Semper Fidelis
Chapter 19
Alright for the record I am not an undiscovered chess protégé and to the best of my knowledge neither is my brother. Both Daniel and I learned how to play chess for no better reason than because our dad was a Knight of the Cross and chess boards have pieces called knights. While it was interesting for about a week to learn how to move the pieces around the board after that initial shine wore off, and coincidentally video games were invented, some that even had knights too, I doubt if either of us ever chose to play another game of chess in our lives.
Yes I know there are a lot of chess video games out there in the world, but I think of them like video language programs, or dare I say Daniel thinks of them like an algebra teaching computer program. None of which hold any interest of fun when you speak of them to the average person. And if you are the exception to this because you don't like games that go 'boom' then either you work for NASA or you better hope that virtual reality girlfriend/boyfriend industry gets off the ground soon.
Need more proof? Ever see the Chess Superbowl? Ever remember ten thousand screaming fans wearing the T-shirt of their favorite chess master? Ever see chess cheerleaders? Yeah neither did I nor has the rest of the world either.
Of course without this undiscovered skill as a card up my sleeve that meant of the four of us the only one who had a chance at beating Lord Kline in a straight up game was Hisha, and he had been running a terribly long unlucky streak in that department. All in all it really did not look like much of a chance for the home team. But as everyone kept telling me I merely had to keep faith everything would work out. Oh and if I could pull off one of Harry's little sneaky plans the enemy is never looking for so much the better though being trapped in a titanium cage and not being able to use my magic on Lord Kline severely hampered that option. But then again I have a gift for being creative when I have to and a few vague options were already floating through my thoughts hoping to become possibilities.
All that aside however, I must point out that the four chessboards sitting on the tables were some of the most beautiful works of art I had ever seen. There was little doubt that all four had been created by the same master craftsman and each depicted armies in a historical or eternal struggle with an incredible individual detail.
The board sitting before Hisha represented the Knights Templar made of delicate pieces of ivory and pearl on the white side with what had to be ruby chips making up their red tabard crosses from the way they sparkled in the light. Opposing them were the Muslim hordes of Suleiman decked out in ebony and with crescents of turquoise that gleamed equally as brilliantly. The board itself represented the walled city of Jerusalem for which both sides thought of as the crown jewel. Unlike a regular flat board this one gently and purposely rose to a graceful hump in the center of the board undoubtedly symbolizing the Temple Mount, the holiest piece of real estate in the historically war torn city of three religions.
The table before Elaine had white Roman Legions equipped in real golden breastplates and red shields and tunics. Opposite of them were the barbarian hordes, most likely the Vandals, made of amber and adorned in brown and black leathers. Their rooks were catapults and their knights were chariots. Their battlefield from above appeared to be black and white squares upon which chips of colored stones had been fused to make a mosaic that represented the European continent, or the eventual remains of such which would become the Holy Roman Empire.
The set before my brother was equally stunning and represented the Greek and the Trojan War. The pawns on both sides were stunning identical in form to show the shared cultural similarities and differed only in the shapes of the shields they carried, and of course their color. The royal pieces in the back rows represented the various Greek gods who Homer so effectively explained in the Iliad had each chosen sides as well in this war of mortals. The knights of course were each Trojan Horse representations and the board itself was ringed by a wall to symbolize the might fortress that had withstood a siege for more than seven years as the poet recorded it.
My board however, was perhaps the most beautiful of all in my eyes. My pieces were made up of gemstones of greens, blues, and whites and could be nothing else than the forces of the Winter Court from their shapes and depictions. Queen Mab represented the king on this board and Maeve her queen; the resemblance of the latter down to her multicolored dyed hair was incredible and demonstrated the artist had firsthand knowledge to create such detailed likenesses. Across from my pieces awaited those of Queen Tatania and the assembled armies of the Summer Fae. There is nothing like so blatant a reminder of just what was at stake if I did not figure out a way to get out of here soon in time to prevent this war.
I almost said since Lord Kline was playing Summer and had caused their forces such problems that it was only right that he sacrifice his queen (Lily) and a knight (Fix) and I would do the same of one of my knights for symbolic reasons but I figured he would not find the humor in that suggestion. We would do battle instead as equal and eternal opponents and see who won the day. And I would count on prayers and luck.
"So what do you think of my newly acquired collection?" Lord Kline said noting our approving stares at what were undoubtedly his prize possessions. "It seems only fair that we use them for such an important series of games does it not?" His emotions suddenly seemed back to the same warm and charming individual I had met last evening. I am no expert of troll emotions but I found this odd flip flop unnatural.
"They are indeed works of art." I could not help but admit. "I assume they all were created by the same artist? Perhaps even some dwarf or Fae craftsman by their intricate knowledge of those represented by my pieces and your own?" I asked.
"In truth they are actually early works of the Russian jeweler Faberge though they were overlaid with some unique Fae magic since then." The troll said with no attempt to hide his pride in this collection. "Chess being the national pastime of the former Russian Empire he created a series of boards and pieces for the Czar and his family. These were never as popular as those silly chicken eggs he is most notably famous for so the sets ended up scattered in various locations until I restored them to one collection once more with the help of my friend Hisha." He bowed to the imprisoned raksasha.
"You have heard my comment on them. The fact that your ally deceived me, tainted holy visions so that I would assist you by stealing them is an act you will be judged for my friend and I fear harshly. I would have thought someone so book learned and yourself would recall Dante said the Ninth Circle of Hell is reserved for those who betray God and this might have deterred you from this course." Hisha replied without moving from his lotus position. "I fear touching these tainted items shall stain my chi." He looked away from the troll to the three of us in our own cages. "You should let my words guide your chi away from this vile course of action as well."
Lord Kline looked at his ancient friend with sadness at his accusation and I sense the tumult of his emotions. There could be no actual betrayal if there had not been actual trust between the two, and his smile dipped as he recognized this loss. "Vibhishana I do not ask you to recognize the value of my actions for unlike you I have never claimed to be a creature of virtues." He said with obvious sadness. "You are a dedicated to your spiritual pursuits and have for your dedication to this worn the mantle of betrayer that your now choose to place upon me. I am dedicated to the study of strategy every bit as much as you are to the study of faith. Surely you will not deny the righteousness of my actions when seen through my lenses of perception?" While the words seemed to make sense the troll's emotions seemed at war within himself.
Hisha looked at the troll flatly. "God does not believe in your concept of moral relativism I fear my friend." The words obvious stung the troll and even set him back on his heels at being so harmed by one he obviously still considered a friend. And for a being so dedicated to looking to the long term advantage of a situation I suspected Lord Kline was now suddenly seeing aspects of what he had done that he had not considered. Obviously his ability to plan and see all aspects of a situation was not infallible. I wondered if perhaps that might be part of the key we required.
"Do not worry Hisha." Lord Kline replied almost meekly. "The magic on these boards makes unnecessary for you to touch them. You merely identify the piece you require and tell it where you want it to move and the magic of the Fae will perform the action for you." The troll explained as if this could erase the issues between them. "This ensures the players can not cheat as well." Not that I am trained in slight of hand but this information removed yet another potential avenue for pulling off an unexpected victory.
The troll's obvious pride in artistic item, especially carvings, made me think of another related subject. "You certainly know quality artistry." I said drawing the troll's attentions from his mental and emotional ramblings. "Would you by any chance know any talented artists who work with ivory or bone?" I asked figuring if I ever planned to use the mandible as a focus this is probably good information to have.
"Indeed." The troll replied with a hint of the joy contained in his former self. "The currently most gifted scrimshawer alive is an ancient Eskimo who lives in a village in the Aleutian Islands. I had him create a chess set for me a decade or so ago. It was one of my favorites until I acquired these." He said with a pass of his hand at the four sets before us. I could see the pride in ownership was struggling against his wounded moral convictions now. "I will provide you his name and location along with a letter of introduction so as to demonstrate that I harbor no ill feeling against any of you."
"You must of course understand that while sitting in this cage I look upon that claim of your benevolence with a bit of skepticism." Elaine drew his attention with her negatively charged words. I was glad to see she was rallying against the sense of helplessness that had in the past crushed her spirit. And again the troll's emotions showed a conflict taking place within.
"As I said they are merely an unfortunate and temporary necessity until the events I've set in motion reach their fruition." Lord Kline said without apology but not without regret. "No one will get hurt by the plan I put in place, well except for what you did to Rumplestiltskin, but he had that coming. Do you know he got it in his head to try and sell firearms to some agent in the Courts? That type of action would destabilize the very balance I sought to achieve! Such a move had to be stopped so I believe that between us we did the right thing." His inner turmoil seemed to conflict with his words.
The way that the troll spoke about the gunrunning being separate and unrelated to his plan made me wonder just what was truly going on here and if I really had the right picture yet. I started to get the sinking suspicion that perhaps I had approached these events all wrong from the start. I had been looking for one agent, or at least one plan, that linked all of these events. But what if they were all unrelated as the troll seemed to be indicating or at least the players did not know what the others were doing? Of course there was an immediate way to find this out for sure. I also figure that it just might also provide me with a possible means to win my match.
"Perhaps you will explain all these events like you promised while I take a moment to mentally prepare myself to beat you at your own game so to speak." I said with just a bit of a challenging smile at the troll. He caught the words and looked at me seeing not blatant defiance, but instead neutral acceptance of this course of action. Sure the situation was hardly the best it could be, but I was starting to accept the possibility of a way out of this mess if I could just make sure the others played the parts I needed them to for the next hour or so as well.
"I am look forward to your challenge." Lord Kline said respectfully though we both know he doubted anything remotely like a challenge was likely to play out here. Once more his turmoil emotions seemed to settle in. I would have to change that. "And as a gracious host I will even do as you ask and explain what has brought us here to this current condition."
I nodded my thanks and sat in the same lotus position that Hisha was currently in and gave my body the conflicting orders to relax while at the same time telling my ears to listen carefully to everything the troll said. I needed these conflicting results if anything good were to come about this plan that I was hatching.
I focused upon my chi and found that inner source of power, a bit lessened for my use of it this morning, but still bubbling strongly beneath the surface. In my mind I stepped into the heart of this power as I prepared to test my theory. "Hisha can you hear me?" I asked within my mind and waited in the silence.
"I can indeed." I heard the Raksasha's familiar voice. I had suspected that after he had led me to my chi and then also guided my healing of Daniel that this would work, but then again one never really knows with things like this until you try.
"What is the chance that you can beat Lord Kline at chess?" I asked him to explain our chances of playing by the rules.
"I suspect not." He said apologetically. "I have known the troll well for centuries now, at least I thought I knew him before this obvious betrayal." I could feel the sorrow of loss in his words. "He is more than a match for my skill or even the four of us at this game."
"Do you have any other ideas how we can affect our release?" I asked hoping the one who knew the troll best might have a means to escape our predicament.
"I am unsure now." Hisha replied. "He has through these events shown he is not the friend I thought I knew therefore I know not how much of what he showed me in the past was a lie and how much was real. The being I knew could have been reasoned with. But alas this Lord Kline is an enigma to me." He finished silently.
Disappointed but hardly surprised, I outlined the barest skeleton of a plan that I had concocted using the few resources I assumed were still available to us. Hisha listened but I could tell the old monk was anything but confident of our success. To tell the truth I was hardly ready to bet the house on it either but I was running out of options.
The roll my plan required Hisha to play did not sit well with him either but I finally garnered his agreement to this action. He also offered that if I could keep the troll's attention for a time squarely upon me, he would find a means to ensure Daniel and Elaine would play their required roles as well. Finally he showed me how to keep this link between the two of us open and running in the background of my mind without so much focus being required. That was an unexpected benefit as far as I was concerned that could prove enormously helpful if we had to change what we planned I'd be able to talk with him a little about it.
The great thing about the speed of thought is that it is instantaneous almost. My entire conversation with Hisha took instants and by its conclusion Lord Kline was just beginning his story.
"The truth is I would not have even gotten involved in these events had this all not been presented to me as a strategic mental challenge by a wizard of your own White Council." Lord Kline said looking right at me as my eyes snapped open at these words and all initial sense of relaxation fled my body barely allowing me to hold onto my chi.
"What?" I asked rocking on the cot and nearly coming to me feet? "Who are you talking about? What is their name?" I asked wondering who in the White Council would possibly want to create further friction between the Faerie Courts while out own war with the Red Court of vampires relied upon our ability to use the pathways through the Nevernever safely. Hostilities here hampered our movements of forces and played right into the Red Court's hands. Someone on the White Council then was either incredibly stupid or a potentially dangerous traitor.
"I am sorry but that identity is a confidence I am required to keep as part of our contract." He said with obvious regret though his emotions suddenly spun into complete turmoil. He then even performed the odd action of rubbing his head that I had never seen him do before when speaking as if he had a headache.
I understood at once that neither begging nor threats would reveal the identity so I hoped that maybe just what he told me about these events would lead me to the identity of the individual. "I understand." I conceded politely. "Please start again from the beginning if you do not mind." I said and focused even more on the story now and especially upon the odd reactions the troll was displaying.
"It will be as you wish." He replied calming slightly with these words. "My wizard friend and I have played chess for nearly two centuries now, and in truth he is probably one of the most accomplished players I have ever crossed pawns with." The troll said enjoying his play on words. "When he appeared on my doorstep more than a year ago he carried a brand new chessboard set, so new in fact that the dye on my own pieces had not even fully dried and left a black stain on my hands."
"While we played he mentioned a dilemma he was having. He needed to find a means to distract the Summer Court so that he could release a fellow wizard who Queen Tatania had been keeping hostage since the beginning of your war with the Red Court to ensure the White Council did not draw the Summer Court further into this war." Lord Kline continued. Harry had never mentioned any sort of arrangement like this between the Council and the Summer Court but I guess such things were possible though it still did not seem to sit right with me.
"I asked if he meant all of the Summer Court required distraction or merely the Queen and her top advisors since the level of difficulty for the first was exponential more than that of the second, which itself was hardly a simple and risk free undertaking." Lord Kline continued. "He also told me that the White Council had performed a similar rescue in the Winter Court but that the wizard in charge of that operation had been far too sloppy in his actions and was known to the Winter Queen."
"I assumed of course that this situation he eluded to was the very one that resulted in the unique smell of brimstone discovered in Arctis Tor that I had heard about not long before." Lord Kline's eyes looked right at me as he mentioned this last detail for he obviously knew that the attack on Arctis Tor by someone or something powerful wielding Hellfire had occurred at the same time as my rescue.
As far as I knew Harry had never solved who or what was responsible for that attack and now I was hearing that a wizard of the White Council knew of this event soon after it happened. Perhaps he or she had actually participated in the raid itself. That or someone was trying to suggest that Harry's rescue of me had been part of this attack on Arctis Tor. The revelation made me nearly choke and stopped Lord Kline from continuing his story.
"Do you require a drink my dear?" He asked with undisguised concern. Creatures of the Fae took the rules of hospitality, including for guests in titanium cages it seemed, seriously.
"Wait a minute." I said catching my breath. "Are you trying to tell me that you think I was the wizard being held by the Winter Court and that Harry's rescue was behind the damage done at Arctis Tor?" I asked seeing complete confidence in Lord Kline's eyes though his emotions bespoke much less certainty.
"Of course." He said. "My dear it is hardly a secret. Your master was the apprentice of the White Council's Blackstaff, the one wizard they endow to perform 'wet work' as I believe the current vernacular calls it." Lord Kline explained as his emotions went into turmoil overload once more right before my eyes.
"Secondly Wizard Dresden has been known to have at his disposal and use Hellfire with his spells." Lord Kline explained. "This fact has been documented by a few creatures your master has crossed paths with and who were lucky enough to survive."
"Lastly, you were indeed rescued from Arctis Tor were you not by the Wizard Harry Dresden at the same time it was ravaged by someone wielding Hellfire?" The troll asked rhetorically obviously knowing the answer before he asked the question. "So what is more likely? Your master, who has access to Hellfire attacked Arctis Tor in his rescue of you, and left the place a shambles as a warning to those who would try to cross the White Council, or some other group just happened along at conveniently the same time to damage the center of Queen Mab's power on a whim and leaving it smelling of brimstone while Wizard Dresden rescued you?"
The second is exactly what I knew had actually occurred but I now realized how others who had not been present would see this as the way the troll had described it. Worse still it meant there was someone on the White Council who was promoting this version of events possibly because they did not know the truth, but more likely because this lie supported their ultimate goal, whatever that was. And the best reason to promote this and want the Sumer Court out of the way was to lay the blame for whatever was to come firmly upon Harry instead of allowing anyone to suspect those really behind these events. It was a brilliant move I had to admit based on history, but it really pissed me off. No one does this to my boss!
I needed to hear the rest of the story before making any unsupported claims. "Please continue." I said trying to tap down my own emotions based on a whole new level of potential problems I was unaware of.
"As you wish." He nodded with grace. "My friend also mentioned that he needed to keep you master out of these events if possible because he had so screwed up the raid on Arctis Tor that the White Council could not afford a similar screw up again." The troll's words made me suck my breath. "He did not want Wizard Dresden killed, only distracted from these events long enough for the raid to be pulled off without his less than subtle methods being involved."
"The two of us played chess every day for the following week as we discussed various options and potential results as we formulated our plans." Lord Kline said. "I also won only two thirds of our matches in the process making me suspect my friend's true goal was to keep my mind distracted by our plotting as we played."
"In the end the solution became fairly obvious." Lord Kline said with something of a smile. "What was called for was a temporary crisis in the Summer Court that would send them out to prepare for war by implicating possible involvement of the Winter Court. My associate could therefore perform his rescue and when the situation resolved itself both courts would return to their mostly peaceful state with no true harm being done." The troll seemed happy by this revelation as if it made perfect sense. I can say with all certainty that I did not share his enthusiasm for this plan.
"So you poisoned the Summer Lady and Summer Knight and killed an Olympic ice skater in order to steal his token and therefore frame the Winter Court?" I asked incredulously to counter his point of how no one was hurt by the troll's plan.
His face, or rather his emotions since I was hardly an expert on reading the facial expressions of a troll, took on a twinge of humor at the first accusation and then shock at the second. He began rubbing his head as if the thoughts were painful to him. "No!" Lord Kline said. "The Summer Court nobles are not poisoned. They were merely provided a rather strong sedative to render them unconscious for a few days. They will be themselves in no time." The troll said rubbing even more furious.
"The skater was only supposed to be detained by Rumplestiltskin in order to get a look at his token. The little craftsman can copy anything with any material when he gets a look at it so a fake token was left at the scene of the crime. The death of the skater was not part of my plan. Rumplestiltskin must have been acting on his own designs like he was in producing weapons." Lord Kline's emotions jumped over to frustration and even rage as he tried to control himself. Had I not seen my brother exhibit nearly this exact same emotional flux yesterday I might never have suspected the underlying issue. Of course proving it would require looking more closely.
I opened my third eye and turned it toward the troll not at all surprised to see that he appeared as a regal king in my eyes with long flowing robes and a benign demeanor. But the crown that he wore upon his head was not a jeweled and sparking one of nobility, but rather one of black, twisted thorns and strings of barbwire that tore against the underlying spirit of the otherwise honorable troll. The attack was subtle, seeming to injure the troll only when he focused upon areas that where his plan conflicted with what was really going on. Someone had used Lord Kline against his will.
"Hisha are you seeing this?" I asked and I could feel that through me Hisha came to understand this situation as well.
"I am." He said with concern but also relief. "We must find a way to free his spirit by helping him break free of these bonds."
"I agree." I said with hesitance. "But I cannot mess with them directly or the White Council will execute me. We have to find another way."
"I understand child." Hisha agreed. "I do not believe that such chains could long hold my friend if he fought against them. The problem remains is that we cannot tell him he is the slave to another. His pride would never accept it and the spell would help him reject our offers of help. Therefore we must tighten the bands so that he breaks them himself."
"What about my plan?" I said. "Don't you think that might be the perfect way to free him?"
"I agree Molly." Hisha replied without argument. "You plan to free us might in fact be the way to free him instead." I noted a tone of sympathy and understanding in the monk's voice now that the situation made sense to him once more. I turned to focus most of my mind on my role, though maintaining both chi contact and wizard sight made this more difficult than I had originally planned for.
Okay it was time to go for broke. "Lord Kline, this wizard you speak of." I said watching closely how this crown reacted by shrinking slightly as I prepared a new question as I now suspected what was behind these events. "By any chance was he the one responsible for hiring Rumplestiltskin?" I asked casually so not to upset him any further.
"I made the introduction between the two of them but yes he actually employed him for the Winter token recovery." The troll admitted calming a bit and making the black magic band on his head loosen ever so slightly. It made me certain that only by focusing on specific aspects of these events could we try to break him free. And knowing what I knew of the troll I thought I knew where some of these aspects lay.
"Is it possible that the wizard could have also hired him to make the firearms as well?" I asked noting that even as the words left my mouth the band of magic immediately tightened and I could even see the troll's spirit cry out in pain.
"No!" His enragement increased again. "He would not do such a thing. We agree upon a plan that I alone devised."
"A plan that you devised whose purpose was to only temporarily distract the Summer Court." I asked to repeat what I knew.
"Yes!" His stress level continued to increase.
"By making them think they were under attack by their eternal enemies?" I asked again.
"Exactly." He agree but the crown stayed tight none the less. "No one will get hurt as long as we follow my plan."
"Except The Lady of Summer and the Summer Knight you mean. They of course will die." I said seeing the band tighten even further causing the troll more pain still.
"No I told you that they will awaken soon." Lord Kline responded. "They were only provided a powerful sedative."
"No they are near death Lord Kline." Elaine spoke up and interrupted us. Thank you Hisha for the perfect interruption! "The poison that was actually used was iron and not whatever drug you and your wizard friend had originally agreed upon."
That revelation made the crown tighten again causing even more pain, but one of the strings that made up the crown seemed to tense too far like a guitar string tightened too much and then broke before my eyes. It fell away as a mystic strand and dissipated before my wizard sight. The troll's body shuddered at this moment of pain but I could see his spirit grew in strength as he felt the bonds holding it weaken.
"Iron?" He asked rubbing his head but his tone now held a sense of confusion. "Are you sure?"
"We found no sign of any drug as you stated should have been present." Elaine explained. "Our spells should have detected something if what you say was truly the source."
Before he could come up with a defense I quickly named all the foods that had been consumed at their banquet and drew the troll's distracted attention back to me. "Each of those foods is high in iron. Any one might have made the pair sick. Together though it was a poisonous overdose." I explained. "And since this is a change from what you plan had called for it meant that someone intended for this to be the result. Someone is using your plan to actually kill the Summer Court."
"Lord Kline?" Daniel spoke up drawing everyone's our attention and allowing Hisha to send me a chi wink. "I am not familiar with the normal process fairies use to make deals, but whoever ordered the bang sticks did so by telephone." He said calmly and without accusation. "Do they have phones in the Nevernever?"
Daniel may have been prompted by Hisha and therefore have no clue as to why he said that but the rest of us understood. Faeries do not regularly use a telephone. They appear in person. Creatures like vampires and such might use a phone but Queen Mab certainly preferred a direct discussion. That fact sort of lent credence to my idea that the wizard had been behind this order. The troll seemed to understand that immediately as well.
"No!" The troll fought against the idea. "That had to be someone in the courts, likely Summer, looking for a way to improve their odds if what you say is true about the Lady and the Knight."
"So then is it the Summer Court who is making their own forces disappear?" Elaine asked.
"No you said yourself that the Winter Court was recruiting them." Lord Kline replied.
"Are you ready Hisha?" I asked in my mind.
"Yes Molly, it will be as you say." He replied
"So Lord Kline let me get this straight." I said drawing his full attention back to me so that the last element of my plan could come into play. "You devised a plan to distract the Summer Court. At the same time, someone else in the Summer Court just happened to learn of your plan and substitutes what amounts to real poison against the Lady and Knight of Summer and do so that Elaine and I do not immediately notice what is actually at play. Thirdly the strongest and most loyal of Summer's forces suddenly go missing, probably recruited in your eyes by an agent of Winter. And lastly Rumplestiltskin begins building firearms for someone else whom we do not know." I let this all sink in to the troll's mind.
"That is four rather complex plans all taking place at once." I stated. "Doesn't it seem to stretch credibility that all four should happen at roughly the same time and not be related?" My sight showed me the bands around his spirit seemed to be reaching critical mass. "Doesn't it seem to be more likely someone, perhaps your wizard friend, is actually working all this behind the scenes as an elaborate chess game?" I said using the strategic theater most familiar to him.
"It would but that would make the wizard a veritable strategic genius. You give him too much credit for being able to out think me." Lord Kline said resisting the idea. "He is good but…"
"Oh by the way..." I interrupted and pointed at my chessboard. "…I believe this is checkmate." I said looking at the table in front of me that showed my queen and a rook piece having neatly trapped his king.
"What?" He said looking down at the board. "We did not even begin…"
"I have checkmate as well." Hisha said softly but drew the troll's full attention. Lord Kline's eyes looked from one board to the next on each one he had either lost his match or in the case of Elaine and Daniel was so far behind in pieces and position that the loss was inevitable in a few more turns.
"We were not playing..." The troll said trying to deny what his eyes were saying.
"What are you talking about? Of course we were while we talked just as you promised." I said in response adding a sense of confusion to my voice though laced with my best acting skills at being honest. Dealing with my mother this was a necessary survival skill at times.
Hisha's illusion cast over all four game boards was fantastic and certainly better than anything I could have done. The spell would likely fall apart if Lord Kline actually reached out to touch a piece but the shock of what the troll was seeing, that all four games, magically enhanced and beyond our ability to reach, appeared lost or in jeopardy so unnerved him that he dared not touch any of the pieces. His spirit sagged and the magical bonds holding onto it suddenly fell away with nothing to grasp onto."
The troll seemed to shake himself out of a stupor the instant they were gone and looked once more to the boards. "You lie!" He said turning to look at me. "It was all an illusion you created after you promised not to use your magic on me."
"First I did not use my magic. The illusion was Hisha's." I explained. "And the purpose was not to deceive but instead to demonstrate to you that you could be out manipulated by someone without your sense of honor where challenges of strategy are involved. Now I ask you again, are you absolutely certain that your wizard friend could not have done the same to you in order to set this series of events into motion?"
The troll's indignation turned inward to self reflection. I could see him wondering for the first time why he was so willing to believe his friend to be innocent when now so much pointed the to the opposite. "I will admit I am hardly as firm in my belief as I was a moment ago." He acknowledged. "But that hardly makes me ready to violate my promise to him and free you all."
"I am sure your promise said nothing about being an accessory to murder or helping to start a war though did it?" I asked the troll.
"No it certainly did not, but that does not change the fact that I agreed to keep Elaine and yourself from interfering in these events at the Summer Court." He said.
"Wait a minute." I said at his words. "This plan was devised a year ago?" I asked.
"Yes, that is what I told you." He replied.
"Then there is no way that you could have promised to stop me because there is no way anyone could have suspected I would get involved." I reasoned. "You actually promised to keep Harry and Elaine, the traditional Winter and Summer Emissaries from interfering didn't you?" I said with a smile knowing this had to be true.
The troll thought about this for a moment. "Well that is technically true I suppose. As I have said your presence in these events has been something of a wildcard. I see you are continuing to perform in this role." His smile was not completely faked. "You would likely make a dangerous chess player, providing you ever took the time to actually play that is."
"So you could release me so that I could save the lives of Lily and Fix and still not violate your promise you made. This would also help you protect your honor at the same time." I said reasoning that the latter was still important to him.
"And I and your friends merely wait here for word of your success?" The troll asked.
"Not necessarily." I said with a quick moment of inspiration. "Just because you cannot upset the plans at the Summer Court does not stop you from checking out another part of this story and confirming it for yourself now would it?" I asked.
"Providing it did not interfere, no it would not." He agreed.
"Well since you are such a great strategic thinker in my backpack is a map of the Nevernever." I explained pointing to my pack. "If you wanted to hide an army from the notice of the Queens of Winter and Summer where would you hide them until you needed them?" I asked.
The troll smiled and retrieved my pack. "Well I would need to place them someplace where there was no chance to detect them or have anyone inadvertently stumble across them or my entire plan would be ruined." The troll said laying out the map. "That means not only is almost all of the Nevernever useless for this purpose but so is the mortal realm because of the number of being who travel or live in these lands. What you need is someplace like…" His words trailed off as he stared at the map.
I waited in silence as did the others while Lord Kline exercised the skill he had focused upon for centuries before I was ever born. Finally I saw him smile and turn to look at all of us having solved the riddle in his own mind at least.
"There are a small group of islands not far from the shores of Summer lands by a place called Lighthouse Point." He said pointing to the map so we could all see. "A body of water that large would remove the chance for a detection spell to find them and the fact that to get to these islands one must pass near to Siren's Island would keep most beings from even considering using such a place. The sirens' call would lure most males to their deaths, but someone smart could plan for that and avoid its effects. It would also make those looking for the army dismiss this location. If I were the one planning to hide an army, that would be the place where I would put it."
"So why don't you take the others and go prove it?" I asked simply. "Surely that would not violate any promise you made."
"It would not." The troll agreed and reminded me of the noble being I had originally thought him to be. "Meanwhile you can go save the Summer Court nobles and meet us where?" He asked.
"Lighthouse Point seems a good choice." I said. "If someone is really trying to start a war, that seems to be the place to stop them from using this army."
"Your logic makes sense." The troll said. "But you will have to travel far and fast to do so. Will your magic provide you this ability?"
I had an easy solution to that particular problem. "Let's just say that my need for speed is the least of my concerns. So I take it we have a deal?" I smiled at the troll who smiled right back.