"Have I made an error already? Was that the wrong move?"
"It's the first move in a complete defensive system, but few people outside of Terrans understand it. Pawn to queen four."
She had blundered in attempting the French Defense, but it was not too late to convert to something that could be expected of a Scythian woman beginner. "Pawn to queen three."
The grey doll was out of the purse, sidling through the shadows to the door, which stood slightly ajar.
"So you don't know the book moves, after all. You would really have astonished me if you had moved your queen pawn two squares. I'll play pawn to king bishop four. Will you have some terif?"
He spun around upright and reached for the decanter, looking full at the door ... and the tiny figure.
Evelyn was up at once, cutting off his line of vision. "Yes, I think I will have one."
Telepathically she ordered the little creature to dash through the crack in the doorway. She heard the faint rustle behind her as she picked up the glass Perat poured.
"You know," he said thoughtfully, "for a moment I thought I saw your little doll...."
She looked at him dubiously. "Really, Perat? It's in my purse."