Gregory watched as the board was revealed. Petar was stationed at a village on Buldoun’s side of the border, but there was an empire village on the board, as well. He could see Petar practically drooling over the prospect of taking it.
Gregory went over to Sasha and asked softly, “Has war been officially declared?”
Sasha smiled, and her head twitched side to side.
Gregory’s lips pursed as he stared at the board. “Do your captains generally take light infantry out to border postings?”
“It’s our equivalent of your magi guard,” Sasha replied. “Generally, we don’t have as many. A captain would be patrolling through a few towns, keeping an eye on a larger area.”
“If war hasn’t been declared at the moment, then, he’d be the only unit in the area, besides the village guards?”
“Yes.”
“Has either side built up forces near the borders to shift the status quo?” Gregory murmured, trying to understand the scenario better.
“No,” Sasha smiled broadly.
“Was there a clash of units that started to shift things this way?”
Sasha’s eyes gleamed. “Quick reasoning. This is the opening stage of a buildup— war is about to start. Who sees the chance for quick victory? Can they pull it off? Will it make one side or the other the aggressor?”
“He’ll go for the village. He thinks he can manage it,” Gregory said. “He wants the glory. He might pull it off, depending on who’s there.”
Sasha chuckled. “We’ll see in time.”
“Okay,” Petar said, “I need to know the opposition first. I strip down two of my men, put them in field workers’ clothing, and send them to the empire village to look around. While they gather intelligence for me, I make sure my men patrol the area close by to stop any random scout from getting too close. Capture anyone who looks suspicious for questioning.”
Rafiq started making notes. “What routes are your men taking to deter scouts?”
“I’ll split them into eight units, four out at a time,” Petar said as he stared at the map. “The route will keep them staggered, and they’ll be moving in this fashion.” He marked it out on the map.
“What do the men you’re using as scouts end up with as stats?” Rafiq asked. “I’ll need to see the information for them.”
“One moment,” Petar said, turning to his notes.
~*~*~
It took over an hour before anything of real note happened. Gregory wasn’t surprised— Empire’s Gambit wasn’t a fast game most of the time and, with the expanded game, it would take even longer.
The scouts Petar sent out came back with information that the magi who’d been stationed in the village was leaving. Petar didn’t rush forward like Gregory thought he would. Instead, he spent the turn calling all of his men back in. He’d used his first few turns to groom a local hunter into a scout, then sent him out to trail the magi unit to see where they were going.
“And the route he will take to follow the magi?” Rafiq asked.
Petar exhaled. “This is why I hate this game. It’s too rigid. The scout would alter his route as he needed.”
“This is to teach you to think ahead,” Sasha said sharply. “No simulation would be identical to reality.”
Petar grimaced. “Yes, ma’am.” He traced out the route his scout would take. “That way.”
“Understood,” Rafiq said as he made his notes.
Stef motioned Gregory to the side, and he went with her. “I’m curious. What would you have done differently here?”
“I’d have at least asked for more information on the magi unit. Which magi is it? That makes a startlingly big difference on what might or might not happen. Which clan is it? That can matter, too. The Iron Hand is honorable, but the Eternal Flame sees only victory.”
“Smart. All he heard was that the magi unit was leaving. Did they leave with provisions? Did they pull out quickly?”
“That would tell you more. The magi might have left the village with the barest minimum he could, leaving the people behind to be burdens to his advance.” Gregory went quiet as he considered another idea. “Or… is he being baited to be the one to cross the border first? A military unit crossing the border would set the stage for this being Buldoun attacking the empire.”
Stef nodded slowly.
“Buldoun rallying together because the empire invades matters. It helps lower prices on equipping your men,” Gregory added, “but when you’re the aggressor, it doesn’t happen that way. Now, if multiple fronts open up, eventually, it’ll stabilize, but it’s possible that he’s about to put your whole war effort in a hole.”
Stef smiled at him. “It’s not often we see a magi with the understanding of our positioning.”
“My wife plays a mean game as Buldoun,” Gregory chuckled. “Be glad she’s not on the board already.”
“That would be Yukiko? There was talk that she’d been going to marry into a merchant house of Buldoun before she was a magi. I wasn’t sure if that was true or not.”
“It’s true. The merchant family broke the betrothal when she tested as magi.”
“So she would know more about our country than most magi do. I can see where this would help her.”
“All of my clan has studied the other countries,” Gregory said. “We’ve also trained strategies for this tournament. One of those was a scenario much like this, with either side being the aggressor.”
Stef inhaled slowly. “What of the other clans?”
“No idea. As it is, I’ve probably said too much already.”
“If I was someone other than who I am, maybe. Your words are safe enough with me.”
“I shall return,” Rafiq bowed before leaving the tent.
“Pettit, I had a question for you,” Petar said once Rafiq was gone. “Did they keep you out of the tournament because of your foresight?”
“Yes,” Gregory replied. “They kept me out of the one at the academy, as well.”
“Your foresight can’t see that far into the future, can it?”
Gregory smiled at Petar, not answering.
Sasha and Stef both started laughing, but it was Sasha that answered the frown Petar shot at them, “Do you think he’d just give information that vital away?”
“I was curious why he was kept out!” Petar snapped.
“It was thought that my magic couldn’t be trusted to keep the game fair. A wind magi or shadow magi could listen into another tent, but it would tax them more than my magic would. I don’t have to extend for distance, just time.”
“Even at the least he could do,” Stef jumped in. “Even if he could see a quarter hour ahead, he’d know the outcome of a turn before the coordinator left the tent. He could suddenly shift his plans.”
“Oh… hmm…” Petar said thoughtfully.
“And if he could do more, maybe he’d know every move you’d take for the first day,” Sasha added. “No idea if he actually can, but the possibility is enough.”
“It was thought that me playing and winning would be… bad for everyone involved,” Gregory added. “I have no problem just watching to learn. I was a coordinator for the academy tournament. I’d love to play, and even though I’ve never used my foresight when playing for real, it taints the mind of any who’d be against me.”
“I see,” Petar said slowly. “But you do play?”
“I was trained during our second year, and I’ve played games with my wives and fellow clan members. Honestly, I’m not the best player in my clan. Depending on the country played and scenario to be handled, some of my friends do better than me. I’ve won and lost an equal amount of games. I’m terrible at playing Krogga. Haven’t gotten a feel for being their commanders at all.”
“Most players struggle as Krogga,” Sasha snorted. “We lack the true mindset of a Kroggian. Besides, they’re only at their best against the empire.”
“That’s true,” Gregory admitted.
~*~*~
Petar arrived in the empire village a few turns later. He took stock of what it had available— besides feed for the horses, nothing extra had been taken; the village was far from depleted. Petar had been gloating over an easy victory for a full turn when the bad news started coming in.
It arrived when Rafiq came back to the tent from the last turn. “Your men find your scout outside the village. He’s been dead for days. A couple of hunting arrows are embedded in his back. His horse went down the road, away from the village, after that.”
“What?!” Petar asked hotly.
“It appears your scout was ambushed, and the killer left,” Rafiq replied.
“They just happened to know and ambush him?”
“Petar, he’s given you the information you’re required to have,” Sasha said firmly.
“Hmm… I see.” Petar went back to glaring at the board. It was obvious that he’d been counting on his scout.
A few seconds later, Archmage Aliminus was suddenly in the tent. “Petar Steelar, you have started a war with the empire. You are the first person to brazenly cross the border and take a village.”
“What? But we were told there’d been clashes at the border!”
“There are always clashes, but purposely invading and taking villages is a bit more,” Aliminus said firmly. “Now live with what comes from your war. And no, pulling back will not stop it. Word has already begun to spread about your activities. You are tasked with making sure Buldoun holds this village now, do not let them take it back.”
“But how?” Petar asked in shock.
Aliminus looked at Rafiq. “Tell him.”
“The magi who left went to the nearest town, sending word to all nearby villages and towns about your invasion. The information has already begun to spread across the empire,” Rafiq said.
“But…!” Petar stared at the board. “They would’ve had to go straight there and report that. I hadn’t crossed the border before they left.”
“Yes. It would have hurt the empire’s side of things if they had been wrong,” Aliminus said. “They seemed to know you would cross the way you did.”
Gregory’s lips pursed, and he nodded slowly. He thought he had a good idea of what the truth really was.
“Pettit, do you have something to add?” the archmage asked pointedly.
“No, sir. Just considering who the magi could’ve been.”
“Step outside with me, as I am done delivering news.”
“As you wish, sir,” Gregory said, heading for the tent flap.
They walked a little bit away from the tent before Aliminus spoke, “Explain.”
“It was Klein, wasn’t it, sir?”
“How do you come to that conclusion?”
“Spatial magi. He could’ve sent his men ahead and stayed back. If he dressed right, he’d have seen them coming and used his magic to start traveling behind his men. If he was using the adept cards, he could’ve made it there easily to do as you said. He would know they were crossing the border, meaning there was no risk for the empire.”
“This is why we didn’t want your magic involved in the game,” Aliminus said tightly.
“That was just deductive reasoning based on who was in the first part of the game, sir. Honestly, it was the best magi for a village this remote.”
Laozi appeared beside them in a small swirl of wind. “Ah, taking the time to speak to our champion?”
“He had guesses as to who was placed opposite Steelar. I was asking him to explain, was all.”
“And did he answer you?”
“I did, sir. The archmage thought I’d used foresight, but I’d figured out which magi would be the best suited for a village as remote as this one. I thought you’d both selected which player started where— you for the empire, and him for Buldoun.”
“Very astute,” Laozi nodded. “Well, Archmage?”
“He is not wrong. I would have preferred that he stay away from all games.”
“Pettit, I can see about replacing you. The archmage is requesting that you step back.”
“I promised to spar against both Buldoun watchers, sir. I would hate to break that. If I can fulfill my promises to them, then I will do as is best for everyone.” Gregory faced the archmage. “Sir, I do not know what I’ve done to upset you. I’ve only strived for the empire as all magi should, and the way your mages did for Buldoun. If you wish me to step back, I will do so.”
Aliminus hesitated before he exhaled slowly. “You personally have done nothing. I shall withdraw my request for now.”
Gregory bowed as a native of Buldoun. “Thank you, sir.”
Nodding, the archmage left suddenly.
Laozi chuckled. “Your friendships trouble him. He worries that some of the better mages might not wish to cross the empire in the future.”
“Oh… I see.”
“Now back to your game,” Laozi said.
“Yes, sir,” Gregory bowed formally to Laozi. He was gone by the time Gregory had finished bowing.
