He gasped. “Graff, our reputation precedes us.”
“Or, they know that it’s them, elfin, and us here, and she can manage a process of elimination.” Graff rolled his eyes and held up the small, worn book he’d been consulting. “This game—carcivi, you call it?”
Eira nodded.
“Your princess brought it to Meru and it’s apparently quite popular in Risen right now, but we cannot, for the life of us, figure out the rules.”
“I can help with that.” Cullen stepped forward. “My father insisted I learn when I moved to the capital. It’s not too hard once you get it, but can be tricky to pick up.”
Eira and Alyss followed Cullen over, hovering as he pulled up a chair. He wore an easy smile, confident, even meeting people from across the world. It was a trait Eira admired.
“This piece is your general.” He pointed. Then looked to Ducot with a guilty expression. Cullen picked up the piece, holding it to the man’s hand. “Here, let me—”
“If I need to touch something I will.” Ducot brushed the piece and Cullen’s hand away. Graff snickered under his breath. Cullen looked absolutely horrified at the notion he might have offended. “I’m blind, more or less, not mute, lame, or dumb.”
“Right…” Cullen lowered the piece back down to the board. “If your general should be defeated, the game is over…” Cullen proceeded to explain the game in as brief of terms as possible. Which ended up not being very brief at all. There was a reason Eira had never bothered to learn carcivi. “…and that’s the basics.”
“My head hurts.” Ducot groaned.
Eira couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “I know how you feel. My brother loves—” She stopped herself short. Her throat was suddenly thick with a substance that tasted like tears. “—loved, carcivi. But I never took the time to learn,” she finished softly. How she wished she had taken Marcus up on his offers to teach her. Time she’d let slip through her fingers like a fool.
“I enjoyed playing with Marcus.” Cullen caught her eye and Eira promptly turned away. As though she could put her back to the pain and move along as easily as her long strides.
“I’m going to explore the grounds. Please excuse me.”
“I’m coming with you.” Alyss grabbed her hand.
“It’s all right.” Eira wanted to be alone these days. Her friend just hadn’t caught up to the shift in her preferences.
“If both of you are going, then I’m going, too.” Ducot stood. “Cullen lost me after the explanation of the knight that can move both forward and back, and behind walls.”
“Well, I’d still like to learn, if you’re willing to play a practice round?” Graff said to Cullen. “Not every day we get to learn a Dark Isle game directly from an expert.”
“I wouldn’t say I’m an expert… But I’d be happy to play a round or two.” Cullen moved into Ducot’s abandoned seat.
“You enjoy that, Graff. I will be walking by the river with a lady on each arm, so do take your time.” Ducot held out his elbows with a lopsided grin; the scarred half of his face didn’t seem to move as well as the other. Alyss took one elbow with a giggle. Eira followed suit and they stepped out into a sunlight-drenched back patio. With every step, tiny pulses of magic radiated off Ducot.
“Ducot, may I ask you something?” Eira couldn’t contain herself any longer.
“I got the scars saving a princess from a horde of bears. But I was blind from birth. That’s why both eyes are the way they are even though just half of my face is shredded so handsomely.”
Alyss gaped up, horrified.
Eira blinked at him several times, utterly caught off guard. “That… I… I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right, everyone asks.” He chuckled.
“Well, that actually wasn’t what I was going to ask.”
“It wasn’t?” Ducot stopped, arching his eyebrows—well, glowing dots—at her.
“No.”
“You weren’t wondering about my scars?” He turned to face her, leaning forward. Eira wondered if he was somehow trying to intimidate her. It wouldn’t work.
“I don’t see how they’re my business to wonder about.” Eira freed her hand from his elbow, folding her arms over her chest.
“Then what were you going to ask?”
