Dwarf City, Dragon Heart Series Book 14

“S o, the Emperor knows who I am.” Hadjar rested his chin on his left hand and moved one of his pieces a couple of squares forward. His knight was now threatening the enemy’s bishop. “He does.” Chin’Ameh replied honestly. His clawed finger twitched slightly, and a pawn moved forward, guided by his will, protecting the bishop. They were sitting on the grass of the central peak of the Magic Dawn Pavilion and indulging in a game of chess. Frankly, Hadjar didn’t really like the game. Perhaps his dislike was due to the fact that chess had been a trial that he’d had to pass when he’d met Traves. Or maybe he’d just been too young to find beauty in moving lifeless figures across a black-and-white plane consisting of sixty-four squares. Now, years later, he’d finally found some meaning in it, especially when chess served as the backdrop to a conversation. “Are you absolutely sure?” A rook slid in, now standing next to that same bishop, adding an extra layer of protection to it. If Hadjar still wanted to take the valuable piece, he would have to sacrifice a minor one — his pawn. But it was precisely through such losses and gains that victories were attained. That was something Hadjar had learned from Morgan, may his forefathers welcome him with bread and honey. “I heard the Emperor as well as I can hear you right now, Hadjar the North Wind.” Chin’Ameh had made an effort to protect his bishop. It didn’t seem to be the most significant piece, but it was currently tied to the game as a whole: the actions of the king, the queen, and the group of pawns. This particular bishop was the ‘door’ that blocked the inner area of the white army. Hadjar was playing with the black army, and the only thing he’d managed to pull off in the past hour was to take some initiative and go on the offensive. “Why do you want my bishop so badly?” The dragon asked suddenly. Hadjar explained his reasoning. “That’s a good plan,” the dragon nodded. “But do you realize that there are far more convenient spots to attack than a well-protected piece that can attack in turn?” Chin’Ameh nodded at the pawns in front of the king. Hadjar looked at the ‘soldiers’ who had fallen on the black-and-white battlefield. Of course, their whole game was just a cover that allowed them to take a slightly better look at the current situation and conduct a very sensitive conversation while not fearing that they would be overheard. “You said that the path to the king was blocked,” Hadjar made another move, which opened the way for further attacks. With this, he was hinting that the secret path to the treasury described in Ash’s diary had long since been blocked. It wasn’t surprising, given how many years had passed since then. The other secret entrance, which neither the dragons nor the Sage Ash had known about, had been destroyed during Raven’s Wing’s escape. And that’s how the Raven Sect, the fanatical worshipers of the Black General, had managed to screw Hadjar over yet again. “It is,” Chin’Ameh nodded. “However, in big games, Hadjar, there are also major tricks you can use.” He boldly moved the bishop that had been contested before, opening a way for the enemy rook to assault the backline of the black army. Hadjar watched in amazement as the until-recently ‘trapped’ bishop bravely attacked his queen, which he couldn’t move, lest he put his king in mortal danger. “While you thought you were setting up a trap or going on the offensive, you were actually following someone else’s plan. Always remember, Hadjar the North Wind, that you may not be the king, but just a pawn. One of many. Which, of course, can go all the way to the other end of the board and become a queen, which can then still be sacrificed the moment it becomes useful to do so.” Hadjar had to take the bishop with his second knight, which was taken by Chin’Ameh’s own knight in turn, then it was taken by Hadjar’s pawn, which was taken by Chin’Ameh’s queen right after. That was how Hadjar lost the advantage, the initiative, and went from a bold attack to a panicked defense. All this time, he’d thought he was following his own plan while he had actually been walking down a path that had been determined for him. Morgan... The Dragon Emperor... Helmer... Freya... Derger... The Jasper Emperor. They were all playing their own games, ones in which Hadjar was just a pawn that would be sacrificed to protect something more valuable, but they wouldn’t mind turning him into a queen... so that they could sacrifice him later for a greater profit. “f*****g schemes,” Hadjar hissed and turned away from the chessboard. The delegation was gathering below the Magic Dawn Pavilion. Not because it was a special site these days, but because once upon a time, Chin’Ameh’s daughter and Traves had set off to the Ruby Mountains from here. “There’s only one way to win this game,” Chin’Ameh continued suddenly. “By not playing?” Hadjar chuckled sadly. “I tried, wise dragon. By the High Heavens, I tried… and it would cost me far more than I’m ready to pay.” Hadjar touched the wedding bracelet on his wrist. It still smelled like her and gave off her warmth… “You can’t afford to not play,” Chin’Ameh picked up a pawn and twirled it in his fingers. He stared at it as if it contained all the wisdom that he had accumulated over hundreds of eons. He was an aging dragon whose time was coming to an end… How long did he have left? Twenty thousand years? By the standards of most, it was still a ridiculous amount of time. “But if you can’t beat your opponent, try this,” Chin’Ameh said thoughtfully. He took one of the bowls, shook out the pieces inside and, turning it over, placed it next to the chessboard, after which he placed a white pawn on top of it. “What’s that?” Hadjar asked.