"I'll remember," I replied, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Only novices got caught in the backswings of other players. I had been playing almost as long as he. I accepted my stick as he mounted, and he laughed, tossing his long dark hair back and tying it in place with a leather strap before accepting his stick.
We rode to our positions, our horses dancing beneath us, reacting to the excitement of riders and those that watched. The leatherbound ball was thrown and we surged into motion, the ball flying beneath the strike of a stick. Akyran and I rode neck to neck, but he reached the ball, his angle was better, and flung it out towards the score posts.
He laughed over his shoulder at me.
The ball came back towards us, and with it, the flurry of riders from the opposing team. I tussled with another rider. Daryith rode his mount in such a way that we were pressed against each other. He leered at me.