Many people, either fearful of the new regime or simply wishing to show their allegiance to it, had thrown out their old sets of the game along with their portraits of the King. It seemed that only in the Palace of Vorifyr itself were people more relaxed.

DeWar lost himself studying the position of the pieces for a few moments. Then he heard Perrund make another noise, and looked up again to see her shaking her head at him, eyes glittering.

Now it was his turn to say, "What?"

"Oh, DeWar," she said. "I have heard people in the Court say you are the most cunning person they know in it, and thank Providence that you are so devoted to the General, because if you were a man of independent ambition they would fear you."

DeWar shrugged. "Really? I suppose I ought to feel flattered, but-"

"And yet you are so easy to play at Dispute," Perrund said, laughing.

"Am I?"

"Yes, and for the most obvious reason. You do too much to protect your Protector piece. You sacrifice everything to keep it free from threat." She nodded at the board. "Look. You are thinking about blocking my Mounted piece with your eastern General, leaving it open to my Tower after we've exchanged Caravels on the left flank. Well, aren't you?"

DeWar frowned deeply, staring at the board. He felt his face flush. He looked up again at those golden, mocking eyes. "Yes. So I am transparent, is that it?"

"You are predictable," Perrund told him softly. "Your obsession with the Emperor — with the Protector — is a weakness. Lose the Protector and one of the Generals takes its place. You treat it as though its loss would be the end of the game. I was wondering… Did you ever play 'A Kingdom Unjustly Divided' before you learned 'Monarch's Dispute'?" she asked. "Do you know of it?" she added, surprised, when he looked blank. "In that game the loss of either King does indeed signify the end of the game."