Sword of Ice and Other Tales of Valdemar

His year-mates Some and Grav had arrived with their Companions.

:That's not it,: Tecla told him.

Chavi looked again, and this time saw what Tecla had meant: a group of three full Heralds coming toward them. 'Aaaarrgggh! Why me? Why? All I ask for is a little peace and quiet in my life!'

Gildi could not stop laughing at that last comment until the three Heralds had reached them. Their Companions had come in from the Field to greet them. That must be how Tecla had known they were coming, Chavi realized.

'So who told you?' Chavi asked with a small grin, by way of greeting to the three Heralds.

All three of them laughed. 'I'm afraid you can't keep a secret that involves six Companions,' one said.

Chavi looked sternly at Tecla, about to ask her if she had told, but then decided he really didn't want to know. He was sure she had read his thoughts and knew what he had meant to ask, but she kept silent, aside from her usual comforting presence at the back of his mind.

Chavi sighed. While he was interrogating, he might as well do them all. 'And how did you find out?' he asked the Bardic trainee.

'One of the servants told me.'

One of the servants, Chavi thought. And how did they know? Did he have no privacy whatsoever around here, or what?

Chavi turned to Efrem. 'You?' He was getting very tired of this question very quickly.

'No one.'

'No one?'

'We all knew you were making something in your room, since you could hear the noise even from the cellar, practically. When I noticed your door was open again at last, but the room empty, I knew there was a sight to be seen somewhere, if only I could find it. One worth risking Mero's wrath by skipping out on preparation.' Efrem smiled. 'But I found a way around that.'

'Oh?' Chavi asked, very curious as to any new techniques he might learn, for getting out of chores. 'Pray tell, how was that?'

Before Efrem had a chance to explain, the answer walked into sight. Mero carried a basket stuffed with food in each hand, the three Grays in tow carried chairs and a table. They would work outside, and therefore all get the chance to watch the spectacle.

'This is ridiculous!' Chavi exclaimed as they began setting up the table and chairs. 'You'd think I had invented entertainment for the first time.'

Kem and Fiz chose that moment to show up with their Companions. 'Are we charging admission or something?' Fiz asked.

'Then neither of you told?'

'Chavi. Really.' Kem struck a melodramatic pose. 'That you could even doubt us.'

Chavi turned to Gildi. 'Now you see why I didn't want spectators? Put him in front of a crowd and he's incorrigible.'

'You're just jealous of my charm and good looks,' Kem replied.

In answer, Chavi picked up one of his inventions and held it aloft. Advancing on Kem he said, 'I can take care of those looks.'

But once his actions had gotten enough laughter, Chavi lowered the creation again and turned serious. He turned to face the crowd. 'I'll bet you're wondering why I've brought you all here,' he began, earning boos and catcalls from his year-mates. Chavi looked down his nose at them, even though he was shorter than all save Grav. 'Now where was I. .. ? Oh, yes, today's demonstration. You are very privileged to witness here today the birth of a new sport. A game of skill that will enchant spectators, and also,' Chavi turned toward the three Heralds, 'help train the participants in equitation and combat.'

'You don't intend to spar with those things while riding Companions?' one of the Heralds asked.

'Hear me out.' Chavi turned to his year-mates and began passing out his creations, one to each. 'The rules are simple. Mount your Companions and I shall explain.'

As they climbed into their saddles, Chavi whispered to his year-mates, 'Now I have no idea if this is going to work.' Gildi and Kem exchanged knowing glances, for Chavi never made disclaimers like that unless he was sure of success. 'But let's at least put on a good show, eh?'

Switching back into a performer's voice, Chavi continued explaining the rules. 'I'm sure you are all familiar with the games of stickball and football played by children? What we are about to play is a mix of both.' From one of Tecla's saddlebags he brought forth a small wooden ball wrapped in leather and tossed it to the ground. 'That is the object of our pursuit. To manipulate it, we use these.' Chavi held aloft his creation in demonstration and, swinging down, gave the ball a solid crack which sent it rolling off through the grass. There was a burst of applause from the audience, in response to which Chavi stood in his stirrups and bowed to them, before continuing.

'The game is played by two teams of three players each. Why this number? Because more Companions and Heralds than that on the field of play at once would be disaster.' He smiled. 'There are also that number among my year-mates and myself, and since I am inventing this game, that is what I decided. Besides, it takes forever to make the mallets.

'Some, Kem, and Gildi are one team; your goal is those two trees over there marked with yellow ribbons. Grav, Fiz, and myself guard the goal on the other side of the field marked by blue ribbons. Points are scored by knocking the ball through the opposing team's goal.' Chavi paused to let all this information sink in and smiled out at the assembled crowd. They were listening raptly for his every word, and Chavi exulted in the sensation while his year-mates made practice swings with their mallets, testing the distance between themselves and the ground.

'Are there no precautionary rules?' the Healer nervously asked at last, breaking the silence.

Chavi smiled kindly at her, wondering what Gildi had told her of his earlier experiments. 'Indeed there are. While our Companions are quite capable at taking care of themselves, and us, we shall not put them at unnecessary risk. No hitting Companions or riders with your mallets or fists, although I would hazard to say that leaning heavily against someone as you rode them off would be fair, so long as your hands stayed over your own saddle. No sticking your mallet under or between the legs of a Companion, even for the sake of hitting the ball. Furthermore, no lifting the mallet head higher than your shoulder, so you don't endanger those of us topside. And finally, the rider who has control of the ball (with his mallet—touching the ball at any time with your hands will result in a penalty) the rider who has the ball, also has the right of way to follow after it for a second swing. This means you cannot ride in front of him, in a perpendicular path, and stop there. The object of the game is not to get injured, nor to wind up with all our Companions smacked into each other.

'Now, is everyone set on these rules?' His year-mates nodded, and the Healer looked content. 'Then let's play ball.'

Chaos quickly descended upon the field, and had it not been for the precautionary rules (which the Companions remembered, reminding their riders whenever they forgot) all six players would have wound up in the House of Healing after the first five minutes of practice, never having the chance to move into full fledged play. Grav's first swing at the ball was so wild he fell from the saddle. He turned as scarlet as a Bard's garb, but climbed back on and tried again.

'If you stand up in the stirrups like this,' Chavi advised, 'and lean from the waist, you should find it easier to keep your seat.' Chavi had, of course, taken all his tumbles days ago when no one was around to see them.

Grav followed Chavi's instructions and gave the ball a nice, solid whack, knocking it over the bystanders' heads.

'Careful there!' the Bardic trainee shouted as he ducked the projectile.

Grav apologized, but he was feeling smug as he turned to Fiz and said, 'Your turn.'

Fiz fared slightly better than Grav, in that he did not fall off his horse on his first swing. However, he did not hit the ball. After his seventh missed swing, the crowd was wild with laughter that far exceeded what Grav's fall had earned. The expression of frustration on Fiz's face each time he swung was enough to redouble their mirth. As he was winding up for an eighth swing, Fedele brought Gildi alongside of him and she blocked his mallet's arc with her own.

'I would have hit it that time!' Fiz screamed, sending the crowd of onlookers into hysterics.

Gildi merely gave him a sarcastic look and tapped the ball out of Fiz's reach. However, when Fedele walked up to it and she took a second swing, she missed too. Grav lost no time in riding behind her, standing up in his