Apprentice

Chapter 8: The chess game (Part 1)

 I only grunt in reply, still staring at the people I used to call my friends waiting for death. He extends a hand out towards my hand, but I drift away, landing on the board with a click of my boots and clenching my hands into fists. “You thought of this game. Why are you being so emotional now?” he asks curiously, floating sideways in front of me.

I look up angrily. “I was FORCED to or else you would of beat me to death!” I snarl, looking away.

He sighs impatiently. “It was only a bluff. Honestly, mortals are so gullible.” I stare at him.

“You…were bluffing?” I whisper, anger making my hands shake.

He groans, “Of course I wasn’t idiot!” I let out a deep breath, trying to contain the anger that was building up.

 “So what do you want to do for an hour?” he asks casually, still lounging around on his back in front of me. His calmness pushes me over the edge.

“Get away from you” I snarl, storming out of the building, phasing through the wall and taking off into the air. Flying towards a tree, I prop myself up on the tallest branch, letting a small tear escape. I choke back a sob. Why? Why did I have to be such a monster? I never wanted to be like this, to do evil things.

“Are you crying?” his voice asks, and I screw my eyes up, putting my head into my arms, hiding my face. He roughly grabs my hair, yanking my face up. I squeak, grabbing hold of his hands, trying to rip them off my hair but it only causes me more pain.

 “Oh stop being such a baby” he sighs impatiently. Twisting away from his grasp, I take off into the air, leaving him to trail after me curiously. Phasing through the wall of the room, I instantly head towards the gap in between Duncan and Simon, wedging myself in the gap. Both of them jump, and turn to the seemingly empty space. Lewis frowns at the two.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, still clutching his sweet Lomadia in his arms, stroking her hair.

“Tia?” Duncan whispers. Leaning onto his lab coat, I finally let the tears escape. They drop onto his coat, and Lewis notices immediately.

“I’m so sorry” I whisper, before I begin to sob.

 Duncan puts his arm round me slowly, feeling for my shoulders. Simon finds my head and pats it gently. “It’s OK friend. We know it’s not your fault.” People around the room are looking at them, and focusing on the empty space. Lewis begins to explain in a low voice about what happened when Ridgedog took me, and how it wasn’t my fault. Curling up into Simon, Lewis gently taps me on the back.

“Show yourself, Tia” he whispers, and I hide my face as I force the invisibility spell off me.

 “Where’s Ridgedog?” Simon suddenly asks. I crane my neck up, my eyes flitting in the empty space and I frown.

“I don’t know. Probably gone to prepare the weapons” I say bitterly before burrowing my head into Simon. In a way, he was like a dad to me, and always has been. Even though he was a little crazy.

 Slowly but surely, people come to talk to me. Martyn and Toby first, smiling at me warmly, hugging me gently, telling me it was all going to be OK. Sips and Sjin came next, still a little red after the incident. They sit with me too, blocking people’s views of me so I can’t see their eyes glaring at me. I catch Rythian’s eye, who nods at me, but turns back to Zoey who offers me a wavering smile. The hour begins to tick away as I sit and talk to my friends who I haven’t seen for years and were beginning to think I was some sort of monster, a killer. Which I was.

 I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I look around and smile weakly at them all. “Thank you, but I don’t deserve you all at all” I say quietly.

“Too right you don’t. The hour is up. Time to play our game.” Ridgedog’s voice snarls, and I look up defiantly into his deep sapphire eyes, glaring at him, chin up. His pupils narrow to slits at the challenge. He doesn’t like it when people defy him.

 Grabbing me roughly by the arm, he shoves his face close to my ear. “Don’t forget that you are only a Quart god and I can wipe you out with the flick of my hand. Now stop playing happy families and get out and wait on the chessboard” he hisses in my ear, shoving me towards the wall. Throwing one last glance at Duncan, who nods weakly at me, I phase through the wall and hover in the air, and wait for the nightmare to begin.

 One by one, the people appear. Partners or lovers were separated, so Sips went to the black squares, whilst Sjin went to the white squares. Both were pawns, which was kind of an insult. Some pieces were still there, a giant knight on a horse made out of quartz, a glittering diamond sword on his belt. An obsidian bishop, a diamond axe glinting evilly in his hand. Rythian became the king on the black squares, and Zoey became the queen on the white squares. Lewis became a knight on the black squares, Simon and Duncan and Hannah appearing on the white squares, Simon a bishop, Hannah another knight, and Duncan a king. Duncan looked at Zoey, who stared back, her face crumbling. I knew Duncan had feelings for the red headed girl, but so did his arch nemesis and her master Rythian. Both of them tried to hug, but no one could move in their squares, held by a psychic force that prevented them from moving until we moved them.

 Rythian glared furiously at Duncan. Both of them were kings, which could only be bad news. As soon as the other players were assembled, Ridgedog appeared, staring smugly at his master piece. “Tia will command the white squares; I will be the black squares. I will make the first move” he grins, and I can see excitement brimming in his eyes.

 “Kim, move forward two” he orders, and the small girl is forced to move forward two squares. Looking down at my pieces, I order Sjin to move forward and block the girl from moving. Both of them look at each other uneasily.

 (OK I didn’t want to keep updating you on every move in the chess game, as it would end up boring you, so I’ll just skip to the good bits :D)

 The first casualty was when Nilesy, on a black square, moved up next to Kim. I knew Ridge had only done that so he could allow his castle, Minty, out. Sjin turned to Nilesy, a grim look on his face before lifting up the iron sword in his hand and slamming it roughly into his stomach. Nilesy cries out, clutching his bleeding stomach, and Sjin shoves it into his shoulder. He stumbles backwards, begging for mercy, before Sjin cuts him slowly from the stomach up to his chest, ripping him apart so slowly that he is screaming until his screams turn into gurgles and chokes as blood spurts out of his mouth and he drops to the floor, before turning into pixels.

 Everyone realized at that moment that when you killed someone, it would not be quick and painless. It would be slow, and agonising. Sjin is already crying as he automatically slides the sword into his sheath. He wasn’t doing it; Ridgedog was controlling it with a supernatural power.

 Rythian caught Zoey’s eye across the room. They knew one of them would die.

Simon watches Lewis, swallowing nervously, face green.

Lewis looks over at Hannah who is trembling and tears are flowing down her face.

Sips and Sjin glance over at each other, nodding slightly in understanding.

Martyn shuts his eyes and turns away; Toby is shaking, muttering words no one can hear.

The games had truly begun.