The Intergalactic Watchers of Dangerous Things

Chapter 14 - Witches Versus The Deathballers

(Three Days Until Game Day)

That wasn't how the OSSS was advertising the Deathball match. They were calling it "Burn the Witches! (Free Industrial By-product Ale voucher with every ticket!)" Their Holo-ads were full of AI images of us immersed in flames, along with the sprayed, manufactured scent of burning flesh and a soundtrack of agonizing screams.

Ours showed a very sportsman-like show of superior planning, misleading the OSSS idiots into following us away from where our player was running, using clever diversionary tactics that made their team look like fools. The OSSS goons didn't appreciate our humor, and often we'd find the holo machinery trashed. We had it all on film, of course. Thank goodness for our tecno-mage, or else we'd have spent a fortune (one we didn't have) on repairs.

Amber coached us in pocket universe folds that I'd create, so that we'd have extra time for exercise and defensive magic practice. Eliza informed us that she expected – and Solarea's vision confirmed – that the OSSS had no intention of following the rules. They wouldn't be playing fair. The problem, she said, would be how we would respond. Should we use our witch powers to simply thwart their dirty tricks, or should we use them both offensively and defensively?

Elder Holly, not unsurprisingly, wanted to annihilate them, crush them completely, totally humiliate them and send them away crying for their mothers. While the idea was disturbingly appealing, Eliza admitted, that wasn't the message we wanted to send the universes. The ancient Earth game of football had been warped into a game called 'deathball' – which went against the whole point of Earth sports. And while the Witches of the West Throckmorton Library would certainly be hard-pressed to stay alive, our objective was to not just win the game but to do no serious bodily harm in doing so.

I wasn't surprised to see the worried looks on my friends' faces. Then Amber burst out laughing.

"There's a very, very old saying by an Earth statesman and philosopher that goes, 'We must all hang together, or we will all hang separately.' Eliza, my beauty, you've never made things easy. What you're asking for is going to take all the cleverness, all the magic your coven has in order to work. You'll all be thinking on your feet and making decisions on the spur of the moment. You're going to need someone to lead you on the field. Holly and I will give you advice from the sidelines, but..."

"Sidelines?" asked Auggie.

"Have you downloaded the rules and the vocabulary list of sports words, terms, and phrases? I suggest you do so tonight. And then go over them with everyone. Now, who do you want to lead you?"

Veradrimel surprised everyone by nominating Solarea. Everyone except me. She was the obvious choice. As Vera explained, Solarea's mind was more analytical, and her gift of foresight, while not always active, could provide us with an edge that we desperately needed. I would be very busy leading our defense – often, I guessed, by myself if necessary. Solarea was unanimously approved. She looked a bit shaken up, but we gave her a group hug. Eliza sent Auggie and Vera off to practice their broom skills – just in case – and then sat with her daughter to discuss tactics.

Amber sat with me. "I've never met a Gulper before, and I've lived a very long time. Tell me about your abilities. Don't hold back on them, now. Anything you tell me is just between us. I won't even tell Eliza. This is very, very important. These animals you're going up against – they love killing. It's what they live for. They excel at it. That's why so few players are left at the end of the season. They've either been killed or maimed to the point where they can't play. Even then, they choose to keep playing, which is truly stupid. Because then they become easy targets and get killed quickly.