Heather Fleming

Sometimes Abdiel feels like when he got his little sister back, he also got a new little brother as a bonus. Andre is always hanging out with them, but oddly, Abdiel doesn’t really mind. He’s a good kid and a great sparring partner. The fact that he should be their blood enemy isn’t really an issue. The fact that he’s obviously got a thing for Eden though . . . well, let’s just say it’s lucky for Andre that he was raised to be a gentleman.

The kid’s got good taste though. Preferring Eden over the Southern society darlings that his father’s throwing at him is only the beginning. Andre shows up on Christmas Eve, just as much because he wants to spend time with the Eden and Abdiel as because he wants to skip out on a gala he’s been complaining about for two weeks, and he comes bearing gifts that he’s obviously put some thought into.

For Eden there’s a framed butterfly, a Graphium weiskei, and Abdiel doesn’t have to wonder anymore where his sister got the other butterfly that she has hanging above her bed. If the smile on her face, or the way she keeps holding the frame up to the light are anything to go by, Eden loves it.

Abdiel was expecting scrap metal or watch parts, since people are fond of giving him stuff to use in his creations, but Andre surprises him with a full set of liquor bottles shaped like chess pieces, filled with assorted Devil Water spirits – one of the few companies that brew alcohol capable of giving gargoyles a buzz.

“I figured you know how to play,” Andre tells him. “I mean, you’ve got The Art of War memorized, so it stood to reason . . .”

“I play,” Abdiel is quick to assure him. “Do you?”

“I do.”

“How about a game?”

“Loser has to wear the elf hat,” Andre says.

“In that case, prepare for humiliation, Cajun.”

“Bring it on, steampunk,” Andre responds.

“Hippie.”

“Emo.”

“Otaku.”

“Half breed.”

“Mutt!”

“Lucifer!”

“Mephistopheles!”

“Boys,” Eden interrupts their name calling. “Play nice.”

They both laugh as they set up the board.

“Do you play, Eden?” Andre wants to know.

“No. I never learned.”

“Want us to teach you?”

“No thanks,” Eden says quickly. “I’m not a big fan of board games.”

Abdiel remembers that their mother had some problems with chess too – not because she disliked board games, though. Her problem was with the pieces and the connotations behind them.

“The queen is the most powerful piece in the game, while the king is pretty worthless. But if the king gets captured then it’s over – as though a queen that powerful couldn’t hold her country together.”

Abdiel can still hear his mother’s ranting in his mind. He remembers nights spent watching his parents play chess, the cold stone floor, hot chocolate, and the fire crackling in the hearth. Those were good times, peaceful and cozy, back when he still believed his dad was the most powerful being on earth or in hell, and when his mom was happy. When they were a family.

After Dad disappeared they had to leave. Those memories are hazy, but then, he doesn’t really want to remember his mother’s tears, the frantic packing, or the way the chess pieces clattered to the floor when Mom knocked the table over in a fit of rage.

Andre is a pretty good player. He’s smart and has a good grasp of strategy and isn’t afraid to go on the offensive. Abdiel thinks that Eden could do a lot worse. He’s accepted it as inevitability that those two will eventually end up dating, and it won’t surprise him if it turns into a long term thing. The way they look at each other reminds him of how his parents looked at each other, and despite his protective big brother instincts, he can’t bring himself to think of that as a bad thing.

After all, Eden doesn’t play chess. Any rules regarding the queen don’t apply to her.