The first thing I do is find a leather band from the side of the bed and tie up my hair—honestly, there's just so much of it¹1.

Then, I methodically go through every nook and cranny of the small cabin.

Money? Check. Some coins from the pillow and a finely carved wooden comb that'll probably sell for a nice price at a market somewhere ²2.

Food? Check. Some jerky drying by the fireplace, a couple of sweet potatoes and apples tucked away in sacks by a corner, and a leather flask half-filled with water.

Potions?—I discard the idea as quickly as I think of it. Magic exists in Chess Games of Blood, but can only be (legally) used on behalf of the king, so I'm more likely to die being caught with magical items than to be saved by them. Anyway, there isn't any to be found—in and around the Keep, Alex is the only one to possess magical talent.³3 So no check, but crossed off the mental list.

Finally—Weapons.

I eye the bows dubiously. Technically, they are weapons, but since I'm not actually an archer, they're next to useless to me. Aurelia is a hunter, so maybe—

I dive through the stuff Aurelia keeps hanging around the fire, and ultimately emerge, triumphant, with a small knife in a leather holster. It's small and shiny and sharp, and though my stomach roils at the thought of ever actually using it, I pocket it anyway. It's good insurance. Even if I manage to escape tonight's massacre, this world isn't a very nice one.

So. That's all of it. Once I'm all packed up, which takes just a few minutes, everything fits neatly into a makeshift sling bag that I made from some coarse cloth lying around the cabin. It's a little frightening to think this is everything that stands between me and being totally empty-handed in this world, but beggars can't be choosers.

I throw the bag over one arm, square my shoulders, and walk towards the door—and grab the latch, doubling over, as an image bursts to the front of my mind.

Mrs. Morrell, running into the cabin as soon the ajar door comes within sight. Cabin ransacked. Valuables all gone. Oh spirits, Aurelia—but why were there no signs of a struggle—?

I swallow, my heart pounding. What was that? My... conscience, maybe? I know my parents didn't raise a thief, and that's exactly what I'm doing, stealing, but it's not like I can help it—But no. My stomach clenches. That vision felt too vivid to just be my imagination. But the book has never mentioned Aurelia having any sort of special powers,⁴4 so what...?

I shake off the image and the thought.

There's no time, right now, for guilt or confusion or whatever that was. I've got to get a move on, and anyway, so what if Aurelia's mom does come back and experience exactly what I saw?

Soon, she won't even have any use for these items. On account of you know, dying.

Still, despite what I tell myself, my hands are cold and stiff when they manage to unlatch the door.

I step out—

And into the most dazzling tableau of fall.

Clear skies, brisk winds, a sea of tree leaves in a riotous array of red, orange, and gold. It's the type of day when you should host a Harvest Festival. The world of Chess Games of Blood is so dark I would've never thought such a view possible. Yet, here it is in front of me, so crisp, breathtaking even—

I shake myself out of my tourist appreciation.

"You're about to die, if you don't get a move on," I mutter under my breath. A reminder. "Keep focused." I bite my lip, my hand tightening on the handle of my makeshift sling. So what if the world is much more beautiful than the gloomy grey one I had in my mind? Its beauty doesn't change anything I should or shouldn't do

I turn away from the sun—towards the West. If I remember the book's map right, to the North lies the kingdom's enemy the Hannu, to the East the kingdom's capital Augusta. Since the capital sent the attackers, naturally, I should go in the totally opposite direction to it.

Direction chosen, I nod just once to myself, then begin striding forward. In front of me, my shadow stretches out across the packed-dirt road.

I don't look back.

There's nothing worth looking back at, anyway. By the next dawn, it'll all just be fire and ash.

---

[1] Why does Aurelia Prime even keep her hair this long as a hunter? How does she even do any hunting with it always in her face?

[2] I mean, I have to come across a market some time? There's one at Silverwood Keep, and RPG games always have a market in every new area map. That had to be based on some medieval reality.

[3] Not that Alex knows that he has magical talent yet. Emphasis on the Yet (It was a Big Plot Point in the novel).

[4] I mean, not that I knew very much at all. She was in a few scenes at the beginning, including when Alex found her body, then a handful of schmoopy flashbacks throughout the rest of the series. I know a lot about how Alex missed her from those moments, but nothing actually about her.