Arrowland by Paul Kane Page A

He needn't have worried, though; his men knew exactly what to do.
    Just as the Ranger was about to toss the ball, one of the guards in pursuit pulled out a pistol and fired at the man who would have received it. The bullet blew away most of the Ranger's left kneecap, splattering redness across the grass.
    There was an intake of breath from some of the harem watching and The Dragon smiled. He looked across at the new woman, who was fixated on the 'match' and now had her hand to her mouth. God, she was magnificent. Whoever chose her would be rewarded well, he'd see to it. She realised he was watching and glanced at the Dragon out of the corner of her eye. Then she returned her gaze to the pitch, as if what she was witnessing there was preferable.
    She'll look at me later , he thought to himself. I'll make her look.
    The Dragon turned his attention back to what was happening below. The Rangers appeared shocked that one of their team had been gunned down, hanging back in case the same should happen to them. Then, suddenly, one Ranger put on a spurt and ran as fast as he could ahead of the pack. He was small and dodged around a couple of the guards to do so. Another one of The Dragon's men pulled out a gun, but another Ranger barged into him, spoiling his aim. The guard turned and elbowed his attacker in the face, knocking him to the ground, but the delay meant the smaller Ranger was racing ahead.
    The man running with the ball kicked it across quickly. The smaller Ranger fumbled with it, but managed to get it under control, tucking it under his arm, making a sprint for the end of the pitch. Behind him, four guards were on his tail. He looked over his shoulder to see them drawing their weapons.
    He was about to get a bullet in the back, when a couple of his comrades dived on the armed men, tackling them from behind. They all went down and there was the flash of gunfire. The next thing, the Dragon's people were standing again - leaving the bodies of the Rangers on the grass.
    He'd told them he was a fair man, and some might say this game was anything but. However, it was his stadium, his game, his rules. The Dragon didn't like to lose.
    But it looked like that was about to happen. The small Ranger had his head down, the finishing line in sight. Those Rangers left were sprinting too, catching him up, leaving the Dragon's guards behind.
    No: the guards were retreating. They were actually pulling back. Running in the other direction! A couple of the harem women were looking at The Dragon, wondering what was going on - but not his new favourite, she was leaning forward, one hand on the glass. Even the young slave who'd brought his food had moved forward to get a better view.
    The Dragon chuckled. Yes, watch and learn.
    The smaller Ranger dived with the ball and planted it on the grass, scoring the try that he thought would save them all. His team-mates joined him, still not having put two and two together. They jumped in the air, celebrating. They'd beaten the Dragon's men, they'd-
    The explosion wasn't a big one - no mushroom cloud or mortar - but large enough to make sure anyone within a twenty metre radius was caught in it. The harem girls screamed; the servant boy stepped forward again, sucking in a sharp breath. The blonde girl had both hands on the glass, then she turned. The Dragon was holding a radio transmitter in his right hand, thumb still on the trigger that had detonated the device inside the rugby ball. The girl was definitely looking at him now, intently - in fact she couldn't take her eyes off him. Was it fear that he saw? Was it repulsion, like the first one, the pasty-faced girl? No, it was something else. Could it be pity; if so, who for? The Rangers or him? There were definitely tears in her eyes. He saw them just before she looked away again.
    Why? He'd offered those men their freedom, hadn't he? And he'd delivered. They were free - they couldn't be more free. The Dragon looked down on the smouldering crater in the