Phoenix Rising

by Ephie Risho

  Basil took his sword and peered at it curiously from different angles. It appeared no different than before, and he wondered if what the wizard said was even true.

  “And now for something very special indeed.” Sage held out a hooded cape to Amber. “Take this cape. It has a number of great spells on it, mostly for protection.”

  She took the cape and looked it over. It was large and brown, designed for a taller person, but she imagined she’d be able to wear it without tripping on it.

  “That cape can resist fire and protect its wearer from most regular attacks. And finally,” Sage said with a smile, “this ring.” He held it up happily. It looked like a simple, silver band, with no unusual markings on it. “The wearer of this ring will have extra protection from harm and also be able to bring quick healing by the laying on of hands.”

  He held it up to the light, then handed it to Theo. “Wear it at all times,” he said sternly. “You never know when trouble is around the corner.”

  Theo nodded and put it on immediately.

  “Can I try it out?” he asked.

  Sage nodded.

  “Does your arm still hurt, Basil?” Theo asked.

  “Yeah. It’s stiff and sore. And it’s my sword arm too.” Basil winced as he moved it.

  “Let’s see.” Theo went over to him and placed the hand wearing the ring on Basil’s arm.

  “Wow! Amazing!” Basil moved his arm loosely. “It’s as if it never happened!”

  Sage smiled. “Adventurers get into all sorts of scrapes and bruises. Better to be bold going in, knowing a speedy recovery is only minutes away.”

  “This is fantastic!” Basil happily swung his sword and lifted his arm.

  “I feel great too!” Theo said, standing up straight. “It’s like I got a good night’s sleep in my own bed last night. Amber, want to see if you could use a little healing?”

  “I don’t know that I need anything,” she shrugged. Theo walked over and put his hands on her. “Wow!” Her face lit up and her eyes brightened. “I didn’t realize how achy I was! I feel like I got a great night’s sleep!”

  Sage was beaming. “I think you’ll find the other items just as helpful. Especially the amulet.”

  Theo interjected, “Seriously? Even with all of these enchanted gifts, do you really think we can get close enough to the phoenix to put the amulet around its neck?”

  “That’s a good question.” Sage stroked his wispy beard thoughtfully. “And I don’t have the answer. But one thing is certain. The fact that you three made it all this way from your homes without even knowing you have elemental powers shows me you have the spirit that’s needed, and that’s far more than the others in this land.” He waved his hand toward the window. “But perhaps you could use a little game.”

  “Game?” All three turned their attention toward the old wizard.

  Sage wandered over to a shelf and pulled off a rectangular box. He brushed off the dust and placed it on the table. “This,” he said, opening it up to reveal many small pieces and a patterned board, “is a strategy game called Castles.”

  The youths looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Sage didn’t seem particularly crazy, but what good would a game do for all the battles and adventures they were about to face?

  16

  Castles

  SAGE PLACED THE PATTERNED BOARD onto the table and dumped the pieces out.

  “How does it work?” Theo asked, picking up a piece and examining it.

  Sage placed a dragon figurine on a square. “There are two players. The light-colored pieces belong to one player, and the darker to the other. The goal is to maneuver your pieces so that you eliminate enough of the other’s pieces to gain the most power on the board.”

  As he explained the game and each piece, the three friends watched carefully. Each piece had a different movement, and some were weak while others more powerful. Soldiers could only move one space at a time, while the dragons could cross the entire board in one move. He showed them a few examples of different scenarios, and it became clear that every piece could play an important role.

  They tried playing the game, and Sage asked them questions on their turn. “Now think ahead. Think more than this move. Think two or three—or even four—moves ahead. What could you do to take over your opponent’s most important pieces to claim the power spot?”

  Theo was a natural and picked up the game instantly, so Sage focused mostly on helping Amber and Basil as they played against him, game after game until they all got the hang of it.

  After playing through lunch and some of the afternoon, Sage declared, “Now it’s time. All three of you work together and play against me. When you can beat me in a game of Castles, I’ll consider you ready to tackle the phoenix.”

  “Seriously?” Theo looked pale. “A board game will prepare us for the phoenix? But it’s got talons and fire!”

  “Of course, of course.” Sage patted Theo on the arm. “But the phoenix doesn’t have strategy! It’s a simple creature, planning only one move ahead. You must learn to think three, four, or even six moves ahead of it.”

  Theo shook his head. Ridiculous! he thought, but sat down with Basil and Amber across from Sage.

  “And so we begin,” Sage said. “You may make the first move.”

  The game began with Theo sitting in the middle seat moving the pieces, and Basil and Amber whispering in his ears. And although they had learned much from playing all that day, they were helpless against Sage’s prowess. He won the first game within a few minutes.

  “Another game!” Sage said. “You must see more moves ahead. Your view is too short.”

  Theo gazed at the board curiously. It was kind of like solving a riddle—and he loved riddles. They set up the board again, and Basil sat in the middle seat. His first move was to place a simple soldier piece forward, a strategy that had helped him beat Amber earlier that day.

  Sage countered, and Basil quickly began losing pieces. Sage didn’t seem concerned in any given moment and always seemed to be able to set up his pieces for winning combinations well in advance of what Basil could come up with.

  Sage won within a few minutes. “Again,” he said.

  The kids shifted seats again, this time Amber took the middle seat. She tried something new. Maybe an approach they hadn’t seen yet would help? The game was over in four minutes.

  She slumped in her seat, and Sage placed his palms on the table. “Again.”

  They played over and over throughout the rest of the day. At one point they stopped to make food and check on their horses. While they were out of Sage’s earshot, Basil talked quietly to them. “Do you think this is helping? Or is he really just a crazy old man after all?”

  “He can’t just be a crazy old man.” Theo had a renewed sense of energy. “He gave us magical stuff, right? He obviously knows a thing or two.”

  “Ok.” Basil shook his head. “But doesn’t this feel like a waste of time? Shouldn’t we be getting out there and doing something useful?”

  “I don’t know.” Amber pulled on her hair for a moment. “I don’t quite understand why he thinks we need to beat him in Castles, but he’s been the best source of any help so far. Just ’cause we don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it’s not useful.”

  “That’s true,” Basil said, thoughtfully. “But it’s not going to teach us about swordplay or sneaking up on the phoenix or even how to get a chain with an amulet around the neck of it. We should probably be practicing stuff like that as well.”

  Theo paced and stroked his chin. A gray squirrel scurried out of a tree and sat watching him closely. “He keeps telling us to think four or more moves ahead, but I think he sees more like ten moves ahead! If we’re going to beat him, we need to try something different.”

  “Like what?” Amber asked.

  “I don’t know yet, but we need to come up with something.”

  “Wait, I have an idea.” Basil held out his hands grandly. “What if we make a move that look
s bad, but not too bad, and then he thinks we’ve made a simple mistake and falls into a trap!”

  “Interesting.” Theo nodded. “Yes, we could try to draw him in by tricking him. But how?”

  The three discussed it and drew strategies in the dirt with sticks and used rocks and acorns for the pieces. They considered a number of different ways to win.

  Theo looked at their makeshift board and stopped Basil from moving a piece. “Wait. Look here. What if we opened up our strongest knight with the weakest soldier?” Theo moved a small rock aside. “And he’d think it’s worth coming in to take out our strongest knight, and even give him a chance to win in three moves. But look, I have my cavalryman here, ready to come into the opening he left behind, see? He thinks he’s winning, but we’d actually end up with the upper hand.”

  “Interesting.” Basil studied the board more. “Yes, that would definitely have worked against me. But against Sage?”

  “I don’t know,” Theo replied. “It’s an idea.”

  “And a good one,” Amber said. “So let’s come up with more of them. Not just one.”

  The boys nodded, and the trio continued to strategize with different scenarios. At one point, Amber elbowed Theo and pointed up. Theo turned to see Sage watching them with a grin on his face. They waved and used their backs to block his view of their rough board.

  As it grew dark, the kids climbed back up the ladder. The wizard was reading a book by the window and looked up. “Wonderful. You’re back. Another game this evening?”

  “Let’s do it,” Basil said confidently. He sat in the middle and played carefully to set up one of the scenarios they’d come up with. At one point, he made the pretend “flawed” move, where Sage would come in and make his fatal mistake. In fact, Sage picked up the cavalryman as they’d hoped and very nearly took out their knight, but then he smiled and looked at the children.

  “Ah. Well done. Well done, indeed. I see you’ve learned a thing or two today.” Sage placed the piece back where it had been and moved his soldier. Basil watched sadly as he proceeded to be trounced by the wizard—yet again.

  “Again,” Sage said.

  This time Amber tried. Her plan was more complicated, and she nearly tricked Sage into making the move she wanted, but he saw through it and won in the end. On Theo’s turn, the game became fierce. Both players seemed to have the upper hand at different times. At one point, Theo very nearly won, at least that’s how it appeared to the kids. But Sage once again saw the opportunities they hadn’t and won.

  It was dark outside, and Amber yawned. Sage glanced at her. “We’ll pick this up in the morning.” He stood and walked up the stairs to the upper chamber.

  “You almost had him,” Basil said to Theo. “I think we’re super close.”

  “Yeah, but we’re missing something. It’s like our strategy was good—but not enough. There’s got to be something else.”

  Amber’s eyes were drooping. “Did you notice he often won by using his soldiers three moves before his victory?”

  “What?” Theo looked at Amber, startled.

  “Yeah. Not every game. But moving his soldier was usually what he did three moves ahead of winning.”

  “Interesting.” Theo stared at the board intently.

  “I’m going to sleep.” Amber staggered over and lay down on the fur near the fireplace.

  “Me too.” Basil stood up and lay down on another fur.

  But Theo stayed up, looking at the board. He played a light-colored piece, then turned the board sideways, turned it again, and turned it again. He played a dark-colored piece and looked at it from the different angles. Then he played another piece from the light-colored side.

  He played against himself for hours, with an oil lamp lighting his game. His eyes strained, and he felt exhausted but kept at it. At one point he was so frustrated, he slammed his fist onto the table and walked around. Then he came back and tried again. Maybe a different approach? A different strategy completely? What if he switched strategies partway through?

  The room began to brighten, and Theo looked around in surprise. He’d stayed up the entire night. Yet he still didn’t have any breakthrough moments where he knew he could win against Sage. He went over to the bucket of water and splashed some on his face. He was missing something, but what?

  He returned to the board and continued to play by himself until Amber and Basil woke up.

  Basil stretched and looked at Theo. “Have you been up all night?”

  Theo nodded silently, peering at the pieces, squinting as if that would somehow help him view the board differently.

  “Any new ideas?” Basil stood up and looked at the game board curiously.

  “Many,” Theo said. “Many new ideas. Yes.”

  “Great!” Basil grinned, then frowned when Theo looked at the board seriously. “No good ones?”

  “Oh, I had many good ideas.” Theo rubbed his eyes and fingered one of the cavalrymen. “Yes, I have a dozen new tactics and possible strategies. I’ve even thought a lot about how Sage has kept winning, and I have some ideas about that as well—both to use his tactics as well as to prevent them. But will it be enough to beat him? I . . . I just don’t know.”

  Basil smiled again and patted Theo on the back. “If any of us can do this, it’s you, Theo. Come on, take a break. Let’s get some air and make some breakfast.”

  As if on cue, Theo’s stomach growled. He looked up at Basil and smiled weakly. “You’re right. I could use a break.”

  They climbed down the ladder and checked on their horses. Basil nudged Theo. “Come on, Butterballs. You always pull through with this kind of stuff. Relax for once.”

  Theo looked at him annoyed for a moment, then relaxed, his thoughts starting to come together. Basil can be annoying, but he’s right. It won’t help to be anxious about it. It’s supposed to be a game, right? He felt himself smiling. “Ok, Squiggles. I’ll try to relax. Maybe I should take a little nap.”

  “Yeah. We want you to be sharp before you sit down in front of the wizard.”

  A nap did Theo some good, and he awoke to the smell of warm porridge and gentle talk. Amber was peering through the telescope again, while Basil and Sage sat at the table, discussing elemental powers.

  “You see,” Sage was saying, “once you learn your power, you’ll have to practice. Just like using that sword of yours. The first time you use it, you can certainly cut things with it, but it takes years of practice to use it well in battle.”

  “Of course. But I still don’t know my power. Are you sure I have one?”

  “Oh yes. Definitely. Keep exploring. It’ll all become obvious once you figure it out.”

  Theo rubbed his eyes and joined them at the table. Sage looked at him with a twinkle in his eyes, as if he knew what Theo was up to all night.

  After breakfast, when the table was cleared, Sage set the game down again. “Are you ready for another round?”

  Basil patted Theo on the back and Amber smiled at him. Theo nodded seriously and sat down in the middle seat across from Sage. As they set up the board, he said. “Sage, I’d like to offer you to go first this time.”

  Sage raised his eyebrows. “Awfully generous of you, lad. Are you sure? You might be playing defense the entire game.”

  “Let’s give it a try.”

  Sage nodded and made the first move. Theo quickly countered with a move of his own, and the game was on. For every move Sage made, Theo moved his piece quickly and with confidence, as if he’d already thought through what he was going to do. Sage, on the other hand, took his time thinking through every move carefully.

  Much like the games they’d played the night before, they both took out each other’s pieces, and the board became sparse. Sage made a bold move, and Theo finally paused, then smiled. Instead of taking out Sage’s piece, he did a move that seemed purely defensive and weak.

  Amber was puzzled, but then noticed Sage frown. She looked more closely, trying to see more than two moves into the fu
ture. It was at move five that she suddenly saw it. Unless she was missing something, Theo was going to win. She held her breath and waited.

  Sage paused, then smiled and moved the only option he had. Theo smiled as well, and they both made the next moves quickly, ending with Theo as the victor.

  “Well done,” Sage said. “Well done. You are ready.” He stood and walked to a counter, picking up a leather strap and returned to the table. He put all the pieces into one half of the board and folded it, then tied the leather strap around it.

  “Please take this with you as my final gift. When in doubt of what to do next, play Castles again and remember what you’ve learned. All of you have gained a great deal of new insight in this last day. Don’t diminish the power of a game to teach you something important.”

  “If the evil magicians behind these occurrences are truly who I think they are, then they have thought many, many moves in advance of us. They’ve plotted this longer than you kids have been alive.”

  He paused, and all were silent for a moment. Finally Amber spoke. “Thank you, Sage. For all you’ve done.”

  He nodded. “I’ve given you what I can. I may be gone for a while. I have many unanswered questions. Focus on the phoenix first. And slow down or stop any enchanted creatures in general. Save as many people from harm as you can. And who knows,” Sage said wryly, “perhaps some of the creatures who get freed from the spell might want to help.”

  17

  The Dark

  ACCORDING TO SAGE, the phoenix lived in a somewhat-active volcano four mountains over, northeast, by the sea. When they had looked through the telescope to see how they might get there, they saw no clear roads that went that way, but they found a route on the next mountain that seemed to have less trees.

  Theo updated his map and drew a little picture of a phoenix on the volcano, with smoke coming out of the mountaintop.