Seth catches Hugo throw

  Hugo was the all-time perfect quarterback. The golem adhered religiously to a six-second time limit for releasing the ball, negating the need for a rush. There were no constraints to how far he could throw, the passes were always accurate, and he showed no favoritism.

  Seth looked up and back. Blinding swirls of snow swept through the air, obscuring his view. He kept his legs pumping hard. Verl trailed two steps behind him. Seth could no longer see Hugo or the other satyrs. How far had he run? Fifty yards? Sixty?

  A dark shape appeared amid the whirling flakes, hissing through the air. Seth extended his arms. Although the football hit him in stride, it was like trying to catch a meteor. Only Hugo could throw a long bomb with so little arc on the ball!

  Seth lost his footing and fell in a spray of snow but managed to hang onto the football, trapping it against his chest.

  "What happened?" Newel called.

  "He caught it," Verl replied. "Touchdown. "

  "Again?" Newel complained. "I'm taking Seth next time. "

  "Please do," Doren said excitedly. "I want Verl covering me. "

  "This game is rigged!" Newel protested.

  Verl brushed away some of the snow from the back of Seth's neck and gave him a hand up. The good-natured satyr had wooly white legs with brown spots, stubby horns, and a more childish face than Newel or Doren. He wore a thick brown turtleneck, while the other satyrs played bare-chested.

  "Thanks," Seth said.

  "I can't believe you held on to that one," Verl said. He had dropped several similar passes.

Chapter 9