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While the rest of us are mingling, the coaches head towards tables that are being set up on one of the turrets. That’s where they’ll meet with the gropmeisters and register the players. I’m curious about the process, so I keep an eye on things.
The gropmeisters proceed in single file up the ramp to the tables. There’s one from each realm, clad in robes similar to those that the players wear, and each travels with two people in normal clothes. They look very serious as they march up to take their seats.
“They’re a glum looking bunch,” somebody says, and I find Olivia, the captain of the Sapphirites, standing next to me, staring at the turret nervously.
“I thought you’d have to go up with the coaches,” I say, surprised to be singled out by the captain.
“I will soon,” she says. “Every player has to be checked by the gropmeisters and their unravellers. They’ll examine us to ensure we haven’t been unfairly remoulded. If they find any cheats, they’ll kick them out, but also penalise the team.”
I realise now why she’s nervous. “You’re worried that some of our players might have been remoulded.”
Olivia nods. “We’ve run our own checks, but the gropmeisters use the very best unravellers. Sometimes a player can hide a sly remould from us, but gets found out when extra tests are conducted.”
“Are the unravellers the people in the normal clothes?” I ask.
“Yes,” Olivia says. “They’re specially trained. They won’t unravel any surface remoulds, just those that would give a player a physical advantage.”
“So they won’t reveal a person’s real face if they’ve had their looks changed?” I ask, worrying about the disguised Hugo, although obviously the others have taken that into consideration long before now.
“No,” Olivia says. “Lots of gropsters have their features tweaked, if they want to look handsome for the crowds or fierce to frighten their opponents. The gropmeisters don’t care about that.”
Olivia drifts away from me but doesn’t mix with the others, prowling anxiously, waiting to be summoned. It’s a long wait. First the Rubicon captain gets called, and oversees the checks of his players, who are brought up one by one. Then the Emerald captain and her players go up. Then those from Pearl.
Olivia draws up beside me again and snarls like a caged tiger. “I hate this. Why couldn’t they bring us all up at the same time?”
“There wouldn’t be enough room,” I note.
She grimaces, then laughs. “You’re right. I just wish we could launch into the matches. I don’t handle this side of the game very well.”
The final Pearl player is cleared, then Olivia’s name is called.
“At last,” she sighs, and hurries up the ramp.
I watch with interest as our players go for their checks. A lot of people fall silent when the huge Cal heads for the turret. I hear a few people saying that someone that big must have been remoulded. I bet Olivia is cringing inside as the unravellers run him through the wringer, but he’s passed as normal and returns, smiling carelessly, never in any doubt that he’d get the green light.
While there was a lot of interest when Cal went up, it’s nothing compared to what happens when Inez is summoned. She winks at me and says, “Back soon.” As she starts up the ramp, everyone stares at her, and I hear the rumour mill kick into life.
“Who’s that?”
“She’s not a gropster.”
“Why have they called her?”
When someone realises she’s a camel, word spreads swiftly.
“Four gropsters are missing. Twenty-six have been checked. She must have four players inside her.”
“That’s right. Julia only introduced twenty-six of the team earlier.”
“Why are the Sapphirites hiding players?”
“What are they trying to keep from us?”
“Who the hell is in there?”
I’m struggling not to laugh. It’s delicious, listening to the controversy rage while knowing the answers to the questions on everyone’s lips. Some people try to pump me for information – they also ask others in the team – but I pretend I don’t know anything about it.
Up on the turret, a tent’s erected while Inez patiently waits to offload her cargo. Some of the other coaches are unhappy, and a couple from Ruby argue heatedly with the gropmeisters. A few of our coaches drag them away, and things turn nasty when one of the Rubes shouts an insult, only for Baba Jen to lose the plot and bite his leg. I can hear his howl from here as he leaps around and tries to shake her loose.
It’s great entertainment. Even the Rubicons are amused, and although that doesn’t stop them complaining about us smuggling in gropsters, I can tell that they inwardly approve of the cunning plan and wish they’d thought of it themselves.
The gropmeisters stay calm through the arguing and fighting, then lead Inez into the tent, accompanied by their unravellers. They conduct their tests, taking longer than they did on any of the other players, finally emerging to signal the all-clear and add the names of the four mystery players to their lists. The other coaches are free to study those names — they just can’t study the players, who are safely back inside Inez when she comes out and swaggers down the ramp.
It takes Inez ages to wind her way back to me. She’s stopped by loads of people who want to ask who she’s sheltering. She says nothing, only shakes her head and waits for each interrogator to give up.
“How did it go?” I whisper when she rejoins me.
“Fine,” she says.
“They didn’t find anything untoward?”
“Of course not.”
“I thought Baba Jen was going to gnaw off that coach’s leg.”
Inez stifles a laugh. “They’re old friends, from back in the time when she lived in Ruby. They’ll patch it up later, over a few pints of ale and lemonade.”
The understrength members of the Diamond team are checked and cleared, then the captain of the Topaz team is hailed, and the players go up to sustained applause from the locals. Like the rest of the gropsters, they’re all passed.
Everyone’s in high spirits as the gropmeisters descend. The fact that all of the players tested clean is viewed as a positive sign. Inez has told me that previous Tourneys were spoiled by the unravelling of remoulded players, which led to ill feelings among the supporters. This time the stage is set for a good, honest contest.
Well, until Hugo, Inez and I kidnap the Topaz prince. When that happens, all hell will break loose. But that’s a worry for another day. For now I just soak up the good vibes and try not to think too much about the dark twists to come.