BrandonScottPilcher

Itaweret moved her final pawn off the last square on the senet board. She straightened on her stool and crossed her arms with a triumphant smirk, victory assured in the game of passing. “By all the gods, not again!” Bek slammed his hands on theebony table, which knocked his two remaining pawns off the gameboard. “There must be some mistake!” Itaweret laughed. “What mistake? That you’ve been losing thepast few times? I keep telling you, Brother, you take these games much too seriously. You act as if the fate of all Per-Pehu depended on it.” Bek narrowed his eyes as his lips curled into a snarl. “I might not be wrong, then. If I am to govern this colony, I must hone my strategic skills. How can I do that when I keep losing to a—a priestess?” Itaweret didn’t take one grain of offense. If anything, his righteous anger amused her even more. “Remember what Father says. You do not need to succeed to learn.” Bek opened his mouth for another retort but stopped, stood from his stool beside