Checkmate (Insanity Book 6) (18 page)

In slow motion, holding my breath, I watch The Pillar step onto the white tile.

I can’t believe it.

Even slower, he pulls his other leg up and now steps with both feet upon the tile.

I wait for something to happen. I wait for a trick. I wait for him to shiver and shudder in pain because he isn’t supposed to be stepping on white tiles.

But all my assumptions are futile. The Pillar does have the power to step on white tiles. His intentions are clear, unless I don’t truly believe in the chessboard’s verdict. But I do believe in it. My heart tells me so.

“How is that for good intentions?” The Pillar says.

“Then why didn’t you just do it?” I chortle, so happy. “Why did you play games with me? I get it. Fabiola wasn’t right. You can walk the white tiles. You just want to come across as mysterious, like you always do.”

“Maybe I have another reason.”

I raise my eyes to meet his — they’ve been fixed on his legs all this time. “What do you mean?”

“Are you ready for this, Alice?”

“Ready for what? Please stop doing that? You’re scaring me.”

“You wanted to know my intentions, whether I can step on the white tiles or not. You wanted to know why I haven’t stepped on the tiles in the Vatican, even when I can now step on white tiles. Scary or not, you asked for the truth.”

It puzzles me what he is about to show me. What could possibly shatter this beautiful moment, knowing his intentions are ‘white’?

“This is why, Alice,” he says, strolling over the corner of the white tile.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Showing you who I am,” He says, and lifts up his right leg, leaning more to the right, then he stretches over to the adjoining black tile.

And there he shows me. It’s confusing. Too confusing, in fact. But it’s the truth.

The Pillar’s right leg steps over the black tile. He simply can step on both.

I cup my shriek with both my hands, more bewildered than shocked, because I’m not quite sure what this implies, having both white and black intentions.

Suddenly, when I’m about to press him for an explanation, the whole life-sized chessboard hums in a low drone that I can feel in my feet.

The drone escalates to a rattle, which escalates to an earth shattering sound, as if an earthquake is about to take place.

Chapter 55

“What’s going on?”

“I have no idea,” The Pillar says, stretching out his arms for balance, the same as me. “Hang on tight, Alice.”

“This is ridiculous,” I say. “We’ve ended up here because of the clue in the Black Queen chess piece. Are we going to die?”

“Unless Fabiola and Lewis intended a horrible fate for those who looked for Carroll’s Knight, it couldn’t be,” The Pillar says. The whole chess city starts to shake all around us. “Why would Lewis want us to die if he’s scattered the pieces all over the world? He could have simply thrown them into the ocean for no one to find them.”

“But he didn’t.” It’s getting hard to keep balance. “He hid the pieces from the Chessmaster, but he wanted someone else to find it. Probably me.”

It’s this exact moment when I realize that the final chess game is definitely between me and the Chessmaster. Carroll’s Knight isn’t just something the Chessmaster needs, but also fears.

This is it!

This is the part I read in the notes, where it explains he is afraid of something. I think the Chessmaster is afraid of me. No, that’s not quite it. He is afraid of me finding Carroll’s Knight, but he also had no choice but having me look for it. Because whatever Carroll’s Knight is for, Lewis was smart enough to hide from him, and only have me find it.

My head spins as I think of my lock of hair, which had released the very first piece in this journey. Lewis had planned this all along. As always, he proves to be a genius.

A sudden loud crackling sound rose in the distance.

It’s like a microphone connected to the loudest of amplifiers. The crackling is too loud, it surpasses the sound of crashing and tumbling buildings all around us.

“What is that?” I ask The Pillar.

“Someone’s idea of this being an excellent time for having a concert.”

Someone’s voice speaks through the amplifiers, “By stepping on both white and black tiles, you have activated mankind’s last game of chess.”

The Pillar shoots blaming rays out of his eyes toward me.

“I only asked you to step on white tiles.” I scowl.

“Yeah,” he says. “It’s always my fault.”

The amplified voice laughs, ever so loud, as the shaking of the earth slowly subsides.

“Evil laugh,” The Pillar muses. “I’m sick of those silly laughs in Hollywood movies. I mean what real badass villain laughs like that?”

“Me!” The answer echoes in the empty city.

I tilt my head upward, wondering if the voice comes from the sky, but it doesn’t.

“Who are you?” I demand.

“They call me the Chessmaster,” the voice answers. “My real name is Vozchik Stolb,” the words echo like an ancient apparition in the empty city. “But I’m sure The Pillar knows that already.

Chapter 56

“You know who he is?” I glare at The Pillar.

“I wouldn’t have gone through this journey if I had, right?” The Pillar says. “He is trying to trick us for some reason.”

“Am I?” the voice says. “But hey, my name isn’t that important.”

“Then what’s important now?” I ask. “How could you have possibly arrived before us when it’s you who sent us to find Carroll’s Knight?”

“Believe me, dear Alice,” the Chessmaster says. “It had never crossed my mind that this, the Chess City, is where the final chess game would take place.”

“Then why are you here?” I ask.

“I had you followed. It’s that simple. Millions of people all around the world were scared I’d kill their leaders and put their countries into an eternal sleep, so everyone in the world was practically helping me,” he explains. “Some reported seeing you in Tibet, a few spotted the poorly disguised balloon, and finally, a few residents in neighboring Kalmykia towns spotted you enter it.”

“So you’re as blind as us to where Carroll’s Knight is in this city?” I ask.

“No quite that blind,” the Chessmaster says. “Bear in mind that Lewis Carroll was somewhat of a genius, having made the clues lead you here to a city that may also be a portal to Wonderland.”

A light bulb suddenly flickers in my head. Is it possible that the March Hare had known about the whereabouts of Carroll’s Knight all along? But that’s impossible. I know he likes me and wouldn’t keep such a thing from me. He is just a child inside a man, designing Wonderland themed gardens and cities, wanting to go back to relive his childhood.

It was all Lewis’ planning. But why?

“But you must have known something,” The Pillar challenges him.

“Not until an hour ago when I found out the clues led you here. I had my men search the empty city and found a few of Carroll’s lost diaries.”

“In this city?” I say. “What’s in the diaries?”

“The diaries don’t exactly point to where I can obtain Carroll’s Knight, but they tell of a great secret.”

“Spit it out!”

“It has to do with the chessboard you’re standing on.” The Chessmaster says.

“The one The Pillar accidentally activated.” I remark.

“Nah, he didn’t,” the Chessmaster says. “That was a joke I made up. Nothing activates it, and the fake earthquake is part of the March Hare’s nonsensical and absurd design, having planned Chess City to become another Wonderland. It’s all done with the touch of the button.”

“Never mind all that,” The Pillar says. “What did you discover about the chessboard?”

“Ah, this will really amuse you,” the Chessmaster laughed. “You see, each piece you found is connected to some of your beloved Wonderland characters. The White Queen piece was connected to Fabiola, the Rook to the Duchess, and the Black Queen to the Queen of Hearts.”

“Is that why Fabiola was poisoned?” The Pillar wonders.

“Exactly,” the Chessmaster said. “At first, I thought this was how Lewis Carroll protected Wonderlanders from me. As Death, I’ve always been puzzled about my inability to kill Wonderlanders. Turns out Lewis protected most of you with a spell that demanded he created chess pieces from his bones and hide them all over the world.”

The Pillar and I exchange glances. So this was why Lewis made that chessboard. It explains why the Chessmaster asked him about the chess pieces the day he took his life. Lewis really cared for the Wonderlanders, though he knew most of them were monsters.

“But I wasn’t quite right,” the Chessmaster says. “Each time both of you found a piece, a Wonderlander seemed to be dying while in reality they were only poisoned, and some mysterious army of black men brought them to me.”

“Not much of a difference,” I remark, “because I assume you killed them when they arrived. My God, you killed Fabiola, the Duchess, and the Queen. Soon you will kill each of us, once you find the chess piece we’re connected to.”

I close my eyes, clench my teeth, and feel like I could kick myself for being so stupid. This is why the Queen was afraid of the Chessmaster. He is no Wonderlander. He is no Inkling. No Black Chess. But he is the one capable of ending the Wonderland Wars before they start, because he is about to kill us all right now.

Chapter 57

“You will kill us all!” I shout at the Chessmaster. “All you need is to find the rest of the chess pieces.”

“Calm down, Alice,” The Pillar says.

“I won’t calm down,” I am losing it, basically because of my stupidity. “He is going to kill us, and guess what? It’s me who led him to the chess pieces by unlocking the tomb in Marostica.”

“But he hasn’t found the rest of the pieces yet,” The Pillar reminds me. “And he doesn’t know where they are.”

“Yet.” I retort.

“He is just a dumb old man with an ancient handlebar mustache,” The Pillar argues. “He won’t find the rest of the pieces if we just stop searching.”

“Watch your mouth, Pillar,” the Chessmaster’s voice echoes. “I’m the greatest chess player in the history of mankind.”

“Oh, please,” The Pillar says. “Taking people’s life with a game of chess. You’ve destroyed my perception of death already. Where is the cool dude with the scythe and skeleton for a head? Now that’s what I call an awesome death. Chess game? Duh.”

“Don’t push me, Pillar, or I will tell Alice who you really are — and how we met before.”

“You keep saying that,” The Pillar says. “If you have something to tell her, do it now you liar.”

“Not now,” the Chessmaster counters. “It’s too soon. I want my masterpiece to be unveiled slowly. What good will it do me if I’m not entertained by my plan?”

“What plan?” I ask.

“The plan that will force you to find the rest of the pieces, Carroll’s Knight included, for me.” The Chessmaster seems sure of himself.

“You can’t make me do it.” I say dismissively.

“Don’t ever threaten me, Alice of Wonderland,” the Chessmaster laughs. It’s a bitter laugh, tinted with sadness and outrageous anger. My curiosity about him increases by the minute. So he isn’t just a mad chess player who wants to end the world, and not only Death itself. Then who is he really? Why is he doing this?

“Listen, mustache man,” The Pillar says, checking his hand watch. “Unless you have something really scary to show us, I’d like to leave and get me some new clothes and a new haircut.”

“Not funny, Pillar,” said the Chessmaster. “Whatever you do you will not be the ‘He Who Laughs Last’.”

He Who Laughs Last?
The words remind me of The Pillar’s theory with the giant. I am beginning to think the Chessmaster was telling the truth about previously having met The Pillar.

“As for you, little Alice,” the Chessmaster says. “I hope you are ready to play.”

“Play? You mean that last game of chess?”

“Indeed, but it’s not like anything you’ve prepared for.” The Chessmaster says.

His words are followed by another rattling and drone underneath the chessboard. This time, something else accompanies the sound. Not an earthquake, but an incredibly horrifying joke.

The tiles in the chessboard part and human-size blocks of glass rise from under the earth. The whole thing is done with a most unimaginable technology. Slowly, I realize the chessboard is coming to life; each life size piece of chess, black and white, is standing upon the chessboard, only they’re trapped in glass prisons.

“What is going on?” My mouth hangs open.

I squint at the glass blocks and see the large chess pieces inside aren’t anything but real humans. They’re rapping on the glass from inside out, panicked, just like me.

The glass blocks are foggy from inside, so it’s hard to see their faces. Out of nowhere, a block of glass rises and imprisons me as well, in a flash of an eye.

I start rapping on the glass from inside, wanting out, demanding to know what is going on. But a fog fills the glass and it gets harder to see.

I keep wiping it out with the back of my hand, realizing my screams are only echoed back in my head and are hardly audible outside.

But then, through a small oval clearance in the glass, I see outside, and in that same instant, I glimpse at a few others who’d managed to wipe clear a small opening through their glass blocks. It’s shocking, and incredibly terrifying, when I recognize a few faces behind the glass.

In no particular order, I recognize three of them: Fabiola, the Duchess, and the Queen of Hearts.

Chapter 58

Aldates St, Oxford.

“This is no time to sleep again!” Tom Truckle pinched Inspector Dormouse awake.

Tom was in his car, driving to a place where he and Inspector Dormouse could further investigate the Fourteen Secret Society. They’d almost reached Oxford University when Dormouse fell asleep again.

“Wake up!” Tom’s voice pitched up. The hectic traffic was already getting on his nerves. “What kind of Inspector are you? A serial sleeper?”