Apprentice

Chapter 2: Checkmate

Tia's POV

"So you're missing your ex master are you?" he sneers, almost taunting me. I stay silent. The last thing I wanted to do right now was talk to him. My voice was sure to infuriate him further. "Well, tough luck. You're my apprentice now, so be grateful about it." he snaps, gesturing at the wooden table behind me with a flick of his hand.

"I am si-I mean Ridge, it's an honour" I say sincerely, turning round sharply to pick up the bottle of champagne from the gold tray, popping open the top and pouring it into a wine glass with a clink. I can hear him slumping into his black leather chair behind me, behind his giant dark wood desk. His clothes, this room, his entire mansion exaggerated the amount of wealth and power he had. Taking the bottle with me knowing he will want a refill, I lift the glass delicately in my hand, and take it over to him.

He accepts it quickly, no contact with our hands. He downs it in one, and slams it on the desk in front of me. Quickly, I refill it. I was impeccably grateful that all I got was a tell-off. I was expecting to be beaten or tortured, both of which were situations I had never been in but he had threatened to put me in if I ever put a foot out of line. And I had seen the torture chambers in the basement of his mansion, the sound proof walls stained with dried blood, and made so no one would hear you scream. And I knew he was deadly serious.

But this was, to my knowledge, the first time I had ever really made him angry. Maybe I was let off this time, maybe I was seeing the first little glimpses of the tiny shreds of mercy that he had in him.

"If you think you are being let off then you are mistaken. Unless you find a way to get out of the trouble you're in then you can expect a beating to come your way" his voice interrupts my thoughts. He could not read my mind, however he was incredibly observant.

Swallowing, I look around the room, looking for inspiration. "Well?" he snaps. He was looking at me now, his blue eyes boring into the side of my head as if he really could read my mind. And even with all the alcohol in his system, he wasn't drunk because for demigods it was very, very difficult to get drunk. He wasn't even mildly tipsy. 

The room we were in was his study room, the place where he could sit back and relax and watch the world through the giant one-way window. His mansion towered over Yogcast Island, and he could see everyone's forts, castles, houses, everything.

He could see all, and he was always watching.

I can see now that Lewis, barely visible from where I am standing, is greeting Hannah, his brown waistcoat flying into the air as he lifts his girlfriend and spins her in the air, both happy and in love, but both have pain in their eyes which I can sense even here. I turn away from the happy couple, knowing I was wasting precious seconds when my eyes fall upon something which makes a lightbulb ping in my head.

It's a chessboard, one that I had played many times before on with Ridge. It was when he was especially bored, and we had nothing to do that we would hold tournaments. It usually always went on for hours, and it was a 50-50 chance that either one of us would win.

We played other games too, like Voxelopoly, darts, and sometimes he would even bring the pool table and air hockey table out. He would aways win at air hockey and pool, his blue eyes precise on the ball in pool and his lightning fast reflexes and strong supernatural strength always proved unbeatable in air hockey. But as I gaze at the board, a cruel, evil plan pops up into my mind, and the evil parts of me that had been awoken when Ridge took me away were chuckling deviously.

Ridge had seen the way my expression had changed, so he waited patiently, and after a while I turn to him and say quietly, "I've thought of a game we could play."

As I explained my idea, he went from a curious tilt of his head, smirking a little, to a grin breaking out onto his face, and when I gave an example, he burst into an evil manical laughter. "My, my, my! Aren't you just full of ideas? Good ones too! I should be coming to you more often" he grins after he has stopped laughing.

I stay quiet, but a proud smile has found its way onto my face. He grins back, leaning forward to pull me forward. I blink as he gives me a very quick, rare hug.

"I'm guessing I am forgiven then?" i mumble, still shocked by the sudden display of affection, and as much as I hate to admit, trying to stop the red flush of my cheeks.

"Of course" he winks. 

Relief drags me down, but guilt soon replaces it as I think about what I have just proposed.

The game was simple. Ridge and I would play three games of chess. The one who wins the most out of those three games would be declared the winner. But there was an evil twist. The chess game we played would be in a place floating above a giant chessboard, and the chess pieces would be swapped for members of the Yogscast. When one character, for example Zoey, a crazy red headed apprentice of magic, was moved forward, and another character, such as Rythian, who was Zoey's master, and was a mage who obviously had strong feeling for his apprentice, was moved forward to take it off the board...Rythian would be forced to kill Zoey with whatever weapon we supplied him with. 

It was heartless, cruel and would scar them all forever. However, it was exactly the reaction Ridgedog wanted to take out of the games, and this satisfied his demands. "I believe I may have underestimated you, my dear" he smirks, pouring himself out another drink of champagne. "I thought you would be slow to catch on to what i want, but it seems you found it out quicker than I gave credit for. Well done" he says proudly, suddenly standing up.

I brace myself for another hug, but he simply nods at me, downing the rest of the drink down, putting it down on the table, before stretching and yawning. "You can have a day off tomorrow" he says finally, before leaving the room. 

Pausing, I snatch one last glance outside of the window. Watching happy couples be reunited after the terror of the games caused them to be separated in cruel ways. Watching Rythian and Zoey embrace, Rythian's relieved smile hidden by the purple mask covering his mouth. Teep, their dinosaur, ran towards them too, hugging them.

Lewis and Hannah were still hugging, kissing and muttering probably mushy love things into each other's ears. Sips and Sjin grin at each other shakily, before their grins fade, and they walk away, hand in hand. Simon intervenes in Lewis and Hannah's embrace, bellowing at the top of his voice and wrapping his arms around the two, lifting them up, making both of them laugh. The rest of them were greeting each other with a scared smile, some still jumping at noises in the woods or behind them.

These were the effects of the games. They left you scarred, they left you tortured inside. I could still see Rythian glaring a cold stare at Sips who had killed Zoey in the previous games after hanging her from a roof. Sips glared defiantly back, provoking the dangerous mage further, causing him to teleport to him, red katar already out. Everyone ran to them, breaking them apart. I let out a heavy sigh, knowing everyone was going to hate me when they realized they knew it was me.

And there was Duncan, yelling at everyone, waving his arms around, trying to grab attention. They all stopped, listening to him. He pointed at Ridgedog's mansion, and I stiffen. There was a sudden click, and the glass suddenly becomes transparent to their eyes as everyone turns to look up at the window.

Ridgedog, I realize too late. I stare down at them all as they all gaze back. I swallow, and then catch sight of myself in the reflection. My eyes are glowing in the candlelight, and my black clothes don't help either. I slowly begin to back away from the daunting reflection in the glass and I didn't have time to react before a gloved hand shot to my mouth.

"You will make a fine Quartgod" Ridgedog's voice purrs in my ear. I try to desperately shake free. Everyone can still see me from the glass, and some are beginning to stumble forward, bursting into action at the sight of me trapped in Ridgedog's firm grip. I can already smell the sleeping powder on the glove, my eyes drooping. My legs fail to work, and I slump forward, head leaning forwards with me. My eyes shut and I try to fight it, but the darkness is blinding my vision. The last thing I hear before I black out is Ridgedog's voice.

"Checkmate"