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‘You can’t have two kings.’
‘In chess, you can.’
‘There’s only ever one king. The most powerful person in the land.’
‘Not in this game,’ Elissa tells him. She draws out another piece and holds it up to the light. ‘Inthisgame, the most powerful person is the queen.’
VI
For the next hour, she talks through the game’s basic principles. She teaches Elijah about the six individual pieces, explaining how they move and where they’re all set up. That last bit is challenging without a board to aid her, but Elijah’s a quick learner; she tests him often and he remembers everything. Elissa grows so focused on her task that,for a while, everything else recedes. She is the teacher and he is the student, and that isallthey are. And then she moves her right hand and the chain clatters across the floor; the fantasy evaporates and the entire sick nightmare floods back.
‘How does the knight move?’ she asks, blinking through her tears.
‘Side-forward-forward, or forward-forward-side.’
‘The bishop?’
‘Diagonally, any direction, as far as it likes.’
‘Pawn?’
‘One step forward, except the first time, which can be two steps, unless it’s taking a piece, which it does diagonally.’
‘Except …’
‘En passant.’
‘Top marks.’
She hears from his tone that he’s grinning. ‘I never heard of anything as cool as this.’
‘Welcome to the best game in the world.’
She can’t see his eyes, but she bets they’re shining. His breathing has accelerated too. All this excitement, and he hasn’t even tried the real thing.
Elijah says, ‘I can’t wait to play a game.’
Hook, line and sinker.
With a rueful smile, she closes the drawstring bag. ‘I’m sure, one day, you’ll get the chance.’
Elissafeelsthe atmosphere change – something different in the quality of the silence. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asks.
Her voice is a touch too silky. She hopes she still sounds sincere.
‘What’s the point of teaching me all this if you’ve no intention of playing with me?’ Elijah demands.
‘You want a game withme?’
‘OfcourseI want a game with you! Otherwise … who the hell else am I going to play with?’
‘I just thought you wanted to know the rules.’
‘No! Where’s the fun in that? What’s thepointof that? I don’t want to just learn about it. I want toplay. Wehaveto play.’
‘We?’
‘You and me. Brother and sister.’