221. Colin-Fu is Leaking

Ever have the feeling things aren’t the way you thought they were? That’s the trouble with winning, it imbues you with confidence, and everything looks good. Makes you think ‘nearly there’ is the same as ‘really there’.

Very dangerous thing, confidence. Like any tool, it has its uses, helps you get things done. But if you’re not careful, you can slice your thumb off.

Joshaya disappeared in a haze, and we were left in our little glade with the frogmen and one giant frog.

“What did he mean by that?” said Maurice. “What was the prize?”

I would have liked to think he was just being an arsehole. He’d lost and was throwing out a vague threat to make us less smug in victory. Which would be a perfectly reasonable thing to do, if you were an arse. Solid arsehole tactics.

But I didn’t think that was why he’d said it. It felt much more likely I’d screwed up and played into his hands.

“Um, hey, forest? Gerand? Hey, dwarf?” My voice grew louder and more des