„Never seen you this glum, Derel," Ragnarson said. „Got your stuff all packed?" „Sire?"
„Ready to run for it if we lose today?" „I'm more afraid of what they'll do if you win." „Scream and yell and cuss like you ain't never heard." „That too." „Buck up. We'll come up smelling like roses."
„Better start dividing the money," Dantice told the Fat Man.
„We don't know who's going to win."
„Let's assume it'll go our way. Get the King's share ready. We'll have to move it out fast."
„Damned big temptation."
„No shit. Only it's too big. You could never disappear with that much."
„What if the King loses?"
„We have Tolliver start paying off. We run like hell before anybody finds out we bet money we don't have."
Michael did a few jumping jacks to loosen up. He told his mirror, „Rich or broke tonight, son. You fool."
Dahl Haas dismounted before the King's house in Lieneke Lane. Three carriages rolled to a stop behind him. He dashed to the door. „Ready, My Lady?"
„Yes. What's it all about?"
„Just a precaution. Come on, men. Get these chests loaded."
„Precaution against what, Dahl?"
„Against losing the Captures match. If the Guards go down, we're all done for."
„I don't understand. That sounds too melodramatic."
„I'll explain when we're rolling."
Sherilee herded the children onto the porch. Dahl could not conceal his disapproval.
„The road to where?" Kristen asked.
„Sedlmayr first. Out of the country if the news is bad."
Inger summoned her maid. „Thelma, what's going on? Has everybody gone crazy?"
„It's the Captures match, My Lady."
„Captures? People are acting like it's the end of the world."
„It might be for some, My Lady. The King is way out on a limb, they say."
„You mean all the mystery is over a damned game?"
„Yes, My Lady."
Inger dropped into a chair, laughing. „A Captures match! All because of a damned Captures match." The relief drove her to the edge of hysteria.
Thelma decided she was as mad as her husband.
Bragi called, „Slug. Over here. You too, Michael."
The whole team milled around outside the castle gate. Trebilcock kept a hard eye on his teammates. They re sponded satisfactorily.
„Sire?" Slugbait asked.
„Game plan."
They talked all the way out. At the field Ragnarson tried to give a rousing speech about this being the most critical game of all time, claiming much more than a championship was at stake.
„We going to put this off another day?" one of the judges hollered.
Ragnarson snarled, „Blow your damned horns." His gut knotted in fear. This was it. The big one. The do or die.
Bragi sprawled atop the moist leaves. There was barely enough daylight to see Michael's face. He panted, „Even my hair hurts."
„Oh," Michael groaned. „I'm a thousand years too old for this." He rolled onto his stomach, reached over, grabbed the King's hand. „We did it. We really did it. I don't believe it. I really don't believe it."
„Come on. Let's go. I want to see that much money all in one place. Ach!"
„What?"
„Cramp." He laughed. „Know something? Nothing hurts when you win."
„Yeah. Let's go before the wind shifts." He cackled.
„Wonder what happened to those guys, anyway?"
„Who cares? Lucky for us. Oh! Give me a hand. I won't walk right for a week."
The news reached Vorgreberg before the teams. Messen gers had gone galloping after each score. With the sounding of the second Guards capture a rider had gone to Sir Gjerdrum and General Liakopuios. They scattered the King's Own and Vorgrebergers through the city, both to prevent disorder and the flight of losing bettors. The third Guards capture had elicited a great cry of rage and agony from the gallery. All the spread bettors had lost.
Despite manipulations on behalf of the Guards, the game had been in doubt till the last. Somebody stayed bought. The Guards tallied their final capture only seconds before the Panthers.
„Help me get on this critter," Ragnarson growled. „I'm too stiff to swing my leg."
„Who's going to help me?" Michael asked.
Most of their teammates were mounted already, whoop ing and bragging and galloping in circles. They shouted insults at friends slow to leave the field. They were eager to howl their triumph through the streets.
„Man," Slugbait bellowed, „they're going to go crazy in town."
„If they don't lynch us," Snakeman grumped.
Ragnarson kept suffering uncontrollable fits of laughter. They were pure, explosive relief. Never had he played a longer chance and won.
Wagons lined the inner court of the treasury. „Just empty those sacks on the floor in there," Ragnarson told the men unloading. It was the morning after the upset victory. Vorgreberg remained in shock.
„Sire?" Derel asked.
„Just do it. You'll see."
„Humph." Prataxis resumed counting.
Michael Trebilcock arrived. „Riots and fights all night," he reported. „Couple of cases of arson. Gjerdrum had to escort the Charygin Hall boys out of town. There was talk of a lynching. Liakopuios closed down the taverns at midnight.
Starting to settle down now. Oh! I've never seen the Nordmen so shocked. They can't believe they got taken. They're like zombies this morning."
Ragnarson's grin faded. „Now we get to the hard part, don't we?"
„Baron Khelra is going to make it."
„Make it? What happened?"
Prataxis spat, „I forgot to tell you. What's wrong with me?"
„He was the biggest loser," Michael said. „You took him for two hundred thousand. Aral got him for another hun dred fifty. A hundred fifty on the pay-you-when-you-catch-me. He wouldn't come across. Somebody got into his place this morning and left him with a lot of broken bones."
„Aral did that to a Lord of the Realm?"
„Maybe Aral. Maybe somebody else who saw a chance to get in a free hit."
„Your friend from the woods," Prataxis suggested.
„Who?"
„Colonel Abaca. You see what's happening? The break down of standards has begun."
„Wasn't Khelra the one who started that business at the Victory Day wingding?"
„The same. He holds a lot of our notes. One of the richest men in Kavelin. Sire, if you want to keep the armistice with the Estates, you'd better get to the bottom of that assault fast. Bring his attackers to justice. No matter who they are."
„The hell I will. He earned every lump."
„Sire, the law belongs to all men. The baron isn't outside its protection. Neither Abaca nor Dantice are immune. And you're not above it. Your mission is to enforce it."
Ragnarson smiled nastily. „Michael, get Khelra's people. And Aral. I want to pay them what we owe them, then watch Aral take it away."
„That's not wise," Prataxis said, exasperated. „Don't rub salt in the wound."
„Why the hell not? They do it to me all the time. Give Michael your record of what and who we owe. We've got enough here to pay almost everybody. I never dreamed we'd clean up like this."
„That's because you underestimate the depth of the hatred the Estates feel for you, Sire."
„It's mutual. Ha! Now they can't afford to stir any shit."
„Some even bet their estates," Michael said. „Aral's stuck with the property."