Welcome to Gardian, a world where one's zodiac sign determines their magic, fate, and social status. Eighteen-year-old Rieka Spring has been determined all her life to piece together Gardian's fragmented historical record and reverse her sign's emotionless code of honor. When she finally locates an ancient archive containing classified knowledge of Gardian's history, Rieka discovers a scroll that reveals the existence of a mythological weapon and uncovers the truth behind the Scorpio Code-it's nothing more than a manipulation tactic to keep Scorpio in power.Violating the Code's "holy orders" is punishable by death, and Rieka's broken the first never show emotion. Unless she wants to be murdered for displaying her anger against the law's will, she must find and prove that a mythological weapon is more than a story before she's killed by the hauntingly familiar assassin sent to stop her.

'... a human being, an intellectual human being who constantly bends the entire force of his mind on the ridiculous task of forcing a wooden king into the corner of a wooden board, and does it without going mad!'A group of passengers on a cruise ship challenge the world chess champion to a match. At first, they crumble, until they are helped by whispered advice from a stranger in the crowd - a man who will risk everything to win. Stefan Zweig's acclaimed novella Chess is a disturbing, intensely dramatic depiction of obsession and the price of genius.