“What I had of it before Achilles and the Amazon started kicking the table.”
In spite of herself, Cadelyn grinned. “Please do not say that about Susanna.”
“If I offended you, I apologize.”
Cadelyn looked up at him. “She is really not combative or aggressive,” she said. “But she will not back down from a challenge. I have seen it from her, many times.”
By this time, they were at the door to the inn and Kress pushed it open, ushering her inside to the warm, stale inn. They spied Yerik over near the kitchen as the innkeeper brought him something on a tray but, immediately, they were hit with sounds of a fight, realizing that it was still Susanna and Achilles as they wrestled around in the other room. For a moment, both Kress and Cadelyn stood there, watching the pair rolling around on the dirt floor. Still, rolling around, with Susanna trying to get her arm around Achilles’ throat. He finally bit her arm and she screamed, like a woman. Then she bit his ear and he roared.
Kress shook his head in resignation.
“I hope that does not go on all night,” he said, returning his attention to Cadelyn. “Would you like some food to take to your chamber since you were cheated out of a full meal?”
Cadelyn nodded. “I would, thank you.”
As Kress went to the innkeeper and ordered another tray of food, Cadelyn caught sight of some of the patrons of the inn as they huddled over near the big hearth. A pair of them had a board game between them, something Cadelyn had played before. She recognized it as something calledAlquerque, with colored pieces that were pushed around the board in a game of strategy. As she watched them play, she felt someone come upnext to her and she glanced up, seeing that it was Kress. She pointed to the game.
“It has been years since I have played Alquerque,” she said. “Years ago, there was an old nurse at Castle Rising who liked to play it. Gwynwyn was her name. Do you play, Knight?”
Kress watched a weary old man beat a poorly dressed younger man, possibly his son because he looked just like him, quite handily.
“I have,” he said. “But it has been a long time for me, also.”
“Will you play one game with me?”
“Not tonight.”
“Please?”
Kress hesitated. “You really should go to your chamber, my lady. It would be safer than the common room at an inn.”
She shrugged. “What do I have to worry over?” she said. “I have you to protect me should anything happen. Who would dare harass me with you and that big sword by my side?”
He pursed his lips irritably, realizing he was going to have to play that foolish game with her whether or not he wanted to. He was coming to see a pattern when he was around her; she would ask and he would submit. He did it with the cleric and he was doing it with the game.
Quite easily, he surrendered to her will.
In fact, Cadelyn was already walking over to the pair that was playing the board game and he could tell by their expressions that she was either demanding they hand over the game or begging very politely. Both men looked rather surprised, and then rather submissive, as they put all of the pieces back on the wooden game board and pushed it in her direction. Triumphant, Cadelyn picked it up and turned to Kress.
“They have graciously given me the game,” she said, moving to a smaller table, back near the kitchen, and set the boarddown carefully. “Now, we can play one game before I go to my chamber.”
Kress looked at her dubiously. “Graciouslygiven?” he repeated. “I think you stole it from them.”
She cast him a long glance. “You saw them give it to me.”
“I think you gave them no choice.”
“Do you want to play or not?”
Kress didn’t argue with her. He simply sat down opposite her as she spaced out the colored pieces, which were actually pieces of stone that had been ground into round balls.
The Alquerque board was a piece of wood that had small pockmarks in it, in a five-point star pattern, and one-half of the round stones were painted white. Two rows of the white stones faced off against two rows of the unpainted stones in a game that allowed players to move both straight ahead and horizontally. One could “jump” the opponent’s piece and capture it. On and on it went until there was only one color of stones left on the board, signifying the winner.
Once the stones were all lined up, Kress indicated for Cadelyn to go first. She eyed the board a moment before glancing up at him.
“What shall we play for?” she asked.
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
