A Game Of Pawns

Chapter 20 - Saris

Training with Xander went much better than I expected. He's improved a lot in a short time. If he can just stay focused like that and maintain it, he'd be a real force on the battlefield. I was proud of him. But I'm also sad for him. He'll go through a lot of hardships in this game. Losing is just part of it. Dying is something that's hard to forget. Betrayal will sting. And I suspect he has feelings for Demi. What will happen when she turns on him? Or when he's forced to turn on her?

"Saris," Zack said, turning me from my thoughts. "Let's chat."

Zack and I walked away from Xander and Demi. We would still be able to hear them if they shouted for help but far enough away so we wouldn't be overheard. Zack was my first enemy in this game, but he was also my first friend and I had learned to trust him and rely on him for guidance and friendship. He was a fierce fighter and a smart one but he was also level headed when he wasn't fighting. He had the ability to not let the game get him down; or if it did, he was able to hide it. Morale was hard to come by but Zack handed it out as if he was made of positivity. He was one of the best people to have on your team. Even without his fighting ability, he was invaluable as an ally.

Zack stretched and yawned as we walked, "how long has it been since we've been to one of these?"

"A graveyard?" I thought about it, "three cycles ago."

"Wow, that long?"

"Well, last time there wasn't one to go to. The time before that we were taken out before finding each other, so we didn't really get the opportunity."

"Right. Yeesh. Rounds really start to blend together after a while, ya know? I mean, I remember the deaths...but sometimes I forget where I was when it happened."

I nodded absently. He was right, sometimes it's hard to remember the details of each cycle, especially after being here so long. Cities and towns started to look the same and, more than once, I've gotten places mixed up between cycles.

The graveyard here was surrounded by a short, thin, wiry fence that looked like it wouldn't be able to keep out an injured bunny. There were a few trees near the middle and the ground was filled with short-cut grass, but otherwise no sign of plant life. The graveyard was relatively small and curved in a half-moon shape, dipping down from a small hill on the opposite side from where we entered. Past the pitiful fence, were buildings, blocking my view beyond and taunting me with hidden threats that might leap out when the time was right. Keeping an eye on our surroundings was a habit of mine, I liked to know what was around me. But this time, there was more to it; I couldn't shake a nagging feeling that we were being watched. We wouldn't be attacked, not here, but I didn't think we were alone, despite the cemetery being empty. What was I sensing?

"It's strange," I finally said.

"What is?"

"I haven't seen anyone stalking the graveyard. That never happens."

"Hmm. Could be lucky. Or it might just be that we're close to the end of the cycle, but we'd best keep an eye open."

I nodded. We found a set of small gravestones and I read them silently. Don and Mary Klein. Don was born in 1953, Mary was born a year after. Both died in the same year, 1998. 'Well, Don and Mary, may we join you for a few moments?' I mentally requested.

"So?" Zack asked as we lay between the gravestones.

"So," I repeated.

"We haven't really talked yet. I haven't been with the team much, what do you think of them?"

I thought about what I could share and how much I should share. I didn't want to give him information if I didn't have facts and I had more feelings about things than truths. "Well, Xander is doing well. It's his first time and he's really surprised me."