Kingdom Fall (Ethereal #1)

- Chapter 14 -

The King of Bets

Naajim

'Preposition? What type of preposition?' The sultan inquired.

'A bet I suppose,' replied the prince. 'If your highness wins, your highness will get the slaves, if I win I will get them.'

'But I paid for them.'

'Then in case I win I will compensate for the amount your highness spent.'

'That will be the same as buying them from me!'

'Then I will not compensate.'

The eyes of the Sultan twitched.

'How about this,' said Earic. 'If I win, I will take the slaves. Since your highness is my senior and the ruler of the land, I will give your highness something as interesting as these slaves. I hope it will be as interesting as them. If your highness wins, your highness will get the slaves and in turn for my arrogance, your highness can request anything from me.'

'Anything?'

Earic grinned uncomfortably. 'Anything. As long as it does not include my brother's throne or land and is not something impossible.'

'I hope he is planning to win,' Naajim muttered next to Gen.

'He will win,' Gen replied in a hoarse voice, but he still sounded rather doubtful.

Hearing anything, the Sultan's eyes gleaned. 'Very well! I like the sound of this bet. You are really entertaining, Prince Earic of Artaria. I have no interest in your kingdom. So there is nothing to fear about that. About what I want from you, well, we will settle it once I win.'

Earic somehow managed to keep grinning all throughout the conversation.

'What should we bet on?'

'A game.'

'Hmmm. What game?'

'Since this is your land, the games of your poeple with suffice.'

As the two royals conversed, the attendants and servants around them talked in hissed voices, excitied about the show they are about to witness. Naajim felt like a big prize wrapped up in silk. Tashara, remained calm as usual.

'He will win, right?'

Tashara nodded. Gen didn't seem nervous in the outside. But the Artatian guards were uncomfortable. They did not see the bet as a friendly game.

'The king won't be happy.'

It took a while for the game to b decided. It was a game that Naajim had never seen before. No one bothered with games among the traveling tribesmen. And since the poeple around him were not Oblivions, there was no one to ask.

The servants rolled out a square shaped piece of clothing on top of the table. Naajim could not see much, but he caught the glimpse of sand dunes embroidered on the cloth with red and golden seams along the corner. Another servent brought out a wooden box and took out thirty six wooden plaques out from it, he then placed it on the table and shifted them to and fro, stuffing them. Finally, he placed then on top of the cloth in a cocentric circles.
Earic stared at the arrangements, confused.

'This is a strange game,' said the prince.

'It's rather simple,' the sultan said gleefully. 'Each plaque has a bronze card inside. No one knows which card is inside.'

'Even the servents you placed it?'

'I assure you, good prince. No one knows. As you saw earlier, the plaques we're shuffled. I will.pick one card and you will pick another. We will.comoare the two cards. The one with the most powerful card with get the opponent's card. The one with the most cards at the end of the round wins. Ties are ifnorwd and you are allowed to keep your card.