Page 24

24

CHARLIE

I t was afternoon, and I’d spent the day locked in my tower room, waiting for Essa to come and thinking of the flight we’d shared the night before. Rohree the sprite had come and brought breakfast and lunch, but she’d shared no news about when the princess might come—either to train or to tour me around the city.

And so, I found ways to pass the time. In the morning, knights were training in the courtyard below and I studied them, taking more notes on their combat techniques. I read my book on the twelve types of dragons and took notes on those, too. When I grew tired of that, I did some push-ups and squats. As afternoon shifted toward evening, I was so eager to get out that when a knock came at the door, I nearly ran to answer it. But instead of Essa, I found Ollie there, holding a bottle in his hand and wooden box under one arm.

“May I?” he asked and I stepped aside, letting him enter.

He set the box on the table and set about uncorking the bottle.

“I promised to teach you Torzame,” he said. “I thought you might like some entertainment.”

“Where’s Essa?” I asked, startled and a little embarrassed by the eagerness in my voice.

But if the Torouman noticed, he didn’t let on. “Busy. Laynine called a mandatory training for all Skrathan today. Come, sit.”

He poured us two glasses of jinjin and set about explaining Torzame.

At a glance, it looked quite a bit like the chess game I was familiar with, except the board was triangular and there was a set of red pieces in addition to the black and white ones. And along with the normal king, queen, pawns, knights, rooks and bishops, each side also had four winged pieces which, of course, represented dragons.

“Torzame the sacred game of the Torouman,” Ollie explained. “They start us off playing it at six years old, and we play at least one game daily even as adults.”

“So, my odds of beating you are slim,” I said.

He laughed. “Perhaps. But it is a game every person should learn. And there is no way for you to understand the politics of Maethalia without understanding Torzame.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, sipping my drink.

“Torouman are the chief advisors to the royals. Torzame is critical to our philosophy and our worldview, which, in turn, informs our advice to those we serve.”

“The queen and Essa…” I finished, and Ollie nodded. “What about Paemalla? She must’ve had a Torouman. And the other brothers and sisters Essa had who’ve also died as riders…”

“They all had Torouman,” Ollie agreed. “Paemalla’s has returned to the Torouman temple and headquarters at Empra for a time of mourning. The others live simple lives here in the city serving as scholars and advisors. Once a Torouman’s royal has died, their time of direct service to the crown ends. Now, let me explain the game.”

As I’d expected, the game play did resemble chess, with the addition that after their own turn, each player also got the chance to move one of the red pieces. The result was a game that felt far more chaotic and unpredictable than a normal game of chess—and I wasn’t much of a chess player anyway. Ollie beat me in short order, and I downed the rest of the drink and reset my pieces to play again.

I was bad at Torzame, that much was clear. But as we continued to play, I noticed the red pieces added a dimension that helped me think in a more complex way, and I began to understand why the Torouman valued the game.

“Triangulation is one of the Torouman’s core principles,” Ollie explained. “Most people think in simple terms. Black and white. Good and evil. Right and wrong. Me and my enemy. But the Torouman always seeks the third path. The third thought. The third power. One analogy we use is a person trying to smash their way through a stone wall. Push as hard as you can, you still can’t break through. But…”

“The Torouman would climb over,” I surmised.

Ollie smiled. “Or use a ladder. Or hire someone to build a door. Or ask whoever was on the other side to toss over whatever it is we wanted. Or get a dragon to break the wall for us…”

“Ruthless cunning,” I said.

Ollie raised his glass. “We prefer to call it wisdom.”

“And what game are you playing by coming to visit me?” I asked.

He picked up a piece, considering it. “No game. I’m just trying to figure out what sort of piece you are. A pawn… or a dragon.”

He suddenly tossed the piece at my face—hard—and I caught it. It was one of the winged ones, I saw. A dragon.

“You have fast reflexes for a scribe,” he observed, then downed the rest of the drink and stood. “Keep the board and the bottle. I’ll come and play with you again when my schedule allows.”

“I appreciate it,” I said. “It can get a bit dull in here. Do you have any idea when Essa?—?”

“If I were to guess, I imagine she’ll visit this evening. I think she may have taken a shine to you.”

“And how do you feel about that?” I asked.

Ollie’s eyebrows went up.

“You’ve been her companion since childhood. You’re sworn to protect her.” I shrugged. “You must have some feelings toward her?”

The Torouman smiled. “See, the game is already working. It is very Torouman to ask how I feel about you growing closer to Essa. First off, I am a eunuch. I have no romantic feelings for Essa—or anyone. Second, I like you. And I want Essa to be happy between now and the end of the challenge. My concern is not for her, reporter, but for you.”

“For me?”

He turned to gaze thoughtfully out the window. “Another Torouman concept is the scales.” He held out both hands palms up. “On one side is your value if kept alive—namely the article you may write. On the other side is the danger you pose as an enemy in our midst. You must make sure people see your scale balancing correctly.”

“So… the queen has to like me.”

“Not just the queen,” Ollie said. “The nobles. The Gray Brothers. The Skrathan. Even the Torouman. A court is not a game of chess, Admite. It is a game of Torzame. Triangles are everywhere. And it can be deadly.”