The die rolled across the cracked, wooden table, which had soaked up spilled wine from locals and strangers alike for decades. It spun a few times before the four men’s eyes, hit one of their cups, and landed with six dots facing up.

  “Well done, well done,” said a man with long, wet hair falling into his eyes, as he raised his cup and took a loud gulp before wiping his mouth. The boy waited for him and then picked up the die again. “That makes sixty-two, right?” the man asked.

  The boy didn’t answer and instead glanced at his coins, which the two were using to keep track of the score, before rolling the die again in his hand.

  “Are you going to roll, boy?” one of the other two men behind the long-haired one spoke up.

  “Quiet, Ivanek,” the man across from him almost shouted, smiling. “Let the boy be.”

  The boy rolled the die, this time with less force.

  It landed on four.

  “Lucky. Are you continuing?”

  “Yes.” This time the boy responded, but there was still uncertainty in his voice.

  The die landed on four again. Then it showed five.

  The boy grabbed the die, but as he was about to roll it again, he lowered his hand and handed it to the long-haired man across from him.

  “Getting scared, are we?”

  “I have seventy-five copper coins.”

  “You only win them if you reach a hundred.”

  “You only have twenty,” the boy lifted his head and looked the man in the eyes. He was afraid of him. Even if he managed to win, these people wouldn’t let him leave with the coins. He was sure of that. He was more concerned about the two men behind him. He had learned one of their names—Ivanek—but didn’t know the other’s or the one across from him.

  “Igor, that’s your name, isn’t it?” The man was rolling the die between his fingers, watching him.

  “Yes.”

  “Listen, Igor. Look at me, and then at my friends,” Ivanek placed his hands on the table. “Do we look like cheaters to you?”

  “No,” Igor lied, and the man’s two friends burst out laughing, even drawing the attention of a few others in the tavern.

  “Good. Do you have any more money, Igor?”

  “No,” this time Igor told the truth. He had nothing else. He didn’t even know why he had agreed to play. And with these men, of all people.

  “Wife and children?”

  “No,” he answered more quickly this time.

  “Mother, father?”

  Igor shook his head again.

  “You’re really down on your luck.”

  The man was right. Igor had nothing left. All he had were a few copper coins in his pocket, which wouldn’t get him far. But now, he had wagered even those. The goal of the game was to reach a hundred, and he was close. He just needed to avoid rolling a one. A one would send him back to the start of the game. He looked around. He was in the middle of some seedy tavern, facing three dubious men. He couldn’t even remember how he had agreed to play with them. They must have bewitched him. Or maybe he was drunk?

  The man across from him looked him straight in the eyes, as if reading his thoughts. Igor watched as he rolled the die in his hand, waiting for him to throw it. The smile on his opponent’s face unsettled him even more. The pile of coins before him was much smaller—around twenty coins. Why was he so pleased? Igor lifted his cup and took a drink. He swallowed more than he intended, which made him cough. The man’s companions laughed at his attempts to drink. He couldn’t hold his liquor. He never could. His father had tried to teach him, and later the blacksmith, but his throat was too delicate for the heavy rum.

  The man’s die spun several times and landed on one. That was it. The man across from him would have to start over. Igor tried not to show his satisfaction. He glanced at the man, who still seemed amused.

  “Well, a one.” The man pushed all his coins back to the center of the wooden table. “I lose everything and start over from scratch.” His two friends seemed pleased as well. “Your turn.” The stranger pushed the die toward him.

  Igor hesitated. The chance to win was high. Even if he rolled a one, they would be even, and the game would restart. At least he wouldn’t lose. He boldly grabbed the die in his hand and didn’t wait.

  Six.

  He looked around. All three men across from him seemed satisfied as if they were the ones winning. But he had just won six more coins. He reached out and took them. He hesitated, then reached for the die again. He would roll.

  Five.

  Luck was on his side. He smiled and pulled five more coins toward him. The tall one, Ivanek, wasn’t laughing anymore. But the man he was playing against was still pleased.

  “You’re lucky.”

  Igor pretended not to hear him and rolled again.

  “Another two… that makes eighty-eight.” The man calculated before he could. “Go again.”

  Igor hesitated. Maybe he should stop and give the man his turn. His opponent was at zero. He had nothing. He wouldn’t catch up. But if Igor rolled again, he might win everything in two or three rolls. Once again, he reached a point where he doubted himself and lacked courage. If he had been brave, maybe he would still be with Zorina. If he had been brave, he would have taken her away from her house and her parents. Zorina wanted him. She was waiting for him to take her. But he hadn’t been brave enough. Instead, he surrendered to wine and rum. Though he wasn’t good with them either.

  The self-blame returned. He felt guilty for his past mistakes. The wine helped. He raised his cup and took a sip. He grabbed the die. He would roll. He would win and go get Zorina tonight. She probably still wanted him. Unless she was already asleep. And at this hour, most people were.

  He raised his hand, spun the die, and prepared to throw it. But his hand was stopped. The greasy-haired stranger before him had grabbed it.

  “Listen, boy. Let’s make the game more interesting.”

  Here it comes.

  “No,” Igor immediately refused. The man was trying to trick him. He knew it.

  The man laughed and opened his other hand. There was another die in it. Igor looked at each of them in turn. The two on the sides and the one he was playing against looked as though they had been waiting for this moment all evening.

  “I’m close to winning.”

  “That’s right. But you’ll need at least two rolls. And the chance that one of those rolls will be a one isn’t small.”

  He was right. But Igor wasn’t going to fall for his tricks.

  “No, I want to roll.”

  “Well, alright.”

  Igor quickly rolled the die. It landed on two.

  “Well, are you satisfied? You have how much now? Ninety? You’ll need at least two rolls to reach a hundred. Don’t you want to double your chances?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “If you roll both dice,” the man continued, “you add the total of both to your coins. With one roll, you could reach a hundred.”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “You’re right. There is a catch. And to be fair, I’ll admit there’s a catch. As I said, we’re not cheaters,” the man looked at Ivanek and then back at him. “If one of the dice shows a one, you get nothing. But you don’t lose anything either.”

  Igor raised an eyebrow. He still didn’t see the catch. That sounded good too.

  “And there’s more, of course. With two sixes, you win everything, and the game ends.”

  “I have ninety coins. With two dice showing five, I’ll still win.”

  “Yes. See, double the chance.”

  Igor hesitated. He still wasn’t sure what they were trying to do.

  “And with two ones?” he suddenly realized, and the man smiled.

  “With two ones, you lose everything.”

  “And start over?”

  “No. I take everything.”

  “But the same rules apply to you.”

  “Absolutely, boy. After all, you’re speaking with Vasily. Not just any random person.”

  Vasily? Igor hadn’t heard of him. Yet he introduced himself as if he weren’t some greasy-haired drunk but rather a member of the royal court. He stared at him. He didn’t look like someone worthy of being close to the king. He didn’t look like a knight either. He looked like a slightly wealthier shepherd. He even smelled bad.

  Igor held the die, grabbed his wooden cup, and took a drink. He knew he had no choice. They wouldn’t let him win the normal way. He had to roll both dice. And after all, he had nothing to lose since he had nothing, to begin with.

  “I’ll roll.”

  “I love brave people,” Vasily slammed the table so hard that not only the two dice jumped, but even the cups. However, nothing spilled.

  After the brief commotion he caused in the bar and when everything settled a moment later, Igor was already holding both dice in his hand. The chance to win was greater than the chance to lose. But even if he won, these men would take everything from him. He was naive but not stupid. So before he rolled, he smiled.

  The clatter of the dice on the table was the last thing he clearly remembered from that night in the tavern, and when he later recounted his encounter with Vasily, he would skip over how he lost everything. Not because he was ashamed, but because his mind truly didn’t want to remember it. And the wine had taken its toll.

  Indeed, many moments were lost to him, but the next one he clearly recalled was how Vasily was stuffing the coins, both his and Igor’s, into a leather pouch, while Ivanek rubbed his hands together, making animalistic sounds. Vasily extended his rough hand to Igor.

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  “Still, I’m not a cheat, Igor. Everything happened with your consent, didn’t it? Sometimes it’s like that. Our minds always think only of the benefits and ignore the dangers. I suppose at some point you were imagining what you’d do tomorrow with all those coins. Well, I wish you double that amount. But it won’t be tonight.”

  Igor remained silent, inwardly blaming himself, cursing Vasily, and condemning all the Gods of this and the otherworldly realms. He felt like everyone in the tavern was staring at him. But the night was so advanced that even if they were, it was unlikely anyone would remember tomorrow. He hoped he wouldn’t remember either. But he remembered that night for a long time.

  “Still, Igor,” Vasily interrupted his thoughts, “I have one last offer for you.”

  Igor leaned back in his chair and looked at him with a calm gaze. The only thing he had to lose was his coins. And now he didn’t even have those. So he was calm.

  “I’m offering you two silver coins,” Vasily leaned forward and placed them in front of him but didn’t withdraw his hand. “You can take them, stay here, get drunk, and by sunrise, you’ll have spent or lost them.”

  Igor just raised his head toward him. Vasily continued:

  “Your other option is that I take the coins, but you come with us.”

  Igor was surprised. He hadn’t expected this offer.

  “To go with you? Where?”

  “That I can’t tell you, boy. But it’s a great privilege that you’re even getting this offer. There have been three of us for as long as I can remember. And those two,” Vasily gestured toward them, “won’t be pleased that you’re coming. But I’ll reason with them.”

  “But who are you?”

  Vasily laughed.

  “That’s what you should have asked before you agreed to deal with us.”

  “But you sat with me.”

  “Yes and no,” Vasily replied. “Now answer. The money, or you come with us.”

  Igor slipped his fingers under Vasily’s hand and pulled out the two coins.

  “Well. If that’s your decision,” Vasily smiled, threw on his heavy-looking cloak, and turned his back to him. He was the smallest of the three, but also probably the smartest. Ivanek talked a lot but was foolish. The third was rough and hadn’t spoken all evening. In his gaze, Igor saw emptiness and a slightly dumb expression. In the distance, Ivanek turned and winked at him. Igor hated him.

  ***

  Vasily had been right in the end. Igor had nowhere to sleep, no one to go to, and no food. He drank one of Vasily’s coins, and the other he seemed to have lost because he never found it. He could survive the night. He had slept on the street before, especially after drunken nights. Though when you’re drunk, it’s easier. You don’t feel the cold from the ground beneath you, you don’t worry about not having money, and back then, he still had a home to return to. Now he didn’t dare. Not after the way he had left.

  If he could, he would lie down and sleep. And maybe he should sleep. Tomorrow, he would get up and find work for a coin or two. Or at least a place to make some quick money. The last time he had earned some was at Visnya the blacksmith’s. At least he gave him shelter and paid him. Sometimes he even fed him. But Igor, thinking he was better than him, left. He was a good blacksmith, but not better than Visnya. He didn’t know why he had left. Now, with nothing, he regretted it a little.

  “Boy, we have free rooms. Ten coppers.”

  Igor turned around. A plump woman, leaning on a straw broom, stood nearby. She was the innkeeper.

  “A room? I don’t need one.” He needed one, but he had no money. As usual.

  “Then get up and leave. We’re closing.” The innkeeper’s tone grew harsher.

  “Closing? So early?”

  “It seems you’ve lost track of time along with your money.”

  Igor looked around. The tavern was empty. He was the only one left.

  “Well, are you getting up?”

  Igor stood abruptly and stumbled. He hadn’t drunk much, but even a little had been enough to make him dizzy. He reached into his pockets as if to pay. He didn’t know what he would pull out from there. He hoped something was left, but there was nothing.

  “Your friends paid. Keep your money.” That was lucky. “If you want, besides a room, I can offer you one of our ladies. They don’t charge much. Though I suspect you have no money at all.”

  She was right. He had none. But he didn’t answer. He wasn’t interested in her. He shook himself off and headed for the exit.

  Darkness enveloped him as soon as his tattered boots felt the sand beneath them. The streets of Chernoval were left to the beggars, bandits, the homeless, and him. Now that he thought about it, he easily fit into at least two of those groups. If he had accepted Vasily’s offer, he would have joined the third. He thought of them again. On one hand, he was furious at himself for losing everything; on the other, he began to wonder if he should have gone with them. No. He didn’t want to see them again. That had been a good decision.

  “Boy, you look sweet. Want a freebie the first time and a discount the second?” The voice was feminine but rough. Igor stepped aside from her. He could make out her silhouette leaning against one of the houses on the street but couldn’t see her well. He turned forward and quickened his pace. He heard her voice again behind him. He knew their type. He had lived among them long enough. In the end, they always wanted money. And he had none. Then her men would probably beat him. Or even kill him if they decided no one knew him. And right now, he looked like just such a person.

  He didn’t know where he was going. He knew the kingdom, but in the dark, it was harder to judge the path. The stones beneath his feet trembled.

  “Hey, bandit. Don’t walk in the middle of the road.”

  He heard the snort of horses and then a loud curse. The two horses and cart passed him, and the man holding the reins gave him a long look. He was inches away from being run over.

  He looked back to see if anyone else was coming but saw no one. Maybe his luck wouldn’t be in the kingdom. If he didn’t find at least shelter by tomorrow, he would leave and try elsewhere. He didn’t like blaming fate, but what had he done wrong in the world to be in this state now?

  It was night, and everyone in Chernoval believed in the God of Night. That’s when the owls came out and chased away the evil spirits. Igor didn’t believe in anything. He had tried praying once or twice. The first time, he prayed to Bat, the God of Money. Well, he brought him nothing. The second time, he tried Bander, the God of Luck. That didn’t help either. So he decided it was all nonsense.

  “Boy, want to try your luck?” He heard a voice again nearby. He couldn’t see who was speaking, but it was a woman’s voice. He thought it was another of the street women like the one earlier. And luck he certainly didn’t have. Especially after the games at the inn.

  “I have no money. And even if I had money, I have no luck,” he shouted.

  The same voice was heard again, this time seemingly closer:

  “If you hadn’t bedded Visnya’s daughter, you might have some, Igor.”

  He stopped. The night, mixed with the silence and the sounds of forest animals nearby, tricked his mind for a moment, and Igor thought he was dreaming. For a moment, he fell into a trance. He quickly snapped out of it.

  “Who’s there?” he replied, almost certain he had imagined it. “Repeat that.”

  “Visnya the blacksmith. Does that name mean anything to you?”

  Igor stepped closer. Her silhouette was now outlined in the dark, and the whites of her eyes stood out.

  “Do you want to try your luck, Igor?” she repeated.

  “How do you know about me? How do you know my name?”

  “I won’t ask you a third time. There are other wretched souls around.”

  Igor looked around. There was no one.

  “I have no money.”

  “You’ll give me whatever you have. Even if it’s not money.”

  Now he could see her. She had long, black, curly hair adorned with various golden bells. She wore a bluish dress with reddish sleeves. Her eyes reflected the light from one of the street lanterns, and their blue color shone. She looked like a woman he could fall in love with if she were younger. But he fell in love easily, so that wasn’t anything special.

  The woman turned her back on him and entered one of the alleys between the houses of Chernoval. He didn’t know why he followed her. It was as if his legs moved on their own. And strangely, he wasn’t afraid. He just didn’t want to die. He was afraid of death.

  She was beautiful. Not that he had seen her well, but that’s how he imagined her. She walked fast enough that he couldn’t catch up but slow enough that he could keep track of her silhouette. The alley was short and led him to something like a field surrounded by tents on all sides. Some of the tents were lit, others were dark. There were people in front of some, but there was no one in front of the one the woman went to. She entered the tent, and Igor bent down to follow her.

  “Where do you think you’re going, sweetheart?” The stranger laughed and stopped him.

  “Didn’t you want me to follow you?”

  “You’re about to get into my bed.” She was still laughing. Now Igor could see her better. She wasn’t much older than him, but she looked very strange. Certainly stranger than in the dark. He still wasn’t sure what he was doing here or why he continued to follow her.

  The woman entered the tent. Igor made a second attempt to enter. This time she didn’t stop him.

  The place was large enough for someone to lie down and sleep comfortably. With a second person, however, it became a bit cramped. The black-haired woman sat before an incense burner. Light smoke rose from it, but there was no flame. Igor sat across from her. Now he realized.

  “You’re Vanders!”

  “Keep your voice down, boy. You haven’t made any great discovery. But it took you quite a while to figure it out. I thought you were smarter.”

  “No one likes you here.”

  “No one likes us anywhere. So what?”

  Igor didn’t respond. The woman pulled out a pile of cards and shuffled them in her hands.

  She shuffled the deck twice and handed it to him.

  “Oh, no,” Igor recoiled. “I’m done with games for today. I’ve already lost one. I have no time or money for others.”

  “You lost because you had doubts.”

  “I was cheated.”

  “The game was fair. You just didn’t believe.”

  “Were you there?”

  “No. Now shuffle.” She extended the cards toward him.

  Igor took the cards in his hands. As he shuffled them, he looked at them. Each one had a different picture on it. He hadn’t seen such cards before. He shuffled them a bit and handed them back to the vander woman.

  The woman raised her left hand and carefully touched all the fingers of her right hand while quietly whispering something. She opened her eyes and looked directly into his. She was both beautiful and terrifying. This night had no end.

  The vander placed her hand over the deck and drew the first card. When she turned it over, Igor saw a mysterious figure on it, dressed in a long brown cloak with a hood that covered most of his face. In one hand, the man on the card held a staff on which he leaned. Around him, it was night, but the bluish light of the sky and stars illuminated his path. The man was heading straight for it.

  “The Veiled One.”

  “What does it mean?” Igor asked.

  “The Veiled One is a traveler. He doesn’t stay in one place and moves from city to city. He often appears in different parts of the world, and legends have already begun to be told about him. No one is sure if they’ve truly seen him or if he’s just a product of stories.”

  “So I’ll travel?”

  “I don’t know. That’s for you to decide.”

  “Isn’t that what you do? Read the cards and predict the future.”

  “No. I just draw the cards. The rest is up to you.”

  The vander placed her hand on the deck again and drew a new card, which she placed on the table.

  “The Seer.” The woman smiled. It was the first time he had seen her smile. “This is the goddess with the falcon head.”

  “I can see that.”

  “Look at what’s behind her.”

  Igor took the card in his hands and looked at it. The goddess was sitting on the grass with her legs crossed, and her beautiful body ended with the head of a majestic falcon. She had spread her arms and was releasing a bird into the air. Igor stared at it. The goddess seemed to be smiling.

  “I don’t understand anything.”

  The vander laid the two drawn cards side by side, touched the deck, and closed her eyes. She said nothing about the second card.

  The third card depicted three people, all with hoods and long dark hair from which smoke billowed. Unlike the Veiled One, their faces were almost entirely obscured, but their lips curled into cunning smiles. It was dark all around them, and one of them held an object in his hand. Igor leaned closer and widened his eyes.

  They were dice.

  The vander laughed.

  “That one you can read on your own.”

  Igor was confused. Footsteps could be heard outside, and soon a shadow blocked the entrance to the tent behind him, obscuring the light from the now setting moon. The woman smiled at him and nodded for him to see the exit of the tent.

  “Don’t make any sudden moves, boy.” The voice was familiar. “I want to see your hands.”

  Igor slowly stood up. He turned to face one of the men outside.

  “Well, we meet again.”

  It was Vasily.

  “You cheated me,” Igor looked at the woman, then at the last drawn card. “You rigged the cards.”

  “I told you, I don’t read the future. I just help you interpret it.”

  “All Vanders are like that. Cheats. That’s why no one likes you.”

  “Hey, hey, boy,” Vasily chimed in. “Watch your words. Vinda is like a talisman to the Vanders. Don’t be so harsh with her.”

  “You took everything from me. What more do you want?”

  “Me? I live here. I happened to see you, and how could I pass up a meeting with an old friend?”

  “Nonsense. You knew. And the card I drew? You were on the card. Even the dice were there.”

  “Dice? I don’t see any dice.”

  Igor looked again. The three thieves on the card indeed weren’t holding anything. Only one held a dagger just like the one in Vasily’s hand. But many people had such daggers. And they didn’t look like them at all.

  “They were there. I saw them.”

  “You’re tired, boy. It’s normal to dream of my dice. You’ll remember them for a long time.”

  “I want to leave.”

  “I’m afraid that won’t happen. Tonight, you’ll come with me.”

  Igor tried to rise but felt the cold kiss of steel near his neck. He didn’t need to turn around to know he shouldn’t move.

  “I have nothing.”

  “And that’s why I want nothing from you.”

  Igor was confused.

  “Boy,” Vinda spoke, “you’re the first to speak to Vasily like that and still be alive. Watch your words.”

  “Listen to the woman, Igor,” Vasily winked at the Vander and approached him. “I’m going to make you an offer, and you’re the first to receive this offer a second time. But this time, there’s a condition, just like the last time.”

  “What is it?”

  “You can’t refuse.”

  Vasily grabbed Igor’s hand and pulled it forcefully, exposing his wrist. He pressed the cold blade against his wrist and swiftly drew it toward himself. Igor’s blood stained his hand.

  A stray dog, smelling the blood, approached them.

  Soon, another one joined. A growl could be heard.