Due to careful attention by Eden authorities, the events of that night were made to evaporate quickly. There were calls for justice, especially by the families, but Christopher resolved the issue using handsome payouts and grand funerals of heroes.
“They died in the line of duty, protecting the Chair from harm,” he said in his public remarks. He used this opportunity to imply that there were dangerous elements lurking, and he implemented even greater security measures, leaving no doubt that his was a police state and everyone a suspect. By the time Vlad arrived with his military escort and the two council members, the episode had essentially been buried for good.
Eden focused its attention on preparations for the festival—the food, dancing, drinking, and, of course, the sporting events. The Half Moon, being the event to signal the start of the entire festival, was of the greatest interest, especially given the addition of athletes from Victory. No one knew how these “nomads” would perform, and it was the subject of much speculation, especially involving betting schemes.
In light of his brush with death and the fact that he was now feeling rather invincible, Christopher decided to act in a magnanimous fashion, insisting that Vlad stay in the finest villa in Eden. Much to the dismay of its owner, the head of the largest agricultural concern in Eden, his villa was requisitioned without any offer to quarter the displaced merchant and his family. They were simply tossed out and told not to return for five days.
Moey harbored a lot of guilt over these consequences.
He was acutely aware of the ripple effect caused by his plan, beginning with Utah entering the city and now this unfair burden placed on various Edenites. Regardless of his smarts and foresight, he always underestimated Christopher’s insensitivity and excesses. Vlad, however, was quite pleased to be staying in accommodations the likes of which he had no idea were possible. He had visited Eden before, but his exposure was limited.
In Christopher’s mind, the point of his actions was not to pamper Vlad but rather to intimidate him by ensuring that he knew that their two societies were not the same—and is plan worked. Vlad was at once delighted and terrified. He felt inadequate.
“We will look into our building methods when we return. There is much to be learned here,” he stated to Philip, who was feeling equally small. “Let’s see what we can do in the lake and on the trail. These are things that fancy houses won’t buy you.” Vlad hoped that he was right in thinking that Eden’s athletes could not match his. But he wasn’t so sure. He wasn’t sure about anything.
Meanwhile, another problem related to inadequacy brewed nearby at the Chair’s house. Parker and Moey were fitting the Chair with their prototype for a hip brace. It was a garment with structural elements that was worn from the waist down to the upper thighs. Christopher was determined to neither limp nor appear old while Vlad displayed his youthful vitality. Christopher demanded results, and this was now the test. He wanted to wear the brace to the reception dinner that was being held that night. Vlad and all of his athletes and coaches would be there.
“It feels so tight,” Christopher complained as he walked back and forth across the large hall. “And it’s hard to even take a step. But I do feel less pain. Am I limping?” “You are not limping! It works!” exclaimed Parker.
“But you do look a bit labored and stiff,” added the always honest Moey.
“But it will loosen up. You need to walk around and try to work against the tightness,” Parker quickly injected, redirecting attention to the positive.
“No limp … see? This is great. I will wear it to tonight’s banquet,” Christopher declared, looking quite satisfied.
The grand banquet featured the finest cuisine, libations, and entertainment that Eden had to offer, including modern, artistic dance performed in the nude. It was a new cultural departure from Victory, along with other departures, afforded by the divisions of work and the specializations of a fixed urban settlement.
The Victorians gawked and admired the display, along with the refined foods and drink, all of which were both enticing and intimidating. Vlad, for one, was surprised that his previous impressions were far surpassed. He felt awkward, wondering whether his people felt some degree of inferiority and disappointment. I will gather all of my people at the villa, and we will reaffirm ourselves and our ways, he said to himself.
“Now we must win,” he said out loud but mainly for his own benefit.
Christopher was confident, bolstered by a steady walk, and he carried himself with an air of superiority. But he was very charming, and there was nary a barb detected in any of his comments—only magnanimity. He spent a good deal of time conversing with Vlad, Moey, and Marina and was also on hand to build relationships or step in to smooth any wrinkles. But there were none.
“He is very pleasant when he wants to be,” whispered Moey to Marina.
“Of course,” she replied with a smile. “He is my father, after all. Nice job on the hip. I haven’t seen him stand so straight or walk so well in years.”
“Only for you, darling,” replied Moey.
“Marina, your husband is remarkable. No one has brought us together in a hundred years. It is really exciting,” commented Vlad. With Vlad’s attention suddenly redirected, Christopher soured visibly.
“Thank you, Vlad. I look forward to visiting Victory sometime.”
“Oh. Not really much to see there—not compared to this place.” Vlad waved his arm in admiration. “Well, I must really give the credit to our leader. He saw the benefits of being closer, and I am fortunate enough to have his confidence. I would like to make a toast to my father-in-law, the Chair of Eden, without whom we would not have such a place and I would not have Marina.” There was a hearty cheer, and they drank the wine through their genuine smiles.
“Vlad, what’s it like having to move back and forth every year? And you also need to defend two locations yearround. Isn’t it all such a burden?” asked Christopher.
“It’s always been that way, so we don’t really think of it as a burden. It keeps us tough and capable. No one in Victory is soft,” countered Vlad. Christopher took this personally, as his own middle had expanded over the years, and many others had also softened while growing large and fleshy in the comforts afforded by Eden.
“Hmmmph,” Christopher grunted. “A hard life, nevertheless.”
“There is something exciting and refreshing about the migration. People look forward to the change. And it’s like … like an adventure every year. We enjoy it.”
“How about you? Philip, is it? Do you enjoy it?”
Christopher shifted his focus.
“Well, like Vlad said, I never really thought there was any option, so I have never thought about it in terms of enjoyment or otherwise. But I suppose I do enjoy it.”
“So, I understand you have a daughter here in the competition,” stated Christopher. “You must be very proud.”
“Yes.” Philip lit up. “Elona.”
“Now, what is her sport?”
“She loves swimming the most. But she is quite a runner. She will compete in the Half Moon.”
“That’s wonderful. I wish her success.”
“Thank you, sir.”
They all drank, initiated by Moey once again.
Christopher took Moey aside as soon as he had a chance. “I see this competition as a statement about our two societies. It’s a war, really, fought out in sport. I know Vlad has the same thought. If they can’t win, then how can they justify themselves? I want to win. You hear me? I want them to know that we are better not just in some ways but in every way. You understand?” he pressed.
“We will not know until we compete. But my boys will give everything.”
“Our boys,” Christopher corrected him.
“Yes. Our boys. All the athletes want nothing more than to win. They feel that the pressure is different … bigger. Don’t worry. Whatever happens will be the true measure between our nations. Let’s see how it plays out.”
The schedule of competitions had all the targeting events for the women beginning on one day, and the following day was the Half Moon race. The targeting range was set up along an expansive stretch of beach that had the targeters facing the water and a bluff rising a few yards behind them. The bluff was the perfect location for many spectators to assemble and watch. There were many targets set up all in a row. Most were designated for practice and warmup.
Of the ten women from Victory, eight were targeters, and only two would compete in the Half Moon. This was because unlike the men, they hadn’t had time to train and prepare for a race such as the Half Moon, which had no corresponding event in Victory. So, they chose only Elona and another athlete. These two already had the abilities, especially when it came to distance swimming. Eden likewise chose eight targeters so as to have an evenly matched team.
The crowd that gathered was massive. People were so curious and called off whatever they were doing so that they could go to witness the events. Hardly a shop was open, and no barges plied the waters offshore. Everyone who was able came to witness the events.
As the events progressed through the morning and into the afternoon, one thing was obvious: Victory targeters were on average superior to Eden’s competitors.
Christopher was not on hand, as he had to limit his standing and walking, but he had runners moving back and forth frequently with updates. He could be heard berating the bearers of the bad news, and at one point, there was the sound of smashing pottery.
Buddy, Ajay, Jojo, and a few of their friends were on hand to watch. They were, of course, rooting for Eden. But when the finals of the Short Knife came down to Della versus Nan—a repeat of the informal event that had taken place between them several nights earlier—Jojo and Buddy were divided. Buddy tried not to show his enthusiasm for Della, but it was hard for him to contain. Ajay teased him.
“Whoa! There she is, Buddy. Go get her. She’s waiting for you.”
“Get out.” Buddy shrugged it off but with a smile. “Look who’s talking. Elona … Elona, I want you,” Buddy imitated in his suavest voice. They all laughed.
“But don’t ever cross her, Buddy. You see that knife?
Just watch out for your balls,” Jojo piled on.
“You watch your own. I’ll bet Nan would like to see them. Ha ha ha.” Buddy laughed, proud of his well-crafted teenage dig.
The rematch began, almost as it had unfolded in their own backyard, with Della going first. Della had just beaten Nan in the finals of the Long Knife Throw, and she now looked shaken. They would alternate throws, and each would have three chances. The best of all throws would produce the winner.
Della started, as before, with a solid throw. The polite crowd gave her praise, but the most enthusiasm came from her own teammates. Nan followed with her throw, but it was not nearly as good, and there were notable gasps of disappointment among the crowd.
Della’s second throw was even better than the first, landing within just a few inches of dead center. The crowd respected her skill and rallied along with her teammates. As a follow-up, Nan improved on her second shot, but it was still not even as good as Della’s first. Now, it was Della’s final attempt.
She concentrated, hoping to secure her victory beyond a doubt.
But she overthought it, and her third shot was similar to her first. She now had three shots, all of which were better than either of Nan’s.
Nan was nervous, but she was determined. She turned to the crowd and raised her arms. The crowd responded in deafening tones. The excitement made her flush, and she felt ready. She dropped her arms, signaling for quiet. She walked to the line, stepped back, paused, and then stepped forward and let the blade soar, end over end. It made two and a half rotations before finding its mark nearly dead center, clearly besting all the others. The crowd erupted.
In dramatic fashion, Nan dropped to her knees, arms raised triumphantly high, which kept the spectators roaring.
Della went over to Nan, and they hugged. As Nan scanned the audience, she immediately picked out Jojo and locked eyes with him. He waved at her, and she waved back.
Her family had already descended upon her, but Jojo decided to go down and congratulate her. He suddenly had a feeling overtake him, and he now saw her differently—not as girl whom he had known for years but as a desirable woman. Buddy and Ajay tagged along. When Jojo got to her, the two hugged tightly, heads side by side and cheeks together.
“I thought of you and what you said the other day. You said I could beat her. I remembered, and then I was sure I could do it,” Nan said in an excited voice. Just within earshot and behind them, Buddy and Ajay, who were listening intently, suddenly burst out laughing.
A while later, Christopher received the final tally. There were seven events. Knives, Arrows, and Short Spears, each thrown from short and long distances. Then, there was the Long Spear, which was a distance throw. Eden won first place in the Short Knife Throw and the Long-Distance Arrow. In most other events, the Eden competitors were not even in the top two.
“For the love of Saul! What have our coaches been doing with all the equipment, facilities, special food, you name it!?”
“It’s a disappointment, Leader. I hope we will fare better on the Half Moon,” answered Bobby as he waved to the courier, indicating that he was free to go.
An infirmed Jacob sat across the room. He looked a little pale but was otherwise on the mend.
“Now, I have to face him,” Christopher lamented. “He’s laughing his ass off right now at my expense. The whole thing was a bad idea. Get Moey in here! I need Parker too. This bloody hip thing needs some adjustment.”
“Yes, Leader.” Bobby exited swiftly, and another guard entered to replace him, maintaining a permanent presence following the Utah debacle. An hour later, Moey and Parker arrived, not looking eager to be there.
“It had better end on a high note. You hear me? It was your idea! And you’ve made sure that everyone thinks it was my idea! Is that your plan? To make me look like fool? Our only chance is that we must redeem ourselves in that race. You hear me?”
“Yes, sir. I will make our boys understand the importance. Tonight, we have a meeting,” Moey answered.
“Maybe I need to talk them.”
“Of course, that’s your choice. But I don’t think that excessive pressure will change anything. It might even make things worse.”
“I don’t know. Have that meeting here, just in case I decide to say something. I am not walking all the way to your place. It’s halfway to Victory. Just like you. You like Victory, don’t you? Vlad is your close buddy, isn’t he?”
“No. Not at all. I’m here for Eden only. For you.” This declaration of fidelity diffused the Chair’s anger for the moment.
“Get this brace worked out, will ya? I need to head downtown.” Moey and Parker went to work on it immediately.
Vlad had his team gather at the villa for an internal celebration and a pep talk about the race to follow. Everyone was jovial and acting a little wild, especially the women who had finished competing. They were the ones who were truly celebrating, and Vlad allowed them a little ale and applejack to fuel their celebration.
Elona, Zach, Davan, and the rest of the racers were happy, but they were not sipping alcohol, nor were they very relaxed as Vlad turned his focus from praise for the winners to marching orders for the racers. This caused a complete shift in the mood as Vlad laid out his expectations.
“I didn’t expect them to be strong in targeting. After all, how many of them have to hunt to eat or be prepared to fight off wolves or even invaders. I expect us to be better with the running. They run for sport mainly—not as a way of life. But in swimming, I’m not so sure. This lake is massive and cold, and they swim distances in it. We are not used to that. The river is good training, but we also swim mainly for sport and for fun like them. If you feel that you’re struggling with the swimming, do not panic or become frustrated. When you are back on land, you will make up the distance. This is the most important event for us. We have trained diligently. You are ready. Everyone, come in close. We will chant together.”
They all packed together tightly, holding one arm out to their sides, raised at a forty-five-degree angle, and reaching inward toward the center. As they held a low hum, their arms gyrated up and down slowly and in unison. As the sound rose, they started moving their arms up and down faster while growing louder, and this was repeated until their collective breaths were expelled. At this point, both arms started flapping up and down as they began a rapid staccato chant, which they repeated over and over in rhythm with the arm movements: “Yuh, yuh, yuh, yuh …”
It gained speed and volume until there was cacophony, and the sound merged as a single cry, rising as the arms moved up and down at top speed. Suddenly, there was a crescendo and then silence, but for only a second, and then there was laughter and calls for victory and triumph. They were ready.
At the same moment, a similar motivational talk was being given at the Big House. Moey was doing the talking. The Chair was just behind a door off of the big room. Unlike Victory, with its ten men and two women competing in the Half Moon the next morning, Eden had nearly thirty men and as many women in the competition. This was a normal event to kick off the festival season, and they had all trained for it. “You are all ready for this. And if you’re not, then I’m so sorry for you.” Everyone laughed. “Don’t change a thing. Really, there isn’t much you can do at this point. But I want you to be mindful of the Victorians. If you can bring yourself to feel uplifted and energized by a new element of competition, then go with that feeling. Don’t hold yourselves back.”
Moey continued, “We have a lot of pride as a nation, and we must try to prevail tomorrow. I expect the competition to be tough. You saw the throwing matches today. These traditions began in Victory, and they remain strong. We follow the same traditions, and we have also kept them strong. I also believe that we can outswim them. This is where we have forged a new tradition at a higher level. It will tire them out, and this is where you must gain the advantage. Once you hit land, don’t look back, and don’t let up. Because they will come for you. I expect them to be excellent runners. But so are you.
Don’t let them catch you. EDEN!”
Then, the team chanted, “E-den! E-den! E-den!” It got louder and faster, and they jumped up and down with excitement.
There were healthy refreshments and some light socializing, but the gathering broke up quickly, as the athletes wanted to rest and prepare themselves in solitude. As they began to clear the room, Christopher showed himself and waved Moey over to the door.
“That was pathetic!” Christopher declared.
“What? You think filling them with fear and anxiety is motivational?”
“I would have put things more bluntly. They must understand what is at stake here.”
“And what is at stake?” Moey stared down the Chair.
“That’s a foolish question. Maybe you are too soft to lead. I’ll have to think about that,” Christopher threatened.
“The athletes have their own pride. There is tremendous competition here at home, never mind between us and Victory. If the lead runners are challenged, they will give it their all. You know this. Pressing these other points too firmly will disrupt their patterns. Who knows? Maybe they would lose sleep tonight. Those are the things that can happen.”
“If we lose, it’s on you! I told you what I think!”
Christopher spat. “Too soft.” Christopher stood and walked off to his chambers to be alone—with Jacob.
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