She demanded that they open it for her.
One of them took pity on her. “The commandant now has authority over the palace gate in states of emergency.”
“What?” Roa frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means we can’t take orders from the king or queen. Only the commandant.”
Had Dax done this? Handed over complete control to Safire?
Fool.
Turning on her heel, she marched straight to the king’s quarters.
Before
Roa’s opponent slid his carved ivory skyweaver across the checkered board. He’d only just lifted his fingers from the piece when Roa took it with her corrupted spirit, sighing roughly.
“Do you have to be so obvious?”
The eleven-year-old son of the king looked up.
“How am I being obvious?”
“You bring out your skyweaver first. You use her to do all your capturing. You obviously favor her.”
“And that’s a bad thing?”
“Yes.”
“Can you explain?”
Roa breathed in through her nose, then out again. How she was going to get through two whole months with this fool of a boy, she had no idea. But her father had instilled in her the importance of teaching a weaker opponent how to improve. Because a better opponent made for a greater challenge.
Never settle for easy,he would say.Always choose the challenge.
So Roa said to the boy across from her: “The moment I realize what your favorite piece is, she becomes your weakness.”
Dax stared at her for a moment, considering this, then looked down to his ivory skyweaver.
“So, what should I do?”
“Create decoys.” She touched hers to show him: the corrupted spirit, then the dragon. “Try not to favor any one piece. But if you must, don’t let your opponent know which one it is.”
“Because as soon as she knows my weakness, she knows how to beat me?”
Finally,thought Roa.Progress.
“Never reveal yourself.” She slid her dragon across the chiseled stone board. Carved of polished ebony, it gleamed like a starless night. “It’s the second rule of gods and monsters.” She looked up at him. “Do you remember the first?”
He moved his piece across the board. When he planted it, he leaned back and said, “Pay attention.”
“Yes!” Roa smiled. “Very good.”
“No,” said Dax, tapping her wrist twice. “I mean: pay attention, I’m about to win the game.”
Roa frowned.
That couldn’t be right.
