Free Green Rider by Kristen Britain Page B

have the fairest voices of all, brought to his keep. Using methods unknown today, he extracted the voices from the singers and melded them into magical strings. Child, what you heard were voices from centuries ago."
    Karigan remembered, with clarity, the crystalline voices of the strings… strains of some ancient past forcibly carried into the future… like ghosts. "What happened to the singers?"
    Miss Bayberry tilted her head, looking beyond Karigan, a sadness in her eyes. "There is no record, but you can believe that if they survived the process, they lived without that which they loved most—their ability to sing."
    The more Karigan learned about magic, the less she liked it. It seemed to bring nothing but evil and grief. "The telescope—"
    "Oh…" Miss Bunchberry groaned. "Not the telescope. I do think, my dear Bay, that we should remove the lenses and crush them beneath our heels."
    "Nonsense, sister. That telescope was one of Father's most treasured pieces. Tell me, child, did you see far when you looked through the eyepiece?"
    Karigan noted there was no question of whether or not she had gazed into it. "I saw very far. Too far." She described the series of images as they had appeared.
    "A sprinkling of the past, present, and future," declared Miss Bayberry. "Such a device could erode one's sanity if one had constant access to it. Father possessed a tremendous will to resist using it when he had major decisions to make. Believe me, he felt the lure, but he also felt it was human temptation more than the device itself that called to him. Indeed, no one should see too much of their own history or future."
    Miss Bayberry fixed her piercing blue eyes on Karigan. "Remember, child, your future isn't made of stone. What the telescope showed you was what may happen if the present line of events continue."
    Put that way, it sounded to Karigan as if the current of her life was out of her control. It wasn't a welcome idea. "Do you look into the telescope?" The sisters seemed to know so much about everything.
    "Heavens, no," Miss Bayberry said.
    "We've no need," Miss Bunchberry added.
    The ladies would say no more about the telescope or anything else in the library. Miss Bunch left the parlor briefly, and returned bearing a wooden game board and multicolored pieces. She set them on the table before them.
    "Are you familiar with Intrigue, child?"
    Karigan had recognized the game immediately—it was all the rage in Selium. Two kingdoms battled for dominance, each piece possessing a different ability. Arranging the pieces in various patterns created offenses or defenses.
    The pieces, in this case, were made of ivory or bone, dyed in the traditional colors of red, green, and blue, and carved in the likenesses of kings, messengers, spies, soldiers, and so on. The game was most difficult when played as a Triad, with a third player who was random—the wild card with no set loyalties one way or the other. The other two players could petition the Triad for allegiance, but the Triad could choose not to take sides and play for its own benefit. It was the never knowing of what the Triad player would do that made Intrigue exciting.
    Exciting, if you liked the game. Karigan didn't. She lost every time she played. "I've played Intrigue a few times, but not often with a Triad." Estral had been her only friend at Selium. There was never a third person to play with.
    Miss Bunchberry clapped her hands. "Splendid! Bay and I haven't played with a Triad in a long time either. Child, you will be the Triad, and if this first game doesn't last long, we can switch."
    Splendid . Karigan remembered to smile, and because propriety was so important to the ladies, she said, "I'm honored."
    "That's good. I offered to a guest first as was proper."
    Miss Bayberry nodded in solemn agreement.
    They played long into the night, each taking a turn as Triad. The gentle sisters transformed into ruthless opponents and Karigan found herself, as usual, on the defensive.