone.
“Say the words,” he said firmly to Frank.
Frank wasn’t really looking at him. His eyes were flickering around in all directions.
He is so nervous, Buzz thought. He is making me look the calm one.
“I already know your brother is out there,” he sai
d. “Now say the words.” Buzz stood on the balls of his feet, ready and waiting.
Frank gave a start when Buzz mentioned his brother and nervously reached for his sword.
“I-I challenge you,” was all he said. It was all he needed to say.
Buzz ripped out his own sword and attacked him.
Fred had been keeping as low a profile as he possibly could up until Frank entered the Circle. He was very aware that Cheng, Begovic, and Gaul were looking for him, and he could see them from where he was quite clearly, but he could not see where Bronson was.
Then the crowd roared and stood up as Buzz attacked Frank, and this gave Fred the distraction that he needed to unlimber his bow.
It was so dark out here away from the fires. Nobody will see me anyway; not even the lightning from the tower could show my face, he thought with a nasty grin.
He nocked the arrow to the small bow he had acquired but kept both low and against his body. The plan was simply to kill Buzz and grab the suit. Once Frank wore the suit, nobody could stop him. He had watched Rodent and Buzz use theirs over the years. He knew how it worked.
“Hang on, big brother,” he said quietly to himself. “Just give me the signal, and he is as good as dead.”
“I can’t see shit,” the professor cried out in frustration.
Hang on, the voice said. Everybody is moving around; just look for the stationary man.
“The stationary man?” the professor said.
Yes, the voice replied, the betrayer who is concentrating right now, waiting for the right moment. Not the other idiots who are jumping up and down like monkeys.
“Speaking of monkeys,” the professor replied, “whatever happened to Rodent?”
Buzz smashed his sword against Frank’s own blade, and the power of the blow almost forced him to his knees.
This is too easy, Buzz thought. If I really press him, I could finish this within a minute.
But there was a trap. There was always a trap, his father had warned.
Watch his eyes, Buzz; watch to see when the betrayer will make a move.
Frank swung his blade, but Buzz was easily deflecting it, and pushing forward, he cut his blade across Frank’s stomach.