Silver Silence

Shattered Night

The crash of glass against stone echoed through the library, skipping over the spines of books like a flat rock on a lake.

"Bullseye!" August shouted and promptly burst into a fit of giggles. He had said he was going to hit the stone three rows up and four to the right of the door, not three to the right, but Siles didn't object.

Siles didn't care whether the glass rook had hit its target anyway, not when he had only half as many pieces left on the board as August. To be fair, he had learned the rules for chess five minutes before they had started playing. But only one of them was drinking. August swayed in his seat, the centuries-old crown he had acquired only a few hours prior slanted over his left eyebrow. That didn't stop him from moving his glass pieces exactly where they needed to be to destroy Siles'.

"Do you have anyone in mind for the Council?" Siles asked, barely maintaining a steady tone. The stupid board game evaded the logic of the real world.

August scoffed, the crown sliding the rest of the way off his head and landing on the floor with a metallic clank. He stared at it disinterestedly and turned back to the board without retrieving it. "You just want to talk about the Council because I'm kicking your ass."

"I'll have you know I'm losing on purpose. What does the Council have to do with that?"

"Bullshit. Bullseye. Ha. Sounds the same." He casually knocked one of Siles' remaining pawns on its face. Or its back. The useless glass pieces didn't have defined features anyway. "Five to the right, two up." The piece shattered two stone blocks to the right of its goal. "Bullseye. You're better at this kingdom running crap so you're rubbing it in my face."

This time Siles scoffed. "Choosing people for the Council isn't exactly hard work. You pick people you like, then it's done. You're lucky there are so many open spots to fill."

"You mean I'm lucky six people tried to kill me."

Siles shrugged. Three additional Councilmembers had attempted to assassinate August during the crowning ceremony, but they weren't as dismal as August's tone of voice implied. Not only did the attempts reveal rats in the administration, but they were able to use those would-be-assassins as examples to assert August's power. August had even 'convinced' one of them to gouge out their own eyes. No more knives were thrown after that blood-red example.

Siles finally took down one of August's knights. "Six up, eight to the right." The glass hit the center of the named stone, the power of the throw sending shards of glass in a wide circumference along the wall. Siles stared at the increasingly empty board. "Are you going to buy a set to replace this one?"

August stared at the board and sighed. "No; you don't like chess. Checkmate."

Siles stared at the board. There was no way he could move that would save his king. He hoped the game didn't predict reality. "You win, then," he sighed.

"You still have to move," August said.

"But it doesn't matter where I move."

"That's just how the game is played." August paused and shook his head. "Never mind. We don't have to play by the rules." He tilted the board so that the remaining pieces slid onto the floor beside his crown. They didn't shatter.

The depressed half of the drinking had begun, Siles could tell. He had tried to convince August not to celebrate his victory with wine, but he hadn't listened. Everyone always forgot that the happiness didn't last.