by L. EE
Easy for you to say, it’s not you they’ll be laughing at.
After dinner, Andy met Alden in the kitchen. He had changed into the royal blue Oscray tunic and coordinating leggings laid out neatly on his bed. As always, he had tucked the pouch holding the gold key and Methuselah inside his tunic.
“You look good!” exclaimed Alden, inspecting Andy’s outfit. Alden wore identical clothes.
“Your team uniform definitely makes you look the part,” complimented Marta.
Andy could feel his cheeks grow warm.
Marta fussed with the neck of Alden’s tunic, straightening it. She looked worried.
“It’ll be okay, Mom,” Alden encouraged.
“They just play so rough,” she replied.
Alden smiled and gave his mom a peck on the cheek.
“Be careful,” Marta admonished after giving both boys hugs.
As Andy and Alden exited the castle, Alden grabbed nose plugs from a basket near the castle door. He handed a pair to Andy as they headed left, following the crowd of servants.
“Wow, everybody’s coming!” exclaimed Andy.
Alden laughed. “I told you, people get into Oscray.”
The stench of cow farts overwhelmed his senses and Andy quickly slipped on his nose plugs. Visibility was good tonight, and as they approached the Oscray field, Andy saw people waving bright green banners. Others had royal blue flags and were chanting:
It’s no mystery,
Just look at the history,
Brave and valiant, strong and true,
The victors wear royal blue!
Folks in bright green jeered at the chant.
One man shouted, “If you’re the victor, how come we’re ahead?” He held up a banner with the score: “Cavalry 18–Castle Staff 16.” The words “Cavalry 18” had been highlighted, set in boldface, and made to stand out in every green way possible.
The people waving blue banners began their chant again.
Alden leaned over to Andy and shouted over the noise, “Just wait until the match starts!”
They made their way through the throng, finally stopping at a group of six similarly dressed servants standing at the side of the Oscray field.
“Alden! Andy!” Ox shouted. “Over here!”
Andy immediately saw Hans and exclaimed, “Hans! I wondered when I’d see you!”
Hans reached over, grabbed Andy, and gave him a bear hug.
“It’s great to see you again, Andy! They didn’t waste any time recruiting you, did they?” he shouted over the now deafening roar of the fans.
Hans looked exactly as Andy remembered, tall and thin. His gaunt face and pepper gray, patchy whiskers still gave him an unkempt look.
“Let me introduce you all to Andy,” Alden yelled to the group. “You know Ox and Hans. This is Cadfael.”
“We met this afternoon. You’re Hannah’s dad!” Andy interjected.
“Guilty as charged,” laughed the beefy man. “Glad to have you on the team,” he shouted back.
“This is Emmadank,” Alden said, motioning to a big-boned woman (that’s what Mom always told him to say, to be polite) in a royal blue dress. Everything about her was large. Hands the size of dinner plates, feet the size of skateboards, and a nose—well, she wasn’t going to have breathing problems.
Andy nodded, acknowledging her. Must be a giant, he thought. I wonder why she’s here? Those giants we met in the forest were none too friendly.
“This is Gwinny.”
Gwinny was a vulture-woman all the way down to her bulging eyes, beak-like nose, and arms that extended nearly to her ankles. Andy tried, with mixed success, to hide his discomfort with the vulture-person. He nodded.
“And this is Merk,” said Alden, glancing quickly at Andy.
Andy remembered what Alden had mentioned about Merk enjoying practical jokes. His attire more than confirmed Alden’s warning. The roundish man, who stood no taller than Andy, had a full brown beard and wore royal blue tunic and leggings like the rest, but he had embellished his uniform. Attached to the tip of a blue pointed hat was a silver pinwheel that glittered and spun as he moved. He had also tied a silver ribbon around each ankle, just above his bare pigeon-toed feet. Completing the ensemble were hairy toes, but not just a little hairy. Someone could have mistaken Merk’s feet for bedroom slippers.
A whistle sounded and Andy heard a girl’s familiar voice declaring, “If everyone would get off the field we can start tonight’s match.” Even though her face was hidden behind the large cone she spoke through, Andy immediately recognized Hannah’s long blond hair. She spoke from a porch that extended off one of the castle’s upper floors. Never noticed that before, Andy thought. Next to her two girls were bouncing around practicing cheers. The King, Mermin, and Razen sat near the rail, enjoying a perfect view of the field.
“I’ll be giving the play-by-play tonight,” Hannah announced after everyone cleared the field.
A loud roar of approval went up from all the fans. Sounds like she’s done this before.
“And Henry, Max, and Oscar will again be our referees.”
A less enthusiastic cheer went up.
One spectator wearing bright green yelled, “Are you awake tonight, Max?”
A fan in royal blue responded, “What’s it matter? You still won.”
Murmuring erupted from the fans.
Alden leaned over to Andy and explained, “He made a bad call last match.”
“A bad call, or a controversial one?” replied Andy.
Alden smirked.
“Why are Henry, Max, and Oscar reffing, anyway?”
“Since they work in the castle but don’t live here, they are considered impartial, but Cavalry doesn’t always agree.”
The whistle sounded again. Eight Cavalry players walked to the middle of the field to join Max, who casually flipped a coin. Henry stood next to him holding the lopsided lurk. After what Abaddon had done to them last year, Andy wasn’t surprised to see all the Cavalry players were vulture-men. Andy and the rest of the Castle Staff team walked out to join them. When they reached the group, half of the Cavalry players smiled, the other half snarled.
“Hey, Andy, good to see you again!” called Major Cahill.
“Major! Good to see you too!”
“Since you lost the last match, which side of the coin will you call, king or castle?” Max asked the Castle team.
“King,” replied Ox, their team’s captain.
Max threw the coin up in the air and let it fall to the ground. It landed on the hard earth and flipped several times before coming to a stop with the king’s image up.
“Castle Staff wins the toss,” announced Max.
Over the crowd Andy heard Hannah echo, “Castle Staff wins the toss.”
A cheer went up from the fans waving blue flags.
Ox said, “Gwinny, you throw the lurk.” Henry handed it to her to start the game.
“And it looks like Gwinny will be throwing the lurk for the castle team,” announced Hannah.
“Go Gwinny! You can do it!” several fans yelled.
Gwinny waddled over to the narrower side of the oval field, raised the lurk to shoulder height, waddle-ran, and released the lurk before crossing into the fallow. It hit the ground, stirring up dust as it bumped erratically. It wobbled to a stop about two feet inside the flump.
“And the throw is good!” announced Hannah.
“Okay, since I can’t play for the next three games, Merk and Emmadank, you throw the bumpers,” commanded Ox.
Andy leaned over to Alden and asked, “How’s Merk gonna throw that? He’s small!”
“Just watch,” replied Alden, smiling.
Merk, Emmadank, and the two Cavalry players lined up just outside the edge of the field.
“And tension is mounting!” Hannah commentated.
Cheering came from fans of both teams so that a deafening roar built once again.
A whistle blew and the four players ran toward the flump, the
heavy blue bumpers lofted above their shoulders. Because of the ball’s size and weight, each player ended up spinning around as they released it. It reminded Andy of shot put, only the ball was a whole lot bigger! Despite his small stature, Merk’s throw was amazing.
“Wow!”
Alden smiled. “Merk may be small, but he’s strong.”
Merk’s shiny, whirling pinwheel and ribbons distracted the cavalry players as they threw their bumpers, and their efforts landed short.
“Merk’s tricky!” commented Alden.
Andy nodded in agreement.
“And…they look good!” sounded Hannah.
Oscar threw a flag.
“Oh, wait! We have a flag!” continued Hannah.
Oscar walked to one of the Cavalry bumpers and picked it up, removing it from the field.
Boos went up from the Cavalry fans.
“Looks like Ippa stepped into the flump. That’ll cost ‘em,” she reported.
Andy saw dust fly as vulture-man clad in bright green stamped his foot and hung his head, then turned and sulked off the field.
“It’s gonna be a tough throw with the spongs after that, folks!” Hannah crowed, to which the castle staff fans cheered ever louder.
“Andy, Alden, Hans, and Cadfael, you throw the spongs,” Ox urged above the roar.
Nerves immediately crept up Andy’s arms and legs, attacking his stomach. Unwelcome memories of less than spectacular performances in gym class flooded his mind. Why did I tell Ox I’d play?
“Go Castle!” someone yelled. Then others picked up the chant again:
It’s no mystery,
Just look at the history,
Brave and valiant, strong and true,
The victors wear royal blue!
Andy looked up to the porch where Hannah was. The King and Mermin were standing, cheering wildly. Razen caught Andy’s glance and scowled. Andy and his three teammates walked over to Max who threw a green spong to each of them as they marched toward the edge of the fallow.
Alden patted Andy on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
Because the lurk had landed closer to their side of the field, the four Cavalry players lined up nearby, jockeying for position. Two stared intently at the large blue bumper balls in the flump. The other two stared at Andy.
If they’re trying to intimidate the newbie, it’s working.
“And here we go!” declared Hannah.
Someone blew a whistle and all eight players charged forward at once, spongs held at the ready to be thrown as soon as they reached the edge of the flump. Because they had lined up close together, one of the green-clad vulture-men stepped on Andy’s foot, making him trip and fall as they approached the line.
“Oohhh!” A collective groan went up from the Castle fans.
“No fair!” shouted another fan.
The Cavalry side cheered wildly.
Alden ran over. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Andy replied, embarrassed.
He got up and dusted himself off. He couldn’t bear to look up at the King or Mermin.
“And we have the ref’s decision,” Hannah announced. “Cavalry wins the first point.”
A wave of green erupted in the stands.
“It’s okay. You’ll do better next point,” several Castle fans shouted.
Cadfael walked over and encouraged, “It’s all right. That was your first try. No one does well the first time.”
Andy did his best to shake off his weak first attempt.
The field was cleared and the lurk and bumpers thrown to begin the second point, after which Andy was again given a spong. The two vulture-men who threatened him the first point lined up on either side of him again. Andy tried to block them out of his mind and focus on his throw. The whistle sounded and Andy took off running, holding the spong in his open hand, above his shoulder. He was smaller and faster than his opponents and pulled ahead. But as he spotted the lurk, a strange sensation coursed through his body. To Andy, it looked like the other players were suddenly moving in slow motion and the noise of the crowd hushed. He threw his spong and watched it fly. As he did, the crowd noise erupted in his ears again and the other players launched their spongs.
Whoa! What just happened to me?
Thrown before the rest, Andy’s spong hit the hard ground first, narrowly missed a bumper ball and rolled to a stop near its intended target. Four of the seven spongs collided in midair and ricocheted wildly. The three remaining spongs hit the ground. One was intercepted by another bumper and the remaining two rolled after Andy’s.
Max and Oscar inspected and, pointing at Andy’s spong, held up a blue flag.
“A point for Castle Staff! One to one!” announced Hannah, as the Castle fans resumed their chant.
When Andy reached the sidelines, Ox gave him a bone-jarring pat on the back. “Way to go!” he shouted. The rest of the team ran up, cheering and yelling excitedly, and Alden initiated a fist bump. Although Andy joined in the celebration, the nagging question of what was happening ran through his mind again.
After clearing the field a third time, the lurk and bumpers were played and Andy found himself once more sandwiched between the two threatening vulture-men. He thought he heard one of them growl but wasn’t sure. The whistle sounded and he rushed out ahead of them. Again he experienced everyone else moving in slow motion and the crowd growing quiet. He launched his spong and once more it landed and rolled toward the lurk before time resumed its normal pace.
What’s happening to me?
“Another point for Castle Staff! Way to go, Andy!” he heard Hannah cheer seconds later.
Andy’s teammates surrounded him as soon as he reached the sidelines and whooped and hollered at his success.
The next three points ended the same way.
Andy could not understand what was happening to him.
“Five to one, Castle Staff!” shouted Hannah, growing increasingly excited.
Sensing a victory, the royal blue side of the field yelled and cheered louder still.
Cavalry changed spongers for the next point.
Andy, Alden, Cadfael, and Hans took their positions as two huge vulture-men positioned themselves close by Andy. They were not looking at the lurk, but had their eyes locked on Andy.
Oh boy.
The whistle blew. Andy sensed activity around him slow, until he released his spong. The instant he released it, he felt an incredible pain shoot through his skull. Two loose spongs had sandwiched either side of his head and Andy fell to the ground.
“No fair!” shouted Hannah from her vantage point.
Castle fans started yelling, “Cheaters!”
The two culprits shrugged their shoulders.
“Good! We have a flag!” shouted Hannah. A minute later she announced the ref’s call, “Inappropriate conduct!” Then added, “I’ll say!” in a volume not much lower.
Andy sat up and rubbed the sides of his head as the rest of the team rushed to surround him.
“Are you okay?” asked Ox nervously. “Hans, check him out!” he demanded.
Andy held up a hand. Continuing to rub one side of his head with the other hand, he answered, “I’ll be fine.”
The two Cavalry brutes were escorted from the field. They would not be allowed to play the next three matches.
Once the officials cleared the field, Max stood in the middle and waved a blue flag.
“The point goes to Castle Staff,” announced Hannah. “That makes it six to one, Castle Staff!”
The Cavalry fans quieted, but the Castle Staff fans grew ever louder in their exuberance at being this far ahead.
Castle Staff won the seventh point to take the first game. Ox changed out three spongers, leaving Andy as the sole carryover.
“How you feelin’?” Ox asked Andy. “Holdin’ up okay?”
Andy nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
I’m not quitting no matter what my head feels like, not after what those two Cavalry guys did.
Seve
ral plays later, Hannah announced, “The score is five zip, Castle Staff!”
Calling the team together, Ox bellowed, “We’ve only got two points to go for a rout! We’ve never won this big!”
The lurk and bumpers were thrown to start the next point, then Andy, Emmadank, Cadfael, and Merk lined up along the edge of the fallow. The whistle sounded and, as with each time before, Andy threw with his surroundings moving in slow motion. The other seven spongs soared toward the flump, although most collided in mid-air. One of the spongs ricocheted back and hit Merk in the face, knocking him to the ground. Andy raced over to see how badly he was injured.
“We have a Castle player down. Looks like Merk,” Hannah intoned.
Merk lay there motionless. His nose plugs and the shiny pinwheel from the tip of his now mangled hat rested on the field near him. The exuberant crowd fell silent. Hans raced over and began to examine him. The rest of the team gathered around, willing him to wake up.
“I’m getting my kit!” Hans announced after finding nothing seriously wrong with Merk.
Andy knelt down close to his teammate. “Come on, wake up,” he pleaded. The memory of wishing the gnome in his backyard to awaken floated through his mind.
“O-kay!” shouted Merk a minute later, quickly sitting up. So sudden was his recovery that he and Andy nearly knocked heads. He started laughing hysterically.
“Gotcha!” he yelled.
Andy jumped back, putting a hand to his chest. Everyone in the crowd starting laughing, and Andy found himself the brunt of the joke.
Alden walked over. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He grinned and tried to get Andy to do a fist bump.
A smile slowly spread across Andy’s face and then he started laughing, returning the gesture.
“Merk’s fine,” Hannah announced. “And the score is now six nothing, castle staff.”
The final point of the game was uneventful and, thanks to Andy, it once again went to the Castle Staff.
“Castle Staff wins tonight’s match! The standings are now Cavalry 18, Castle Staff 17. Better watch out, Cavalry!” Hannah concluded.