Groom Wars

57. War (1)

"Lee", the soft voice lingered in Leandro's ears. His heart wept for a love he had been so close to grasping. He saw how Adriel had transformed, how the boy had come to love him, be conscious of him. Adriel had learned to desire Leandro, though not in a sexual way like Leandro did. Adriel liked hugs and milder forms of affection; anything further scared him. But as little as that was, it was something. Now, the boy desired to leave it all behind, out of fear, out of duty.

Leandro had never known love like this.

Love that hurt, stole, provoked, and assailed.

But it was time to focus on other matters, so Leandro covered his heart with a drape and went over his plan.

The finale of part one had arrived.

Leandro let the tears dry on his swollen face.

Soon, everyone would know if Leandro had been right about David.

Leandro logged into the security app on the phone Cara had left and surveyed the rooms, hallways, backyard, gym, and arcade.

To prepare for the attack, Leandro and his friends had taken wooden swords, kettlebells, and weighted plates from the gym. Ever since Lord Columbia's public threat, their numbers had dwindled. General dislike of Leandro, Mike, Luke, and Cadmus, who were all attractive, strong players, swelled, and Steven, when it suited him, laid the fuel for the fire. And using the hate for Leandro and the others, Steven bonded the few remaining Dryads together, saying that he would get rid of his brother, Luke, and Mike when the time was right.

Leandro knew about Steven's plan because his ally, Junho, had told him. Leandro wasn't hurt by this betrayal; he didn't have any feelings of love for Steven. His brother had never been there for him. Perhaps that was why Leandro looked after their younger brother, Michael, as best as he could, giving the boy the older brother Leandro had never had. And the fact that David had assaulted and laughed at Leandro's special brother meant Leandro would never forgive him. Leandro watched the screen. Slowly, guards started to leave their post, and then the staff members, except for Ilon, who used Cara's office in her absence, started to go.

Adriel sat on the floor next to the stuffed dinosaur Leandro had gifted him; then, at eleven, he rose promptly, stubbornly sticking to his habits despite Leandro's suggestion. The boy took up his bathroom bag and a wooden sword, then, patting the dinosaur's head, went out where he met Cadmus in the hall. Leandro switched cameras to follow them.

He then checked on David and saw the group of people gathered around the leader. The cameras in the rooms were strictly for surveillance; without an audio team and access to the recorded files, there was no way to know what was discussed. Four people broke off the crowd. They went downstairs, moved into the hall, then ducked into the bathroom, out of Leandro's view.

Leandro knew if he went to assist Cadmus and Adriel, he would miss the chance to help the Dryads from the wave of sixty or so players that crowded David. It was time to put up the barriers and move the weights and kettlebells they had stored under their bunks. By blocking off the stretch of hall that passed their rooms, they would also prevent people from accessing the bathrooms, as the bathroom entrance was only three doors from Leandro's and on the right.

The next few seconds were crucial; he texted Cara about the developments so she could arrange for backup to be sent, people she trusted.

Leandro had given Adriel various opportunities to go home; he insisted on staying and fighting alongside them. Leandro thought, 'Fine, fight to heart's desire, but I won't ignore my duties to protect you. Protect yourself. Prove us all wrong for doubting you.'

Leandro returned to the room he shared with his allies. The fourteen remaining Dryads had gathered in one room. Once they were given tasks, they scattered to accomplish them, feeling the tension of the slipping time. They got desks from the empty offices and lay them on their sides, stacking one on top of the other. They managed to set up three rows of blockages on both sides of the hall, then the boys stood in the centre with wooden swords raised. No one spoke.

Kettlebells and weighted plates sat at their feet in case the top halves of the barriers that blocked their view of the hall were removed. They had chosen the bathroom door as their epicentre; four participants was a decent number for Cadmus and Adriel to deal with. Any more would bring them certain destruction. From the slightly ajar door, Leandro could hear grunts, curses, solid thumps, and the sound of objects being thrown. Perhaps having his shower interrupted would teach Adriel not to expect the enemy to attack him when he is prepared and dressed but when he is most vulnerable. The more the enemy knew your habits, the greater the threat they posed.

The fourteen Dryads used the brief period of calm to arrange themselves into five lines. Junho, Leandro, and Steven faced the posterior, while Charlie, Luke, and Mike faced the anterior. In between them, the remaining few were arranged in three rows.

Steven said, "We will not run for them. All of you have the right to be royalty. This program doesn't exist solely for those who have the power to gain more power. We are equals so long as we insist on being treated as such. Show them no fear and strike them down. Show them that we deserve the princess's hand as much as they do."

Leandro added, "We'll only need to hang on for five minutes till Cara's team arrives. A baby could do this."

Junho grinned. "A muscular baby."

Some of the boys chuckled in response.

The staff had reserved a hotel nearby, and the crew worked different shifts. There were fewer audio, light, and camera workers at night as little happened then. And if fights broke out, they were few and far apart. Tonight, the staff had been bribed and deserted those they were supposed to protect. The staff members had been bribed once before with Uncle Charlie, and Leandro had been waiting for them to give in to their avarice a second time.

Footsteps approached the front barriers, and loud yelling erupted as orders were given to tear down the desks.

Behind them, participants who had gone outside and re-entered through the back exclaimed in frustration upon sighting the barriers.

Leandro faced forward; the light wooden sword felt comfortable in his grip.

***