she said with a smile, and raised her goblet, touching it lightly to his. As she drank, Sorak brought the goblet up to his lips, sniffed tentatively, and took a taste. He made a face and set the goblet back down on the bar. Krysta looked surprised. “It does not meet with your approval?”
“I would prefer water.”
“Water,” Krysta repeated, as if she wasn’t sure she heard correctly. She sighed. “My friend would prefer water, Alora.”
“Yes, my lady.” She took the goblet back, and came back with one filled with cool well water. Sorak sipped it, then took a deep gulp, emptying half of it.
“Is that more to your liking?” Krysta asked mockingly.
“It is not as fresh as mountain spring water, but better than that sticky syrup,” Sorak said.
“Spiced mead of the rarest and most expensive vintage, and you call it sticky syrup.” Krysta shook her head. “You are different, I will say that for you.”
“Forgive me,” Sorak said, “I did not wish to offend.”
“Oh, you did not offend me,” Krysta said. “It is simply that I have never met anyone else quite like you.”
“I do not know if there is anyone else quite like me,” Sorak replied.
“You may be right,” said Krysta. “I have never even heard of such a thing as an elfling before. Tell me of your parents.”
“I do not remember them. As a child, I was cast out into the desert and left to die. I have no memory of anything before that.”
“And yet you survived,” said Krysta. “How?”
“I somehow managed to make my way to the foothills of the Ringing Mountains,” Sorak said. Tigra found me. He was merely a cub then. He had been separated from his pride, so we were both abandoned, in a sense. Perhaps that is why he formed a bond with me. We were both lost and alone.”
“And he protected you,” said Krysta. “But there is still only so much a tigone cub could do. How did you manage to survive?”
“I was found by a pyreen, who cared for me and nursed me back to health,” Sorak said.
“A pyreen!” said Krysta. “I have never known anyone who has actually met one of the Peace-Bringers, much less been raised by one!”
“Take care, Sorak,” said the Guardian. “This female asks much, yet offers little in return.”
“You have still told me nothing of yourself,” said Sorak, noting the warning.
“Oh, I am sure my story is nowhere near as interesting as yours,” she replied.
“Nevertheless, I would like to hear it,” Sorak said. “How did a young and beautiful half-elf come to be the proprietor of such a place?” Krysta smiled. “Would you like me to show you?”
“Show me?”
“After all,” she said, “you did not come to a gaming house just to talk, did you?”
She took him by the arm and led him toward one of the tables. Sorak saw how the people at the table instantly made room for her. He also saw a number of large, armed guards spread out around the room, watching the tables carefully. And the ones nearest them never took their eyes from Krysta.
The table they approached had a sunken surface, with sides of polished wood. The flat surface of the table was covered with smooth, black z’tal skin. At the table stood a game lord with a wooden stick that had a curved scoop at the end. As the gamers tossed dice onto the table, he announced the scores and then retrieved the dice by scooping them back with the wooden stick. Sorak saw that the dice were all different. One was triangular, made in the shape of a pyramid with a flat bottom. Three numbers were painted on each of the four triangular sides, in such a manner that only one would be right-side up when the die fell. Another die was cube-shaped, with one number painted on each side, while two others were shaped like diamonds, one with eight sides and the other with ten. Two more dice were carved into shapes that were almost round, except that they were faceted with flat sides. One of these had twelve sides and the other had twenty.
“I have never played this game before,” he said to Krysta.
“Truly?” she replied with surprise. “This is my first time in a gaming house,” he said. “Well, then we shall have to educate you,” said Krysta with a smile. “This game is really very simple. It is called Hawke’s Gambit, after the bard who invented it. You will note that each of the