Demon Chess
Demon Chess
A lone antique lamp on the big oak desk threw long shadows on the bookshelves filled with forgotten tomes and the faded portraits on the walls, faintly lighting the room. The smel couldn’t be detected, feeling old and filled with a dust that didn’t come from the earth.
Moriah sat behind the desk, her midnight skin softly glistening in the low light, her crimson eyes glowing with dark amusement. She wore a sleek pantsuit accentuating her imposing, regal figure, her horns curling from her brow like living smoke. She was looking like a siren from the depths of the earth, glowing with earthern beauty that hid the rotteness of her blackened heart.
On the desk between them was a chessboard, the pieces arranged perfectly. Armies of black and white, prepared for war. The board was old, made of dark wood inlaid with ivory and obsidian, the pieces heavy and detailed, each a miniature work of art showing demons, angels, priests, soldiers, and male and female gods in eternal struggle.
“Ori,” Moriah purred, her voice smooth as silk over thunder. “Come. Sit.”
Orishirishi approached slowly, her golden eyes narrowing at the chessboard. She pulled out the chair opposite her sister and sat, the wood creaking softly beneath her. The scent of scorched earth and brimstone clung faintly to Moriah, while Orishirishi carried the cold, metallic tang of mercury and Hellfire.
“What is this?” Orishirishi asked, her voice layered with suspicion and intrigue. She gestured to the board, her long fingers hovering just above the pieces. “A game? After everything? You want us to sit around the table like a pair of worthless humans, wasting our time playing a kiddies’ game?”
Moriah leaned back in her chair, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across her lips. “Not just a game, sister. The game. I have also been to the Underworld. While you were busy retrieving your precious body, I went on my own mission and spoke with the Taskmaster.”
Orishirishi’s golden eyes flashed. “What else would I expect from a crybaby such as yourself, Mo? One sign of trouble from me and you go running to the task master. What did that old fool have to say?”
Moriah’s smile widened. “He may be a fool, but he’s still in charge of Hell when Father’s away. Lucifer expects us to end our little game soon. One of us must claim dominance over Greenly Bay as its official Tormentor. The other… returns to the Underworld in shame. So, you can guess what this means for you?”
The room seemed to grow colder. Orishirishi leaned forward, her fingers tracing the edge of the chessboard. “So I am allowed to challenge you once more… You see! Father knows my worth and he sees my value. He knows I’m more deserving of the position and admires my insolence just to have what is truly mine.”
“Yeah, whatever you say, Sister,” Moriah said, her crimson eyes gleaming. “As the current Tormentor, the Taskmaster has given me the choice of how the battle will be fought.”
Orishirishi’s lips curled into a predatory smile. “Battle, then. That is why I brought my daggers. We will settle this the old way—with blood and fire, and this time, I will make sure to finish you off, there won’t even be anything left of you to send to the Underworld…because all of you would be dead.”
Moriah laughed softly, the sound rolling through the room like distant thunder. “No, sister. Not battle. There won’t be any of that. We’ll settle this with a battle alright, but not an actual fight! Chess.”
Orishirishi stared at her, golden eyes narrowing. “Chess? You mock me.”
“I do not,” Moriah replied calmly. “The land must thrive. More children must be born. More souls must be harvested for the kingdom of Hell. Destruction serves no one in the long run. Chess is cleaner. Smarter. It allows the town to continue feeding us while we decide who rules it. If we do an actual battle, we will taint the soil, just as we did the river with our little previous scuffle. Since then, the tides don’t seem to want to stop rising.”
Orishirishi pushed her chair back, standing abruptly. “This is ridiculous. I am a warrior of the highest caliber. I have battle against the legions of heaven and survived while many of our brothers and sisters fell. This is beneath me. I will not play your games.”
She turned to leave, but her feet would not move. An invisible force held her in place, tethering her to the chair and the board. Her golden eyes widened in fury. She knew what this was and understood that she nad no power to counter it.
Moriah smiled wider. “You cannot leave until we finish playing. If you want to be Greenly Bay’s Tormentor, you must play the game. You have no choice. You want the power, don’t you?”
Orishirishi’s hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. “You treacherous bitch. What do you hope to gain with pulling this coward’s move?”
“Sit down, sister,” Moriah said sweetly. “And let us begin.”
Orishirishi sat slowly, her golden eyes burning with rage. Moriah gestured to the board. “You are White. First move is yours.”
Orishirishi seriously didn’t want to play. A part of her thought about just sitting there and not moving a muscle, but she understood that the battle had been set. It wasn’t what she’d been hoping for, but she got her wish regardless. She had to play if she wanted to steal Moriah’s position from her.
She reached out and moved a pawn forward two spaces, the piece clicking softly against the board. Moriah responded immediately, moving her own pawn two steps forward. The game had begun.
The sisters stared at each other across the board, the air between them crackling with centuries of hatred, rivalry, and the weight of an entire town’s fate hanging in the balance. Whoever won would reign over Greenly Bay as its official Tormentor. The loser would return to the Underworld in shame to face the wrath of the Taskmaster. The first move had been made. The real battle had just started.