Queen's Peril Read online

  “Car broke down a mile or so back,” Steven said. “We were hoping to find a service station.”

  “You’d have been out of luck then. Nothing around here for miles.” Ron studied Niklaus, perplexed. “Funny. I didn’t see a car anywhere along the road.”

  “We pushed it off the shoulder so it wouldn’t get hit.” Steven shot Niklaus a sidelong glance. “You must have missed it.”

  “Must have.” Ron huffed. “So, you two in Florida on business?”

  “Actually,” Niklaus said with an ironic grin, “this is more like an unplanned vacation.”

  “We’re hoping to catch some of the sights.” A stickler for honesty most of his days, Steven hated how naturally lies rolled off his tongue since his induction into the Game.

  “Well, you two sure picked a hell of a day to visit southern Florida.” Ron punched the gas as the first bit of hail hit the windshield. “And there’s not too much in Homestead for tourists.” He glanced up at the rearview mirror. “That is unless you’ve come to see the Castle.”

  Steven felt a pinch at his left chest.

  “The Castle?” Niklaus asked, his question echoed by another pinch at Steven’s pec. A glance down revealed Ruth’s dragonfly pendant protruding from his front shirt pocket, a green glint flashing off its iridescent eyes.

  That’s funny. Steven pulled the dragonfly out of his shirt pocket and studied its green eyes. That’s the first time Amaryllis has done a thing since Atlanta.

  “Only thing worth seeing around here,” Ron answered. “Rock Gate Park’s a few miles down the road. Other than the beach, Old Ed’s place seems to be the big draw to our little corner of the world.”

  “Old Ed?” Steven’s question prompted a third pinch to the palm of his hand.

  All right, Amaryllis. Message received already. Steven caressed the cool metal of the pin, his fingertips tingling as wings that had no business moving fluttered beneath his touch. On the bright side, at least this little bit of magic is still working.

  Four weeks had passed since the dragonfly clasp Ruth called Amaryllis had somehow turned Steven’s desperate leap of faith from the King tower into the first step in their miraculous victory in Atlanta. Since that day, the pendant had been quiescent, and Steven had wondered more than once if he had imagined all that the old keepsake had done for him.

  “Ed Leedskalnin,” Ron continued. “A little off his rocker, as you’ll see if you visit his place. His Castle’s something to see, though. Made all out of big hunks of coral. He built the whole thing himself, or so he says. I just hope it doesn’t get taken out by the storm. My grandkids love to go visit when they’re in town.”

  Steven caught Niklaus’ questioning stare and raised a brow in answer. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to check it out while we’re here. For now, though, do you think you could drop us off in town? Maybe at the emergency room or an urgent care? My friend here has twisted his ankle pretty badly and might need an x-ray.”

  “An x-ray, huh?” Ron crinkled his nose. “That stuff will melt your skin off is what I hear.” Steven and Niklaus shared yet another confused look as Ron turned onto a smaller two-lane road and accelerated back to his previous breakneck speed. The rain picked up a bit and Ron flipped on the windshield wipers. “Anyway, nearest hospital’s up in Miami. I suspect they’re gearing up for the hurricane, but I can take you there if that’s what you want.”

  “If you think we can make it,” Steven said. “Now, what was that about a hurricane?”

  “You boys been living under a rock?” Ron asked. “It’s been in the news for days. That big storm out in the Atlantic hit hurricane strength Tuesday and has been getting stronger every day. The radio says it hit Key Largo just a few hours back. Supposed to be on top of us any time now. I was trying to get home and get the truck covered up before everything hits the fan.” As if in answer, the rain began to pelt down in earnest. “Looks like that plan just flew out the window. It’s twenty or so miles to Miami, and there’s bound to be wrecks on a day like today.”

  Steven had no recollection of any news about a hurricane, though that wasn’t particularly surprising. With the multitude of strange occurrences brought on by the coming correction—the cataclysms Grey and Zed created the Game to prevent—it seemed only natural for the approaching storm to get lost among all the other catastrophes.

  As they hit the edge of town, a surreal undercurrent began to play at the back of Steven’s mind. From all appearances, Homestead was one of those quaint little places that had never fully entered the twenty-first century. He and Katherine had made a point one summer of traveling the eastern seaboard via a sequence of backroads in a quest to tour the best of small-town America. Homestead, in just the first few seconds of their impromptu tour, had most of the places they’d visited beat hands down. Each and every building they passed wove a spell of yesteryear, an understated yet undeniable quality that hearkened back to older, happier times, almost as if they were driving through a movie set rather than an actual town. Even the cars…

  A strange realization washed across Steven’s consciousness, a realization confirmed a moment later as they passed a small mom-and-pop service station. Outside the building, two red and gold pumps stood sentry, vainly awaiting customers who, in all likelihood, wouldn’t set foot out of their storm cellars for at least a day or so. Seven feet tall and slender, the twin pumps had old-style analog dials that only went up to $9.99. Each crowned with a circular sign that said “ROAR with GILMORE” below a leaping lion, the pumps themselves advertised “GILMORE RED LION GASOLINE plus TETRAETHYL.” Just past the pumps, parked outside the darkened station, Steven spotted a ’43 Plymouth, a ’39 Hudson, and a ’40 Studebaker, all in the same pristine shape as Ron’s truck.

  So either Homestead is a town full of vintage car collectors, or…

  “Ron, stupid question, but what’s the date?”

  “September 15th. Why?”

  “No, the whole date.” Steven lowered his eyes at Ron’s incredulous stare. “Please.”

  “You’re serious?” Ron asked.

  “As a heart attack.” Steven’s face grew blank as he awaited an answer a part of him already knew all too well. “What day is it?”

  “It’s September 15th, 1945.” Ron pulled to a stop at the next intersection. “All day long, as far as I know.”

  2

  Divide & Conquer

  “What do you mean you think we ought to stay put?” Lena’s passionate glare burned with a potent mix of anger and desperation, a look Steven had seen on more than one occasion. “If someone doesn’t do something fast, all of those people are going to die!”

  “I’m sorry, Lena, but I’m not convinced running off after yet another disaster is the best idea right now.” Steven searched the San Antonio hotel room he and the others had been using as a base of operations in a vain hunt for support. Emilio, Niklaus, and Audrey all avoided his eyes while Archie met his gaze with an unnerving, almost detached stare. “Last time, you and Archie both got hurt and—”

  “I wish you’d leave that whole thing alone.” Lena’s cheeks flushed hot pink. “Archie and I—hell, all of us—have come through a lot worse.”

  “Still, I think—”

  “We’re fine, Steven, which is a lot more than you can say about them.” Lena pointed a shaking finger at the old Panasonic television resting on the hotel room dresser. There, a nightmarish drama played out as line after line of silent words marched across the bottom of the screen.

  MAGNITUDE 5.7 EARTHQUAKE HAS HIT NEW YORK CITY DURING RUSH HOUR - EPICENTER JUST SOUTH OF BROOKLYN BRIDGE

  TREMORS FELT ALONG EAST COAST AS FAR AS SOUTHERN MAINE AND EASTERN VIRGINIA/MARYLAND

  PARTIAL COLLAPSE OF BROOKLYN BRIDGE HAS HUNDREDS TRAPPED - STRUCTURE IS FEARED UNSTABLE

  “Unstable.” Lena’s hands went to her hips. “Do you seriously expect us to sit on our hands and watch as cars and people start to fall into the river?”

  “Not to sound callous, but it’s not ou
r responsibility to play coast-to-coast park ranger while the world goes to hell.” Steven’s guts twisted inside him, half because Lena wouldn’t let it go and half because, at some level, he knew she was right.

  “You know as well as I do this earthquake is just another sign of the coming correction.” Lena crossed her arms. “Grey said the catastrophes were going to start coming harder and faster every day. I say the first major earthquake to hit New York City in over a hundred years definitely qualifies. That alone makes this our responsibility.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Those people are counting on us.”

  “Those people don’t even know we exist.” Steven’s tone came out more than a little bitter, and though a part of him felt shame at his words, he didn’t back down. “Not one of them.”

  “So?” Lena shot back, as fired up as Steven had ever seen her. “Does that mean we ignore what’s happening? Just leave those people to die? That’s not what you thought last week. What’s changed? Better yet, what would Grey say if he were here?”

  The last question hit Steven like a roundhouse kick to the gut. Lena’s words regarding what his absent mentor would think about the situation made one thing imminently clear. Something was different this time, something subtle Steven couldn’t quite place. He knew good and well he should be arguing the other side as the people flashing across the screen desperately needed help only they could provide. Despite that, his every instinct screamed to stay as far from New York as possible. The fact that both Audrey and Niklaus refused to meet his gaze while Emilio sat staring at him with a tortured mix of righteous anger and disillusionment only made things worse.

  “Lena, please. I can’t explain it. It just feels…wrong.”

  Hundreds of lives had been spared by their timely, albeit anonymous, interventions in what appeared to the rest of the world as a rash of natural disasters.

  The floods in Houston.

  The wildfires in Kansas.

  The landslides along the California coast.

  Steven didn’t have the first clue what was different this time or why he felt so strongly against going to New York, but the feeling sat there in his gut and wouldn’t go away.

  “We’ve been lucky so far.” He paced the room. “But how long do you think that luck’s going to hold out? We’re supposed to be saving ourselves for the Game, remember?”

  “How can I forget?” Lena answered. “It’s all you’ve been talking about for weeks.” Her entire body shook in frustration. “Look, we can argue this all day, but there’s one thing you can’t deny. If not for Grey’s stupid Game, those people wouldn’t be in danger in the first place.”

  “Girl’s got a point,” Archie interjected. “Like always.”

  “Listen to her, Steven.” Audrey approached him from behind, the usual comfort of her hand on his arm replaced with a hint of betrayal. “You know she’s right. Even if this had nothing to do with the Game, we owe it to those people to try to help them. Just because we can.”

  “But…” The words caught in his throat.

  Steven and Lena had spent many an hour over the preceding weeks debating books, movies, politics, religion. Even in the midst of this, their first actual argument, the fight remained familiar territory. With Audrey, however, things were different.

  Since her near fatal wound at the hands of the Black Pawn, Steven had been on eggshells with this woman who captivated far more of his thoughts than he cared to admit. They had become fast friends over the last few weeks and flirted enough that Niklaus had called him out on it more than once. Archie often watched them with an amused eye, and Emilio usually found a reason to make himself scarce if he ended up alone with the White Queen and Pawn. Still, circumstances being what they were, their relationship had not yet progressed to the point that they knew how to fight.

  And Steven couldn’t bear to see even an ounce of disappointment in those hazel eyes.

  “Not going to win many arguments that way, Steven.” Niklaus crossed his arms and let out a quiet laugh. “What would your father say?”

  Niklaus’ vain attempt at lightening the mood accomplished the exact opposite and all conversation ground to a screeching halt. Realizing what he’d said, he rose from his chair and walked to the window, his cheeks as flushed as Lena’s.

  Donald Bauer, Steven’s father, had been missing for nearly a month, and for all they knew, the man was dead.

  Or worse.

  “I’m sorry, Steven.” Niklaus’ usually boisterous voice dropped to a whisper. “You know I didn’t mean anything by that.”

  Steven’s thoughts wandered as Niklaus’ apology droned on, his mind flashing like a slideshow through the events of the weeks since his father dropped him off in Roanoke to rejoin the others a month back.

  The elder Bauer’s last words to him that night as he rolled up the driver’s side window and dropped the truck into reverse—a quiet reassurance that everything would be all right.

  Sifting through the burned-out remnants of Audrey’s house for any clue of her mother and grandfather’s whereabouts and finding nothing.

  An uncontrollable shudder as he stood silently in the rain at Emilio’s brother’s funeral, the majority of mourners at the sparsely attended event standing in that very room.

  And then, the thousandth reiteration of Audrey all but bleeding out in the no man’s land between the King and Queen towers in Atlanta.

  “Look.” Steven sidestepped the issue of his father completely. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t help. You all know my heart on this. It’s just that sometime in the not too distant future, we’re going to have to stand and fight for our lives against a well-prepared team of killers, not one of whom gives a rat’s ass about any of us, much less any of the people on that bridge. They’ll exploit any weakness they can find and go straight for our collective jugular. On that day, I want us to be ready. On that day, we have to be ready.” Steven’s head dropped. “A lot more than just our skins are counting on it.”

  “Believe it or not, for once, I’m with Steven.” Emilio’s gaze didn’t leave the ground at his feet as he avoided Lena’s icy stare. “If we don’t draw a line somewhere, one of us is eventually going to get hurt or worse. We’ve barely survived the first few skirmishes of this Game of Grey’s. God help us if we’re not ready when the main event finally comes around.” Braving Lena’s glare, he drew close to the only person on the planet outside his family he’d ever loved. “As much as I’d like to help those people, we can’t be everywhere for everyone, mami.”

  “I don’t want to be everywhere, Emilio.” Lena’s whispered words filled the room. “I want to be there.”

  “Look.” Audrey stepped to the middle of the circle. “I’m sure Grey would know the right answer, the correct thing to say to rally the troops, but he’s not here, and by the time he gets back from wherever the hell he’s gone this time, it’ll be too late to make a difference. It’s up to us.” She bit at her lip. “I think we should put it to a vote.”

  “All right.” Steven retreated to one corner. “Though I’m going to have to sit this one out.”

  “You’re out?” Frustrated lines formed at the corners of Audrey’s eyes. “You’re that dead set against this?”

  “Just the vote. Despite everything I’ve said, I’m split on this one. You five decide, and I’ll abide by the wishes of the group. Fair enough?”

  “Fair enough.” Audrey crossed her arms, relief spreading across her features. “I say we go. See what we can do to help.”

  A sharp pang hit Steven’s side, the pain so intense, he reflexively glanced down at the pawn icon in his palm to ensure its white marble surface remained dark.

  Not even a glimmer.

  “My vote is to stay here.” Niklaus shrugged, his head tilting to one side. “I feel for the people on that bridge, but I’ve grown to trust Steven’s instincts, perhaps more so than even he does.” Niklaus glanced in his direction, and Steven answered with a subtle nod.

  “I guess you all know my vote.”
Lena pulled up next to Audrey, glaring at Emilio who immediately raised his hands in exasperation.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say, mami.” Emilio’s fists shook with frustration. “We’ve been playing junior league Super Friends for almost a month now and saved a whole bunch of people. Doesn’t change the fact that Steven’s got a point. We’ve got these powers for one purpose and one purpose only. If we screw things up before the Game begins and show up in anything other than tip-top shape or even, God forbid, lose somebody, that’s it. We’re done. Not to mention, if we lose, Zed wins, and God only knows what he’s got planned.” Emilio took Lena’s hand. “Sorry, but I have to vote no.”

  “I guess that leaves it up to me.” Archie stared at the television screen, his face turned up in that whimsical smirk that always set Steven’s hair on end. “So, which way is Archie going to go this time?” His eyes cut in Steven’s direction. “That’s what you’re wondering, isn’t it?”

  Running neck-and-neck with his constant suspicion that Archie could somehow read minds, Steven’s thoughts revolved mainly around an even bigger question that had bugged him since they’d first met: Which Archie would be showing up today?

  For weeks, the six of them had barely spent a waking hour apart, yet while Steven felt a certain closeness and familiarity with the others, Archie still posed more than a bit of a mystery. Most of the time, he seemed comfortable in his role as the “wise old man” of the group, regardless of his current outward appearance. He would entertain Lena and Audrey for hours with stories of his life growing up poor in New Orleans, talk motorcycles with Emilio, or discuss aspects of the Game with Steven. He’d even spent some time alone with Niklaus not long after they’d met to discuss a “spiritual matter” and, Steven suspected, taken his confession. He couldn’t confirm that last bit, but kept secrets had become a rare commodity in their little four-bedroom rental. Whatever had transpired between the two men that night, Niklaus had seemed far happier and more at peace since the encounter.