“Bad dream?” Ron asked.
“Sorry.” Steven attempted to play off his embarrassment. “Didn’t mean to drift off.”
“Not a problem.” The old man grinned. “After all, I was the one driving.” He shifted the truck out of gear and set the brake. “So, who’s Audrey?”
“Audrey?” Steven found himself at a loss for words. “She’s…”
Though he and the woman fated to be the White Queen in this iteration of Grey’s Game had yet to venture beyond the boundaries of friendship, Steven felt a bond with her matched only once before in his few years on the planet. Circumstances being what they were, he’d been hesitant to push the envelope into romance, a decision he now regretted.
What if he never got the chance to tell her…
But it was more than just the Game. In every conversation, every look, every moment alone, Steven got the impression Audrey was holding something back. An underlying sadness he’d not been able to penetrate even on the best of days kept them apart, even during the best of times. She worried over her family, as did they all.
But this was something different. Something Audrey was choosing to face alone.
“It’s a long story.” Steven looked away. “Accompanied by a lot of unfinished business.”
“I know that look.” Ron clasped Steven’s shoulder. “She’s the one that got away.”
“I certainly hope not.” Steven pulled in a deep breath. “For all our sakes.”
6
Comings & Goings
A square of dark energy ten feet across descended from above, its lone occupant a muscular man armed with a drawn ebon bow. A full-length breastplate fashioned of black leather, bleached bone, and buffalo horn protected the archer’s torso and groin, and his dark headdress resembled the charred skull of an enormous raptor.
Vulture. Steven tensed. Definitely vulture.
Any exposed skin painted black, a single line of white crossed his face, accentuating his hate-filled eyes. At his side rested a small axe fashioned of intricately carved wood and dark steel, the sun reflecting off the blade’s finely honed edge. Nocked and aimed directly at Steven’s chest, the Black Pawn’s arrow shimmered with darkness, its tip barbed and cruel.
“Wahnahtah.” Steven stepped forward as the shimmering platform of darkness touched down opposite Niklaus on what remained of the bridge. “Didn’t think we’d be seeing you again so soon.”
“Greetings, Bauer.” The Black Pawn descended from his perch onto the hot asphalt and offered a slight bow in response, though his black eyes never left Steven’s. “Zamek, Richards.”
From the corner of his vision, Steven noticed Lena bristle at the snub and smiled despite the fear eating at his soul.
Good. She’s coming around.
Steven’s eyes narrowed. “What have you done with Archie and Emilio?”
Answered with nothing but a silent grin, Steven struggled to put it all together.
How did they know we’d be here? And where the hell is the Black Queen? That was Magdalene’s voice before, not to mention the whole floating platform of darkness is her shtick.
As if in answer, a self-satisfied sigh from across his shoulder set the hair on Steven’s neck on end. Lena spun around, her gleaming mace held high above her head while Audrey crouched atop her misty bulwark, the eight silver orbs revolving about her body slowing in their orbits as she narrowed her eyes in concentration. Even Niklaus, his feet still melded with the grey stone and black asphalt of the bridge deck, hunkered down as if bracing for impact. A wave of déjà vu nipped at Steven’s subconscious as he turned to face the two figures before them.
“Zed.” Steven spoke the name of the Black King with at least a measure of deference, a measure notably absent in the next word that fell from his lips. “Magdalene.”
“Bauer.” The Black Queen spat the word as if it were the foulest oath.
“Now, now, Magdalene.” Zed steepled his fingers beneath his aquiline nose. “No need to antagonize the opposition.” With a flourish, the Black King stepped to one side to address the small group of curious onlookers that remained on the bridge.
“I would advise all of you to leave now and return to your homes.” Zed’s voice echoed as if amplified, though his words remained calm and even. “Your esteemed rescuers and I have business to discuss, and I cannot guarantee your safety should you choose to remain.”
“Leave them alone!” A man in a flannel shirt and hard hat at the front of the pack shook a fist at Zed.
“They saved us!” A pregnant woman, clearly due any day, picked up a loose piece of stone and held it aloft. “Just back off and let them be!”
“Magdalene.” Zed’s eyes slid closed. “If you will.”
The Black Queen raised her scepter. Though the Black Pieces’ collective cloak of anonymity twisted the perceptions of all present, the fan of black flames that spread across the asphalt sent the remaining two dozen survivors fleeing for their lives.
“Leave those people alone!” Steven leveled his pike at the Queen. “They have no part in this!”
“Calm yourself, Pawn.” Zed raised a hand. “In honor of White’s gallant efforts today, I am merely ensuring the cattle are removed from harm’s way before we conclude our business.” He turned his mouth up in a mockery of a beneficent smile. “Wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt, now would we?”
“This is war.” Black fire danced between Magdalene’s eyes. “Casualties are unavoidable.”
The King silenced his Queen with a cutting glance. “I must confess, Bauer. I’m impressed. Disaster averted, hundreds rescued, national landmark salvaged. Bravo.” The King clapped his hands three times in succession. “Yet again, the forces of good have saved the day.”
Steven’s fingers tightened around the pike’s smooth poplar. “What do you want?”
Silent, the Black King studied each of the remaining White Pieces in turn, his dark eyes piercing them with their cold intensity. His attire unchanged from their previous encounter, the intricately designed platinum breastplate gleamed from within the dark fur of his regal robes while the jewels adorning his crown cast a deep purple glow that pulsed ominously about his head. Though his arms remained folded across his chest and his dark-steel broadsword sheathed at his side, one thing remained clear.
The Black King had not come on a social call.
“The six of you have been quite busy the last few weeks.” The King paced before them, his voice an unpleasant mix of amusement and disdain. “Racking up the ‘frequent flyer miles,’ as the saying goes.”
“For the last time,” Steven grunted. “Where are Emilio and Archie?”
His blood boiled at the King’s quiet laugh.
“Oh, they are far, far from here, and quite safe, I assure you. At least for the time being. Much safer than if they were here. Wouldn’t you agree, my Queen?”
Magdalene’s clenched fist erupted in dark flame, though the Black Queen continued to hold her tongue.
“What do you want with us, Zed?” Steven strove to keep the attention on him. “Nothing has changed since we last crossed paths. The Game has yet to begin, and as I understand from Grey, that puts us firmly in the ‘off limits’ column. Aren’t you afraid of the repercussions of breaking the rules you created with him all those years ago?”
“You will address the King with proper respect, Bauer,” the Black Queen seethed.
“And you are going to learn to get over yourself, bitch.” Audrey’s eyes glowed, the silver light faint beneath the New York sun. “Seriously, come off it, Mags. You talk a big game, but you know Steven’s right. You would never have left us alive in Atlanta if he weren’t.”
“Our presence here today violates none of the precious rules you and your pathetic little band cling to.” The Black Queen smiled. “In fact, you could almost argue that we’re…enforcing those very rules. Quite aggressively, in fact.”
“By killing us?” The tremor in Lena’s voice betrayed her fear despite her firm grip on the shining mace. “
Before the Game can even start?”
“Kill you?” Zed laughed. “Child, whatever gave you the idea we came here to end your lives?” The King drew his sword and passed it before him, pausing briefly on each of the remaining quartet of White. “I’ve had more than ample opportunity over the last month with the lot of you gallivanting from coast to coast sticking your noses in everyone’s business to be rid of you once and for all. Yet all of you still breathe.” A long sigh passed his lips. “Even were I not limited by a ridiculous set of rules I helped create in my more naïve youth, simply killing you would seem a most inelegant solution to the matter at hand.”
Steven took a step in Lena’s direction. “Didn’t seem so ‘inelegant’ a month ago.”
“A month ago, you were sheep.” Zed rested a hand on the hilt of his sword. “Wandering through your meaningless lives, herded here and there by forces beyond your ken, never knowing if the blade that awaited you each day was the master’s shears or the butcher’s knife. You still walk among them, look like them, act like them. You may even risk your lives for theirs, but know that each of you is different now. With the power of the coming correction flowing through your veins, you walk as gods among insects. Do you not understand that simple fact?”
“Good to know that correspondence course on how to deliver melodramatic archvillain speeches is paying off.” His limbs liberated from the tower and bridge deck, Niklaus lumbered over in his marble form and took a position to Steven’s forward left. “Sort of Kurgan meets Vader with just a touch of…Christopher Walken?”
Despite the absence of Niklaus’ mighty frame from the tower’s base, the buttresses and supports he created beneath the fallen bridge deck held. The sound of wrenching steel and stone grew quiet, at least for the moment.
“So,” Audrey interjected, a potent mix of anger, exhaustion, and adrenaline in her voice. “If you’re not here to fight, then why are you here?”
“And why all the destruction?” Steven waved a hand in the direction of the fractured span. “I suspect summoning an earthquake lies beyond even your skills, Zed, but the cut bridge cables are clearly Maggie’s handiwork.”
The Black Queen answered Steven’s taunt with a wry smile.
“People died here today.” Steven’s voice grew quiet. “And a lot more would’ve joined them if we hadn’t intervened.”
“Suffice to say, having you here today is of utmost importance to my cause.” Zed’s eyes filled with resignation. “You see, the tectonic disturbance that left this bridge in shambles merely represents the latest in a long series of events leading up to the coming correction. For weeks, my forces have tracked your progress as you’ve insinuated yourselves into one catastrophe after another along this massive continent. When the earthquake struck this afternoon, it seemed a foregone conclusion that you six would not be far behind.”
“The King, however, leaves nothing to chance.” A ball of flame materialized above the Black Queen’s outstretched hand. “Therefore, I ensured this little disaster was of sufficient scale to capture your full attention.” She smiled, clearly pleased with herself. “And here you are.”
“The air in this place is thick with power.” The King studied each of them in turn. “Cannot all of you feel it?”
Steven had indeed noted several differences since their arrival. Apart from a subtle buzz in his head he’d attributed to the rush of danger, Niklaus’ rocky form had seemed more massive than he remembered. Lena’s mace more brilliant. Audrey’s powers more potent than ever before.
And whatever madness resided behind Archie’s faux innocence, as bad as he’d seen it.
“All right.” Steven brought the pike to his shoulder, offering a momentary olive branch. “There’s lots of spare mojo flying around. I get that. Why bring us here now with the Game almost at hand?”
“No doubt he hopes to utilize the energies at hand against you in some fashion.” At this latest voice, a wave of relief washed across Steven. “I suspect, that my erstwhile associate believes he has found yet another loophole in the rules we fashioned so many years ago.”
Grey stepped from the shadows of the Brooklyn tower dressed in his usual fashion. A wide brimmed fedora sat atop a head of black locks streaked with silver, the hem of his grey duster kissing a pair of highly shined sharkskin boots as he strode toward the gathered forces of White and Black. His steel grey eyes surveyed the crowd one by one.
Here comes the cavalry.
Steven’s moment of hope evaporated half a second later when he caught Zed’s eye. Though the Black King’s features remained inscrutable, Steven expected to see there at least an iota of concern. Instead, he saw only satisfaction and maybe a hint of a grin.
“At last, old friend.” Zed offered Grey a subtle bow. “I feared you might not be joining us today.”
Steven had held out hope as well that his mysterious mentor would make an appearance, as he felt more out of his depth than at any time since his first encounter with Magdalene.
Now, he fought the instinct to scream for Grey to run.
Since the grand confrontation at the King and Queen towers in Atlanta and their team’s subsequent recovery in Roanoke, Grey’s visits had become increasingly scarce. There seemed little rhyme or reason to the White King’s frequent sabbaticals, only his continual reassurance of their necessity.
Had it been to avoid this very scenario?
And by coming here, had Steven and the others led Grey into a trap?
“Regardless of how different you wish the circumstances to be, this iteration of the Game is not yet upon us.” Grey continued his slow approach toward the Black King. “To remove any of my Pieces from the Board before the Game proper commences would be tantamount to forfeit, an outcome I would guess you seek to avoid at all costs. Certainly, killing any of them is not an option, and a second attempt at capture would, no doubt, result in casualties on both sides.”
As if on cue, Niklaus cracked the knuckles of his massive marble fist. The sound, like exploding boulders, drew the Queen’s attention for half a second, the momentary trepidation in her eyes giving Steven a flash of hope.
“Regardless of whatever advantage you think the rampant energies surrounding this bridge affords you,” Grey continued, “the situation remains unchanged, and the rules you and I put into place so many centuries ago remain in force.”
“Good points all, old friend.” Zed stroked his beard. “But there exists a third possibility that neither you nor your errand boy has considered.” The corners of the Black King’s mouth turned up into a wicked leer. “While I do concede that further conflict at this time would be ill-advised, a novel solution to your figurative thorn in my paw has presented itself, one that involves no weapons, no bloodshed, no pointless conflict.”
Grey shot Steven a wary look as Zed continued.
“You see, I am not nearly as interested in the energies that surround this ruined bridge as I am the instability left in their wake.” From beneath his royal robes, the Black King produced a small bag fashioned of black leather covered in similar runes and sigils to the white pouch that rested at Steven’s side. It pulsed like a dark heart in his hand, its rhythmic drone both like and unlike its brighter counterpart’s. Grey’s eyes grew wide.
“So, it is to be today,” Grey whispered. “Gods be with us all.”
“What is it, Grey?” The pouch pulsed at Steven’s side. “What is he—”
“Fare thee well, Steven.” Without another word, Grey drew a silver dagger from beneath his coat and charged the Black King. In response, Zed raised the dark pouch before him, its drone growing louder with each molar-shaking pulse. A single word fell from his pursed lips.
“Door.”
A portal of scintillating darkness opened directly in Grey’s path, catching him midleap. Before any among the White could so much as take a breath, both wizard and door were gone as if neither had ever existed.
“Grey!” Steven locked eyes with the Black King. “What have you done?”
“Door.”
Another portal opened behind Audrey and Lena. Before either could utter a sound, countless wisps of black energy swirled from the dark doorway and pulled them inside.
“No!” Steven screamed as this latest hole in space disappeared as well. “Where did you send them, you bastard? What have you done?”
“Mind your tongue, Bauer. Name calling won’t bring back your friends.” Zed ran his fingers along the mouth of the black pouch as the Black Queen and Pawn looked on with dark zeal. “As for their whereabouts, I have simply asked the Svartr Kyll to deposit them in a place where they can no longer interfere with my plans.”
Steven tensed but held his tongue.
“Fear not, little Pawn.” Zed’s expression shifted to one of mocking concern. “They live. They all live. In fact, your friends have been granted a truly rare opportunity, the chance to begin anew, as it were. Truth be told, I expect most of them will thrive in their new circumstances. They are quite a capable lot, though I suspect it won’t be easy for any of them in the beginning.” He crossed his arms, his lips curling into a smug smirk. “I even went so far as to ensure none of them would be alone. The women have each other to keep themselves company, as should the priest and the boy. Quite the equitable outcome, wouldn’t you agree?”
“And Grey?” Steven asked. “Where have you sent him?”
“Somewhere you cannot follow.” The Black Queen flashed a devil’s grin. “Pawn.”
“Like hell I can’t.” Dropping his pike, Steven grabbed one of Niklaus’ stony fingers, ripped the pouch from his belt, and held its cool white leather above his head. “Take us to—”
Air whistled past dark fletchings as a lone ebon arrow tore the pouch from Steven’s hand, sending it over the edge of the bridge and into the river below.
“It is done, your Majesty.” Wahnahtah watched from the shadows, all but forgotten in his silence. “There will be no escape for you this time, Bauer.”
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