The Arwain Chronicles: Apart...
Dan reached forward to where his rook was on the chessboard. He paused midway his eyes reviewing the whole board once more to ensure that it was the right move. "Never let your enemy see hesitation," Lord Arwain's voice reached him causing him to look up across the stone table between them to the old man. Arwain had his eyes fixed on Dan's hand. "Hesitation to some will read as weakness, that might be all they need to strike," he said. Dan picked up the rook and moved it to the desired position. A smile crossed Arwain's face. "Never let your enemy's taunting cause you to act hastily without forethought either," he said reaching forward for his queen. Dan's jaws clenched as he saw his blunder before Lord Arwain made his move. "I believe this is what you call checkmate," Lord Arwain said calmly. Dan let out a long controlled sigh as he turned away from the chessboard to look down at the planets that slowly circled them. "Something's bothering you," Lord Arwain more of stated than asked.
"Yeah no shit," Dan replied sarcastically but not angrily. "This is the two thousand seven hundred and sixty eighth game you just beat me at," He said.
"Sixty ninth, but who's counting," Lord Arwain replied with a slight smile. "But that's not what's bothering you," he astutely observed.
"You never told me what all this means about me," Dan said nodding at the planets that circled them.
"You should know better than to try and use a deflection with me," Lord Arwain calmly said. "What's bothering you?" he questioned.
"I don't know, maybe the fact that the shields have been up for eleven and a half months now?" Dan spoke his calm exterior breaking giving way to the frustration he truly felt.
"You almost sound disappointed," Lord Arwain said his voice still calm.
Dan was silent for a while. "I know the fact that they've stayed up this long is a good thing," he at last conceded. "It's just that..." Dan paused as he tried to put to words what it was that he felt.
"You're worried they won't forgive you?" Lord Arwain once again astutely pointed out.
"I did the right thing, didn't I?" Dan posed turning back fully to Lord Arwain.
"If I tell you, you did, will it ease your worries in any way," Lord Arwain posed in return with a flat gaze at him.
"You really need to stop reading my mind," he replied a bit miffed as he once again turned away from him. "Maybe I should have told them everything before I sent them off," he muttered.
"Yeah, because they would have all so gladly accepted to go and leave you alone in the middle of the enemy's camp," Lord Arwain answered him.
"Or maybe they never should have left at all. Maybe we should have stood together to fight anyone and everyone that came out of that doorway," Dan said stubbornly though he already knew that it was a dumb idea.
"Yes, I'm sure their corpses would have been so grateful to you for not parting with them," Lord Arwain in the level tone he usually used when he was making a point he believed to be plain to see on its own.
"How do we even know that the outside barrier didn't come down long ago?" Dan posed ignoring Lord Arwain's previous words. "They could be fighting for their lives on the outside while we are seated here, sheltered from it all," Dan stated, the thought of it causing his worry to rise several notches higher.
"They aren't," Arwain answered him without the slightest doubt in his voice.
"And how could you possibly be so sure?" Dan posed turning his head to him with an arched eyebrow.
