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 murmurs, unable to comprehend or object to 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 people have solved my puzzle.” The Chessmaster rubs his handlebar mustache, staring too closely at the camera. “And that’s where the game begins.”
“Who is broadcasting this?” someone asks, but no one answers 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 off 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 people 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 not used that title in some time.”
“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 going to call the Alice in Wonderland book when he first wrote it?”
I am about to tell him Alice’s Adventures Under Ground , but the Pillar squeezes my arm again. “Too easy,” he says. “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 Adventures Under Ground !” 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?”