Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

You really are a diamond in the rough,’ chuckled Carl as he took another sip from the crystal goblet. The insinuation wasn’t lost on Lola as she watched him rub his hands together and sit up excitedly in his chair. Alex wheeled the chess board in between his father and Lola. The chess set, like everything else in the house, was ostentatious. The board itself was made of marble as were the pieces. The black half was facing Lola. Sitting up she turned the heavy board around so that she would be playing with the white pieces.

‘The guest always plays with white,’ offered Lola apologetically. This seemed to amuse Carl. Lola could see the glint of excitement in his eyes and she was sure that he would underestimate her again, as he had done all evening. Lifting a small chair from the corner of the room, Alex sat it in the middle, as his father and Lola scrutinised the chequered board in front of them. His father was a great chess man, so he assumed that this game would be over pretty quickly.

‘So tell me, Lola, what should every good chess player know?’

Lola knew the four main principles of the game off by heart. Arthur had drilled these into her since the first time she played the game. ‘Let’s see,’ she mused. ‘Number one. Be patient. As Arthur used to tell me, if you haven’t got patience you may as well forget it. That’s the one I struggled with – a lot,’ smiled Lola.

Carl Stein nodded in agreement. ‘Patience is certainly a virtue and one of the few that I was born with.’ Lola fixed her pawns in a row and then began to organise her back row as she continued.

‘Number two. It’s vital that you have a sense of timing.’ All Lola could see was Arthur, his face furrowed as he examined the board, relaying this to her time and time again. And just when she thought she had him cornered, he would make his move. ‘Checkmate,’ he’d say, before adding, ‘you need to know when to make your move, thus timing is essential.’

Carl Stein stared at Lola wondering if she was as oblivious to the subtext as she seemed. Alex clearly wasn’t, as he continued to shift in his seat. Carl could taste his son’s unease and he could see that he had fallen for Lola. In truth he couldn’t blame him, her aura and presence were extremely intoxicating, even more so than the boy’s mother’s had been.

‘Number three, Mr Stein – and being a successful business man yourself you would know all about this – know your opponent.’

‘Most impressive, Lola, but you have left out the fourth and most important rule of chess. You must be willing to make any or all sacrifice to protect your interests.’

Lola stared directly into Carl Stein’s eyes; there was no doubt in her mind that he made that decision every day of his life without so much as a sideways glance. Men like Carl Stein did not have a conscience, such was their conviction that they were always right. Lola could remember when Arthur had first introduced her to chess. It used to make him laugh how she couldn’t accept that the pawns were there to be sacrificed. To her they should all be equal. She used to ask Arthur, why should the poor pawn be sacrificed for the knight or the rook for a king? ‘You are ever the libertarian, Lola. But unfortunately in this world, my dear, there are those that believe that some are more equal than others,’ he would say.

‘Your move or mine, Mr Stein?’ asked Lola.

Raising his eyebrow, Carl motioned for her to begin the game. ‘Ladies first.’

Composing herself, Lola carefully examined the board. She usually started every game in the same way, trying to get control of the centre board. She made this move in her head, trying to anticipate Carl’s response and how she would counteract that. It took her many years to learn how to do this effortlessly.

Lifting one of her pawns, she moved it to D4. This move, as expected, was mirrored by Carl Stein who shifted his to D5. Again Lola shifted another pawn to E4, as Carl followed to E5. He could see where she was going with this and admired her tenacity. Lola had learned the hard way that the closer developed pieces were to the centre, the more mobile they could be. Shifting her knight in to support the pawns she could see eight possible moves.

Carl, after some thought, decided to bring his bishops into play, but Arthur had always taught Lola to develop her knights before bishops, as it was easier to find a good strategic place for the knight. Of course in chess this wasn’t a given, but she only brought in what she needed in order to accomplish something. Inevitably, as the game progressed most of the pawns were taken out of play, with Lola claiming one piece more than Carl. Gradually, they came to the endgame. Lola could see that the end was in sight; with one more move she would have Carl Stein in check. The game had slowed to a crawl and all traces of humour had evaporated. The atmosphere was thick with tension. But just as Carl Stein was about to make his move, there was a knock on the door bringing them both out of their trance-like state of concentration.

‘Do you mind, Lola?’ said Carl Stein. Getting up out of the chair he opened the door. Lola’s view was obstructed, so she couldn’t see who he was speaking to.

‘Mr Stein, sir, there’s an important call. I’ve put it through to your study.’ Lola thought that she had heard the deep voice that came from behind the door before, but he was gone before she could be sure.

‘Okay, Derek, thanks. I’ll be there in a minute.’ Returning to the room Carl Stein apologised, saying that he would have to call it a night. ‘It looks like we will have to have a rematch, Lola. We will have to continue where we left off.’

‘I think you were saved by the bell, Mr Stein,’ retorted Lola with a cheeky grin.

Carl Stein returned her smile, knowing full well she had almost outwitted him.

‘We will never know,’ he replied cunningly.

Leaning down he kissed her on each cheek.

‘It was certainly a pleasure to have you here, and I look forward to seeing you again. Soon.’

‘Thank you for having me, sir, and enjoy the rest of your evening.’

Walking back up towards the hall Carl Stein went into his study, closing the door behind them. Lola walked ahead of Alex. He had hardly spoken all night. Aibgrene’s concerns were not unwarranted. It had been a risky move, perhaps even a stupid move coming to Chateau Bacchus, but she had to know who and what she was up against. Chess rule number one, know your opponent, thought Lola. But while she had gained an insight into her enemy, her newly acquired knowledge was not without its casualties. She had rehearsed everything she was about to say, countless times. His withdrawal during the evening made what she was about to do easier. Waiting until they were outside, she rounded on Alex and although this was her exit strategy her stomach was churning and her heart was breaking. Tears began to stream down her face, the only semblance of honesty in tonight’s exchange.

‘What was that about?’ she raged. ‘I have never been made to feel so cheap in all my life. Who do you think you are, Alex Stein? Making me jump through hoops, like some circus act, to prove my worth.’

Alex stood momentarily stunned until he realised what was happening. She understood it all. He had completely underestimated her, yet again. But how much did she know about him? She could sense his father’s thoughts and the covetous look in eyes. But Alex understood that Lola, however shrewd, was no match for his father. His dad had learned just as much as she had. He knew Lola had the ring; he’d worked hard to weave enough magick to make sure of it. There was no way she could have reached the top of the stairs without the ring. She had exposed herself and the only reason that she was allowed to walk out of the house tonight was because his father must have another purpose for her. With all that in mind, Alex decided to partake in her charade.

‘Why did you invite me here if you are so embarrassed to be with me?’ continued Lola, pushing him now. A lump had settled in Alex’s throat.

‘Lola, I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he shouted back. ‘I mean it’s not my fault you have some sort of chip on your shoulder. It’s not my fault you’re ashamed of where you come from.’ Alex knew that last comment would really sting her, because he had never met anyone more proud of their family than Lola Paige. So he didn’t move to avoid the palm of Lola’s hand as it came crashing down on the side of his face. He deserved it.

‘I want to go home. Now!’ demanded Lola, trying to fight back the tears.

Carl Stein watched this interesting display from the shadows as Lola stormed off. He had truly underestimated her. Like her mentor, she was a very worthy adversary, but the time for playing games was over.