“So she didn’t have a say in the matter of her marriage?”
“They’re not called the dark ages for nothing,” The Pillar says. “What strikes me as interesting, though, is the fact that the first documented chess game in history was about two men trying to win one woman’s heart.”
“Are you trying to sound sentimental?” I mock him.
“Nah, I’m trying to remind you of your similar situation. You still don’t know who you’ll end up with. Jack or the mysterious future husband, but anyways, let’s…”
This is when the Chessmaster’s plan starts to reveal itself.
A tall man dressed as a black knight in the game on the large chessboard acts like he is about to checkmate the white Queen, but with a mallet in his hand, he threatens to knock off her head.
Chapter 14
I am about to run toward him and stop him, when The Pillar squeezes my hand, pointing at the armed men in the higher castle, all pointing their weapons at the crowd below, including us.
People panic in a rage of murmur, unable to comprehend or object against the situation. None of us understands what’s going on until a large screen nearby broadcasts the Chessmaster live on TV.
“So, I believe that two persons have solved my puzzle,” the Chessmaster rubs his handlebar mustache, staring too close at the camera. “And that’s where the game begins.”
“Who is broadcasting this?” Someone asks, but none answer due to their paralyzing fear.
The Chessmaster proceeds. “Whether you’re watching this on TV or are actually in Marostica in Italy, you will get to see live footage of what’s happening now. To put it simply, the man with the sword will chop the head of the woman in the Queen’s outfit if my next puzzle isn’t solved. Anyone who interferes will be shot by my men in the higher castle. Any other interference by air or military, I will kill the next president,” he looks sideways at the sweating leaders of the world, trying to figure their next move in the chess game that may save their lives. “I believe I’ve clearly explained myself.”
“Did he mean us when he talked about the two persons in Marostica?” I whisper to The Pillar.
The Chessmaster answers me instead. “Please step forward, Alice and professor Pillar.”
“It’s just Pillar,” he says pompously. “I’ve given up on that professor part some time ago.”
“Don’t try to sound smart,” the Chessmaster says. “You have no idea who I am or what I can do.”
“Why are you doing this?” I shout at the screen.
“Well, first of all, it’s fun,” the Chessmaster says. “My other reasons should stay concealed for the moment. Let’s just say this will help you find Carroll’s Knight for me. Let’s start with my first question or this woman in the white queen’s dress will die.”
Neither The Pillar nor I say anything. We’ve seen too many lunatics and know they’ve usually planned everything in advance.
“Here is my first question,” the Chessmaster begins. “What was Lewis Carroll about to call the Alice in Wonderland book when he first wrote it?”
I am about to tell him Alice’s Adventure’s Underground, but The Pillar squeezes my arm again. “Too easy,” he hisses. “I doubt it’s the right answer.”
“But it is the right answer,” I insist. “You told me so.”
“Just think about it, Alice. The man looks like a loon. He wouldn’t give it away so easily.”
I try to make sense out of The Pillar’s words, but the sight of the man lowering his sword toward the woman in white scares me. I snap. “It’s Alice’s Adventure’s Underground!” I shout out.
The Chessmaster says nothing, but pulls on his handlebar mustache again. One rub to the left. One to the right. “Wrong!”
And suddenly we’re back in the dark ages again. The man’s sword chops off the woman’s head instantly.
I shriek, watching her bloody head roll all over the chessboard, not knowing how my answer is wrong.
“Checkmate!” The Chessmaster roars with laughter in the microphones. “Want to play again?”
Chapter 15
It’s hard to imagine the world’s reaction to what just happened, not to mention those watching this on TV, probably among their children at home. As for us here in Marostica, we’re in a dreadful state of fear, since it seems like the Chessmaster has eyes in the sky. He seems so invincible.
“I haven’t heard the right answer yet,” he announces on the screen. “Until I do, more heads are going to roll.”
The man with the sword approached the next woman on the board, the one who wears the uniform of a knight. She already shivers when he comes close enough.
“You’re a liar!” I tell the Chessmaster. “I know my last answer was right.”