The Lostkind

by Matt Stephens

  "Do not make the mistake of thinking this is a polite conversation." Vandark snarled like a feral animal.

  Vincent sat down with a gulp; and Vandark began setting up the pieces for a game.

  Thus began the last chess game Vincent would ever play.

  Vincent was an experienced player, and had a standard opening gambit, but this was different. His hands were shaking as he made his usual opening moves. He didn't know if Vandark was an expert player, or if he had been told what Vincent's tactics were…

  Vincent played cautiously, testing out what Vandark might do, making sure his defense was stronger than offense. Vandark barely looked at the board, focusing his eyes squarely on Vincent's face, psyching him out. Feeling sweat break out on his forehead, Vincent was forced to admit it was working.

  Vandark barely hesitated at his turn, moving his pieces forward aggressively. Vincent was paralyzed, wondering if there was a deeper, subtler strategy than he could see. If Vandark was serious about the stakes, then making such outlandish attacks would be a certain way to lose it all.

  If. If Vandark was being honest. If he wasn't being incredibly smart. If he wasn't being led into a trap. If this whole thing wasn't a set-up….

  Vincent hesitated, and moved his Queen forward. The most powerful piece on the board, and Vincent moved it into position, where Vandark's attackers could strike at it. Vincent was careful, putting defenses in place. If Vandark saw them, he wouldn't go for it. Vincent looked at the whole board, and saw another solution. A way to turn the trap against him. If Vandark was as good as Vincent, he would not take the Queen, but attack with his Rook

  It was a test; and Vincent struggled not to hold his breath.

  Vandark reached to capture the Queen, then hesitated, looked over the board, and withdrew his piece.

  Vincent felt better. Vandark had seen the trap, but had missed the better solution. Vincent had the advantage.

  The game continued, and after several minutes, Vincent suddenly realized they were alone in the park. He didn't know how, but the rest of the park was empty.

  For his protection? Vincent wondered. For privacy?

  Vandark moved one of his Knights forward aggressively, moving it in too deep. Vincent stared at the black chess piece hard, like he was expecting it to move again on its own.

  Vandark waited. "Well?"

  Vincent met his opponent's eyes, convinced there was more to it than he knew. He found no clue in the pale gaze. Finally, he lifted his hand, ready to capture the piece.

  Vandark raised a hand suddenly. "Oh, wait. Sorry, my mistake." He said, as though embarrassed he forgot to mention it. "If you capture that piece, I will have to do something… drastic."

  Vincent felt his heart rate spike. "Such as?"

  Vandark gestured with elaborate courtesy over to the left, and Vincent followed his gaze to see a black van sitting on the edge of the park. Its rear doors opened, and Vincent felt his stomach sink as Yasi became visible, her hands tied behind her back. With the overcoat to cover her bonds and the van doors to keep her relatively hidden, nobody else saw it. The doors slammed shut again, and Vincent spun back to Vandark. "Let her go."

  "I will. As soon as I win the game." Vandark promised, sounding sincere. "But for every piece of mine you capture through this game, my people in the van will remove one of Yasi's fingers."

  Vincent felt a cold chill squeeze around his heart. "No…"

  "Now look the other way." Vandark said simply.

  Vincent did so, and saw a White Van waiting at the other end of the park. He knew before the doors opened. Connie was stuck in the back, also tied, with a gag in her mouth. She looked borderline catatonic from fear.

  "Two sides, two prisoners, two vans, black and white." Vandark continued. "Delicious metaphor, isn't it? For every one of my black pieces captured... I take it all back in digits from Yasi. For every piece of yours that you fail to protect... I take a finger from your lovely lady-friend, Connie."

  Vincent couldn't speak, couldn't move. Everywhere he looked he saw Connie, looking scared and helpless. It was a horrible feeling. He looked at the board with fresh eyes, wondering what to do.

  Vandark leaned back, studying Vincent's face. "Well now. Here's an interesting moment in the life of Vincent McCall. You're a much better player than I am. You must know this by now. You could win the game. But it'll cost Yasi. You could drag it out, looking for a way to flip the rules, but the longer you drag out this game, the more likely I will capture a piece of yours... and dear sweet Connie won't even know what the game is really about."

  Vincent said nothing; heart hammering.

  "And even if you do win this game; what's to stop me from trying to find my own way in? You know I can try; but you don't know if I succeed. You do know that if you lose the game; you'll have just handed it all to me on a plate; but you don't know how much time you've bought if you win. Pretty tough judgment call."

  Vincent stared at the board, looking for a solution.

  "You can stare at those pieces all you want; there's only one way to win." Vandark read his mind. "You can try to run, but you know you won't get five feet. You can try to win without capturing any of my pieces, but you're not that good. You can try to win without losing any of your pieces, but we both know you can't do it. Especially when I don't care how many pieces get lost. You could save the Underground, you could be the big hero, and you could be Yasi's hero. But she'll be missing a few bits if you do. Connie might forgive you, but unlike Yasi, she won't be able to tell anyone what happened. You want to win the war, you gotta make sacrifices."

  Vincent stared at Vandark, panting for breath. He looked at the board. It was a chess piece. It was two inches of painted wood carved to look like a horse. All he had to do… He could win this. He could save the entire Underside. He could do it if…

  "Why are you fighting so hard, Vincent?" Vandark advised him. "Think about this for a second. What are you fighting for? Your home? We're talking about a place you'll never see again. It's already rejected you once, kicked you out. You think there's any chance you'll be welcomed back after this? You're not one of them. You never will be. Even if Yasi accepted you as her pet, her family never would."

  Vincent kept staring at the black knight, sitting there, an easy capture. A fast victory.

  "If it was you in that van, and Yasi sitting here, she'd do it without blinking." Vandark continued his ruthless deconstruction of Vincent's life. "She'd gladly let me hack you apart to protect her home. And Connie? She wouldn't even hesitate to spare you and let the Secret City fall. Is Yasi really worth it? Worth this?"

  Stop it. Stop reading my mind. Vincent thought numbly.

  He lifted a hand to make the move, to capture the black knight. It would be so easy. His hand was shaking.

  Vandark's eyes blazed at him; the forgiving and logical tone vanishing again. "Do you have it in you?!"

  Finally, Vincent put his hand down, resting it on the table. After an endless moment, he reached out and knocked his king over, officially conceding the match.

  "Checkmate." Vandark grinned, and leaned forward. "Well?"

  Feeling like his limbs were made of lead, Vincent reached out and picked up the pen. He scribbled down the passwords. Three cryptic combinations of letters and numbers.

  Vandark took the bit of paper and held it out. A moment later the only other person in the park strolled by and took both the paper; and the USB without breaking stride. "Good game." He said graciously. "We'll just wait a moment to see if this works. Hope you double-checked. I'd hate to have three people killed because of poor handwriting."

  Vincent said nothing. After several seconds; a pager beeped. Vandark pulled it from his belt and checked the screen. The sight of a Lostkind using a pager was so impossible that Vincent almost didn't believe it.

  Vandark seemed pleased. "Done." he held out his hand to shake Vincent's; and didn't seem at all bothered when Vincent left it hanging in mid-air. "Don't move. Do not move from this spot. I
'll send them both over; and then you can go home. Understand?"

  Vincent nodded dully. He couldn't move if he wanted to.

  Vandark stood and walked away. After a moment, Vincent managed to get his head together again, and looked after him. Vandark was walking out of the park, with all the time in the world, until he reached the black van. The rear doors opened for him, and he hopped in. A moment later, Yasi was pushed out roughly. The doors closed behind her, and the black van drove away. He turned quickly to look back at the other van, but Connie was already moving toward him, limping.

  Vincent looked back to the board and shut his eyes, unable to look at her.

  After a few minutes, Connie sat down next to him, trembling. He didn't speak. Couldn't speak.

  Yasi sat down on his opposite side. Neither of them looked at her. Connie was still shaking, and he put an arm around her. She clung to him for dear life.

  Very slowly, Yasi reached out a hand to him and rested it on his shoulder. He didn't move.

  "I'm sorry Vincent. I'm so sorry." Yasi said finally. "I was the one that picked you. I could have chosen Gill, or Davidson, or any one of a dozen other people who work in your office. I picked you. I'm so sorry I dragged you both into my world."

  For a long time Vincent said nothing. "Yasi, I Don't know what it's like where you come from, but up here, where I come from, most people live their lives in quiet desperation, going from one day to the next, just... waiting for something to happen to them. This has been... I don't know, but there have only ever been three things that make me feel like I mattered. Connie is one of them. You and the Underside are the others."

  Yasi glanced over at Connie, who seemed to relax a little. Connie released Vincent's hand, Yasi did not.

  Connie sniffed. "Funny isn't it?" She said, her voice a little hoarse. "All these people walking around the park, just having a normal day. Tomorrow will be just the same. To them, it's just another day. Who would have figured there was a war going on beneath their feet?"

  A war we just lost. Vincent added to himself. And it's all my fault.

  THIRTEEN: The First Duty

  "How is she?" Yasi asked.

  "Exhausted." Vincent said quietly.

  "Shock. Her brain got overloaded this afternoon, decided to shut down until she could process what she's been through." Yasi said from experience. "It was a good idea to bring her back to your place; it's better not to leave her alone."

  Vincent nodded, his expression haggard. "I just can't stop thinking that if I'd listened to her six months ago…"

  "Yeah." Yasi sighed. "There's blame to go around; and very little of it to her." Yasi looked him up and down. "If you don't mind my saying so, you seem to be taking it well."

  Vincent shrugged. "Last time I was in mortal danger, they beat me within an inch of my life. Today was more like that scene in all the James Bond movies where you meet the supervillain."

  Yasi gave a mirthless chuckle. "Guess so."

  Vincent collapsed down on the couch, and she perched on the armrest to join him. "Yasi…" He croaked. "I kept a record. You told me to burn it all, and I kept a copy for myself. I'm so sorry. I gave him everything."

  "If you hadn't given it to him, all three of us would be dead right now." Yasi said. "He only let me live because… I don't know."

  "Because he wanted to do it himself." Vincent said absently. "If he'd given the order to kill you, it would have been someone else that took you down. You should have heard him. He knows all your names, has his attacks all planned out."

  Yasi glanced over at him. "Tell me everything you know."

  Vincent rubbed his eyes and told her everything as quickly as he could. Including his ideas on how to take down the three leaders of the Underside, one by one; including her.

  Yasi looked incredibly frustrated. "Who is telling him all this stuff?"

  "He didn't say." Vincent drawled. "It won't be long now, you know?"

  Yasi nodded. "The entrance list was the last thing he needed."

  "He won't wait too long now. The longer he waits the more ready you'll be."

  Yasi jumped up. "I have to go." She said shortly.

  Vincent was already reaching for his jacket. "I'm going with you. I don't know what good I can do down there, but I'm going with you."

  Yasi paused, halfway to the door, and looked back at him; biting her lip.

  Vincent felt something break inside him, just from the soft sad look in her eyes. "You don't want me to come." He realized. "Yasi, I screwed up, no mistake… I have to make it up to you somehow…" The words sounded hollow, even to him, and he deflated.

  "Vincent…" Yasi whispered. "You're right. I don't want you to come, but not because I think you'll flake out."

  "Really." Vincent deadpanned. "So there's a long list of reasons?"

  Yasi winced. "Ah. Should have thought that through."

  "If you had any brains; me flaking out would be the smart reason." Vincent admitted. "There's a war coming, and so far I've shown a pretty unbroken trend toward being a coward… even when my own life and Connie's was at stake, to say nothing of the fact that I basically gave the bad guys the front door."

  Yasi sighed. "You want to talk about this? Fine. Let's talk about this." Yasi moved back to the couch and sat on the arm-rest, in a cross-legged meditation pose. "Last time we spoke…"

  Vincent winced. "I felt bad about that."

  "Everything you said was true." Yasi pointed out.

  "I called you a killer."

  Yasi was silent a moment, still in her position on the couch armrest. "I never told you how I became the Captain of the Shinobi, did I?"

  "Rumor is it had something to do with the Riverfolk." Vincent said softly.

  "Keeper and Archivist were running the place, and I've spent my entire life fighting the ‘little princess' role that everyone assumed I'd have. The Shinobi seemed the best way to do it." Yasi explained. "Seven years ago, the Riverfolk got organized. They tried to flood part of the lowest levels, take it over. I was still a kid really; but I was driven, and I was good. The Captain led us down to the River to fight them back. The Riverfolk were always a problem, but never really a threat. Mostly they just popped up here and there to try and scavenge. Usually they scared a few people. A guard on the lower markets was all it took to keep them at bay. This time they were ready. They swarmed over us when we came in; flooded out a chamber to cut us off, and then came up from the water like sharks with legs." She had closed her eyes, reliving it. "And they took the Captain first."

  "How did you survive?"

  Yasi opened her eyes, and met his gaze. "We were in a chamber below the waterline. Air pressure kept the raised water out, the only exit was a ladder leading into the River… we were all feeling it in our eardrums, the air was getting thick, water lapping at the edge of the room, five of us crammed together. Our lanterns went out, and we were in the dark; starting to freak out. I crouched by the edge and stayed there for over half an hour, and the instant I felt the water shift, I dove in, feet first; and I landed on two Riverfolk that were looking to thin us out. I dragged them deep as I could stand it and rolled them over twice until they didn't know which way was up. They were easy pickings, and I stole their lenses."

  "So you could see in the dark." Vincent said from experience.

  "And Underwater." Yasi agreed. "The water does things to your depth perception. I took one of their spear guns, took a deep breath, and went alone underwater through to the other side. I honestly thought I was going to die trying, but… I made it, and managed to drain the tunnel. My people escaped, and the Riverfolk were suddenly the ones cut off from the River. We hacked and slashed our way through to the Market. Their leader was there picking trophies off our Captain's body when he saw us. He moved first, I moved faster. I took the Captain's sword and sliced the Riverfolk leader in half." Yasi held the blade like a trophy. "Keeper and Archivist were stunned when we came back victorious. They thought we were dead. So when they had to pick a new Captain�
��"

  "It fell to you." Vincent agreed.

  "I am a killer Vincent." She said simply. "I get to say that because I have taken lives. If you had pulled the trigger six months ago, you would be a killer too. This does not make me evil and you a saint; it means only that I have done something that you have not. A number of police officers, soldiers, and more than a few others can say the same."

  Vincent nodded. "I know." He said in a small voice. "Doesn't mean I have to like that about you."

  "No, you don't. And frankly, I'm okay with that. It's not like it's a hobby for me." She said seriously. "But what comes next, means I have to fight. Vandark is invading my home, and I'm Chief of the Guard." Yasi said, holding the blade before her like a talisman, close enough to brush her lips across the flat of the steel. "It will be the most vicious scrape I've been in for seven years. It'll be rough. And if you're not watching… you'll still like me when this is over."

  Silence.

  "Yasi?" Vincent said finally. "Do you remember the other thing I said to you the night Berlin Below went under?"

  "You said a lot of things."

  "You know what I mean."

  Yasi met his eyes evenly. "You said I could always come here if it went bad."

  "I meant it." Vincent said. "I love the place too, and I want to see it safe, but when it happens… you don't exactly sound optimistic. So if there's a chance… I want to go sneak into movies, and I want to go back to the Met and I want to walk through walls…"

  "Like it used to be?" Yasi guessed. "Like it was three years ago?"

  Vincent looked down. "Does it sound as corny to you as it does to me?"

  "Yeah. But right now, I'd give anything to have it be three years ago again." She admitted. "Vincent, whatever you do... Don't come back. I don't know if you have a way in after all this, but… Don't come looking. If you don't hear from me, it means I'm dead." Yasi said. "It's gonna be bad."

  "How bad?"

  "Not as bad as it'll be when I tell Keeper who gave him a list of all the entrances to the Labyrinth." Yasi gave Vincent a pitying look.