Ruin Mist Chronicles Bundle

by Robert Stanek

  The stairs creaked and moaned under Edward’s weight as the two slowly descended to the first floor. The large open room below was pleasantly lit with candles hung from the ceiling in raised candelabra. On the center table, in a room filled with tables and chairs, was a large wooden board with small, hand-hewn squares etched into its surface and a number of tiny wooden playing pieces strewn haplessly about.

  Edward ushered Vilmos into one of the chairs and turned the board to face them properly. “So you’ve never played before?” asked Edward checking Vilmos’ eyes for honesty. Vilmos shook his head. “Well, I’m going to teach you, so listen closely.”

  Vilmos leaned forward.

  “Look carefully at the board. You will see it is seven columns wide and nine rows deep. There are… Hold on just a moment, I forgot something.” Edward rose from the table, a slow and careful feat. He poured a draught from a large wooden keg, setting a frothy mug onto the counter momentarily as he tapped a second keg. He then filled a second mug and handed this to Vilmos. A healthy swig left thick foam around the innkeeper’s lips, which when clean-licked roused a smile. “Go ahead try it! I just can’t play without drink—and neither should you!”

  Vilmos sniffed at the liquid in the mug. It had an unpleasantly strong odor. He raised the cup to his lips and stuck his tongue in for a taste. To his surprise, the drink held a sweet, tantalizing taste, somewhat like honey. “It’s good!” he exclaimed.

  “Why, of course it is,” said Edward. “Now listen closely to what I have to say… Where was I now?” Edward scratched at the thick scales on his forehead. “… Oh, yes. The board has seven raised areas. Five are in its center. These form an ‘X’. The remaining two are in the center of the last row on each end.”

  Edward began to organize the pieces. He told Vilmos to put his king—the white king—on the board. The white king had an oversized, jeweled crown on its head and a sheathed sword in its right hand. As Vilmos did this, Edward placed his king—the black king—on the board. The black king wore a dark cape with a circlet of gold for a crown, and held a scepter in its left hand.

  The next piece was a knight with a sword raised high into the air. This piece was the swordmaster and one occupied a square on either side of the king. Placed beside the swordmaster on the left was a priest and on the right a priestess. The priests held a long bone in their left hand and their right hand turned palm up contained three round pebbles. The priestesses held a ring of flowers.

  As if bookends, two pieces representing Lore Keepers went into the end spaces of the last row. The Lore Keepers bore a great book before them as if it was a weapon—and there was no question in Vilmos’ mind that the book was indeed a weapon in the right hands. He had seen his father, the village counselor, use the book to solve many issues—even heated disputes.

  On the next row Edward put five figures. “Fools,” he whispered to Vilmos, as he placed the figures on the board in the first, second, forth, sixth and seventh columns, leaving an empty space in front of the swordmasters and explaining this by saying, “Swordmasters need extra space to maneuver, and fools understand this.”

  Intrigued by the game he had seen old men labor over for long hours, though they had never offered to show him how to play, Vilmos listened to Edward’s every word intently. He paused only to drink as Edward did.

  Finishing off his mug, Edward went to pour himself another, deciding after he had already filled it to pull the entire keg over next to him so that it would be within arm’s reach. He also filled Vilmos’ half-empty mug before he sat back down.

  “Drink up Vilmos! It’s good for you,” said Edward laughing. “Are you ready to begin?”

  Vilmos raised the mug to his lips and smiled, indicating a yes.

  Edward continued, “All the pieces move differently. It is easiest to remember the moves this way… The king can only move one space at a time but in any direction. The swordmasters may move any number of spaces but must always be adjacent to the king. They revolve around him and rotate around his moves, moving always in direct lines. One must always be in a square touching the king, and the other may be adjacent to the king or the other swordmaster. So you see it is fairly tricky to move these three pieces around the board, particularly as you can only move one piece per turn. So you have to really plan your moves. Are you following me or did I lose you?”

  Vilmos shrugged. He understood, somewhat. He would wait to play the game and hope he moved correctly.

  As Edward wanted to clarify this point anyway, he went through a few practice moves with the black king and his swordmasters. He moved the left swordmaster forward one square, indicating that it was still adjacent to the black king, and then he moved the right swordmaster diagonally two squares until it rested before the other swordmaster. Edward indicated why this was a valid move. He then moved the king forward one square. He followed through a number of these simple maneuvers until it seemed Vilmos caught on.

  “The priest and priestess move diagonally,” Edward said, “in one direction only, any number of spaces on a given turn. Similarly, the keepers may move vertically or horizontally any number of spaces. The fools can only move one space at a time, either forward or backward. That’s how they move…

  “Now you must just remember this one last, very important rule. Only the king or the swordmasters may pass through the raised squares or stop on them…”

  Vilmos watched as Edward pointed out the locations of the seven raised squares again.

  “With one exception— if the king occupies the center raised square, any of the pieces of his color may cross the raised squares, but only for as long as he remains on that space.” Edward stopped to take a heavy swig.

  “You capture the pieces according to the direction that the piece you are using moves. Except for the fool, the fool only takes pieces that are diagonal to it. That is why he is called the fool, for he is the only piece that captures other pieces opposite from the way that he moves. The king cannot be captured until both his swordmasters are taken from him… So you must take the swordmasters first in order to capture the king and win… Do you understand?”

  Vilmos thought about what Edward said, confused. In his mind, he moved the pieces around the board. He understood that part of the game, but not how to capture another person’s piece. “But how can you capture the king and win if you have to take the swordmasters first?”

  “Through sacrifice, Vilmos… Nothing good is gained without sacrifice.”

  All the pieces in place now, the game progressed, with Edward observing the defense while Vilmos gradually learned the intricacies. Vilmos was enjoying spending the evening in Edward’s company. Edward’s honest, open, goodhearted spirit was exactly what Vilmos needed to fill the empty spaces of his mind and heart.

  After a short period of moving the pieces back and forth, neither gaining nor losing ground, Edward switched to an offensive posture, and with great precision, not losing a piece, he stripped Vilmos of his five fools.

  Amazed at how suddenly his pieces had been captured and taken away, for he thought he had been careful, Vilmos became inspired by the strategy involved in maneuvering the pieces. Before, he had been reluctant to attack, yet after Edward’s wave, Vilmos was left with no other choice.

  Seeking to recoup some of the losses, he ended up sacrificing his pieces instead. In an amazingly short time he was down to only three pieces: a single swordmaster, a priestess and his white king. A few moves later and the game was over. Edward’s boisterous laughter filled the small inn, echoing long along its halls and through its many empty chambers.

  “Again?” asked Vilmos.

  Edward took a long swig from his mug. “Again indeed!”

  As Edward began to reset the board, Vilmos followed. “They are symbols, aren’t they?” Vilmos asked. “I mean each piece represents something. Right?”

  “More than that, I’m afraid.” Edward winked at Vilmos. “The history of King’s Mate is as long as time itself, or at least that is what I was
told as a boy. I think that you’ll understand it all one day—no, I’m sure you will.”

  Vilmos was quiet for a time as he placed the remaining pieces on the board. The white king he positioned last—and it was the one piece that intrigued him the most. The crown was too big for the king’s head, and while the other king held a weapon—the scepter had a blade at either tip—the white king’s weapon was sheathed and his hands were empty.

  “First move is yours,” said Edward. “When you are ready, of course.”

  Play began when Vilmos moved one of his fools, but Vilmos’ thoughts were less on the game and more on other matters. “You brought me here. Didn’t you, Edward?”

  “I did. Would you rather I left you to the Followers? They’d not be showing you kindness right about now, I assure you. This realm is not yours—and you should be wary of everything you encounter in it.”

  “Even you, Edward?” Vilmos looked up from the board.

  “Especially me,” said Edward as he captured one of Vilmos’ fools.

  “I thought you were my friend. Do you know the shaman, Xith?”

  “I do.”

  “And?” Edward took a deep swig from his mug and then made his next move but didn’t answer. “And?” repeated Vilmos.

  “I’ll tell you one thing Vilmos, and you remember this clearly—and you remember that I’m the one who told you.” Edward sucked at the air nervously, emptied his mug in one great gulp. “You have no friends in this realm or any other—nor will you ever have any true friends. Those you count as friends will all betray you.”

  Vilmos blinked several times to be sure he was sitting with the same gentle giant that he had come to know in these past few hours. He found darkness and bitterness in Edward’s words but strangely he wasn’t upset or frightened by them. “Your truth?” asked Vilmos.

  “It is my truth.” Edward filled his mug and said nothing further.

  Vilmos turned his attention to the game as well.

  The two played late into the evening, with Vilmos losing many games and winning none. Eventually his skills and strategies improved though. By the evening’s end he was providing ample challenge for the astute master of King’s Mate.

  Chapter Thirteen:

  The High Council

  “She is really quite remarkable,” said Jacob. “This is the first time I really got to talk with her.”

  “Yes she is,” said Adrina. “Who is that with her?”

  “Father Francis. He is here for the council session. He wanted to help out.”

  Knowing the other’s nature Adrina said, “More like he couldn’t wait to see our guests.”

  Jacob smiled and nodded. The two talked for a time, turning from conversation about Seth and Galan to various other subjects, chief of which was the council meeting tomorrow. Adrina was attempting to wedge herself into a seat, and as she talked to Jacob she thought of ways to convince her father. She didn’t want to miss anything that went on within those walls, and if she had it her way, she wouldn’t.

  Eventually Father Francis joined them in the hall. Adrina didn’t know much about Francis, only what she had heard from others. She hated to pre-judge someone, but his reputation preceded him. He did appear to be as inquisitive as she had heard, but other than that, she couldn’t confirm the other things. He seemed conservative and knowledgeable. Perhaps that was the reason Jacob had chosen Francis to accompany him today.

  The three talked at length. Father Francis was curious about every detail Adrina could give him about Seth and Galan. He pondered her every word and she marveled at his great consideration. By the time the two priests departed, she had a totally different opinion of the pious Father Francis.

  Adrina? came the whisper into her mind, the voice was pleasant and feminine. Before she realized whose voice it was, Adrina looked about the vacant hall. Princess Adrina, are you listening?

  “Yes,” said Adrina in kind with a whisper, although it was aloud and not a thought. “Can you hear me? I thought you were sleeping.”

  Not really. Come into the room. The door swung eerily open at Adrina’s touch. Galan had been trying to sleep but many thoughts clouded her mind. Images of all sorts, pleasant and unpleasant. I heard your voice from the hall. Have you been here long?

  “What is your home like?” asked Adrina, a thought she had considered but until now had been afraid to ask.

  Galan answered with, It is hard to explain. I do not know what to compare it with. I have not seen your world, your… Galan borrowed the word from Adrina’s mind. Great Kingdom is unknown to me for the most part. I know only what I’ve seen in the south and now here in Imtal.

  Adrina frowned. She had hoped to learn more about the elves, anything at all would have helped—this frustration readily filtered to Galan. Adrina had given her and Seth so much. Galan wanted to repay that debt in part, a token of some sort.

  “Tomorrow at noon, the council will meet,” said Adrina. “They wish you and Seth to attend. Do you think you will be able?”

  Don’t worry so, Princess Adrina. This is the reason we came across the great sea. We must speak before your council. It is what we were destined to do. You can prolong fate only so long, replied Galan, reading Adrina’s innermost concerns. She almost asked Adrina about Seth, but she could feel his presence nearby now. Thoughts of Seth made her happy and she thought of home. In her mind she saw Queen Mother, the palace, and the beauty of her homeland. An idea came to her, she knew how to let Adrina see her world. Adrina, she began. I have an idea… I want you to relax and open your mind to me. I want to show you something…

  Adrina didn’t quite understand what Galan meant, but she did relax, and eventually Galan coaxed her into opening her mind. With warm, gentle feelings, Galan stroked Adrina’s mind.

  A warm breeze tantalized her skin and a picture began to form before her closed lids, fuzzy at first, then clearing. An enormous palace loomed in the window of her mind. She stood at its foot.

  Beautiful, spiraling towers reached up into the heavens. She could reach out and touch them. Peace and happiness flowed and overwhelmed her. She was free, happy.

  Abruptly the image blanked, the flow of emotions ebbed. “What’s wrong?” Adrina asked, bewildered, blinking her eyes at the seeming sudden brightness. “What’s wrong? Are you all right, you don’t look so good.”

  Nothing, nothing, whispered Galan through tired eyes. She was glad her simple picture had brought Adrina joy. I must rest a bit more, that’s all.

  Adrina watched Galan drift back to sleep, soon her own eyes became heavy. As eyelids melted into place Adrina followed Galan into the land of dreams. The face before her eyes was Seth’s, and it lay frozen in the window of her mind against a backdrop of spiraling towers.

  When the new day arrived, Adrina greeted it from Galan’s bedside. Galan awoke soon after. The two ate a light breakfast and afterward went to the bathing pool. “Galan, are you listening?” asked Adrina.

  They find it very strange when we speak with our minds. Their customs are very different from our own.

  I know, yet perhaps it is best if they think us different.

  Perhaps not…

  Adrina tilted her head back and dipped her long hair into the waters of the bathing pool. “Galan, what’s wrong? Did I do something?”

  Galan broke the link with Seth and focused on Adrina. While churning up the waters of the bathing pool, she said, It is nothing. I’m a little confused that’s all… Tell me more about this council of yours. What is it like?

  “The Great Council, the High Council, is made up of the ten wisest of the Kingdom. They are chosen for their skill at making decisions and positions—”

  Sounds very much like our own council in the Eastern Reaches, said Galan, reading the thoughts before Adrina could put them fully into words and not meaning to cut the princess off. The hot water seeped into her body, soothing and invigorating.

  All conversation ended as the two enjoyed the bath. Galan didn’t restore the link with Seth
, though he thrust thoughts into her mind two more times. Remembrance of the homeland that seemed so far away came to her, allowing her to think of little else.

  When they finished, they found a pair of silken dresses where their discarded gowns had been, put there by the invisible hands of attendants. The same invisible hands that busily dried the princess then fitted one of the dresses.

  I cannot wear such as this.

  “I have given it to you, it is yours,” said Adrina.

  “I am sorry,” began Galan, not realizing she spoke aloud. Her speech flowed with a broken pace, but other than that, it was Kingdom tongue with Kingdom accent—borrowed from Adrina’s mind. “In my homeland… one of my office cannot wear such as this. My robe of office is a subdued shade of red. I am only the second, Brother Seth is the first.”

  Seth cut in, You are not in your homeland, Brother Galan.

  “You must take it, the tailors made it especially for you. It is for the council meeting. I won’t let you sit before our upper council in a house robe.”

  Seth, we are in a private conversation… Galan clipped the link forcefully, even though she had been the one to re-establish it.

  You’re still angry about our earlier conversation. Forget it, you owe me nothing. Nothing, remember that… We shall sit before the council and you are to do as told, threw in Seth, just before the link broke.

  Adrina slipped the dress around Galan’s shoulders before any further objections could be offered. The fit was perfect. Cool silk against her skin sent tingles through her body. She had never before worn silk.

  “It is truly beautiful,” she whispered, “Thank you!”

  The time for relaxation and reflection over, the two hurriedly found Seth. Within minutes, Seth, Galan and Adrina waited in the antechamber of the council hall. Adrina assured them the wait would only be a few minutes. Seth’s mind flowed fluidly in and out of conscious thought while Adrina and Galan talked. He remembered sitting in the antechamber of another hall, far away.