breath. I could look over the sea of treetops to see the buildings of the gray city far beyond. I felt the platform sway slightly. We were way the heck up there.
The platform stopped with a lurch. This was it. The final stage of the Grand X, the last chapter of my mission here on Quillan, and maybe my last act as a Traveler.
I heard LaBerge’s amplified voice shouting, “Four… three… two… one… TATO!”
And it was on.
(CONTINUED)
QUILLAN
Challenger Green moved instantly. He had a plan. He dropped to one knee and used his metal weapon to smash open one of the glass domes. I could instantly feel the platform wobble. He knew he was at a disadvantage with his bad foot, so he had to pull out every possible trick to beat me. That was good, I thought. He was already desperate. He reached into the dome and pulled out a weapon that looked familiar. It was a three-pronged knife. I knew I had seen it someplace before, but couldn’t remember where.
Challenger Green held it up and said, “They call this a tang. I use it for fights in close. Are you ready for a fight in close?”
A tang, of course. It was a weapon made from the three claws of a tang beast on Eelong. Seeing it didn’t even bother me. It wasn’t the time to be worrying about mixing the territories. Challenger Green held the knife low. It looked like he knew how to use it. He started to circle to his right. I knew why. He had a bad left eye. If he was going to attack, it would be to his right. I circled away. I wanted to keep on his left side. The platform wobbled, but not dangerously. That wasn’t a factor. At least not yet.
“You knew we would end up here, didn’t you. Red?” he growled. “This is what I wanted, you know. I could have won all those games, but I wanted us here, on the Tato.”
“Yeah, sure you could have,” I said. “That’s why I had to save your life.”
Green jumped up and slammed down hard on the platform, making it tilt. It wasn’t much, but it surprised me, and my arms flew out to get my balance.
Green laughed. “Wait until we start to rock! It’s all about balance,” he said, shifting weight from one foot to the other. “I know everything about this platform. I know where it’s tight and where it dips. When you hit the wrong spot, look out. You’ll go down.”
I was surprised to see that his foot didn’t seem to bother him. Either he had an incredible tolerance for pain, or he had it strapped up tight in a cast under his pants. Or took painkillers. Or something. Whatever it was, I realized that it wasn’t going to be a factor in this fight. Unfortunately. Green continued circling.
I circled away and said, “You know that either way, the games are done.”
“Then I’ll retire as the only undefeated challenger,” he said proudly. “You think that bothers me?”
Green had a temper. I wanted him to fight angry. If he lost control, it would take away the advantage he had of knowing this game and the platform.
“No,” I said. “I think it bothers you that nobody cares about you anymore. I’m the favorite now.”
“Until you lose,” he said. “People like winners.”
“Yeah,” I said. “And people like to than two fools in bright shirts trying to kill each other. The people know that now. They’re looking for something better, and after I beat you, they’ll get it.”
Green frowned. I hoped I was throwing him off, if only a little. I didn’t think he cared at all about the future of Quillan. He had a huge ego and wanted to be the champion. His concerns began and ended there.
“I am going to beat you,” I added. “Sorry.”
“Let’s see about that,” he snarled, and came after me.
He didn’t charge; he was still in control. He had the tang-claw knife in one hand and the metal rod in the other. I only had the metal rod. He led with the rod, making short, tight swings, testing me out. But he had the tang claw in his other hand, cocked tight to his hip, ready to lash out. That’s what I had to look out for. I ducked his swings easily. I was more worried that he would try to steer me close to the edge of the platform. When I ducked, I made sure to reset myself near the center.
Nevva was right. He was clumsy. He was an amateur, too. I knew that he’d soon get frustrated and attack. That’s when I would make my move.
“Tired yet?” I taunted. “This fight has already gone longer than what you’re used to. You gonna make it?”
That got him. He lunged at me with the metal rod, but I knew it was a fake. I ducked it, ready for the tang claw to come. It did. He lashed out with it and I was ready. I blocked it with both my arms and brought my knee up hard, crushing his wrist between my arms and my knee.
“Ahhh!” Green shouted and dropped the tang.
I quickly kicked it away. I wanted to knock it off the platform, but it skittered across the soft floor and stopped just beyond one of the glass domes. Green recovered quickly and rammed his metal weapon into my and I doubled over. He followed with a punch that sent me sprawling backward. As I fell, all I could think of was how close I was to the edge. I landed hard on my back, but it was a relief. At least I landed.
Green charged and leaped at me. I rolled out of the way and jumped back to my feet. We were both closer to the edge of the platform, and I could feel it dip slightly. Without thinking, I ran back toward the center. I didn’t want to be anywhere near that edge. Green spun back to me and laughed. He was still on his knees.
“You’re more afraid of falling than you are of me!” he shouted. “All right, then let’s play that way!”
He smashed another dome. The platform dipped. I’ll admit it. I was scared. I scrambled closer to center. With every move I made, I could feel the platform change subtly. Green was totally confident. He jumped up and started running around to try to scare me. He was doing a good job.
“Look out!” he taunted. “Whoa! It’s going over!”
He was all about trying to make it tilt. I tried to stay opposite him to balance us out. What else could I do? Charge at the guy? Wrestle him down, and then what? Try to push him over? He was in charge. This was his show. All I could do was react.
“Not scary enough for you?” Green shouted. “Let’s try another!”
“No!” I screamed. “This is crazy! “We’ll both fall!”
“Is that so?” he laughed. “Let’s see!”
He knelt down and smashed the third dome. I knew what was going to happen and quickly knelt down too. The platform became totally unstable.
This was as far as it got with Remudi. With that match. Challenger Green deliberately threw off the balance of the platform by throwing his legs over the side. He then grabbed on to the rim of the smashed dome for safety. Remudi wasn’t ready. The platform tilted over and he fell to his death. I had to be prepared if Green tried that same move. If he did, I was going to make the exact opposite move and keep us balanced… or fall trying.
He must have known I was ready, because Green didn’t go for it. We held steady, balanced on opposite sides of the platform. It was like being on a seesaw. It felt like every breath I took threw the balance off a hair. I was on my knees, just inside one of the domes that was still intact. I put my foot on the glass to try to get a little more stability. It seemed hopeless. I didn’t see how this could end well, for either of us.
It got worse. Green looked into the dome he had just smashed and let out a jubilant, “Yes!” He reached inside and pulled out the ultimate prize of a weapon. It was a golden dado gun. He held it up triumphantly, shouting, “This is too easy!”
He took aim at me. I was history. One shot and I’d be out. I had no doubt that once I was unconscious, he’d find a way to tip the platform so that he’d be safe and I’d roll off. At least I wouldn’t know I was falling.
Green put me in his sights and said, “Now let’s see who the real champion is.”
He pulled the trigger.
Fum!
I rolled to my right. The shot missed me, but it hit the dome I had been pushing against. Smash! The dome exploded. The platform was now totally loose and tipped down toward me. I scrambled to get back to the center, digging my fingernails into the soft floor, desperate to get a grip. It was like being on the deck of a boat in rolling
