How do you fight an enemy who never shows his face?
The murder of crows must band together with a privateer prince to face their greatest challenge yet. But though Kaz is playing for the Dregs, Nikolai suspects that the future of the world is at sta...
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Kaz felt the warm flush of triumph fill his body, melting all his tension. He couldn't resist a smile and reveled in the way that the Mask immediately examined the board once more for any potential pit-falls that Kaz could have set. Now he was holding the cards, and Saints, it felt good.
"What are you doing? Why are you smiling? Have you finally realised how ridiculous your situation is?" The Mask spoke it scornfully, but there was real alarm in those quartz eyes.
"I guess you could say that." Kaz exhaled deeply, feeling like it was the first time he'd properly taken a breath since he'd walked through the door of the Mask's office. "You're an intelligent man. I can see that. So I have to ask myself – why would you risk so much knowledge in this silly game? You obviously know the answers to each question you ask. Clearly you knew you would win. And I know that too – I'm not skilled at chess, whereas you're talented, and I know that somewhere on that board is a trap that I'm about to walk into, an easy checkmate, a quick win for you.
"The men you sent after me in that alley – they weren't there to kill me. You knew that I'd manage to get out of that alive. The gang leaders – you killed them, yes, but they didn't just die. They disappeared. No bodies, no nothing. I doubt even Raven could do that. If you kill me, you'll make sure I vanish right off the map. I'm guessing you only sent those poor Lost to get me angry enough to come to you for answers, scared enough that I'd be prepared to bargain with such high stakes.
Kaz couldn't stop the grin from slipping wider across his face. "But tell me, Mask," he said easily, "what made you think I'd actually keep my side of the deal?"
"What?" the other man hissed.
"This whole game was based on a promise. If you win, I join you and break off all my ties to my gang, my client and my friends. But you went wrong the moment you believed I'd genuinely do that. I have the answers I need, and playing fair's for the good guys. I'd have thought you'd realise I'm an antihero."
The Mask's mouth was open in shock. Kaz had to restrain himself from laughing.
"Good day to you," he said, doffing his hat to the frozen gang leader and strolling casually out of the door. "Oh, and Mask?" Kaz turned back to face him in the doorway, eyes warm amber and grinning like an idiot.
"Checkmate."
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