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– Chapter 19 –
‘Hit! Hit! I cannot believe it. I just cannot believe the luck of this boy. Manic Marvin scores from within a hairs-breadth of death. Somehow he found the ball and tapped it against Killer Keno’s ankle. Another five points to Marvin and he wins the first set: twenty-five points to nil. Just how long can this boy last against the champ?’
It took a moment for reality to sink in, then Loren leaped to her feet screaming with joy, ‘He’s alive, he’s alive.’ Someone wrapped their arms around her and she realised Aurora was embracing her.
To Loren’s surprise Aurora burst into tears on her shoulder.
‘Don’t leave me, Loren?’ Aurora sobbed. ‘I’ve never had real friends before, and I am about to lose one. What would I do without you -- you are so strong.’ If the surrounding throng had not supported Loren, Aurora’s revelation would have floored her.
For the first time Loren realised how much she needed the syndicate -- including Aurora. Prickly and annoying Aurora might be, but also a bundle of energy and enthusiasm. She needed that energy as much as Aurora needed her strength.
Without another word Aurora untangled herself, stepped over to the pool, and started banging rhythmically on the surface. As she banged she chanted, ‘Mervyn, Mervyn, Mervyn. Come on Loren, let’s get a chant going -- give him time to recover.’ What the heck, Loren thought, it’s worth a go. She joined in as the chant rippled round the sphere. Soon they had the whole crowed banging and chanting, ‘Marvin, Marvin, Marvin.’
‘Quiet please...,’ the commentator tried to restart the match, but the chant continued to swell and grow.
‘Quiet please...’ Keno looked shaken by the crowd’s enthusiasm as if betrayed by his fans. Mervyn beamed -- pleasure or relief -- and grew stronger with every chant.
‘You seen Tarun yet?’ Loren asked. Aurora shook her head and continued to lead the chanting.
‘Contestants to strike positions,’ the commentator shouted. The players returned to the centre of the pool and the chants tailed off. One-third of the way through the game now, but Loren knew the odds still looked bad.
A hush descended as the players once again hung from their strike rings.
‘Ready... Strike!’ The players dropped together, Mervyn ducked as Keno slashed with his stanza then leaped high. Both ignored the ball.
‘He’s behind you, Killer,’ the commentator chanted. Keno swung round angrily with his stanza, but Mervyn leaped high again. The crowd began to laugh as Mervyn repeatedly sprung high and landed behind his opponent.
‘Still behind you, killer.’
‘Go on, Mervyn,’ Aurora shouted. ‘Make a fool of him.’ Mervyn treated the crowd to a superb display of acrobatic skills, working hard to keep them on his side. It came at a cost though, and Loren noticed how each leap took longer than the last and drained his energy reserves -- not surprising with smashed ribs. Eventually, Mervyn faltered and Keno lashed out dizzily with his stanza.
‘Wow, careful Killer -- you could hurt someone.’
The girls jumped as Keno’s stanza crashed down in front of them and left a greasy stain. Keno leaped up and charged dizzily after Mervyn.
Aurora nudged Loren, ‘Move up, it’s all smeary in front of me.’ Loren ignored her and continued staring at the grease.
‘What is it?’
‘Poison, I’d say. It came off Keno’s stanza. Probably slow-acting so it’ll look like Mervyn’s tiring.’
‘Oh quarks, what are we going to do?’
‘Pray.’
Keno swung again at his exhausted opponent. Mervyn ducked, picked up the ball and lobbed it almost casually at Keno’s shoulder. The Rinhus twirled his stanza expertly and slammed the ball straight back.
‘Hit! Killer Keno hits the beauty spot -- straight into his opponent’s chest. That puts them on level pegging at twenty-five points each. Who knows, the Killer might be heading for his first ever points victory.’
Loren watched as Mervyn doubled up in pain holding his stomach with one hand and his ribs with the other. Someone muscled through the crowd beside her.
‘How’s he doing?’ Tarun asked.
‘First set to Mervyn, but Keno’s just equalised,’ Loren said without taking her eyes off the pool. ‘He’s running rings round Keno, but he’s hurting -- cracked ribs I think -- and he’s tiring. Keno nearly got him a moment ago. Mervyn just needs three more hits to win the game. Oh, and we think the smeary stuff is poison off Keno’s stanza.’
‘Oh quarks.’
‘Don’t worry, he’ll fight back,’ she said wracking her brain for any games where Mervyn had successfully fought back. ‘Where you been anyway?’
‘I’ll tell you later. Look, they’re just starting again.’ Mervyn reached the strike rings on the second attempt.
‘Ready...,’ Loren watched Mervyn grit his teeth against the pain of his battered body. ‘Strike! Manic Marvin drops. He picks up the ball and runs up the wall. Killer charges after him.’ Loren watched Mervyn run straight up the sphere towards her, glance over his shoulder, then casually back-flip over his opponent’s head.
‘Lovely back flip from Marvin. And it’s a hit! Manic Marvin sends the Killer sprawling with a classic shot between the shoulder blades.’
Keno head-butted the pool in front of Loren and saliva splashed across the sphere. She turned away from the sight of Keno’s thick purple tongue splayed across her field of vision. His sprawling bulk slid slowly down the side of the pool and smeared the sides even more.
‘Yuck, that is disgusting,’ Tarun said, ‘what an ugly brute.’
‘Another twenty points to Manic Marvin. Even the Killer will feel pain from that one. Marvin leads: Forty-five points to twenty-five.’
Aurora thumped the wall of the pool again, ‘Great play, Mervyn, keep him running.’
‘Two more hits and you’re out of there,’ Loren yelled.
‘Contestants to the strike rings.’ Keno struggled to his feet and retrieved his stanza. As he headed for the strike rings he stopped to spit at Mervyn.’
‘Uncalled-for,’ Tarun said. ‘It just sums the guy up, don’t you think?’
‘Keno’s spitting mad now. Ready...,’ Keno continued to spit at Mervyn while dangling from the ring. ‘Strike! Killer goes for the ball. This is a new tactic for the killer. And it succeeds.’ Mervyn’s knee buckled as the ball slammed into it. ‘Hit, to Killer Keno. Nasty strike to Marvin’s knee -- bound to slow him down. Forty-five points to thirty, Marvin still leading.’