The Great Game Trilogy

by O. J. Lowe

  “Oh, you see there’s always a way to find out,” she said. “If it came out in the first place, it can come out again. Doctor Sinkins, this has been enlightening for both of us. I’ll task someone to investigate Blut’s movements regarding the Kjarn and the Vedo. You build on your part and I’ll see it’s facilitated.”

  Glee was permeating through her now, she was almost shaking with excitement, unusual for her. “We’ve made a real breakthrough here, I think. Get to work, this could be massive for us all. For the five kingdoms even.”

  His face lit up and she knew she had his interest. It faded momentarily as he met her eyes and then spoke with caution, a deep wariness hinting at confusion. “But Mistress, if the Vedo were that mysterious an order, how do you know they were near-sighted?”

  She sighed. “All that power and they never used it. What does that tell you?”

  “They maybe knew they shouldn’t?”

  A shake of her head and he looked suitably cowed, as if he knew he’d slipped with his answer. “That they were afraid. They had the power to change the five kingdoms and they didn’t. They chose to remain apart, aloof, alone. They didn’t want to do their duty. Doctor, if we can say we made the world a better place before we died than it was when we were born, is that not something each of us needs to do?” She waved a hand at exit. “Goodbye, Doctor.”

  As he wandered out of the room, deep in thought, she was already putting her own plans into motion. Pushing a button on the comm on her desk, she mentally ran through the people who could help her, rushing to decide on who would be the best for the task at hand. Ultimately, she threw caution to the wind and went with four individuals. This was a tricky task, four different people with four different methods could be four times as effective. Granted that made four times the risk, but what was life without risks?

  She smiled, watched the line connect and spoke quickly and clearly. “Attention. This is an executive order. I have a task for you, no questions asked.” She was even going to offer them half a plan to start with. “Several months ago, Jeremiah Blut made a payment to an individual in pursuit of information. I want the individual tracked down, found and brought to me. Alive. Bonus will be paid upon his delivery, usual fees apply.” She didn’t feel the need to add comments about how vital it was. That was what executive orders were for. She didn’t throw them around lightly. The line went dead, and she spun her chair to face the window, her eyes gazing out over the city below her.

  Soon all of it would be hers. All this and more. Everything. The kingdoms would be hers and they would stay that way.

  Harvey smiled coldly as he stared the two of them down. “Really? I’m shaking in my stylish little shoes. You two haven’t got the balls. I have. I got balls and I’m prepared to use them.” He struck a battle stance, Scott rolled his eyes. “With a vengeance!”

  “He likes the sound of his own voice, doesn’t he?” Pete muttered, glancing at Scott. “We going to double-team on him?”

  “Two of you, three of you, hells I’ll take anyone,” Harvey said, bringing out his own summoner. “Maybe the cute ones first. You boys are playing with fire? And you’re going to get burned!” His spirit appeared in front of him, a hulking great green troll covered in thorns and moss, its eyes two large embers amidst a face of crags and crevices. It dropped down to all fours and growled menacingly at them. “Cacalti,” he trilled. “Kill them now, my darling!”

  Scott and Pete looked at each other, nodding before going back to the troll. Every footstep felt thunderous, the roof shook, and it suddenly felt a very dangerous place for a battlefield.

  “Hope this is reinforced,” Scott said out the corner of his mouth. “We knock that thing out; it could crush somebody underneath if it falls through.”

  “You distract it,” Pete said. “I’ll try and stop it from moving.” He glanced to Mermari, mentally gave her commands. Scott did the same with Palawi. Harvey folded his arms and lazily grinned at them as if to say, ‘come on, I’m waiting for you’. Behind him Mia tried to struggle up to all fours, he kicked at her without even looking and his grin grew as he felt his boot land viciously in her ribs. She dropped clumsily with a shriek of pain.

  Anger blazing through him, Scott stepped forward and gave Palawi a new command. Some part of him knew he was ignoring the plan and somehow, he couldn’t care, he just wanted to get to her before something bad happened. Electricity coursed through Palawi and he sent the shockwave towards Cacalti. He didn’t even feel like celebrating, the attack hit home, and the troll shook it off with little effort, much to his surprise. It raised both hands and fired a barrage of needles towards Palawi who at Scott’s urging managed to evade most of them. Most, not all. A yelp broke through the air as thick spikes tore through fur and muscle on the dog’s shoulder and Scott winced.

  “Scott, chill!” Pete growled. “You’re not going to get anywhere opening up like that. This guy is serious.”

  “So am I!” Scott yelled. “Now shut up and join in!”

  Looking less than impressed, Pete did just that. Mermari opened her mouth, unleashing several razor-sharp blades of ice in a lazy arc towards the troll. The first two missed, shattering harmlessly against the roof as Cacalti lumbered back, the third crashed against green flesh and broke into a dozen pieces. Thin trickles of blood dribbled to the rooftop. If the troll was hurt or cowed by it, there wasn’t any sign. The great maw of a mouth opened and closed with a crunching sound, a huf-huf-huf of laughter breaking out. For all its monstrous appearance, it apparently shared its caller’s sense of humour.

  Palawi went again, lunging with jaws open, this time directing electricity down through pointed fangs and into stony skin with a shattering crack that made Scott wince. He hoped that hadn’t been Palawi’s teeth. Cacalti growled, swung out a mighty arm and batted the dog away, static crackling harmlessly across stone. Behind them, Mermari lurked, mouth open and a blast of ice ready to fire. Pete nodded to his spirit and the attack came almost the exact same moment, streaking out to hit Cacalti in the back.

  Harvey whistled, and the troll spun surprisingly graceful on tipped toes, pirouetting out the way in a motion that made Scott’s mouth fall open, his face going from surprise to horror as the ice swept past its intended target and struck Palawi head on, a block of ice forming around the dog in seconds. Scott swore angrily, Pete shot an apologetic glance to him. It wasn’t decisive. Palawi might be able to break free, but it would take time. Come on, Pal, Scott urged mentally. Try and shock your way out of there!

  He could feel the tinges of discomfort on the edge of his consciousness at Palawi’s condition but whatever happened, the hound was willing to make the effort. Come on, do it for Mia. He felt helpless as he saw Mermari press the attack, darting in and out of Cacalti’s range, daring the troll to hit her. If Cacalti was thinking about it, there were no signs of it, another trio of icy blades streaking towards it, once again it spun aside, and they shattered harmlessly against a chimney stack.

  “Did fighting dear Reda teach you nothing?” Harvey taunted, his voice mocking and loud. “Guess your sister did throw it away to help you out, Petey J.” Pete’s expression didn’t change, but Scott saw him tightening his knuckles against his palms. “Because you are pathetic!”

  The attack came suddenly, the same green needles Cacalti had fired at Palawi earlier tore towards Mermari and she had to leap aside gracefully, retaliating quickly. Her tail shone with silver as she leaped and swung it hard and high into Cacalti’s face despite a hand moving to try and block her. Meanwhile Palawi’s efforts were thawing the ice, just another thirty seconds and he would be able to join in the fight again. Cacalti staggered back, a little dazed by the blow, footsteps battering the roof but didn’t fall. One final sway, Scott was sure it was about to go down, only for the troll to right itself in one deceptively quick motion and swing a giant fist straight into Mermari’s face, the cat yowling in pain as she was thrown back by the force of the blow, only the wall stopping her from bouncing over the ed
ge. As she rolled to a halt in an untidy heap, the needles erupted once more from Cacalti’s hands and struck a quick barrage into her body, a great gout of blood pooling beneath her, a dozen fatal wounds torn open by the spikes.

  Harvey winked at Pete who looked like he couldn’t believe what had just happened, until Palawi sprang from the shattering ice, Scott quickly urged on the electrical attack, aware that it hadn’t done much so far, but still hopeful. It coursed through the stone body, he was sure he saw Cacalti grimacing with pain and it was a start. Between Palawi and Mermari, they’d dealt out some damage to the thing, so just maybe he could take it out. Palawi landed, keeping the electricity on as slowly he padded towards Cacalti, determined to fry it to a cinder. Scott’s spirits rose as the troll dropped down to its knees, pain etched across stony features. Giant clumsy fingers dug into the stone of the roof and Scott urged Palawi on, just a little more, come on, come on, you can do this!

  Fuck!

  “Fool you once, shame on me,” Harvey laughed as Cacalti sprang from the ground like a torpedo, Scott couldn’t believe what he was seeing as the great boulder-like body bore into Palawi, greater size and weight taking it straight over the dog with a vicious snapping sound which Scott realised might have been Palawi’s spine. “Fool you twice, shame on you.”

  He realised all too quickly Palawi wasn’t getting up. Neither was Mermari, and Cacalti stood squat and proud above them both.

  “Oh dear, darlings,” Harvey trilled as both spirits lay defeated in front of him. “I guess you just weren’t good enough. Shame, but hey, no prizes for second place. Me? I get the jackpot. One little bitch for the collection.”

  “Let her go!” Scott growled. “Or…”

  Harvey blew him a kiss. “Or what, love? What you going to do? I’ll beat you down again, spank your ass all over the place and make you cry like my bitch. You’re outmatched.”

  He laughed, his troll laughed with him, this time a deep thumping hur-hur-hur sounding eerily creepy in the night sky. Scott clenched his fists, determined to go for the fat man if he could get past the spirit. He’d beat the shit out of him, do whatever he could to make sure he didn’t get away. And then there was a cough in the background, the door slamming shut behind it.

  “What’s going on up here?”

  Wade Wallerington stepped away from the door, a calm expression on his face, his thumbs tucked into the pockets of his suit. He took a moment to take the scene in, the triumphant troll, the defeated spirits, the cackling Harvey, Scott and Pete looking defeated and Mia down on the ground, bleeding and clearly in pain.

  “Nothing to see here, move along,” Harvey quickly said. “Just a little friendly…”

  “He’s trying to kidnap her!” Pete bellowed, drowning the gleeful lilt out.

  “So rude,” Harvey snarled. “Just so rude. Kidnap invokes so many negative emotions. I prefer appropriation. Ah well, I guess I’ll have to quit while I’m ahead. Later, noodles, make sure you don’t miss me too much and…”

  Wade cleared his throat. His hand moved faster than Scott or Pete could follow, and his summoner was between his fingers, a crystal locked and ready.

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to stay where you are,” he said pleasantly. “I don’t wish to resort to violence. It doesn’t mean I won’t.”

  Harvey laughed, a sound almost as unpleasant as the one given by his troll. “Cacalti! Now!” Once more the barrage of thorns shot from the hands of his troll, each lethal sharp and the size of a brick. All of them heading for Wade who didn’t blink, just stepped aside and watched them sail harmlessly into the night sky. He raised an eyebrow in bemusement. “Really? Is that your best?”

  Harvey’s eyes narrowed to slits and a look of outrage flashed across his fleshy features. “You… This has nothing to do with you!” he screeched manically. “You’re not going to interfere! You can’t use dragons up here; you’ll bring the whole building down if you try to stop me. Hammers and nails, bitch! You lose. Let me go and you can tell your friends how you tried to be the big hero, but you failed miserably. Look on the bright side, you’re not going to be as gutted as that kid there!” He gestured a finger at Scott. “He thought this little whore might be giving him some tonight and how wrong was he?!”

  “He seems to know a lot about people,” Scott muttered. “Don’t he?” Nobody heard him, he barely heard himself. Pete brought back Mermari to her container crystal, Scott did the same to Palawi. Wade on the other hand looked quietly serene about the whole thing.

  “You’re digging yourself into a deeper hole by the second,” he said politely. “It’ll go a lot better for you if you surrender here now. Whatever’s bothering you, carrying on down the path you’re walking isn’t worth it.”

  “Mmmm, no. I’ll pass,” Harvey said. “You don’t scare me. I’ll take my chances.”

  Scott heard the sigh from Wade as he brought up his summoner. “Then that is your prerogative. I wish I could have talked you down.” He thumbed a button and a spirit started to materialise in front of him. “You’re quite right. No dragons. Doesn’t mean I don’t have other spirits to my menagerie. It certainly doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass up between your ears!”

  Scott watched as the spirit formed, the leaf lizard straightening up to its full impressive height. It was bigger than Becko, more scatterings of brown and red across its scales than the green shade making up Becko’s colourings, but they were recognisable as the same species. He didn’t know the great Wade Wallerington had a leaf lizard, he’d not used it any bouts at the tournament so far. He didn’t know it and apparently neither did Harvey, eyes narrowed in wariness as he stared at the creature.

  “Are you waiting for a video ref? Or a cheerleader?” Wade said softly, and Harvey bared his teeth angrily, Cacalti bellowing with fury and taking off like a mag-train towards the lizard, footsteps sending vibrations through the rooftop. Scott wondered what the people inside the building were thinking below. “Scythe, plan A.”

  Like Becko, Scythe bore the blades on its forearms that made the species so popular in bouts and it was those blades it brought to bear with a flourish that was at least partly down to showmanship. With powerful legs, Scythe leaped up into the air gracefully evading the oncoming troll, diving to rake the blades across the backs of its legs. Somehow Scott doubted they’d cut through that thick stony skin but the roar that came from Cacalti proved otherwise as the troll stumbled, almost putting a great fist through the roof.

  Harvey blanched, his face suddenly overcome with fury as Cacalti turned back with difficulty and launched a steaming orange uniblast from its jaws, Scott feeling the heat from the other side of the roof, and Scythe had to dive aside to avoid being cooked on the spot. Cacalti rose up uneasily, body contorted painfully, and Scott could see the blood gushing from the back of the troll’s legs. It wasn’t going to be moving freely anytime soon, the aim had been good. Unfortunately, trolls weren’t known for their mobility. Harvey’s might be more agile than some, but they were much more dangerous when being kept stationary, holding their ground. The needles erupted again with Harvey trying to press his modicum of advantage with Scythe on the run, the lizard turning to take them on the blades, deflecting the blast into the ground before setting off at a darting run towards Cacalti.

  The troll bellowed, brought back its fist to wind up a blow, one that would shatter bones if Scott’s judgement of its strength was accurate. It never connected, Scythe ducked under the blow, moving into a neatly thrown spinning slash that ripped a great rent across Cacalti’s chest, torn open by razor sharp blades. In close for the first time, Cacalti lunged forward, tried to body check Scythe and succeeded, the lizard let out a whoomphing sound of surprise as the great stone body crashed into it, thrown to its knees. Harvey laughed suddenly, high and shrill as Cacalti went rigid, holding its body as stiffly as it could, before starting to fall face forward onto the unprotected back of the leaf lizard. Scott saw Wade’s eyes widen, dart to the damaged roof and he mu
ttered something out the corner of his mouth as the troll came crashing down with a decisive crash amid a cloud of dust and mortar debris. The roof held beneath it, barely as spiderweb cracks ran across the stonework.

  “And that’s that,” Harvey said, making an exaggerated hand dusting motion and stretching his arms behind his head listlessly. “You’re just as outclassed as these two. I must say…” Around them, the dust was starting to clear. Scott wondered why the roof hadn’t gone through. “I’m disappointed. I expected more, especially from a man like you and what do I get?” He narrowed his eyes at the sounds of exertion, Wade continuing to stand tall and impassive, silently imposing as the dust cleared. The muscles in Scythe’s legs were at full stretch, Harvey’s jaws fell open as he saw Scythe prone on its back, supporting the weight of the troll with just its hind legs to stop the fall.

  “You get what you deserve,” Wade said. There was no hint of an order but with one final exertion, Scythe let out a shriek and pushed the great stone-skinned troll away, Cacalti staggering back in pain and confusion. Not letting the opportunity slide, Scythe rose up and charged in, blades whipping across the skin, never missing their mark, never failing to cut and great sheaths of skin peeling away under their rake.

  “No, my cool Cacalti!” Harvey whimpered, suddenly aware of what was happening, yet unable to do anything to stop it. Several times the troll made to move, but the leaf lizard was there to block any sort of comeback, its movements just too quick for the troll.

  As Cacalti went down, Pete turned to Scot and smirked. “Maybe you should have used Becko instead of Palawi.”

  Any reply Scott wanted to make was cut out by the sight of Harvey’s mouth silently opening and closing in shock, he looked like a giant drooping fish, a favourite pet for children all over Canterage. His shock didn’t last as Wade strolled over to him, hands out in front of him in an appeasing motion.

  “You have nowhere to go,” he said gently. “Give yourself up now, it counts for a lot I hear. You can’t undo what you’ve done here, but you can avoid making it worse for yourself. Take your lumps now, they’ll hurt less later.”