COF 2: The Soul Spells

17 | Trouble (I)

"We could split the loot, you know?" June turned to Ravalee before frowning at the karavag board. He pointed to a piece in Cyrdel's region. "Check him out right there and take what he has to offer."

"Now that's cheating!" Cyrdel slapped June's hand away and glared at his piece that June had cornered into the edge of the board. The only choices he had now was to give up the piece and advance or save it and lose his chance at offensive. At least, that's how Xanthy understood the rules and the strategy behind the game.

Xanthy rubbed her face and leaned back against the carpeted floor while waiting for Cyrdel to make his move. She didn't know how long it was since June challenged them in a game that Xanthy only ever saw in the gambling tables of old men in the Disfavoreds. It was a hit game and Xanthy understood why at this moment.

Xanthy massaged her forehead and bit her lip, keeping an eye on her own court as June, Ravalee, and Cyrdel were out against each other. Karavag has a simple goal—obliterate all the opponent's pieces and not lose one of your own. All pieces start out with a fixed strength powered by magic stored inside them. The more a piece defeats other pieces, the stronger the magic inside it becomes.

"It absorbs magic from the other pieces," June had said to Xanthy as he explained the rules before they started the game. He then maneuvered the board with its sliding mechanisms that made the two-person board game expand to accommodate four courts. "Weaker pieces get killed. Stronger pieces survive."

Xanthy had rolled her eyes. Wasn't that how the world naturally operated?

Everyone got the same set of pieces that range from a small, weak piece to the strongest one. Xanthy had stayed out of the way, strengthening her own court by dealing with some of June and Ravalee's unattended pieces while June and Ravalee were out ravaging Cyrdel's front lines.

"It's not cheating," June shrugged against Cyrdel's earlier accusation. He stared down at his strongest piece currently standing in the midst of Cyrdel's court. Ravalee's fairly stronger pieces were also nearby. "We could team up. What do you say, Ravalee?"

Ravalee flashed June an agreeing gesture, complimented by a nod. Cyrdel's shoulders slumped as the turn to move fell upon him. Xanthy scratched her chin. Cyrdel had two choices now—to eliminate the ally-piece made by Ravalee when she agreed to work with June or to take his strongest piece and attack June's undefended court.

Cyrdel chose the former. Xanthy wasted a move by edging a piece to a spot adjacent to its current one. Ravalee was next and she took Cyrdel's piece closer to June's court. June moved the ally-piece and took Cyrdel's strongest piece. Xanthy blinked as the piece turned to ash.

June shrugged. "They'll be back at the end of the game," he said after glancing at Xanthy's face.

Huh.

Cyrdel tousled his hair as his defeat rolled out. Xanthy moved some of her pieces to take some of Cyrdel's leftover pieces. Without his strongest piece, everyone in his court would just be food. The prince crossed his arms and muttered about woollers chewing June's hair off.

Xanthy's amusement died in her throat when she studied the board and noticed that June and Ravalee were now focusing on another target—Xanthy. Queen's breeches. Xanthy swallowed against the growing dryness in her throat. It's just a game. Relax.

Xanthy flashed back to when they walked in on Nyxis losing multiple times to June. She didn't want black goop smeared on her face, not when she was to meet the High Priestess after Ezril was done with assisting Reeca. June could truly get creative with his punishments to losers.

Xanthy's fingers idled on her piece as she advanced towards Ravalee's court. Three of Xanthy's pieces were strengthened as their turns went around. Almost all of Ravalee's pieces had turned gray, leaving her with a mid-strong piece. Xanthy raised an eyebrow. That's not going to hold out much, would it?

Time bled in Xanthy's head and the next thing she knew, the strongest pieces were left on the board—one from her, from June, and from Ravalee. No, wait. June still has another piece but it's weak. It wouldn't do any good.

A round of turns later, June had knocked Ravalee's piece to ash with a power Xanthy never knew it had. June grinned knowingly at her. Her eyes drew across June's court to find that weak piece. It's...gone.

Xanthy snapped up to June, blinking. The half-blood chuckled and tapped his temple with a finger before winking. Oh, dear gods. He sacrificed his own piece? What kind of person does that?

With the strongest pieces in Ravalee's court now gone, Xanthy moved to strengthen her piece and June did the same. She might win this. Suddenly, June was advancing towards her piece with far more magic than Xanthy had calculated. Xanthy drew away but June managed to corner her. Okay, she lost because of a little miscalculation. Great.

Just as June was about to knock Xanthy's piece to ash, a soul door to her left flashed and it spat out Reeca and the High Priestess. Xanthy shot up and dusted her trousers. In all her years, the event of her playing karavag with friends in the middle of the Temple of Souls' assembly hall would never even cross her imagination.

Ezril stopped in front of them just as June had stuffed the folded karavag board back into his satchel. Reeca followed behind. Xanthy raised an eyebrow at the varichria and noted her slumped shoulders, dragging feet, and distraught face like she was conflicted about something. Xanthy pursed her lips. Either Reeca inhaled something bad in the place Ezril took her or she didn't get what she wanted out of the Temple.

Reeca caught Xanthy's eye and Xanthy smiled at her friend. A series of expressions flashed across the varichria's face before finally settling to a blank look as Reeca looked away. Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. What was that about?

"Finished?" Ezril asked with an eyebrow raised. Xanthy glanced at Cyrdel and Ravalee who shot up with a dip of their head. June shrugged at Xanthy. With a sigh, Xanthy turned to the High Priestess and nodded.

Ezril nodded in acknowledgement. Her frown seemed to be etching deeper into her face. "Come with me."