T he man’s name is Father Williams, which is a name the Pillar squints at, and I don’t know why.
I am surprised the man isn’t Italian. In fact, he comes from a family of English noblemen who have been instructed to live in Marostica all these years, as keepers of the secret of Carroll’s Knight.
“What secret?” I ask him.
“I will show you,” says Father Williams, gripping a torch and guiding us into the hallways of the high castle, Castello Superiore. “Follow me.”
The Chessmaster isn’t watching us at this point. He orders his man with the sword and a few snipers to follow us until we get him Carroll’s Knight and bring it back to him. I am most curious about what’s really going on here.
“So your family was instructed to keep a secret in this town?” I ask Father Williams. “Why? Who instructed you?”
“Lewis Carroll,” Father Williams says reluctantly. “It’s his knight you’re looking for.”
“You mean what the Chessmaster is looking for,” the Pillar says. “And by ‘knight’ you mean what exactly?”
“I don’t know,” Father Williams says. “I only know of the place and have been denied looking upon the tomb where it is by my father.”
“Tomb?” I shrug, the shadows from the torch reflecting on the wall and worrying me.
“It’s where the knight is kept,” Father Williams says.
“So it’s a person,” the Pillar says.
“Like I said, I don’t know.”
“Do you at least know why Lewis hid it here?” I ask.
Father Williams stops and stares into my eyes. “I am told it holds great evil.”
“Oh, please.” The Pillar rolls his eyes. “Great evil in a tomb. Is that some Hollywood movie again?”
“I can tell you’re scared,” Father Williams tells the Pillar.
“I’m not scared,” the Pillar says, though I think he is. Maybe he is claustrophobic. The castle’s hallways are a bit too narrow and slightly suffocating. “I just hate this whole thing about an item that holds evil and will unleash it onto the world if you reopen it. I mean, if Lewis knew it was so evil, why not destroy it?”
“Agreed.” I nod at Father Williams.
“Funny, coming from people interested in a book where a girl gets taller when she eats a cake and shorter when she drinks a drink.” Father Williams’ logic starts to amuse me. “Do you want the knight or not? I’d prefer to go spend time with my wife than with you.”
“Please forgive us,” the Pillar says, then whispers something in his ear.
Father Williams looks sympathetically at me and says, “I pray for you.”
I pinch the Pillar immediately, but then the door to the tomb opens before us. Carroll’s Knight is carved on the wall behind it.