The Game and the Board by Armas Florian

Author:Armas, Florian
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-17T00:00:00+00:00

***

“Vivani.” There was warmth in that single word, and Herden stood up from his desk to greet her. “Should I expect some good news regarding my proposals?”

“You are too impatient, Herden. Who would expect such a flaw in Shadow Master? You should be a master of patience too.”

“I am, my dear friend; I am. Please have a seat.” He kissed her hand and led her to a small sofa. “So, it’s a political thing. What a pity. Let’s aim for somewhere in the middle. I will invite you for dinner and we will discuss everything in more pleasant surroundings. The gardenias are blossoming on my terrace, and you know that I don’t enjoy eating alone. Just give me a few moments,” he said in a firm voice, letting her know that she had no choice, “to make some arrangements.”

“Your terrace is a marvel.”

Herden bowed to her, left the room, and came back after a few minutes. “Let’s walk,” he said, and opened the door for her. “This room is not made for talks with beautiful women.”

“That’s a wonder; I have lost track of how many of them entered here.”

“Did you count them?”

“People are talking. Some of them are counting,” she said with a swift, flashing, smile that was warm, yet infused with that sort of mischievousness usually found in a child’s cheerfulness.

“Some of them are talking too much. That’s a sad vice. May Tyron punish them for their sins.” He made the sign of prayer with his left hand and struggled to keep a thread of laughter away from his voice. He lost his own battle, and both laughed. “I have to make amends. Any Shadow Master could say in his defense that beautiful women are a necessity in his job; they help me to control … men, but that may bring some more unnecessary parallels with our actual situation. We don’t deserve that.” With his free hand, he gestured loosely between them. He made a point of smiling as he did. “I will pretend that I did not say it.”

“I will pretend that I did not hear it.” Vivani returned the smile.

On the terrace, Herden led her to a table arranged inside a circle of pots with gardenia bushes. There were some light scratches on the stones, a sign of recent rearrangement. On the white cloth, a crystal vase was filled with red roses. Their perfume added a strange spice to the more powerful scent coming from the gardenias. Once Herden seated her, two violins started to play a lyrical song behind a screen of paper decorated with a painted flock of red birds. It was not entirely dark, but discrete small torches sent their playing flames around them.

“I wonder how many women have been seduced by such exquisite refinement,” Vivani said, taken by the beauty of the song.

“Why would you be interested in such things?” Herden smiled. “In my job, I learned to swear the red thing in front of one’s eyes is blue. Some would even believe me.

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