The Game - 5. Chapter 5

The Game has been played in every country in every era throughout the whole of time. Once in every century across the ages; two sides; one goal, to reach the end of the game, to be in the right place at the right time to win. Two teams working against each other to place the last piece and gain immeasurable power. Civilisations have risen and fallen on a turn of the game; all to win; to be the one to open the gates of power.

The rules of the game are simple. There are none but knowing you are in the game and not allowing anyone outside the game to know about it unless they are to become players. Follow the clues, find the right person and the right place, being them together at the right time and.... win.

In every turn of the game there is just one person, the end player, who can bring it to a close, whose presence at the right place at the right time can open the gate and bring their team to victory.

In many ways the end player is the ultimate prize but his or her identity is never known until the very end, until the time is almost right for the game to play out. And then the goals of the teams change. Sometimes plans that have taken years to formulate and build are abandoned in the blink of an eye when the identity is revealed.

Sometimes the end player is already in the game sometimes they have no knowledge of it until they are plunged into a nightmare world of power play and two sides who will stop at nothing to hold on to the power they represent, and to prevent it being given to the other side. Of course both teams have to be careful to preserve the life of the end player because without them the game cannot be won and the power is lost for another hundred years, but short of death, anything is possible.

The only rule of the game is to win and either side will stop at nothing to achieve it.