The Adventures of Draikin and the Light Faerie

     Master Vex was bored again and in a dreadful mood.

     This morning, the Darigan Mynci dungeon warden had outplayed the last of his prisoners at the cellblock once again. And it didn’t appear that anyone knew was on the way. Besides which, even if there were new prisoners, there was never anyone truly worthy of a good game. He had long since beaten the two guards who were best at it, Galgarrath and Haskol, and didn’t relish the idea of beating them again in dull rematch after dull rematch. Still, there was nothing to be done until someone new arrived, so he sat at his desk with his feet up, picking his teeth with an old piece of scrawnyfish bone.

     The stone door leading into the dungeon swung slowly open, the breeze from the tunnel almost putting out the torches that lit the room. The two guards, Galgarrath, the Red Darigan Grarrl and Haskol, the Darigan Skeith, entered, dragging with them a small, rather dishevelled, Royal Ixi. It was, of course, our hero, Draikin.

     Master Vex rose to his feet with the scrawnyfish bone still between his teeth, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

     “Well, well! What have we here? A new player?” He slammed his fist down on the stone desk in front of him, grinning evilly. “Here!” He said to the guards with a gesture, and Draikin found himself roughly shoved forward so that he almost fell over the desk. Frightened, the Royal Ixi tried to stand tall and silent, sizing up the situation. The infamous warden Mynci smiled, tugging at his cape and straightening himself up. Finally, he removed the scrawny fish bone from his teeth and used it to gesture with as he spoke.

     “Allow me to welcome you to the Darigan Dungeons, Prisoner Number Six.” Master Vex began, shooting his prisoner a wide, fake smile. “I don’t know what you’re in here for, and I don’t much care. You have been placed in my custody, which generally means you are or have been an extremely naughty customer. It also means that you are pretty much entirely disposable, and that to the outside world, you no longer exist. This, of course, also means that from today on….you are MINE.”

     Despite his fear, Draikin looked up from his hooves and straight into the eyes of the Mynci warden. “Actually, Master Vex,” he said, “I have come here specifically to play cellblock with you.”

     “Cellblock? Cellblock? You have heard of it then,” Master Vex cried, gleefully rubbing his hands together, “My game, my wonderful game!” He gently stroked the scar that ran down over his right eye. “Of course, no one has ever beaten me. Not yet. But perhaps you will! And of course, some prisoners have been known to display quite nasty tempers when they lose. But then, we have ways of handling that! And of course, as I said, you may not lose, right, my boy? And if you can beat me, perhaps I can grant your freedom.”

     “Well, I don’t plan to lose, Master Vex,” Draikin said. “And actually, Lord Darigan has promised me my freedom if I can beat you at the cellblock.”

     The Royal Ixi thought Master Vex was going to fall over; he looked so astounded. After a moment, the Mynci shook his head and spoke.

     “Lord Darigan has promised? He promised you your freedom? Really?” Draikin nodded, and the warden turned to his guards. “Haskol? Galgarrath? Is this true?”

     The two hulking guards who had brought him there nodded. Master Vex began combing his beard with the scrawnyfish bone again as he studied Draikin.

     “Well, you seem a strong and intelligent young fellow, but are you intelligent enough?” he asked at last. “Either way, I guess we shall have a go. And it does seem a shame for one so young to be trapped here with us beneath the ground forever. Do you even know how to play?”

     Draikin lifted his chin. “Not yet. I do not.”

     The warden’s eyes widened. “You don’t even know how to play, and yet—” He sighed. “Well, Lord Darigan must have known your chances were impossible or he would never have agreed to that wager of yours. That explains it, that explains it.” He leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the desk.

     “And yet, I intend to beat you, Master Vex,” Draikin said.

     “Good fellow!” Master Vex grinned, sitting up in his chair again and putting the bone back between his teeth. “Well, I guess you’ll need someone to teach you to play. And it must be someone good. I mean, nobody’s that good, other than me, of course, but there must be someone… Now who shall we…mmm…. Prisoner Number Three! That’s it. Squire Meekel will suit our purposes, I think! So, that little twerp will teach you the game this afternoon. You’ll learn the game—and if you beat me,” he giggled. “If you beat me, you shall have your freedom, just as Lord Darigan said. Yes?”

     The Mynci warden didn’t wait for a response but turned to the brutish Skeith who was still standing behind Draikin.

     “Haskol! Take Prisoner Number Six away! Galgarrath, there’s a mountain of paperwork to be done that’s not going to do itself. Get to it.”

     The immense Darigan Grarrl grumbled and headed for a little desk, while the Darigan Skeith gripped the young Ixi’s arm again and propelled him down the dark, torch-lit tunnel. Behind him, Draikin heard Master Vex calling out to him.

     “Oh, Prisoner Six? Learn well, my boy! Perhaps we can even have a game before the day is out!

     The massive Purple Skeith led Draikin through the bowels of the citadel dungeon. Behind iron bars, the prisoners sat in their cold cells, barely visible in the darkness. Eventually, Haskol stopped to unlock a cell, and Draikin was abruptly thrown inside.

     “Teach Cellblock!” The Skeith instructed brutishly, locking the barred door back up.

     Draikin looked around in the gloom, and at first, he couldn’t see anyone in there with him. Suddenly, however, there was movement in one corner of the cell, and he spotted a small Kacheek peeking out from behind the side of an enormous steel ball. Just as Draikin laid eyes on him, the Kacheek vanished behind the ball again.

     “Um…Squire Meekel?” Draikin asked gently. The Kacheek’s eyes appeared again, this time above the ball.

     “Who-who-who are you???” the little fellow chirped nervously.

     “I’m Draikin Blackfawn, of Meridell,” Draikin said, “I’m a prisoner, just like you. Don’t worry, I mean you no harm.”

     Slowly, Squire Meekel crept out from behind the giant ball where he was hiding. Now Draikin could see that the ball was actually attached to a chain—which was attached to the Squire’s ankle.

     “S-so you’re not going to eat me then?”

     “Eat you? Certainly not!”

     “Thank Illusen!” The little Kacheek leaned back against the ball in relief. “I just know the guards are fattening me up. Have you seen that Skeith, Haskol? I’d be barely a mouthful for him!”

     “Squire Meekel, I really don’t think they’re planning to eat you,” Draikin said sincerely, “And I certainly am not! But I do need you to teach me Cellblock.”

     “Cellblock. Cellblock? Cellblock.” The little Kacheek popped up again, walking toward Draikin until the chain caught his ankle and pulled him back. “You actually want to learn cellblock? It’s a terribly difficult game. Oh dear. You’re not planning to play Master Vex, are you?”

     “Yes,” Draikin nodded. “I am.”

     “Oh dear. Oh dear,” Squire Meekel shook his head. “Can’t beat him, you know. No way, no how. Can’t be done.”

     “Well my friend,” Draikin said calmly, “I’ve no other choice but to try.”

     He smiled at the nervous little Kacheek who was still shaking his head, “Teach me.”

     *

      Late in the day, as the sun was just setting over the Citadel (where the poor prisoners couldn’t witness it), Draikin and Squire Meekel heard the heavy steps of the Darigan Skeith guard stomping back down the hall.

     “You’re the best I’ve ever played, except for Master Vex, you know,” the little squire whispered to him, looking up from the board they were playing on, “Now just be sure to look out for those manoeuvres I showed you. He’s famous for those surprise attacks. You can’t just focus on your moves; you have to carefully watch every move he makes. Oh dear. I can’t believe you’re going to try to beat him. If you ever really get out—won’t you please tell them I’m here!”

     “I promise,” Draikin nodded, and the bars of their cell slid open.

     “Prisoner Number Six.” Haskol called dumbly, and Draikin stepped forward out of the gloom. As the door was locked again, the young Ixi peeked back through the bars, but the little Kacheek had vanished again behind the enormous steel ball he was chained to.

     “Thank you, Squire Meekel!” Draikin called. “I won’t forget you!” But no answer came from the dark cell, and Draikin was led away.

To be continued…