Green Rider

Miss Bayberry tilted her head, looking beyond Karigan, a sadness in her eyes. “There is no record, but you can believe that if they survived the process, they lived without that which they loved most—their ability to sing.”

The more Karigan learned about magic, the less she liked it. It seemed to bring nothing but evil and grief. “The telescope—”

“Oh . . .” Miss Bunchberry groaned. “Not the telescope. I do think, my dear Bay, that we should remove the lenses and crush them beneath our heels.”

“Nonsense, sister. That telescope was one of Father’s most treasured pieces. Tell me, child, did you see far when you looked through the eyepiece?”

Karigan noted there was no question of whether or not she had gazed into it. “I saw very far. Too far.” She described the series of images as they had appeared.

“A sprinkling of the past, present, and future,” declared Miss Bayberry. “Such a device could erode one’s sanity if one had constant access to it. Father possessed a tremendous will to resist using it when he had major decisions to make. Believe me, he felt the lure, but he also felt it was human temptation more than the device itself that called to him. Indeed, no one should see too much of their own history or future.”

Miss Bayberry fixed her piercing blue eyes on Karigan. “Remember, child, your future isn’t made of stone. What the telescope showed you was what may happen if the present line of events continue.”

Put that way, it sounded to Karigan as if the current of her life was out of her control. It wasn’t a welcome idea. “Do you look into the telescope?” The sisters seemed to know so much about everything.

“Heavens, no,” Miss Bayberry said.

“We’ve no need,” Miss Bunchberry added.

The ladies would say no more about the telescope or anything else in the library. Miss Bunch left the parlor briefly, and returned bearing a wooden game board and multicolored pieces. She set them on the table before them.

“Are you familiar with Intrigue, child?”

Karigan had recognized the game immediately—it was all the rage in Selium. Two kingdoms battled for dominance, each piece possessing a different ability. Arranging the pieces in various patterns created offenses or defenses.

The pieces, in this case, were made of ivory or bone, dyed in the traditional colors of red, green, and blue, and carved in the likenesses of kings, messengers, spies, soldiers, and so on. The game was most difficult when played as a Triad, with a third player who was random—the wild card with no set loyalties one way or the other. The other two players could petition the Triad for allegiance, but the Triad could choose not to take sides and play for its own benefit. It was the never knowing of what the Triad player would do that made Intrigue exciting.

Exciting, if you liked the game. Karigan didn’t. She lost every time she played. “I’ve played Intrigue a few times, but not often with a Triad.” Estral had been her only friend at Selium. There was never a third person to play with.

Miss Bunchberry clapped her hands. “Splendid! Bay and I haven’t played with a Triad in a long time either. Child, you will be the Triad, and if this first game doesn’t last long, we can switch.”

Splendid. Karigan remembered to smile, and because propriety was so important to the ladies, she said, “I’m honored.”

“That’s good. I offered to a guest first as was proper.”

Miss Bayberry nodded in solemn agreement.

They played long into the night, each taking a turn as Triad. The gentle sisters transformed into ruthless opponents and Karigan found herself, as usual, on the defensive. Miss Bay took a general and three of her knights. Miss Bunch killed her queen and abducted a spy. She watched their pieces march across the star-shaped board and annihilate her kingdom, and she wondered, with a bemused expression, if she and Estral had been too kind to one another. The sisters did not spare an inch where Estral would have allowed a concession.

Karigan didn’t consider herself a ruthless person. Rather, she considered herself wise to the ways of survival. The swordplay “tricks” the cargo master had taught her, the stories her father had told her of his perils and adventures as a merchant traveling in far-off lands, her experiences far away from home among aristocrats . . . these were basic learning experiences for life. She had never thought of employing ruthless tactics in a harmless game of Intrigue.

When the third and final round was won by Miss Bunchberry, the older woman sank back into the sofa with an ecstatic giggle. “That was just so fine. I could play endless games, but I know it’s late.” As if to accent her words, the last embers of the fire crashed in the fireplace, sending a flurry of sparks up the chimney.

Miss Bayberry’s lips were set in a taut straight line. She had won two of the three victories, yet she seemed none too happy about it. “I think the child wasn’t putting her all into the game. Perhaps she believed she was doing the polite thing by letting us win.”

Karigan blushed, as she often did, somehow feeling guilty. “I did try . . .”

“Tsk. Not hard enough. You’ve much intelligence for such a youngster. Use it. Many of the situations you come across in Intrigue aren’t too far removed from real life. Many of the aristocrats use it as a teaching tool for their children, and it may have been developed for that exact purpose.”

Miss Bunchberry looked scandalized by her sister’s outburst. “Bay, you really oughtn’t criticize our guest.”