D. MacHale - The Quillan Games

“I was,” I said, before realizing I had no idea how to explain that. I could feel Nevva tighten next to me, as if I had said the wrong thing.

“Oh?” Tylee said. “How is that?”

“He comes from a military family,” Nevva answered before I had the chance to say anything else stupid. “The tradition of combat was passed down from fathers to sons and daughters for generations.”

Tylee gave me a suspicious look and said, “There hasn’t been a military presence on Quillan since the dados were put into operation.”

“Traditions live on,” Nevva answered with authority. “Both sons and daughters are taught to fight, in anticipation of the time their services will once again be needed.”

Nevva thought fast and was a very good liar. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, seeing as she was leading a triple life.

Tylee nodded. She really didn’t care about how I got to be such a good fighter.

“Do you believe in a better future for Quillan?” she asked me.

“Absolutely,” I said confidently. Finally there was a question I could answer honestly and with conviction.

“Then will you help the revival?” she asked.

I had to choose my words carefully. Of course I wanted to help the revival. From what I’d seen, Blok had destroyed this territory. Whether Saint Dane had a hand in it or not didn’t matter. He liked what Quillan had become. I didn’t. There needed to be change. Nevva might have been right. This revolution definitely felt like it could be a turning point on the territory, which explained why Saint Dane was here. Maybe there was hope for Quillan yet. Of course, the demon would want the revival to fail. Tylee was offering me the chance to help it succeed. It all seemed so perfect, except for one minor detail.

“I believe in the revival,” I said. “I believe that Blok must be put out of business and their grip on the territory broken. But I’m still waiting to hear what you want me to do.”

Tylee looked to Nevva. “This is your concept, Nevva,” she said. “You should explain it.”

“It started with me,” Nevva said modestly. “But it has become a group effort. Please, you continue.”

Tylee nodded, and paced the stage. It felt a little like a performance, but it was all too real.

“We are on the threshold of a new Quillan,” she began. “There are tens of thousands of people who are prepared to rise up and take a stand against Blok and the oppressive society it has forced on us. But tens of thousands aren’t enough. We need the hearts and minds of most everyone on Quillan, if we are to succeed. Bringing that many people into the revival has been difficult. The harsh truth is that when the revival begins, life will undoubtedly get worse before it gets better. Right now the water runs, the lights are on, and there is food on the store shelves. If Blok is destroyed, it will take time to pick up the pieces. For a time, people’s lives will become more miserable than they are now. There’s no avoiding that. We have to re-create an entire society. An entire world. But to do that will mean giving up what little we have now. It’s difficult convincing people that they have to fall to the bottom before they can build a better future.”

Nevva added, “Blok not only controls every aspect of our physical lives, it has taken away our spirit.”

“We believe the first step is to give people hope,” Tylee said. “We want to stage a display that shows how the individual can triumph against the odds. We want a symbol. A spark. It doesn’t have to be huge, but it must be stirring.”

“I get it,” I said. “People have been brainwashed into accepting things the way they are, and you’re trying to show them they have a choice. Makes sense. What I don’t get is how I can help you do that.”

“The people need someone they can believe in,” Nevva said. “Someone who is just like them, but can demonstrate how it’s possible to rise above their inconsequential lives and do something spectacular. Something exciting. Something impossible.”

“Something like…?” I asked.

Nevva dropped the bombshell. “Like winning the Grand X.”

I stood there, staring at her in disbelief. I never saw that coming. She was asking me to do the exact same thing Saint Daijie wanted me to do. My ears rang. All I could squeak out was a soft, “You’re kidding, right?”

“Absolutely not!” Nevva shot back. “The Grand X is shown all over Quillan. Everyone watches it, and when I say everyone, I mean everyone. There is no bigger stage on Quillan.”

Tylee said, “We plan to use the revivers all over Quillan to position you as the champion of the people. The fact that you’ve won two games has already gotten you noticed. The revivers will build on that. The contest will be built up as the challenge of a lifetime. Challenger Green is hated. The people see him as the champion of Blok. But they wager on him because they know he will win.”

I said numbly, “And you want everybody to bet on me?”

“No!” Tylee said. “We don’t want people to wager at all. We want them to turn their backs on Challenger Green and the Grand X in a show of defiance. Your winning will then provide an emotional uplift like we could never hope to get any other way. We live in secrecy, Pendragon. We speak in whispers and meet in small groups. We speak of what can be and what needs to be done, but our ability to rally the people is limited. With this one bold stroke we can proclaim to the people of Quillan that the common man can rise up and triumph. We fully believe it will drive people to the revival, and when they come, we’ll be waiting for them. Once our numbers swell, we can begin the attacks that will bring Quillan back to life. That’s what we want you to do, Pendragon. Provide the spark. The rallying point. The event that will move the people to action.”

The two of them stared at me, waiting for an answer. There was only one thing I could think of saying. “What if I lose?”

Nevva said quickly, “You won’t. You know that in your heart. You are superior to Challenger Green in every way. You’ve said it yourself.”

“But-“

“I know,” she said. “There are no guarantees. Things happen. But the sad truth is that if you should lose, nothing will change. There will be disappointment, yes. Our cause will suffer a huge setback, but in the long run it would only mean that we will have to find some other way to win the minds of the people.” She smiled and said, “But if you win, we can start the chain of events that will save Quillan.”

I said, “Let’s not forget one small detail. If I lose, I die.”

“Not necessarily,” Nevva said. “The Grand X is not always a match to the death.”

“Does Challenger Green know that?” I said quickly. “You told me with that guy, it’s all about winning no matter how it happens, right?”

Nevva fell silent. She knew I was right.

Tylee jumped down from the stage and said, “Wait here a moment. I have an idea that might help you decide.” She quickly hurried out of the theater, leaving Nevva and me alone. Once I saw that she was out of earshot, I turned on Nevva quickly.

“Are you crazy?” I shouted. “Didn’t you hear me before? This is exactly what Saint Dane wants! That’s why he’s on Quillan. He wants me to enter the Grand X and be humiliated!”

“I don’t know why he would want that,” Nevva said.

“Because this isn’t just about Quillan,” I said, getting worked up. “It’s about all of Halla. If you’ve learned as much as you say, then you know Saint Dane lures me into these situations. It’s like he’s testing me. He could probably kill me as easily as he changes personalities, but he doesn’t. He keeps me around because I think he can’t control Halla until he beats me. Why? I have no idea. But I do know that here on Quillan, he wants me to enter the Grand X and get my ass kicked!”