Of course he knew the game: ultimately a cerebral game was one played in the shadows and the God of War was just as adept at duplicity as Leander himself.
“Chess is a game of warfare. One of finite and distinct resources.”
Leander swallowed and remained silent. He knew the God of Deception too well to think that he was talking for the sake of talking: he would get to his point soon enough.
“A player has several different forces at his disposal—each with their own strengths and limitations—and distribution is the most difficult part of his job. He must fool his enemy, as baiting the opposing player is the aim of the game, and provoking him to make moves that will eventually, inevitably, lead him to ruin.” The god approached Leander in a predatory fashion, a smile still plastered across his face. “Thus, the pawns head forth.”
Taking a step back, Leander’s back hit the cold, damp wall behind him and he realised he had nowhere to go. “And which are you? The most important piece? The King? Who is also the most useless on the board?” He should have bitten his tongue and remained silent, better than aggravating the volatile god standing in front of him. But Leander was not always one for thinking before speaking.It was that which had gotten himself into this mess to start with.
Machus, however, simply laughed, though there was no mirth in his response to Leander’s question. “I am more concerned about you. The pawn I placed on the board all those months ago.”
The demigod paled, blinking as the cell seemed to darken.
Machus continued, his tone still unnervingly pleasant. His next words came out in nothing more than a whisper, as if he were speaking to himself. “The Queen protects the King, yes? She is the most valuable, the most versatile piece on the board… at least to the novice player. It requires no small amount of creativity and foresight to take the Queen by surprise. Especially when all the pieces on the board are always visible to both players.”
Nodding to himself as realisation slowly dawned on him, Leander murmured, “The only thing that isn’t visible is the fate of a pawn…”
“Should it reach the other side, yes, Leo.”
There had been a period where Leander had honestly believed that his lie had been nothing more than a moment of simple mischief. A bit of trouble between two brothers, but nothing of this scale.
As he rested against the cold, damp wall of his cell, Machus’ face inches from his own, he slowly came to the realisation, for the first time, that there was some bigger machination at work, that Machus wasn’t through with him.
Maybe he shouldn’t have remained silent in the divinecourt when he was tried. He had no idea why he had kept secret Machus’ initial involvement. He regretted it greatly.
The God of Lies knew his domain well, and the knot of lies was woven to such a degree, in this case, that it would be impossible to simply pull loose the threads with a few words or retracted statements.
Machus had played the game well.
“Yes,” said the god in question. “You see it now, don’t you, Leander?”
A shriek filled the air: “I chose this!” Leo was disturbed to realise that the shriek was coming from himself. He shrank back against the wall, desperately, vainly, trying to put more space between himself and his adversary.
“You belong to me, Leo,” Machus’ voice reverberated through every empty space in Leander’s mind—a disorienting cacophony of echoes that he could not escape. “Your mind is mine. Your every thought, your every idea, your every concern. All mine. They resonate with the rhythm of my control.”
Machus continued, though Leander realised that his mouth wasn’t moving. Instead, he was inserting the thoughts directly into his mind.
Leander’s face fell slack, revealing an expression of barely concealed pain as Machus’ voice invaded his mind. He had nowhere to go to escape this absolute and catastrophic violation of his mind.
And in his mind, Leander felt the threatened consequences for any thoughts of disobedience or resistance. It instilled fear into his very being, guaranteeing his compliance with whatever Machus wanted. If he wanted, Machus could manipulate his very perception of life, Leander knew this, further securing his control over him.
“Your thoughts are but whispers in the darkness, easily drowned out by my will. Your very memories are mine to manipulate. I can shape your dreams into nightmares, haunting you with visions of your own futility. I can twist them to make you doubt yourself at every turn,” came the sound in his mind once more, overwhelming and destructive in pure power. “Every time you entertain thoughts of rebellion, I will remind you of your failures. You are not strong enough to resist me, Leander.”
Still connected through a divine bond, Leander felt Machus’ enjoyment of watching him unravel before him, both physically and mentally.
Leander was surprised to find himself, seconds later, now crumpled in a liquid mess on the ground. He glanced up at the other god—Machus’ face displayed utter indifference whilst his eyes sparkled with the distinct glimmer of excitement.
Within his mind, Leander saw flashes of past lies and betrayals, and he couldn’t distinguish if they were real or not. The very fabric of his reality was broken in favour of these vivid mental images.
Was this cell all it was supposed to be? Or was this another repercussion of disobedience? Was this unbearable pain and isolation truly what he was experiencing or was he locked in darkness due to Machus’ power rather than Caisa’s cruelty?
“Your mind is a prison of my creation, a labyrinth of my own design. There is no respite from my control, no exit save the one I allow you to perceive.”
Leander dragged shaking hands down his face, uncut and filthy fingernails leaving behind red marks on hischeeks as he tried to claw himself free of his own body, anything to get away from the onslaught of pain and suffering he was experiencing.
This realisation of the absolute ownership Machus had over him was going to destroy his very psyche.
“Pawns, Leander,” Machus murmured without a hint of inflection in his voice as he crouched down before the demigod. “They are just that: pawns. But think of what they could become. Unlimited potential… if they just do what they’re told and don’t get caught.”
