Warsworn

stock of his situation. Yveni had danced him around, moving both of them, until she stood a mere step from Ander's braid. Her sword arm was extended, the tip of her blade just under the taut braid.
    Yveni grinned at him, her teeth flashing.
    Ander shook his head, then laughed, raising both hands in the air.
    A roar of approval went up as Yveni cut the braid.
    In Xy, chess matches are quiet things. Two players, sitting at a table in silence, making moves on a board,
    It was an entirely different matter for the Firelanders.
    If I'd thought the crowd noisy for the combats, I wasn't prepared for the enthusiasm for this new game. Aret's idea for a living chessboard had been a good one, and the warriors chosen as pieces had decked themselves out in their very best armor, with a shine and a polish to the weapons that told me they'd been worked on for hours. They'd used armbands to designate their color, and the 'pawns' had tried to make themselves look as uniform as possible. But under all the noise and bustle and laughter was an underlying tension. The division that I'd seen in the war-leaders was starting to be seen in the army. Oh, no obvious insult was given to Keir or myself. On the surface all seemed well. But the games of chess were seen as being Xyian, and many had decided not to participate or watch for just that reason. Not that the game seemed Xyian any more. To my horror, the time-honored pieces known as
    'castles' had been replaced. Instead, the pieces were called ehats. I hadn't heard of this change until the pieces took the board. Four warriors, two for each side, had stepped forward with fur cloaks wrapped around them, and huge horns carved from tree branches. The other warriors had to duck as they moved on the board, holding their heads low, and sweeping the area around them with their horns. Laughter filled the air as the ehats snorted and pounded the earth with their feet.
    The players strode at the ends of the boards, some pacing back and forth as they shouted their moves. The crowd then would chant the words, until that 'piece' moved into its proper place. Warleaders, warriors, and even Keir had entered the chess tourney. The games had taken days, and had absorbed everyone's attention. Keir managed to win all his games and was in the final match.
    His opponent was a woman that I didn't recognize, whose name was Oone. She was a muscular, thoughtful woman, almost as big as Simus, with short red hair and brown eyes. I was watching the game board from the rise, wrapped in a cloak against the chill wind. Prest and Yveni had the watch, and were standing behind me, acting as a wind break. The game area had been laid out with stones, and they'd managed to make the squares big enough that the knights could be mounted on horses. Which meant that the 'pieces' had to deal with some obstacles not normally found on a chess board. Still and all, it was an amazing spectacle. Iften and the Warrior-Priest were avoiding the games, and were very vocal in their opposition. They wanted nothing to do with me, or anything remotely Xyian, which frustrated my efforts to get a good look at Iften's arm.
    But I had help.
    Marcus came to offer me hot kavage. "Any luck?" I asked.
    "Not so far. Isdra is trying to get closer, as is Rate. But they swear to me that it's almost as if he knows what they are trying to do."
    Prest grunted. Yveni looked at him, then turned back to me. "Tell me again, why we are trying to see the Second's arm?"
    "Herself is curious." Prest said.
    I looked at him sharply, but his face was neutral. Some time after Yveni had won the combat, I'd found her with Keir, Rafe, Prest, Isdra and Marcus clustered together, their conversation serious and intent. They'd broke off their words as I approached, but I was certain that the quirks and foibles of one warprize had been discussed hi great detail.
    "Ah." Yveni nodded her understanding. "Do you wish me to try, Warprize?"
    "Not yet." I sat, watching Keir make his first move in the game. Oone was intent, but quick and the game seemed to move as fast as they could call out instructions to the 'pieces and pawns'.
    After a bit, Rafe and Isdra reported back, glum with their failure. I nodded, unworried. It stood to reason that Iften would know them, and anticipate their interest.
    As Keir's knight advanced to take one of Oone's bishops, Cadr moved up beside me, and knelt, adjusting his boot. "I got a good look, Warprize."
    "And?"
    "Not sure. He has his bracers strapped