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Prologue

Men plan Fate laughs

- FROM THE WRITINGS OF GAIUS QUARTUS, FIRST LORD OF ALERA

Tavi ers and stared down at the ludus board Squares of black and white lay in eleven rows of eleven, and painted lead figurines, also of black and white, stood in serried ranks upon them A second board, five squares by five, rested on a little metal rod, its center over the lower board's center, occupied by only a few pieces Casualties of war sat on the table beside the board

Midga the point where exchanges and sacrifices would have to be aions had taken heavier losses than his opponent's, but he held a stronger position So long as he kept the ga in his favor-and provided his opponent wasn't laying some kind of fiendish trap Tavi had overlooked-he stood an excellent chance of victory

He picked up one of his Lords and swept the piece up onto the raised sky-board, representing the skies above the field of battle, bringing added pressure onto the beleaguered positions of the hosts of the white foe

His opponent let out a low, relaxed sound that was like nothing so e and sleepy predator Tavi knew that the sound indicated the sa-but never for a second did he forget that his opponent was not human

The Cane was an enorht His fur was dark and thick, a heavy, stiff coat over the whole of his body, save for upon his paw-hands, and in patches where heavy scar tissue could be seen on the skin beneath his fur His head was that of an enorh a bit stockier than the beast's, his muzzle tipped with a wide, black nose, his jaws filled with sharp white teeth Triangular ears stood erect and forward, focused on the ludus board His broad tail flicked back and forth in restless thought, and he narrowed scarlet-and-golden eyes The Cane s else Tavi had ever encountered, h the Cane's armor and weaponry had been locked away for two years

Varg hunched down on his haunches across the board fro a chair Even so, the Cane's eyes were a foot above the young ether in a plainly appointed chanable, inescapable prison of Alera Imperia

Tavi pernable Not quite inescapable

As always, the thoughts of the events of Wintersend two years past filled Tavi with a fae of pride, humiliation, and sadness Even after all that ti monsters and streams of blood

He forced his thoughts away frorets "What's so funny?" he asked the Cane

"You," Varg said, without looking up fro, the words chewed and ressive"

"That's hoin," Tavi said

Varg reached out a heavy paw-hand and pushed a white High Lord figure forith a long, sharp claw The move countered Tavi's most recent move to the skyboard "There is more to victory than ferocity"

Tavi pushed a legionare figure forward, and judged that he could shortly open his assault "How so?"

"It must be tempered with discipline Ferocity is useless unless e reached up and swept a Steadholder figure froionare Then he settled back from the board and folded his paw-hands " and the proper time"

Tavi frowned down at the board He had considered the Cane's , but had deemed it too unorthodox and impractical to worry ale point on the ludus board

Tavi regarded his responses, and dismissed the first two counters as futile Then, to his dismay, he found his next dozen options unpalatable Within twenty es that would leave the Cane and his numerically superior forces in command of the ludus board and allow them to hunt down and capture Tavi's First Lord at leisure