Read Book 2 - An Ill Fate Marshalling for Free Online Page A

middle with everybody," the man said. He was team captain. His friends called him Slugbait. „They're gonna hold a deep defense of like six guys two hundred yards from their castle. The rest are gonna swamp us, then just march back with our balls. They figure they gonna hoo-miliate us on account of we're a bunch of old buzzards and we won't be able to keep up. We got a couple ways to go. I figure the best is we go them one better. We don't guard our castle. We all of us go over there, swamp their defensemen, grab their balls. We have five guys sneak their balls around the flanks. All the rest of us jump them while they're coming back. Pile on and take our balls back away. Snakeman? What you jumping about?"
    „They're going to know they been taken when they don't find nobody in our castle, Slug. So all we're going to do is turn the field around. Then they start running us. They'll wear us down. Then it's good-bye ballgame."
    Ragnarson said, „Slug's on the right track. But so is Snake. I say play the turnaround. Only all the way. I'm thinking we could use a variation on a Marena Dimura trick to shift the odds. When we come to their defensemen, we pick them up and carry them over to the castle judge and fling them out of bounds. That puts them six players short. Then we take their balls into the woods and bury them someplace. Then we play the strong defense on their castle. It'll confuse hell out of them. Whenever any of their people get through, the deep line can grab them and throw them out of bounds too. We just put a few strikers out to watch our balls till we get a whole bunch of them out of the game."
    „You're talking too much running," Michael grumbled. „I won't get out of bed for a week."
    „You're younger than me."
    The men liked Ragnarson's suggestion. It was a different angle. It would put the Panthers off balance.
    A judge demanded, „You people going to piddle around all day? Let's play Captures. We want this over by sun down."
    „Go ahead and blow them horns," Slugbait cried. „We try it the King's way to start," he told his team.
    Michael groaned.
    Bragi told him, „I'm not so fond of it either. I counted on sitting most of this one out."
    The horns honked and snorted like drowning geese.
    „Out to the sides!" Slugbait growled. „We don't want them to see us."
    A half hour later Ragnarson and Trebilcock had estab lished their defensive position. Their backs were toward the Panther castle. „Guess they got a little cold-footed," Bragi gasped. His lungs ached. They had pushed hard. The Panther defenders had struggled valiantly while being thrown off the field. „Leaving ten men instead of six."
    Trebilcock was sour. „They suckered you. They knew that girl was a plant. They sent five people to your castle. The rest were out in the rocks and trees seeing where their own balls were hidden. They'll snatch them and hide them somewhere else."
    A grin spread across Ragnarson's face. „You'd do that, Michael. But these are kids. They don't think they have to be sneaky." He looked around, making sure they were free of unwanted eyes and ears. „Give me a rundown on what you're doing and what you know. And I want more than generalities."
    Michael's expression soured even more.
    „Mike, you're a good man. One of my best. But things can't go on this way. I can't go to Hsung and make promises when my people won't do what I want. I can't make plans if you won't tell me what the hell is going on. I didn't give you the job so you could play hide and seek. Here's the word. Either you play with the team, or you're off it."
    Trebilcock stared at Ragnarson. He seemed startled.
    „I mean it. Suppose you tell me about Hsung's plans. You know what's going on in the east. And tell me how you know."
    „How?"
    „I don't just judge information. I judge the source, too, Michael."
    Trebilcock sighed. He appeared upset. „Part of the deal is, I can't expose him. He's on Hsung's staff. He has access to conferences and