COBALT: The Sovereign's Stratagem (Book Two)

Chapter 4: Obliteration Ball (Part 4/4)

          "Be better off if he did, winning would be a breeze even if we were down an extra cheater." Another player added.

          "Down an extra cheater?" Káel put on a fake grin, staring at the player and his snickering friend. "Does that mean I'm not the only one?"

          "The extra's got a mouth." Number one jeered.

          Káel looked down at the fabric in his hands, rolling it out to see the black 15 on it.

          Only fourteen players were supposed to make the cut.

          He gave Stella a dirty look.

          Vera was right.

          "Put it on, don't stare at it. Still gotta look pretty on a bench."

          "Jalev, shut up you mughead." A voice called, Aivry mixed in with the mass of other team members as she helped Talli with a finnicky bandana. "If there's one thing Unicorn Boy has down it's running. Can't say the same for you when your head barely fits through your shirt."

          Jalev snorted at the insult, his snickering team surprisingly infecting him with booming laughter. "Good one Aivry!" He lifted an arm, Aivry less than amused at the full view of his pit while he tugged a ripped corner of the tunic. "Poor thing's one flex from ribbons."

          "Because they're numbered by size."

          Káel quickly turned to the voice he knew, Sev a foot behind him and surprisingly quiet for his size. The dorm leader had a stuffed slingbag clenched in one fist, and enough disappointment in his eyes to drown the room.

          "Where in the seven steps to Oblivion did you skatheads find those grimy rags?"

          Everyone silently looked at Jalev, the hulking student still teetering off with a few laughs as he pointed at the crate by his feet.

          Sev cracked a small smile. "You read it?"

          He bent down with a loud grunt to make out the grooves in the box. "Says, wash bin."

          Káel gave his tunic a whiff, tossing the ripe bundle to the side with a retch while the rest of the team fumbled to rip their tunics off.

          When a cascade of sweaty shirts painted the floor, Sev pulled open his sling bag, loading off a handful of silver lined tunics with the same numbering system. He held up number nine to flash both sides and show off how clean it was. "Need your sizes before you get the real ones, twigs to the left, boulders to the right."

—————

          Káel felt a wave of electricity seize his senses, the shocker chunk that had clipped his shoulder shoving all of it's force into his bone to throw him to the ground. He picked himself up, rolling the joint with a stiff wince as he frowned at Talli. 

          Jallev loosed a cackle as he passed, scooping up the shocker chunk to smack it at their net. "Nice one! Take down your own team and make my job easier!" 

          Káel tried to give Talli a forgiving wave as she flushed with embarrassment. Aivry and Jallev had scored team captain for today's practice, and seemed to be in an agreement on splitting genders right down the middle. It would have worked if Aivry didn't have first pick, but the girls were winning just fine even with Káel getting in the way.

          He waited out the last minute for them to win by points, hauling himself up to center field at the sound of Sev's whistle. Aivry had given him the task of grabbing players for the Shocker to hit them, but the other team had gotten better at dodging him than the half a dozen shocker chunks whizzing around the field. It was a giant game of preschool cooties, and he had Cursimian to blame for reviving the repressed memory.

          He waited for Sev to conjure up a new Shocker and start the game.

          And then the pattern struck again.

          Four minutes in and a shocker struck his side, followed by a wink from Jallev at the other side of the field. 

          He seemed to have a list for downing their team, and Káel was at the top of it. 

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Fun and Useless Fact #15:

Káel's name was inspired by the leafy green. Specifically, a package of kale chips I found in my pantry.

Never eat them.

In terms of the book, Káel is the name of a common flower that blooms year round in many parts of Lumi, some strands can even withstand snow.