Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy Part 3

"This is a day we have to fight to stay alive. That's the glory I want: life. That's the glory I want for all of you. I want you to live."

Johnrock's face twisted in disbelief. "But Ruben, after those men tried to bash in your head last night you must want to settle the score."

The men all knew about the attack. Johnrock had told them all about it-told them how their point man had fought off five of the big men all by himself. Richard hadn't disputed the account, but he wasn't letting on as to how much he hurt. He wanted them worrying about their own necks, not wondering if he could hold up his end.

"Yes, I want to win," Richard said, "but not for glory, or to settle a score. I'm a captive. I was brought here to play. If we win I live-simple as that. That's all that really matters: living. Ja'La players-both captives and soldiers-die in games all the time; in that sense we are equals. The only true glory in winning in these games is the part about living."

Some of the other captive men nodded their understanding.

"Aren't you just a little worried about defeating the emperor's team?" Bruce, his left wing man, asked. "Beating the emperor's team might not be the right thing to do. After all, they represent the power of the Imperial Order, and the emperor. Beating them might be seen as prideful and arrogant, even sacrilegious."

All eyes turned to Richard.

Richard met the man's gaze. "I thought that under the Order's teachings everyone was equal."

Bruce stared back a moment. A smile finally spread across his face. "You have a point, Ruben. They are just men, like us. I guess we ought to win, then."

"I guess so," Richard said.

At that, just as Richard had taught them, the men, as one, let out a collective bellow of agreement, a brief, deep roar of team spirit. It was a small thing, but it served to bond the men, to make them feel that, while they were all very different individuals, they all had a common goal.

"Now," Richard went on, "we haven't seen the emperor's team play, so we don't know their tactics, but they've watched us play. As far as I've been able to tell, teams don't usually change the way they play, so they will be expecting us to do the same things they've seen us do in the past. That's going to be one of our advantages.

"Remember the new plays we devised for each signal. Don't fall back to the old plays for a signal or it will cross us up. Those new tactics are our best chance to keep them off balance. Concentrate on doing your part in each of those moves. That's what will get us points.

"Remember, too, that these men, besides wanting to win, are going to be trying to hurt us. The teams we've been playing knew that what they gave they got back double. These men are different. They know that if they lose they will be put to death, just like the emperor's last team was when they lost. They have no incentive to play clean. They have every incentive to try to tear our heads off.

"There is no doubt in my mind that they're going to try to take out our players, so be ready for it."

"You're the one they're going to be trying to take down," Bruce pointed out. "You're the point man. You're the one they need to stop. They even tried to eliminate you last night before you could reach the Ja'La field."

"That's all true, but as point man I at least have you and Johnrock protecting me. Most of you men have no protection but your wits and your skill. I think they're just as likely to go after one of you, first, so don't let your guard down for a second. Keep an eye on each other and intervene if need be."

In the distance Richard could hear the rhythmic chanting of countless soldiers eager for the match to start. It sounded like the entire camp was chanting. Richard suspected that every man not forced to work on the ramp, while if not all able to actually see the match, would probably at least be waiting for word to relay back to them.

More men than usual were going to be able to see this game because the emperor had directed the work gangs, who needed material for the ramp anyway, to scoop dirt from a large area to create a bowl in the Azrith Plain. The new Ja'La field, with its vast, gently sloped sides, would enable far more men than ever before to be able to watch Ja'La games.

Richard had thought that their game with the emperor's team would have been held that afternoon, that it would have already taken place, but the day had worn on as other teams played in games leading up to the match for the championship. The games, after all, were show for the soldiers. The new Ja'La field was the emperor's statement-right below the People's Palace-that the Order was here to stay and now owned the place.

Richard glanced up at the iron gray overcast. The last feathery violets of the sunset had vanished. It was going to be a dark night.