Laufa, the Chess Machine

This chapter is intended to take place before chapter nine and the final trial. When the next chapter is posted, it will be reordered.

The Krastas College of War. January 13, 1435.

Laufa traced the teal petals with her fingertips. Of all the busywork at the Royal College, tending to the stena-infused plants was the only part she actually enjoyed.

She knelt down beside a patch of them in the College courtyard. The air in the courtyard was always cool, and the flowers seemed to glow against the mountain’s shadows. The lectors said that, like sunflowers pointed towards the sun, these pointed towards stena deposits deep within the Lodrian Wall, though the veins here had been mostly mined out. The petals were strange too, twisting into weird, fractal-like patterns. But they smelled amazing.

It was one of the only peaceful spots in the College. Was.

“Would you consider yourself a gambler, Laufa?”

Laufa pushed herself to her feet. “It feels like I can’t go anywhere without you showing up, Lady Eralia…”

“Eralia,” she corrected. “And you didn’t answer my question.”

Laufa faced the noble girl. “Definitely not, no.” She let out a short breath. “I’ve had nothing but bad luck here.” Her eyes returned to Eralia, whose hands were tucked behind her back.

“Fortunately for you,” Eralia brought out a folded object. “There’ll be no luck involved.”

“...Chess?” Laufa stared at the board tucked under Eralia’s arm.

Eralia seized her hand and pulled her towards a nearby table. Her grip was improving, it was still a bit too tight for comfort, but at least this time Laufa could feel her own fingers.

Eralia motioned for Laufa to sit at the other side and unfolded the chessboard. The wooden board clapped against the stone table. Its small pieces rattled, carved from dark spruce and a lighter pine. Laufa slid onto the stone bench across from Eralia, the pleasant smell of the courtyard flowers lingered.

“Which set would you like?” Eralia began arranging the pieces. “I’ll choose—”

White goes first, right? Laufa leaned forward. “Whi—”

“—Lodran.” Eralia’s head tilted. “What was that?”

“I, I said you should pick first, obviously!” Laufa nodded frantically. “I guess, since you choose Lodran, then I’ll choose…” She trailed off.

Eralia’s brows furrowed. “Ah, of course.” Her expression suddenly smoothed. “Chess sets are rather expensive, aren’t they? They must be something of a luxury in the Commons.”

“Right! Yes, exactly that!”

Laufa’s shoulders slumped. As if! Please, just don’t pry any further…

* * *

Eralia sat back. “Does that make sense?”

Laufa’s head spun. It was chess, but it was also completely not chess. Sure, all the basics were there, kings, queens, bishops. But then there was a bearer piece! To top it all off, each nation had a different set: the Garath Empire had two knights, but Lodran had none, but Lodran had two bearers, while Garath didn’t have any, and the Welkin tribes had four bearers, and… There’s just way too many numbers!

“Ah. Sure, I think?” Not. Laufa reached for the Garath pieces “I’ll just use these.”

If she’d actually understood the rules, that set should’ve been the same as Earth’s.

The Garath pieces felt heavy and expensive, with detailed carvings of ships and mermaids. Eralia’s set seemed just as fancy, and her bearer pieces were even topped with small stena gemstones.

“Perfect!” Eralia smiled. Her grin was still a little creepy, but Laufa was getting used to it. “Since I chose Lodran, I’ll open.” She slid a pawn forward with a clack. “But first, should we make this match more interesting?”

Laufa’s face scrunched. “When you say it like that, it sounds scary.”

“There’s nothing scary about a wager,” Eralia leaned forward. “Besides, I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m terrible at chess.”

“Right,” Laufa rolled her eyes. “And I’m Teldrus’s favourite student.” She grabbed a pawn.

“I’m quite serious,” Eralia said. “I had more practical uses for my time than studying chess theory.”

“But,” Laufa’s pawn hovered above the board. “What’s in it for me?”

“The final trial,” Eralia said. “I’ll tell you my entire strategy.”

“What!? You haven’t told anyone!” Laufa’s head snapped up. “Hold on. What if I lose?”

“Then you’re mine for the trial.” Eralia said. “You’ll follow my every command, no questions asked.”

“Now I’m definitely scared.”

“You know you can trust me.”

Laufa chuckled. “News to me.”

Eralia only smiled in response. I should just say no. But knowing Eralia, I’m already involved in whatever plan she’s thought up… And I’d rather know what’s coming than get blindsighted.

“Fine,” Laufa sighed. She set the pawn down, copying Eralia’s opening. “Deal.”

The game started simply enough. She advanced her pieces carefully. Pure defense. She didn’t have any openings memorised, but she at least knew to aim for the centre of the board.

Eralia watched as Laufa captured a piece. “You’re better than I expected for a novice.”

Eralia played with an unnerving precision, sacrificing pawn after pawn just to take control of the board. Two pieces would fall, only for a third to open a line of attack. And the bearers were throwing Laufa off, too. They could move in every single direction like a king, or with just a flick of Eralia’s fingers, they’d leap two squares diagonally to snatch a bishop Laufa thought was perfectly safe. She’d never been a grandmaster or anything, but her defenses felt especially useless when Eralia could just jump over them.

The other disciples in the courtyard quieted. “—And see to it that the northern depot is doubly stocked.”

A stern voice passed their table. Laufa froze. It was Warden Rustes, a quartermaster hurried behind him, rubbing a black-stained rag between their palms. What’s he doing here? Are they preparing for the trial?

The Warden stopped. The moment he did, a leathery musk immediately overpowered the sweet, floral air. His gaze fell to the board before it wandered to Eralia.

“Disciple Adeus.” He nodded.

Eralia stood up from the stone bench and bowed. “An honour, Warden. Quartermaster.”

The Warden lowered his hand. “It seems you missed an opportunity to capture, Adeus.” He traced one of her rooks with his gauntlet.

Eralia studied the board for a moment before nodding. “Indeed, I completely missed it.”

“Your lectors mentioned you possess an eccentric knack for strategy. Perhaps they were mistaken?” He turned away, his gaze sweeping past Laufa as if the bench were empty. “In any case, history has taught us the consequences of gambling Lodran lives on eccentricities. Our frontier graveyards have no shortage of clever strategists.”

The Warden stepped away, his hand falling to the pommel at his hip. Their boots faded down the courtyard path. He might be even scarier than Eralia.

Eralia’s gaze returned to the table. “It’s your move, Laufa.”

* * *

“Isn’t it impressive?” Eralia nudged a pawn forward. “Even the smallest piece can become a queen.”

She was right. In only a couple of moves, Eralia would have two queens on the board, and the whole game would be over. One of Eralia’s bearers jumped over a pawn, pinning Laufa’s king. Then, the rooks cut off her escape. Her king couldn’t move. Her knights were trapped, too. It felt like every move led to a checkmate. Every move, except…

Her fingers trembled. She slid her queen across the board, stopping it right in front of Eralia’s pawn, completely undefended.

Eralia’s hand hesitated for a second as she studied the board. “...A blunder.” She captured the queen with a pawn. “Your move.”

Laufa looked down. “I don’t have one.”

Eralia’s brows tightened. She leaned forward, her eyes sweeping across the board. They landed on Laufa’s king. It couldn’t move left or right because of the bearers, and it couldn’t move forward because of Eralia’s own king. It wasn’t in check, but every possible square it could move to was threatened. There wasn’t a single legal move. She’d caused a stalemate.

Eralia leaned back. “Interesting!” A genuine laugh escaped her. It might’ve been the first time Laufa had heard her actually laugh.

Laufa shrugged. “I guess I won’t get to hear your strategy, after all.”

“Not quite,” Eralia began clearing the board, sweeping the pieces into the set. “We both lost the game, so I suppose we’ll both have to offer concessions.”

Huh? Laufa’s eyes widened. The pieces clattered into the foldable board.

She slammed her hands onto the table and shot to her feet. “This was your plan the whole time!”

“Don’t be silly,” Eralia said. “I told you I was terrible at chess.”