“The choice if I am to live will be decided by a chess game?!” Rayburn stared at the vices—well, faeries—before him, feeling numb, angry, and confused. “Do I really matter that little in all of this?”

“Quite the opposite actually,” replied Malv in his gruff voice. The faerie was busy setting up the game, helped by his twin Kait, while Oswald, angry as well, but otherwise quiet, peered out the window to look at the large estuary near the cabin.

Rayburn, feeling strangely lightened by the fact of being important, still opposed the idea. He grabbed his wand and held it defensively in front of him. “I could kill you right now—vice, or whatever you are.” Kait tensed, ready to strike; Oswald tilted his head to the side, concerned mixed with amusement in his gaze. Malv on the other hand reacted in no such way, instead, placing the brilliant black queen right on her side of the board.

“Then what was the point of coming with us then?” Malv stood up from his finished board. “Don’t you want the answers your superiors are obviously not going to give you?”

Rayburn, greatly opposing this, frowned, but put down his wand. Malv, in all his decisive nature, sat down calmly, pleasantly. Rayburn didn’t know how such as person could do this, but then again, Malv wasn’t human.

Kait sat next to Malv, watching Rayburn and Oswald carefully as they came to sit on the other side of the low table, on the black side. Oswald was still quiet. Rayburn jumped when he felt Oswald’s hand coming to wrap around his waist, but, at the familiar touch, he relaxed and focused on the board in front of him.

“Let’s do this.”

“Alright, Mr. Greyhead, remember,” Malv moved his first peice, “It’s only life or death.”