Kings Gambit

Chapter 54 - Checkmate

One, Two, Three. We all placed our feet on the chessboard, ready for our last trial. All the chess pieces fell like dominos, the tint from the sky a glistening white as the dust particles fell on our skin.

Angel stepped out a bit farther from me to make a triangle between Leo, her, and me. She looked determined, like she was ready to go to war. The only thing she had left was her life, so this trial meant everything to her... Why did she kill Jasper?... Why couldn't we have avoided this trial?...

The pillars rose; Angel and Leo's pillars were black, while mine was white as we soared through the sky for the sixth time. I looked around at the vast emptiness of the trial room, exhausted and hungry.

"There were once fourteen people in this room..." I mumbled.

"It got so empty so quickly. I'm getting numb to the amount of bodies we've discovered." Angel shivered.

"It's a bit odd with Jasper gone. It feels too quiet," Leo replied with a sigh, "If there was ever a threat against me, it was him. Too bad he didn't team up with you to stop me. With the remote control he had, I could've been killed easily. Guess he cared too much for Claire to risk her life for that," He shrugged. But before anyone could respond, the intercom turned on once more.

"Welcome to the last trial. As stated by the mastermind, only Leo will get a vote, as he is innocent of this crime. He will have to decide between Hank and Angel on who killed the victim. I would advise discussing the case before immediately voting, as this might be a bit more tricky than originally perceived. However, it will be up to Leo to decide when to vote. Good luck," Oracle's deep voice rang through the trial room. Damn you, Jessy... Why did you choose his side?

"Strange wording, but alright." Leo glanced up with squinted eyes, "Well, I'm not too worried about the murder itself. I'm sure Angel is the culprit. However, I find Oracle's warning odd," He looked at the two of us with shifting eyes.

"I'm not the killer." Angel closed her dark eyes, "But I can understand why you would think that. After all, only I can win by murder." She looked away.

"Then why do you deny it?" Leo asked.

"Because, for some reason, Hank killed Jasper. Maybe it's to win the trial to kill you, or maybe because he hated Jasper enough to want to blow him to pieces," Angel glared at me with soft eyes.

"I was half dying when the explosion went off. Leo was the one to wake me up," I replied.

"That could easily be faked. Neither one of us have a solid alibi," Angel defended.

"Why do you have to do this, Angel? I don't want to fight you," I scratched the back of my head.

"Tch! It's too late for you to feel bad for me now!" Angel stomped her foot down at me as she gritted her teeth.

"Angel's right. It's really too late for that," Leo chuckled, crossing his arms.

"Right..." I peered down, "Then can we sidetrack this trial for a minute? I want to use this opportunity to talk about why, why did we create this hell?" I glared at Leo.

"What?" He replied.

"I want to know why... No, how. I look at this building, this trial room, the gold railings, the diamonds. And I can't comprehend how an author and a detective managed to afford all this." I placed my hand on my forehead.

"I don't see how that information is relevant," Leo replied sternly.

"I just want to know, okay? I'm tired, hungry, and mentally destroyed. The only thing I ask for is clarity on our surreal situation." I replied, "I also want to know why we were placed in costumes, why we have role cards, to begin with. Why did we make the lives of so many innocent people pawns in this big chess game." I spoke out. Leo stared at me deadpan for a minute before a wicked smile crossed his face.