“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.”