White Hearts Hospital, Oxford.
F abiola couldn’t fathom what was going on. Glued to her TV screen, events were taking place too fast for her. Even Lewis Carroll’s spirit next to her seemed confused.
“Is this what you really came to warn me of?” She asked him.
“I had a feeling things would take a bad turn,” He said, pointing at the screen. “But I never imagined this.”
“What exactly is ‘this’?” The rabbit in his pocket asked, munching on a carrot.
“Someone framed them — I mean us — for being the terrorists threatening the world?” Fabiola said, listening to the host announcing every incident the Interpol — and the FBI — thought the Mushroomers were responsible for. “The bombing in France? The shooting in Orlando? This is utter nonsense.”
“This is Black Chess,” Lewis said. “They decided to turn the world against the Inklings by playing a calculated game.”
“So someone faked those facts to persuade the authorities?” Fabiola said.
“Exactly. And now we’re going to be public enemy number one. We’re going to be forced to clash with the public, whom we’re actually trying to protect from Black Chess.”
“That’s some devious plan, Lewis. Who do you think is behind it?”
Lewis refrained from answering, but the words were already on the tip of her tongue. “Him?”
Lewis nodded, though not entirely confident about it. “Who else would it be?”
“Why now?”
“Why not?”
“Because he could have played such a dirty game from the beginning. Why now, Lewis?”
“Maybe the Six Keys don’t mean anything to him anymore. He’s decided to destroy the Inklings because he doesn’t need us.”
“Things can’t be so easy,” Fabiola argued. “This war is much more complicated than this. Something is very wrong here.”
Lewis took a moment, rubbing his chin. “What if it has to do with Alice?”
“Meaning?”
“She’s about to find out the truth about her family, which means her anger might be unstoppable. She will become an unmatched threat to Black Chess.”
“You mean they decided to get rid of her — and us — afraid they won’t be strong enough to match her outrage?”
“It’s the only reason I can think of.”
“If so, then why fabricate the story of the asylum being the center of terrorism?”
Lewis faced Fabiola ever so slowly, enough to give her time to get it. “I think Alice is inside. Someone’s managed to pull her in and fabricate this whole conspiracy thing to get the police to kill her. I’m starting to really believe it’s Him.”