Blackjack Hit

Suddenly they were in front of the gate, and Josh was looking into a pair of eyes the color of spit, mean and dangerous. The guard placed the top of a wicked-looking pike at Josh’s chest and said something in Nuworld, but Josh could not catch it. Josh noticed that the guard was looking at him and that Reb had stepped to one side, his hand in his back pocket. He could hear the whistle of an owl, and the moon turned the world to silver—especially the guard’s helmet that gleamed a tough, steely gray.

Josh’s mind was an absolute blank. The only thing he was conscious of was the tip of the pike pushing against his chest. Then, without any forethought at all, Josh slipped to his knees and stretched out full length as if in a faint.

The guard uttered an exclamation of surprise. He bent over to examine Josh more closely.

Through the slits of his half-closed eyes, Josh saw the guard above him, blotting out the silver moon. Without hesitation, he reached out and yanked off the guard’s helmet.

Twenty things could have gone wrong—the helmet strap could have been fastened, Josh could have missed his grasp—but there were no hitches, and the helmet slipped off easily. At once there was the solid thud of Reb’s blackjack on the guard’s head.

Immediately the guard fell across Josh, pinning him to the ground. Then the weight of the unconscious man shifted as Reb dragged him off.