Grenta rested her chin on her hands and glanced out of the window. The light outside was thinning as if a dark mixture, from an unseen hand, was being steadily poured in to it. Night was approaching. Her parents and brothers sat quietly alongside her in the living room. Braddle and his uncle, in the room next door, were making final preparations for their stand against General Stoo. In five minutes, they would be gone. Why didn’t her parents and brothers want to go with them? They seemed relieved not to do so; content to wait on the side lines and let others act on their behalf. This waiting was not for her, though. She would not sit passively and wait on others doing the big things in life. No. Most definitely not. She would go with Braddle and his uncle. Yes she would.
Uncle Malik placed both of his hands on Braddle’s shoulders.
“Ready?” he asked.
Braddle suddenly felt afraid. It felt as if his insides were shaking; as if his skeleton wanted to slip away and be by itself somewhere, maybe in the old Carporoo, lying down on the roof of the old house looking up at the sky. His uncle put his arms around him and hugged him tight. The shaking stopped.
“I am ready” said Braddle.
“Pay attention to what I’m saying” his uncle said. “I want you to stay close to me at all times and do exactly what I say. As soon as we are in the Council Building find a hiding place and stay there until I give the all clear. Fighting, real fighting, is not a pleasant thing. It is messy, brutal and bloody. I don’t want you in the middle of all that. Hopefully, with surprise on our side it won’t come to that but we can’t rule it out.”
“I promise” said Braddle.
“Besides, if you get so much as a scratch your mother would kill me” his uncle said laughing. “With these old legs of mine she’d have no trouble catching me.”
“Do you think that we’ll see her again?”
His uncle’s face became serious.
“Yes I do. I don’t plan to lose. Your mother will be back with us tomorrow. I am certain of it.”
At that moment his uncle seemed bigger than any giant from Alfie’s world. Braddle believed him.
“Let us go then. Belay will be waiting for us.”
When they entered the living room all of the Morries stood up.
“Well good luck” said Mr Morrie. “I’m sure that we will be seeing you tomorrow.”
“Braddle you should stay with us” said Mrs Morrie. “Let your uncle and his friends deal with this General Stoo. I’m sure that the boys and Grenta would like you to.”
After a glance from Mrs Morrie, all of the boys agreed that he should stay with them but Braddle declined.
“No, I have to go” said Braddle. “I want to go where my Uncle goes.”
“Grenta, can’t you convince him?” Mrs Morrie asked.
“No. I don’t think so” she said. “I’m going too.”
“WHAT?!” screeched Mr Morrie. “I don’t think so young lady. You WILL be staying here.”
“What on earth is she saying?” stammered Mrs Morrie. “No daughter of mine is going to a… to a bloodbath. I mean…I mean…” She couldn’t find the right word, glanced at Uncle Malik meekly and sat back down.
“I want to go” insisted Grenta. “I want to fight with Braddle.”
“You will be doing no fighting I can assure you” said Mr Morrie, with the confidence of a man who expects to be obeyed in his own household. “Say goodbye to Braddle and Malik and take yourself off to your room.”
Grenta suppressed the anger that was forming into a sharp point within her and went to Uncle Malik.
“Good luck” she said to him.
“I like your fighting spirit Grenta but your father is right. You should stay here.”
She then went to Braddle.
“Good luck, Braddle.”
Braddle smiled at her and then, to his own surprise more that anyone else's, he kissed her on the cheek.
“I’ll see you soon, Grenta. I promise.”
Grenta went to her bedroom. Braddle and his uncle headed out into the fading light.
Belay was waiting for them at the agreed rendezvous point by the new Arena. He was sitting on a large stone watching the passers-by head towards the centre of the city.
“They all can’t be guests of General Stoo” he said to Uncle Malik when they approached him. “Look at that one there. Could do with a good leaf-bath!”
“Obviously, General Stoo’s celebration ball is not a secret. Some people must want a closer look” said Uncle Malik.
“Must do. Some people like to see their betters enjoy themselves. Makes them feel reassured. I don't understand it myself though.”
“Whatever the reason, it makes our job easier if there is a crowd. You and your striking looks won’t stand out as much” said Uncle Malik.
“Yes, it has that advantage” said Belay, with mock seriousness.
Belay pushed himself off the stone and stretched his back.
“Well Braddle, are you ready to crack some heads?” he asked.
“Erm…I think so” said Braddle, quietly pleased that Belay thought of him as someone who could crack heads if he wanted to.
“Braddle won’t be cracking any heads that’s for sure” replied his uncle. “Let’s go, we don’t have much time.”
All three set off towards the Council Building about half an hours walk away. They walked in silence for about twenty minutes until Belay happened to glance behind. He noticed a figure run, suddenly, behind a wall thirty metres away. He faced forward and muttered quietly to his companions that they were being followed.
“We don’t have time to dance with him now” said Braddle’s Uncle. “We need to deal with him fast. Turn here.”
The figure, observing Braddle and the two men turn left, sprinted after them and stopped at the corner. After a count of three it eased one searching eye round. The eye, however, did not have time to see the heavy hand coming towards it but it did fill with water as the hand grabbed an ear and pulled it forward.
“OW!” screeched the figure. “GET OFF!”
“Grenta! What are you doing here?” shouted Braddle.
Belay let go of the ear.
“Do you know this spy?” he asked.
“She’s not a spy” said Braddle. “She lives next door.”
Grenta stood there rubbing her ear.
“That hurt. You nearly pulled it off” she said.
“Grenta, you know you shouldn’t be here” said Braddle’s uncle. “You have to go back home.”
“I don’t want to. I want to go with you.”
“Impossible. We don’t have time to argue. You need to go now.”
“Please, I won’t get in the way. I can help Braddle.”
A group of soldiers standing at the end of the road they had just turned into began to take an interest in them. One began to point their way.
“We don’t have time for this” said Belay. “We are attracting too much attention.”
“I don’t like it but you’ll have to come” said Uncle Malik. “Stay close to Braddle at all times. Let’s move on quickly.”
Braddle and Grenta walked together behind the two men.
“Why did you come?” asked Braddle. “You didn’t have to.”
“I couldn’t let you have all of the fun” she replied.
“This is not going to be fun Grenta. It’s serious. If we lose you might never see your family again.”
Grenta went quiet and looked at Braddle.
“I know it’s serious” she said, finally, “but you need a friend by your side.”