by Simon Archer
“Are you saying I have a choice?” I asked with too much hope in my voice. So much for not giving him any unnecessary information.
“We could go back to this.” Hennar lifted his hands into the air above his head and then spread them out wide. Above him, a projection played of the two of us, battling it out at an impasse. His darkness and my light pushed and pulled from one another.
I watched the sweat trickle down my face and knew that when it came to that battle of wills, I weaken and lose eventually. I might not have had much chance at chess, but at least I didn’t waste energy and power during it.
In response, I walked up to the table and reluctantly pulled out the chair. I plopped into it and crossed my arms. Hennar responded by sitting across from me. He paused and studied my face. I tried to keep it as neutral as possible, but it was difficult to keep my anger at bay.
Hennar leaned back. “Come now, Martin, tell me. What is troubling you?”
“Really?” I snapped. “You want to know what is troubling me?”
“I asked, didn’t I?” Hennar said gently.
“I should think it’s obvious,” I answered. “I don’t want to play these stupid games with you. Not when it means gambling people’s lives.”
“You don’t want to play any games with me or this game with me?” Hennar asked for clarification.
“Truthfully?”
“I won’t accept any less.”
“I don’t want to play any games, but especially not this one.”
“Why not?” Hennar leaned forward and put his elbows on the table, lacing his fingers together.
“Because it is not our right to be toying with people’s lives like this,” I said. I went with the more philosophical answer rather than the petty one.
“That is admirable, but knowing you as I do--”
“You don’t know me!”
“--that is not the real reason,” Hennar plowed over my objection. His eyebrows creased together and pondered. “Do you like chess, Martin?”
“No, Hennar, I don’t,” I answered as I leaned forward. “And frankly, I think the fact that you want to hide behind a game makes you a coward.”
“A coward?” Hennar said with genuine surprise. I expected the word to insult him more, but if it did, he didn’t show it.
“Yeah, a coward,” I said in a rush of courage. “Because forcing me to play a game instead of fighting me means that you’re afraid of me.”
I spat the words in his face, leaning as close as I dared. My intimidation skills were limited, but I played into this man’s ego. He said he wanted to take over the world simply because he could. But the first time we had ever met in this manner, he was looking for a challenge. He was looking forward to a challenge. Within the parameters Hennar had set, I couldn’t give him one.
“You like the thrill of the game or the close call,” I deduced. “It’s why you haven’t just obliterated everyone all at once. It’s why you creep in, using sickness to destroy them. You want us to fight back so that it’s more fun for you. Otherwise, what’s the point?” I smirked and decided to try for a longshot of a plan. “It’s why you let me win that first game. You wanted to see if I was worth playing.”
“Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Yep, and here’s where I tell you that you will be sorely disappointed if you go all out against me at chess because that was pretty much the extent of my ability.” I stretched my smile into something sly and challenging, confident that I actually had a hand to play here and not just a bluff.
“I’ll tell you right now, Hennar, I will be the greatest challenge you ever faced. I will give you a run for your money. If you save this girl right now, as a sign of good faith, then I can train and become much better at chess. If you hold off on corrupting anything new for a little while, then I can improve my game and actually give you the challenge you’ve been craving.” I shrugged. “Or we can play a few more games where you toy with me until you’re bored. Your call.”
I caught Hennar’s malicious eye and held still, like a hunter zoning in on its prey. My muscles clenched in anticipation, but I kept my face serene and confident. I stitched that challenging smile on my face and waited.
Hennar gave nothing away. His features remained as still as I hoped mine were. We waited in shared breaths, for one of us to break, to relent. I was stubborn, but my sense of impatience poked, pricked, and prodded me to just move that first pawn and get this over with. There was no way he was going to bite, to agree to my counter-bargain. It was clearly a move to stall, so Insomier could have a reprieve from the corruption, and we could figure out how Em got contaminated in the first place. Surely, he could see my whole ploy, couldn’t he?
Then, to my utter surprise, Hennar stood from the table. “You have until the first snowfall.”
He placed the tip of his finger on the king and tipped it over. The wooden piece clattered against the board, signaling his forfeit.
Hennar disappeared in a swirl of black smoke, and the whiteness dissolved around me. My vision returned and plopped me right back into the dungeon. I gulped for air, like coming out of a lake. Simultaneously, I heard another set of lungs violently gasp for air.
Em jerked forward into a sitting position. Color returned to her skin, and her eyes finally had a semblance of life in them. Our eyes connected, and for the briefest of seconds, I could have sworn I saw something like fear and then anger. I thought she was going to start yelling at me, this strange man she had never met before, that wasn’t supposed to be near her. However, the sight left when her parents threw their arms around her. Seeing them, Em softened and held them back.
I fell on the ground, disengaging from the whole overwhelming situation. “I can’t believe that just worked.”
In a blink, King Atlus was at my side. “What worked? Martin, what happened?”
“I just bought us some time by saying that I sucked at chess.”
10
Diana
I arrived early for our weekly meeting with the king and his council, hoping to catch Martin and get a moment alone. Since I let him skip our training this morning, I did not get a chance to tell him about what Sloan and I discovered in the forest after Maji’s birthday celebration. I debated whether or not to bring it up at the meeting with our closest allies, but I decided I wanted to get Martin’s impression first.
Then I meant to bring it up last night, but I was thoroughly distracted at the sight of him. He was his typical handsome self, but I could also see the weight of the day hanging off him like shackles. Once again, I made the decision to hold off and help him in other ways. I satisfied myself with being his distraction for the evening and resolved to tell him tomorrow.
My plan backfired once again when Martin entered the room with King Atlus. Unable to hide my surprise, I was struck dumb by the sight.
The two of them could not stand one another and did everything in their power to avoid each other as much as possible. Yet, here they were walking in the door together. While they were not speaking, it was clear that the two of them had come to this meeting together.
Curiosity and concern stirred in my stomach like a blended wine. It was a dangerous concoction, especially when it was directed at my king and my lover.
Once again, Martin looked worn and weighed down. I recognized that curved posture, the heavy eyelids. He had just used his gift to heal someone, and he was recovering from the effort. I had seen him do it numerous times on our scouting missions to the outer part of the kingdom, so I could tell when the light took something from him.
I had tried to get him to take a step back before, to pause all the continuous healings. Immediately, I knew it was the wrong suggestion. He nearly bit my head off before I finished my sentence.
“If I don’t do this, people will die,” Martin had snapped at me. “More towns are going to end up like Absolum? Do you want that?”
“Absolutely not,” I had argued. “However, I do not want you to die either
. Then you will be of no use to anyone.”
“I’m fine,” Martin said then, the words slicing through my rationale. “I have to be fine.”
Looking at him now, Martin did not look fine. He looked worried, tired, and a little angry. All of that, though, was hidden behind a stoic exterior and hard eyes. Getting to know him as I had over the course of these past months, I had witnessed Martin Anthony with his walls down and was beginning to learn how to see through those cracks to the human beyond them.
The sight of him like this made me want to rush to him and take him straight to bed. I would simply hold him as he fell asleep, so he could dream away the worry and replenish his energy.
There was no chance of that, that much I knew. Martin would never let me get near him, not so intimately in such a public space. He did, however, venture to stand next to me in the room, in the center of the long wooden table, while King Atlus took his seat at the head.
“Hey,” Martin whispered to me with a small smile.
“Hey,” I said back. Apparently, my concern was as plain as day because Martin served me an eye roll.
“I’m fine, Diana, really.”
“I believe you,” I said, though it was obviously a lie.
Martin scoffed. “Sure, you do.”
“We can skip training tomorrow, too,” I offered as a pitiful suggestion. “If it would allow you to get some sleep--”
“I refuse to miss training with you two mornings in a row,” Martin interrupted. He turned so she could look me straight in the eye. “We have bigger problems right now than my sleep schedule.
As if they had timed it, King Atlus decided to begin the meeting.
“Council members,” the king said. In response, the room, once filled with chatter, quieted, and all attention refocused onto the king. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with us again today. We have some troubling updates about the corruption.”
“How troubling?” Mister Salune, Minister of Education, asked.
“Everyone should have a seat,” the king invited. He did so himself, signaling that everyone should follow his lead. Everyone sat, including Martin and me.
I moved my leg closer to hiss beneath the table in an attempt to remind him I was there if he needed me. Quickly, as if I had shocked him, Martin shifted away from me and faced the king. I also faced the king, but with more of a disappointed scowl on my face than before.
Around us sat the entirety of the Insomier council. There were ten of them total, each in charge of a different portion of the kingdom. King Atlus was the ultimate decision-maker and tiebreaker, but the ministers overseeing the various departments allowed him to divide and conquer the tasks of running a kingdom.
I looked around the table and observed each of the ministers, noticing the absence of one. The Lead Caretaker was not present. Apparently, I was not the only one to note the lack of the caretaker because Madame Ella, the Minister of Finance, brought it up.
“Should we wait for Perce’s arrival?”
King Atlus glanced about, seemingly to notice the lead caretaker not sitting among them. “Has she struck ill again?”
This question was directed at a squat man with greying hair and tiny spectacles. They sat balanced at the tip of his pointed nose, one end connected to a gold chain that looped to a clip on his collar. Mister Moorly, the Minister of Health, cleared his throat and licked his lips before answering.
“Yes, sire, I am afraid so. I sent a message to her second-in-command, inviting her to join us,” Mister Moorly said with a mouse-like voice.
“When was this?” Atlus asked.
“This morning,” Mister Moorly replied as he adjusted his glasses nervously. “Hopefully, she will be arriving soon.”
“We can always inform her at a later time,” King Atlus said. “I am concerned this matter may not be able to wait any longer.”
“Sire,” Madame Vike raised her quill into the air. She was the only one who ever took notes. “We must account for the rest of the council, regardless. For the record, you see.”
“Ah, yes,” King Atlus relented. “Proceed with the attendance, Madame Vike.”
Martin’s fingers tapped the table, a consistent and impatient beat. Apparent irritation plastered across his face. He loathed the formality of these meetings and always argued they could have so much time to work without the pomp and circumstance.
“If I could just tell them what needed to be done,” he’d argued to me once, “and then they would do it, everything would be a lot less complicated.”
“The king has every right to do that,” I reasoned, “but that would make for a less efficient government. He has a council for a reason. While King Atlus may be the ultimate voice, having other knowledgeable advisors at his disposal makes him a better ruler.”
“I understand that,” Martin relented with a gigantic eye roll. “But why does it have to take us so much time?”
Right now, as the council members took their turn announcing themselves to a room that already knew each and the entire process was tedious for everyone, save for maybe Martin, who still could not name all the departments, let alone who ran what. It was especially aggravating when the king clearly had some dire news to share.
“Madame Elainne Vike, daughter of Olner and Brenda Vike, Minister of Law. Present,” Madame Vike recited with crisp syllables and a bold volume. She was a narrow woman, with a boney face and papery skin.
Around the table they went. Next was a beautiful woman with golden hair that fell to her mid-back, brushed to shiny perfection. Her round eyes blinked about the room with kind confidence. “Madame Helena Poulis, daughter of Juniper and Incarus Poulis, Minister of Forestation. Present.”
“Mister Ker Moorly, son of Grego and Ursula Moorly, Minister of Health. Present,” the rat-faced gentleman said in his squeaky voice.
“Madame Zara Sachen, daughter of Wicker and Seena Sachen, Minister of Agriculture. Present,” a bright-eyed woman, younger than both Martin and I, said. Her smile was too wide for her face, full of teeth, and it did not go quite all the way to her eyes.
“Madame Hansell Ella, daughter of Vincent and Xanthius Ella, Minister of Finance. Present,” a stoic woman with high cheekbones and a bush of a graying hair said.
A woman with large round spectacles and the most disheveled ensemble spoke next. She startled a little bit, seeming to forget her own name. “I am Madame Quincy Michell, daughter of Zacharias and Erin Michell. Minister of Magical Affairs.”
Madame Michell trailed off, and the room waited. Madame Vike coughed into her hand as a gentle reminder. Madame Michell jumped as if she’d been startled by a loud noise.
“Oh, yes! Present!” she said with too much false enthusiasm. Quickly, she returned to a glassy-eyed state, something like a daydream.
“Mister Rahonas Salune, son of Lukas and Derek Salune. Minister of Education. Present,” said the oldest man in the room, with crows feet picking at the edges of his eyes and cracked lips. He had no hair and instead wrapped beautiful, embroidered scarves around his head.
“Mister Jack Gayong, son of Beverly and Timoon Gayong. Minister of External Affairs. Present,” said a stern-faced man with a crooked nose and large forehead.
Finally, the announcements got around the table to Rebekah, me, and Martin. With her captain’s voice, Rebekah proclaimed, “Rebekah Ko’aning, daughter of Polly Trayn and Naxinillian Ko’aning. Captain of the guard. Present.”
Martin and I were the only ones in the room that were not official council members. Martin worked his way in by being such a valuable asset, despite his best efforts to be a pain in the king’s ass. I was there by Martin’s request. He threatened not to attend at all if I was not allowed to come.
“I need someone who will translate all of this for me,” Martin said to me in private. “Someone I trust to tell me what is really going on in there.”
Regardless of our unofficial status, Madame Vike made us proclaim ourselves all the same. It was a sore spot for me because it reminded
everyone in that room that my family name was unrecognizable. I was born from a low-level town, and I was only here on a fluke. Martin, who had no notion of these types of classist politics, never cared about the introduction. His only gripe was that it took up so much time.
“My name is Diana Nobaskeek, daughter of Arin and Rina Nobaskeek. Second in command of the king’s guard. Present,” I said with a strength I did not have and pride I did not exactly feel at that moment.
I stared at the center of the table, not wanting to catch the disapproving glares from some of the elite, noble lines sitting at this table. It was already difficult for me to have to be in the same room as them, but for them to have to treat me as some kind of equal was beyond the pale.
“And I’m Martin Mark Anthony, son of James and Nina Anthony. Resident healer, dragon Merkin-haver, and all-around badass,” Martin said, creating a new colorful way to introduce himself. “Present.”
King Atlus sent Martin a short but effective glare, a comment on his disrespect before speaking.
“King Atlus Mason, son of Eleanor and Pollet Mason. King of Insomier. Present,” Atlus said. “Let this meeting commence. I would like to begin with a new development about the corruption that was discovered this morning.”
Immediately, the room buzzed with anticipation. Everyone knew better than to have side conversations at meetings as important as this. Nevertheless, the electricity of nerves crackled in the air. I could see the sweat break out on Mister Moorly’s forehead, which he dabbed at with a royal blue handkerchief. Madame Vike paused the scribbling with her quill and pressed it so hard against the parchment that it bled a black dot onto the page.
“It is with a heavy heart that I announce to you all that the corruption has reached the court.” King Atlus held his head high, as if his sheer will could dampen the inevitable panic this new would bring.
Sure enough, the exclamations and reactions burst like a series of firecrackers. Madame Ella rose to her feet and began to jabber incoherently. Mister Gayong combed his hands through his hair worriedly. Madame Poulis closed her eyes and took meditative breaths. The only one who did not openly react was Madame Michell, who continued to be in her dream-like state. She never seemed to know what was going on around her.
