A Game of Cards

Chapter XI: Onyx Ying

The Celebrations of Harmony was one of the major festivals in Clovers, celebrating all the years of peace that had been brought upon the nation in the past. It was also only celebrated in Clovers, even though the eleven-day holiday was for all the students in Magislight, which was why I ended up back in Spades, sitting in a corner back at home reading with nothing better to do.

The home Cozbi and I shared was called the Raven's Manor, where all the grand commanding generals of Spades had resided in the past. It was a traditional Spadian mansion structure created out of polished black stones and white marble, with old ivy plants climbing up the walls, and of course, the mansion's signature raven birds circling the skies overhead, forever sensing the death that this place reeked of. It was place only a few trees away from the Spade Palace, home to the Spadian royals, and just outside the Spadian military base in Chengdi City. The manor was surrounded by a town of nobles, many high-ranking lords and ladies choosing to live close to the palace. Despite technically "living" in the manor, most of it was less of a personal residence and more of a meeting place for the High General's Council's meetings. The east wing was the sleeping and dining quarters, and it was the only part of the mansion completely banned to visitors. My personal favorite place in the manor was the courtyard. The open air was great for both reading and training, an environment free of revolting insects with enough shade to shield from the blazing Spadian sun. Cozbi could also usually be found there, as she thought the thick-leaved trees in the courtyard amusing to climb. Unfortunately for me, Cozbi was here now. Just as I thought I could take a few moments of peace to finish my novel, she had suddenly darted after me and swung from the trees overhead, creating a disturbance to the natural peace.

Fighting to keep the scowl off my face, I sat down on my usual spot on the stone bench by the koi pond. Before I could even register the first sentence of my book, Cozbi's face popped in front of me, dangling from a branch upside-down, grinning like the idiot she was.

"I'm seconds away from snapping that branch you're hanging from now," I grumbled, pushing her head to the side.

"Aww, you wouldn't do that, Sister," Cozbi taunted with a high-pitched giggle. "You can't have an idiot for a sibling, much less one that represents your face in public events."

"You're stupid enough as you are. I could hit you on the head with a brick and it wouldn't make a difference."

My sister put her hands on her heart in mock hurt. With a final swing, she flipped backwards and landed on her feet in front of me, taking a bow graceful as a ballerina's.

"Thou wound me, cruel woman." She sighed dramatically, stumbling to the stone bench in a fainting motion.

Before I could respond, the bulking figure of my brother Dane barged into the courtyard, just in time to see Cozbi mid-act, a ridiculous dead-eyed expression on her face. His laughter was so loud it echoed for miles around. Cozbi turned red-faced and charged towards Dane, making them both stumble, starting a raging grappling match on the grass. I watched on, amused, and before I knew it, I also started laughing with them.

After minutes of wrestling on the ground, my siblings finally picked themselves up, dusting their grass-stained clothing, now bruised and sweaty.

"Hey Lil' Sis!" Dane called, barreling my direction with an arm slung around Cozbi's shoulder to ruffle my hair. "You guys want to have lunch together in the Gushan Forest? I saw a lot more than I bargained for, but my offer still stands."

Cozbi elbowed him in the ribs.

"I hate the outdoors," I grumbled, sighing.

"We know," said Dane and Cozbi simultaneously. All three of us let out a chortle, and then headed inside to grab some food and a picnic blanket.