Wicked Games Academy

CHAPTER 2

Our two projects in tenth year before we graduated and worked together were quite simple. I would lead one ambush and he would lead another. There had to be one brain and one brawn in the team. Two brains would lead to no action, only plans never happening, and two brawns were only animals let loose, tasks unfulfilled.

My ambush came first. I was tasked with the goal of competing with another team for flags. We could either steal six small flags for a score of 60 or three big flags for the score of 60. Yes, it was graded out of a total 60 80, so if we only had, say, seven small flags or one big flag, our maximum score would be 30.

Not passing.

Teams beforehand had told us it was impossible but you could force a tie and have both sides fail, so teams began aiming for one or two big flags first before four small ones.

When I saw we were on horseback in a forest instead of snooping around on foot I knew I miscalculated. Clive and I would go after the big flags in their area, meaning we would split up. Each time we got a flag we went to our secret part of the forest and placed a stone there.

Big flags should be carried and one could hold at maximum four small items. Maybe more if we bite it but I wasn't planning on choking as I rode my horse.

My plan was simple, find the three big flags soon and hope the other team, who we didn't know and didn't know us would search for the small flags instead.

Each place we went to would have a stick stuck up there. If we dug it we found small or big flags depending on how subtle or obvious they were. I wanted Clive to kick these sticks down or preferably, stick similar ones where there was nothing and have them dig endlessly.

The spring temperature had made both of us sweat to the point Clive unbuttoned his shirt. His longer hair would fly with each gallop. He told me he was resting in the dark forest after we met up a second time. Thing was, he found four small flags but he couldn't find even one big item.

I showed him the big flag I had found. It was a wooden stick stuck with a huge ball of cloth as crimson as freshly split blood. It took the utmost energy to tie it up and hold it behind me like a child's playing stick, but the color was bright and I feared the other team saw us.

"We have no time. Drink your water then get to work," I said. "We will need to tie these to us, it's too hard to hold while holding the reins."

"It's useless," Clive muttered, wiping off his sweat.

"Wait, don't move!"

There was the soft steps of horses before they slowed and Clive and I turned their way. The other team had found us. I didn't recognize the two, and they gave us strange looks from the side of their eyes. Then I saw. One had a big flag in his hand. He was holding it onto the horse's head and I knew as a knight that it hurt the poor creature.

"Damn," I said. "Plan has been busted. Clive, go back for the small treasures."

"I can't remember where they were, and there's so many decoys!" Our plan had backfired.

Clive was agitated and then for a moment I only saw the silver flash of the dagger he had drawn.

It was a split moment, but the view of his hair blowing wild, literally like a mane, enchanted me. His eyes were full of bloodlust end with a face I've always imagined the god of war to have, he raced to them. Clive looped in between them and one said something but all I heard were the hooves and the yelling.

Clive didn't hesitate to take down the boy who was carrying the big flag. The other boy only backed up his horse and the boy who had the trophy fell hard on the wet soil, his horse neighing and running away. He jumped back up but Clive's horse knew to step back. The sound of the hooves were loud but I managed to hear him.