A Crucible of Souls (Book One of the Sorcery Ascendant Sequence) (35 page)

The bet lingered in the smoky air until a woman opposite them piped up.
“
Done. Witnessed?
”
All turned to the attendant, who nodded at both the woman and the man that had announced the original wager.

Caldan frowned.
“
Doesn’t that distract the players?
”

“
Part of the game, my friend. Playing under added pressure. Of course, when the betting gets frantic towards the end of some of the better matches, the players can be put off.
”
He shrugged.
“
That’s the way it is.
”

This was all new to Caldan, so he withheld comment. Friendly banter between players and people looking on he was used to, but knowing people were betting on you, and how much, would be unnerving.

Play continued, and Lord Schalk, the man they stood behind, did slightly better, winning back a few points. He would go into the third phase behind by a fair margin, and it would take a canny player to claw his way ahead.

Izak leaned close to Caldan.
“
I can tell you, though, Schalk here is a fine player, and although he’s behind, it is knowledge of the board that separates out the great players.
”

“
I agree. We’ll see what happens next.
”

For Lord Schalk, the third phase went well at first, considering the disadvantage he started with. His opponent played cautiously, too cautiously in Caldan’s opinion, and allowed Schalk some leeway to consolidate his positions. Then, as if realizing his mistake, he made a series of moves that pushed at Schalk’s pieces, feigning an attack on multiple fronts, which drew a response, then broke through at a weakness created. Schalk scrambled to defend.

“
Ah… I think Lord Schalk’s game has been lost,
”
said Izak softly to Caldan.

By now the crowd around the board had swelled considerably. A number of people made wagers, shouting over the heads of the players and confirming with the attendant.

But to Caldan, the board didn’t look right. Something niggled at the back of his mind — a few of Schalk’s pieces left behind, seemingly neglected when his others were forced backwards to defend. After a few moments, Caldan nodded to himself. He recognized the scrambling defense and subsequent attack coming. Detailed in the
Morals of Dominion
, in a chapter on whether someone at such a disadvantage in the game was entitled to a victory, and how victory could be achieved.

“
Five silver ducats for Powell to win against Lord Schalk,
”
announced Izak loudly from Caldan’s side, holding up a hand.

Caldan hissed between his teeth and grimaced.

“
What?
”
said Izak.
“
I know Schalk, and he couldn’t come back from this. It’s a safe bet.
”

Caldan pulled Izak’s arm down.
“
No, it’s not,
”
he said hastily.
“
Don’t bet against him. Either he is a better player than you think, or he’s been studying.
”

Izak eyed the board and pieces dubiously then stroked his goatee.
“
You think Schalk will win? Why do you say that?
”

“
It depends on what he knows, but I’ve read about this strategy before.
”

“
You read about it? Are you sure?
”
asked Izak with a penetrating stare.

“
I am. Here.
”
He reached into his purse, drew out a silver ducat of his own and passed it to Izak.
“
Wager this for me, on Schalk to win.
”

Izak frowned then nodded. He cleared his throat and raised his arm.

“
Ten silvers on Lord Schalk to win!
”
he boomed, and a few laughs greeted his announcement.

Lord Schalk paused to look behind him at Izak then returned to the game.

“
Keep your coins, Izak. We know you lost big the other night, and chasing down losses will only make things worse!
”
shouted a young nobleman.

Izak smiled and laughed.
“
Too scared, eh?
”
he returned.
“
How about twenty silvers? Is that enough to interest anyone?
”

Caldan winced. Twenty silver ducats was a large sum, and Izak, who he had only barely met, was trusting Caldan’s instincts against what looked like a certain loss. He felt his head start to ache. What if he was wrong, if Schalk lost to Powell? Izak would be out a considerable amount.

“
I’ll take that wager!
”
replied the young noble.
“
Witness please!
”

The attendant nodded at both men, mentally recording the wager. Izak raised his glass in a silent toast to the young noble, who grinned back. Heated conversations rose from around the table in the wake of the wager.

All of a sudden the air in the room felt thick and stifling. Caldan was sure he was right, but if he wasn’t he would lose a silver he could ill afford to, and probably make an enemy. He swallowed and his throat stuck together. He gulped the dregs of his cider, barely tasting the liquid.

“
You’d better be right,
”
Izak said over the din.

Caldan caught sight of Powell frowning at them.

Schalk motioned to the attendant and announced he would use all five of his extra moves at once. Earlier, his opponent had used three of his own.

Positions of his pieces were reversed, and some changed tiers on the board. Schalk used his moves to disrupt Powell’s forces and consolidate his own positions.

Caldan held his breath. This was the crucial point in Schalk’s borrowed strategy. The aim was to make your opponent panic and make rash decisions, leading to dubious moves. If they did, you had a chance. If they didn’t, then they still had the advantage after recovering and uniting their forces.

Powell leant forward in his seat, gaze shifting from the board to Schalk and back again. Caldan saw the moment panic set in. Powell licked his lips and motioned to use his last two extra moves. His forces were currently too scattered to take advantage; they would be wasted. He drew some of his pieces in to consolidate against an attack. A critical mistake.

From their vantage point, Caldan saw Schalk’s shoulders relax in relief. From there, the game progressed steadily in Schalk’s favor. His forces mopped up the territory left vacant and gained in power. With a few hard fought skirmishes here and there, he captured or turned Powell’s isolated pieces.

The game was won in short order.

Powell yielded when it was obvious to all he had lost. Schalk had come back from a seemingly impossible situation to victory.

Schalk’s friends and acquaintances crowded around him, congratulating him on a fine game. Powell stood and stared at the board, then with a short bow to Schalk left the table for the bar.

With barely concealed ill grace, the young nobleman who took Izak’s wager handed him a handful of silver coins and two to the attendant. Izak thanked him profusely. Much more than was polite, rubbing the loss in.

“
Heh! That’ll shut him up for a while,
”
said Izak with a pleased grin on his face. He threw back his drink and chewed on the cherry, spitting the stone into the glass.
“
An interesting start to the night, my new friend.
”
He handed Caldan three silver ducats, thought for a moment then handed him another.
“
With my thanks,
”
he said, brushing off Caldan’s protest.
“
After all, without meeting you, I would be down a few silvers rather than up so many. A fortuitous and prosperous meeting for us both.
”

“
Thank you. Still, I wasn’t sure Lord Schalk had that plan in mind.
”

“
Well, he did, and we both took advantage of your insight. Come.
”
He clapped Caldan on the shoulder.
“
Let’s refresh our drinks and watch another game.
”

They pushed through the crowd to the bar, and Izak hailed a waitress.
“
Another for myself, and get my new friend here whatever he likes as well.
”

Caldan hesitated. He needed a clear head, but after the stress of that last game he felt like a drink.
“
Um…
”

“
What’s wrong?
”
asked Izak.

“
I’ll probably be playing later, once I get a feel for the place, so something weak, if they have it?
”
He eyed the bottles dubiously.

“
A glass of the pear cider, then.
”
Izak motioned to the waitress.
“
It doesn’t have much of a kick, and you can drink it all night. Fruit, you see. It’s good for you.
”
He winked at Caldan.

Two glasses plonked onto the bar, and Izak handed the waitress some copper ducats with a broad grin, which she returned.

“
I should find out more about her,
”
Izak murmured softly, sipping at his drink.

Caldan thought he’d misheard him.
“
Pardon?
”
he said, leaning closer to hear him over the din.

“
Nothing. I’m feeling the effects of my drinks already. Pardon me.
”

Caldan nodded.
“
Certainly.
”
He craned his neck to see around the figures of a couple who blocked their view of a game in progress. It was a contest between two competent amateurs with a lot of suggestions from the surrounding crowd, something he hadn’t seen happening in the harder games.

He sipped his pear cider, finding it pleasantly tart and not at all strong.
“
I’m going to walk around, see if there are any interesting games going on.
”

“
Good idea,
”
replied Izak, glancing in the direction of the waitress who had served them drinks.
“
I’ll join you.
”
He drew out a perfumed handkerchief and wiped his face.

Caldan had to excuse himself a few times as he negotiated his way through groups of people chatting and drinking around Dominion boards, Izak in tow. He disregarded three disorganized games before his eyes alighted on a board set up to begin a game, with a slender, severe-looking lady sitting in one of the playing chairs.

She was dressed in plain dark pants and a shirt closed with mother-of-pearl buttons, hair tied back in an intricate tight braid. She lounged back on her chair, fingering an earring with one hand while holding a glass of wine in the other, pointedly ignoring a number of men standing around as if they expected a game to start anytime soon, despite the lack of an opponent.

She gazed at the board with a disinterested expression, wrinkled her nose then sipped her wine, grimacing at the taste.

“
I wouldn’t bother with her,
”
commented Izak.
“
She hasn’t lost a game for quite some time. The Lady Felicienne is quite adept at Dominion, as you would expect from someone in her position.
”

“
And what position would that be?
”

Izak stroked his goatee.
“
Her official title is Third Adjudicator, which in itself is fairly innocuous, a title which shows her place in the hierarchy. Her role is to run a department that deals in information.
”

Caldan thought quietly for a moment. This was interesting information and quite possibly something he could turn to his advantage.
“
So… spying?
”

“
Oh no, nothing as crass as that. I dare say if we knew who headed up the emperor’s spies we wouldn’t be around long.
”
Izak chuckled.
“
No, her department keeps its eyes and ears open, keeps its fingers on the pulse of what is happening around the empire, and with the guilds and other organizations.
”

Disappointed, Caldan frowned.
“
So, if, for example, I wanted to trace the origins of a
trinket
and where it was now, she could help?
”

Izak raised his eyebrows.
“
Oh, she could do that, and more. The empire tracks all
trinkets
and who owns them, so I’ve heard. If you wanted information that valuable, she would be one you could go to. Though I doubt you’d like the price she would ask, even if you could get her to agree to your request.
”