Craftiness tinged Josh’s mental words as his inner shister sensed there might be some cosmic loophole they could take advantage of. “Ok…How exactly were the opposing teams equalized in the recorded instances of Tafl that you know about? There has to be a reason that it’s easier to beat them in a fight than to play the game.”

  Raw power filled Theia’s voice as she crossed her arms imperially before Josh. “Doubt of superiors and their guidance is the main factor leading to a hero’s downfall. It was doubt in his lineage that led my grandson Phaethon to his destruction at the Hands of Zeus. It was doubt in his father's pleading wisdom that led to Icarus’ plunge from great heights at the hand of my own son Helios.”

  Force lines radiated around her rigid frame. There was a very brief moment when Josh uncomfortably recognized more of her mother’s temper in Theia that he wanted to. But then it faded, and her shoulders loosed as her features softened. “…But I have the wisdom not to try and overcome the weakness of your mortal doubt and stubbornness with logic. Our time is limited, and to prevent its complete waste, I will oblige your cravings even if it won’t help you understand the particular game you face any better. Perhaps through these words, the fates will be kind to you in a way that the goddess of light herself cannot see.” She didn’t even try to hide the sinicism in the last. “However, be warned, feeding this curiosity will cost you the knowledge that I believe you need and I could have instead imparted in our limited time.”

  Josh’s eyes bugled a bit at the foreboding force of the warning coming from such a youthful-looking being. He had to admit that her appearance had made it easy to forget she was a card-carrying member of the ‘old gods’ with all the occult trappings that such implied. Still, he felt trapped by his pride in not wanting to admit that he was wrong and way, way out of his depth. He also wanted to know what Theia knew about the limiting factors that had affected the ‘chasers’ of the previous ‘prey.’ Even if it would be different from what came at him and Sen. Maybe there is some kind of pattern that can help us.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Theia's words came. “In the first recorded instance of Tafl, the individual teams of opposing pursuers were linked together with Essence-stilling fetters around their wrists and ankles. They used the lengths of chains between them to run down and overwhelm the pursued. In the next instance, the chasers were nestled in the hollowed core of giant void oozes. The gelatinous constructs emitted pseudopods to ensnare and absorb the pursued. In the last known incidence of Tafl, the pursuers were saddled on giant sea slugs that surfed on rolling planes of water. The four teams used the beasts’ enormous open maws to capture and consume the pursued.

  Josh was blank-faced, trying to imagine how this seemingly random information he had forced from her might help. Still, it brought to mind one follow-up question. “...Has any pursued ever found Safety and won Tafl?”

  Theia’s sharp cheekbones rose, and her lips froze in a pursed expression before she answered. “...You two will be the first.”

  Josh moved to ask another question, but she shook her head and he remained silent with his mouth half open. “The contest starts in moments, and I need to tell you one more thing of importance.” However, instead of speaking, she and Hyperion took off back the way they had come with the acceleration of Universal Studios’ Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure ride.

  But her voice was still in Josh’s ear. “Understand, just as our Mother and the enemy forces pursuing her had no idea where and when they would encounter each other, so too will this lack of knowledge be simulated for you and our opponents. Any skill that allows the assessment of an individual’s or object's location will be negated for all participants. Do not formulate strategies that depend on them.”

  “Figures…” was all that Josh muttered under his breath. Part of his divided consciousness had already been formulating plans for using his Mindscape and Event Sphere to stay several steps ahead of the chasing teams as he and Sen would be faster than them.

  He did still have his last question. But seeing the rapidly shrinking forms of Theia and Hyperion head back to the entrance of the stadium, he knew it would go unanswered: What was with all of this ‘we, our, and us’ talk that she had been using? As Josh looked up to Sen and sent what he had learned through his Bond-speak, the tiny specks of the Titans’ forms flew entirely out of sight. We are definitely all alone here.

  Its just us…