After picking Cricket up from Caleb's, she shoved her keys into her door with a huff. Once she was in, she didn't notice how she slammed the door or spilt some dog food when she was pouring. She was thinking.
Jake was right, there was no point denying it. She didn't want to get her hands dirty. She was scared of putting herself in real danger and it had led to her foolishly believing The King would listen, just like that. It was more a hope, she guessed. A hope that she'd listen so she wouldn't have to, as Jake said, leave her bubble.
But she wanted to help people, she knew that much. That was why she'd chosen to become a teacher. So, him telling her she wasn't helping and was actually making it worse? It hurt. It stung. She was helpful. She was!
But how am I meant to help when I'm stuck here?
Alex looked at her bookshelf. She may not be great at leading a Rebellion, but what she was great at was discovering things. She'd picked history for that reason—discovery was exhilarating. And as she approached her bookshelf, she saw something that could help.
How to Set the Board on Fire. It was a book by C.M. Walker. It detailed the importance of each piece as well as techniques on how to win a chess match. She remembered buying it to learn about the real game of chess that the past generations had modelled society off. What she didn't remember was what it said.
Gently, she dragged her fingers over the rough, black cover and sunk into her sofa. Maybe there was something in there that would shed some light on the situation. Something useful that would mean she was too.
It was barely a few minutes after Cricket settled in her dog bed that Alex found it. It was in the first chapter, the one illustrating the uses of the pieces in a chess game.
PAWNS CAN ONLY MOVE ONE PLACE, EXCLUDING THEIR FIRST TURN.
Because of this, the lowest class will be Pawns. They do not have the resources to make an impact. However, in numbers, they can block off other pieces such as Bishops. Pawns should be carefully monitored in the future and, in chess, if left too long, they can become a problem.
ROOKS CAN MOVE IN STRAIGHT LINES.
Above Pawns will be Rooks as they can go far if they try but are often obstructed by external factors such as wealth and distrust. However, they are also severely underestimated and forgotten.
KNIGHTS MOVE IN AN L-SHAPED PATTERN.
The middle class will be Knights. This is because they are, as the game dictates, in the middle, in a way. They have the ability to blend with either the lower pieces or the upper pieces as they wish depending on their motivation. They have choice.
BISHOPS CAN ONLY MOVE DIAGNALLY.
Bishops are easily useful on both sides of the board, on defence and offence. The same goes for the privileged and wealthy. They can aid the poor should they desire, or they can further progress with their wealth and education.
Bishops also do not need to be close to the action and can attack from safety. The same goes for this class. However, this can backfire into haughtiness and reluctance.
THE QUEEN CAN MOVE HOWEVER THEY WISH (WITH ONE EXCEPTION).
The Queen is the most powerful attacker on the board, but not the most valuable. It is because of this that caused the elite part of the upper class, those below only The King himself, to be elected Queens. Their mobility and strengths are vast due to their education, access and wealth. On the other hand, the Queen cannot move like a Knight. Knights are the one thing the Queen cannot decipher and the same applies in the real world. They cannot understand how someone can sit in the middle of lower and upper class and, because of this, Knights can be their greatest weakness.
THE KING CAN ONLY MOVE ONE PLACE.
The King, although holding the power to end the game, can be beaten by something as simple as Pawns. Yes, it is more valuable, but it cannot and does not hold anymore skill than a Pawn. In fact, less. Pawns travel the board more than most Kings ever do.
Alex widened her eyes as she read the last sentence.
If The King does not keep their Pawns in check, it is them who shall be in check.
She took a deep breath. That seemed to be true if all went well at Parliament today. Truth be told, it shook her a little how, even now, centuries later, the Piece System made sense. It didn't mean it was right, but it made sense. After composing herself, she continued. Or she tried to.
She stared at the next page for a minute and a half, willing it not to be saying what she thought it was saying. It made sense, but she didn't want it to. So, she stared in complete and utter silence.
If this was true today regarding the system like the rest of the book, she needed to get to Parliament. Now.
Jake was making a mistake. A big one.
"Cricket!" Alex yelled, grabbing her coat and shoving on her shoes. Cricket perked her head up.
"We need to go." she said, "Now!"
After clipping on her lead, Alex rushed out of her apartment to the car. She had to get there. She had to warn him. The car was on the motorway in minutes. If time ran out and she was too late, someone was going to die. And it wasn't going to be The King.
Never in her life did she think she would be going 90 in a 70mph zone. Never. But yet here she was, hurtling down the motorway. The buzz of the road was deafening but she couldn't care less. Cricket, however, was pawing at her ears due to how loud Alex was screaming at her phone.
"Pick up!" she shouted. Desperately, she dialled Caleb again. Still, it rung out. She slammed the steering wheel. Someone needed to pick up! She got it, they were busy, but this was more important!
A few stressful, head-pounding hours later, Alex hit a wall. Sort of. It was more a wall of people. Cricket barked through the glass enough for some of the rioters to look inside. Alex shrunk down, wary that these people would probably be able to smash her windows if they felt like it. Even so, she kept driving. The pace had been reduced to a crawl as she eased down the booming, winding London streets, so she tried Caleb again.
Ring ring. Alex willed the phone to click.
Ring ring. It kept going.
Ring ring. His profile picture went off.
You're call cannot be connected at this time, please try—
Alex turned it off with a huff. Neither Lisa nor Caleb had answered for the past few hours. Cricket wined.
Finally, she made it out of the hot zone. Granted her car was significantly more scratched than before, but that wasn't important. Flooring it, Alex's car screeched into the plaza by Parliament. The thundering clashes and booms of explosions was enough to turn her deaf. Cricket yelped. When she got out of the car, she decided to leave her there. Dogs weren't a fan of loud noises. And it took one glance at Charlie melting the metal off the door with glee to know the racket wouldn't quieten down anytime soon.
As quickly as she could manage, Alex rushed through the mayhem. She had to find Jake. She had to warn them. Charlie seemed busy, as did Lisa and Ryan. They didn't need to know right now; it would only make them worry. Instead, she took a deep breath and entered the warzone.
Grenades exploded overhead, debris clattering down from every direction. Alex shielded her head, sincerely wishing she could actually run. A Pawn almost tripped her up as they sprinted by to get a good aim. She dodged them, the fumes and smoke tickling her throat and making her cough. Dust was everywhere.
That's when she saw them. Him, ducking around the side of Parliament. She called his name, but he didn't hear. Or if he did, he ignored her. Right now, she wouldn't put it past him.
No. She thought. He isn't so shallow that he'd ignore me in a warzone.
She had no choice but to follow. A gunshot narrowly missing her head, she dipped through the side door after them. There was no chance she'd catch up while they were sprinting down the halls, halls which were still as grand and sparkling as earlier. Albeit louder with the fire raining down on them, shaking the building's foundation. Dust fell from the roof as she hurried through. No doubt Caleb would lead them to the same room they'd been in earlier, so she just had to remember where that was.
Easy.
She wished.
Through the halls. Left. Right. Another left. Straight. Right. Alex stopped, cane clinking with marble.
Or was it left?
She didn't know. In all the draping gold curtains and shining pillars, she had no idea where she was going. Or she wouldn't if she didn't spot the trail of unconscious guards.
"Well." she laughed, "Better place to start than any."
She thought it had been strange that there were no guards, but the fact that they'd been knocked out meant Jake was succeeding. That also meant they might have reached The King. Which was bad.
She picked up the pace, peeking around corners and following the trail of battle. That's when she heard it. The echoes of fighting. Her head perked up.
That must be it.
As she followed the sound, it got louder. And louder. And louder until it was on the other side of the door. She paused, hearing Jake speak.
She knocked on the door. Might've been odd to do so, but she'd heard them talking about having some brothers guard the doors, so. Sure enough, the room went quiet, and the door cracked open, just a slither.
"It's a woman." a man said. The other, who was presumably his brother as they looked identical, looked at her.
"It's that Alex girl." he said. She narrowed her eyes. She didn't have time for this.
One turned back to her. "He said to leave."
Alex let out a laugh in disbelief. Oh, he did not.
"Oh my Gosh I don't have time for this." she said.
With one, quick push she caught them off guard and barged in.
"Jake!" She shouted. The whole room turned to her. "You're making a mistake!"
Jake was holding The King, who was sat rather nervously in her greyscale dress, at gunpoint. As was Faye and Caleb. Piper was holding the two aristocrats and the brothers were by the door, ready to toss her out if necessary. Caleb looked at her, wide-eyed.
"What are you doing here?"
Jake groaned. "Whatever it is, we don't have time for it."
Alex kept her eyes trained on Jake. "Uh, it's me who doesn't have time for you."
He scoffed. She wasn't having it.
"Listen to me! The King doesn't hold all the power!" she exclaimed. He faltered.
Yeah, now you're listening.
"There's someone else pulling the strings, Jake." she said. He adjusted his grip on the gun.
"How do you know?" he asked. Alex bit her lip.
"I read up on the history of the Piece System. There's a reason behind it and it all makes sense. And then it said..."
She recalled that final paragraph.
However, The King is a necessary figure. As stated, they do not hold mobility, skill or power. Just value. They are a front. The real power is with whoever stands by their side.
Then that final sentence.
Now, in this world, that is usually a Queen.
"There's a Queen somewhere, pulling the strings. They're behind it," she gestured to The King, "Not her. She's a political front."
If there was one thing she wanted out of this revelation, it wasn't the look of pure uncertainty on Jake's face. The troubled look in his eyes almost made her wish she hadn't told him.
"It makes sense and you know it." she said.
Jake licked his lips, looking between her and The King.
"Jake?" Piper asked, eyes darting between them. Even Faye looked uncertain. After a few moments, he didn't waver. If anything, his grip tightened, gaze sharpened. Alex saw how he glared down the barrel at the monarch.
"I don't care." he said.
Then the unexpected happened. The King, facing three bullets to the head, smiled. That smile then turned into a laugh. Not a maniacal, villainous laugh, just a laugh. A purely amused laugh.
"Oh, you are funny." she said, smoothening her dress. Suddenly, her smile faded into a stare, one aimed at Jake.
"But she's right, you know." she said, "The way our ancestors used to play chess on a little board, it's not dissimilar to the way the country works."
Jake hesitated. "And? You still need to go."
The King just smiled. "Removing me would simply let the real power to rule unmanaged. Unrestricted." she adjusted her crown, "Kill me and you're letting the real devil out of his cage. A cage I put there."
Alex drew in a breath. Did she mean the vandal? The person Brennan had been talking to seemed to hold authority? And the vandal wasn't just a vandal anymore. They were, allegedly, a trespassing, manipulating, murderer. A fire lit in her bones, all the questions finally burning. She was so close to finding out and when she did, that pile would finally settle to ash. Maybe then she'd have some semblance of peace.
Besides, the fact she'd come after them proved she'd join the action, right?
The King lay her hands in her lap. "If the Piece System is hell, I am not the one ruling it. I'm just the gate."
After that, there was no time to think. An ear-splitting bang echoed through the room, sending a ring through Alex's head. The bullet lodged itself in the wall by The King, who flinched and turned to it, alarmed. Piper swung her rifle across the back of the two aristocrats. Faye and Caleb lowered the guns.
Then Jake told them to run. They did.
Alex struggled to keep up. In fact, she didn't. Piper ran ahead with the brothers, Caleb and Jake bringing up the rear. Alex was falling behind. Her leg was aching, her wrist was throbbing. It stabbed through her. She had to go faster. They had to get the others and leave. Clearly Jake acknowledged their mistake and—
She felt an arm slip under hers. She looked in alarm. Black hair and green eyes scowled at her.
"Come on." Faye said, supporting her weak side. Alex, surprised but welcoming, nodded.
It helped.