Free Blood Moons by Alianne Donnelly Page A

seeing were just more of the usual. The fact that there was a distinct lack of sickness in them hadn't even registered in her mind. Until now he'd been willing to let her believe as much. But there came a point when ignorance turned into a hindrance.
    "Who do you think has been shielding you from them? You certainly couldn't do it." He leaned forward to stare her down.
    "So here's the deal. Either you do as I tell you, when I tell you, or I cut you off and let you deal on your own. Consider carefully, Dara," he warned, "my way might be hard, but it's nothing compared to the alternative." Then, "Chess is not that hard to learn."
    The thought of his threat alone terrified her into compliance despite everything, as he knew it would. Dara bit her lip and looked back at the chessboard. It was both the cover and the exercise. They were playing through each other. Tristan had the black pieces, but Dara played them, sending him the instructions on the next move telepathically, then moving the white pieces the way he told her to. It was getting progressively harder. Now, Dara had to focus and push past Tristan's shields to make herself heard and put up her own shields to turn down the volume of his voice in her head.
    She squared her shoulders and contemplated the board.
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    Blood Moons
    by Alianne Donnelly
    Assured she would finally cooperate, Tristan sat back down.
    Dara sighed, resigned to another head-pounding day. She glanced wistfully at the white knight, rook, and three pawns neatly laid out beside the board. He was winning.
    Something occurred to Dara. If she couldn't get through his shields, why not go around them? She pictured a closed door in her mind to represent his defenses. A good thief would have lock picks. Dara had nothing but her wits. There was nothing around the door except empty space, so she slipped around it as quickly and quietly as she could and thought him her next move. "Queen to G5."
    Tristan raised an eyebrow in surprise, but though his mouth twitched to smile, he shook his head and made the move she indicated. "Check," he announced.
    "Mighty sneaky of you," she noted, not unduly proud of herself.
    "Focus," he replied sternly, "it's your move."
    Without any other warning, the attack shuddered through her shields.
    They held.
    Dara focused on not letting him through, even when he intensified the assault until her head felt as if it would implode. Her shields gave way slightly, but not enough to allow communication. She looked at the chessboard, not really seeing it as she massaged her temples again, pressing harder this time to alleviate the pain. The board was her way of grounding herself.
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    Blood Moons
    by Alianne Donnelly
    Then a high-pitched sound pierced her mind and she jerked back on her bunk, hitting her head against the wall.
    Her shields shattered, one and all, and she heard the next move. "Knight to G5."
    Dara straightened when the sound faded away and glared at Tristan. She leaned down to move the piece, taking the white queen off the board.
    "Good one," he said, his mouth twitching. "Quid pro quo, lassie." The smugness in his mind-voice made her glare. "I thought I had you there."
    "Call it divine intervention. My muse kicked me hard this time." She dropped her gaze to the board again. It was either that or throw something at him. Her head was pounding and it was damned difficult to see her next move from the other side. She bit back a sigh, resting her chin on her knees. "Your move," she said, closing her eyes. It took a little effort, but she managed it. She looked through his eyes, a ghost in his mind, careful not to make a move or a sound to alert him to her presence. It was a double task—keeping hidden and still managing to do what she was there to do.
    Tristan wasn't making it easy. He wasn't even looking at the chessboard, but a place just beyond it, making the pieces out of focus. Was he doing that spacing-out thing again?
    The doorway zapped open, startling her. She jumped,