As the Fire Rises

Chapter Eleven: Dragonchess

Diana tried to remember how many steps, turns, and corners they had taken from the burning hospital but the blindfold and the prattling of her brother made it impossible to keep track, she knew the door to the "safe house" was metal and perhaps underground from the amount of steps they descended once entering. She felt her father's hands remove the fabric from her eyes. "Was that truly necessary?" She blinked adjusting her eyes to the light, the room they stood in was cold, metal torch rungs on the wall gave light, and the floors were wooden and hard beneath her. 

"Yes, Diana. Perhaps with time but for now yes. You did just try to kill me." 

"You tried to kill Mom and she still trusted you." Astarion's mouth gapped open unable to find the right words. "I don't see the difference, but I understand Papa." 

Diana watched as her father left to an adjacent room, the muffled sound of a man's voice she only caught her grandfather's name. Her brother eyed her as he spoke with Wyll and a man who looked like an older version of him. The others were silent watching the door, Shadowheart soon left to join her father. 

"Diana, have you ever played Dragonchess?" The elderly man said, in the dim light his eyes were warm, he looked so much like Wyll yet there were parts of Wyll's face the parts that weren't from battles that she only could assume came from his mother. The man's face was longer, not as rounded as Wyll's, his jaw slightly sharper. "Ulder Ravenguard, Wyll's father." Diana smiled at the man as he sat across from her on the deep oak chair, he moved the candle stick to the far side of the small table and ushered Wyll to grab a small chest from one of the many shelves that lined the room. 

She watched as Wyll carried the gold and silver chest, it looked heavy in his arms, and he placed it on the floor beneath them, she craned her head watching Wyll as he removed the lid and with both hands pulled a three-tiered metal and class checkered unit. Ulder smiled at Aelius, "Pull up a chair boy." Aelius listened. Wyll placed the game on the table, the top layer was checked blue and white and the sculpted top of the posts looked like pointed towers with birds and sylphs roosting on the tops. The middle layer was checkered green and amber the post with a unicorn, an elven woman nude, a man adorned in full armor, and an androgynous-looking healer of some sort, she wondered if it was a cleric and who for. The third layer was checkered a deep red and brown, the bottom of the metal posts were littered with sculpted bones, skeletons reached across to each other. 

Wyll placed two velvet pouches on the table on each side of the game, Ulder smiled warmly at his son, Diana could sense the pain behind the smile, "Now there are forty-two pieces on each side of the board," Aelius' green eyes widened. Ulder let out a laugh and clutched his side, "Don't let that get in the way, on the uppermost board there are six sylphs they can move one step diagonally forward without capturing another piece or forward one step to capture the other's piece. The sylphs can also move directly below it sweeping down and removing the piece below." Ulder explained each piece as he showed them to Aelius and Diana thoroughly. The two listened intently taking in each word. 

Hours passed as he taught them each piece with patience, the others joined in learning or giving tips to the teens as they intently learned. "Do you think Poppy ever played Dragonchess?" Diana felt a pain remembering the old dwarf. 

"If he hasn't I'm sure you can teach him, he'd give anything to be here with us." Wyll grabbed Diana's shoulder gently squeezing it. 

"Then why didn't he." 

Gale spoke up "Your Poppy isn't a spring chicken like myself, plus he has a lot to take care of but he did promise when we all get back he will have a celebration worth returning to." 

Aelius eyed his sister, "That is if she doesn't kill us all first." 

Diana felt tears form in her eyes, "Aelius." 

"No, Diana I don't know what you're up to but no matter how many games are played or how much time passes I know you. You're up to something, how dare you even speak about Poppy or look anyone in the eyes. I will never trust you."