The atmosphere in the dining hall had never been so sombre. We, the last fourteen surviving students of Duelcrest Academy, sat in a circle of chairs, almost as if we were about to participate in some kind of ritual. One of sacrifice. The faces of Sam's companions were particularly pale. Jonathan, on the other hand, seemed rather relaxed. It didn't take me long to understand why.
«I'd like to make a statement to begin the discussion,» he declared, rising from his seat, his small eyes sweeping over us all.
"I think I know where this is going..."
The fact that he had come out of hiding was already a big clue. Being alone obviously put him at a disadvantage in a game like this. If he felt confident enough to step out into the open, it was because he was sure he would be safe.
«If you think you can single me out in this vote, I have bad news for you. I'm the King,» he announced boastily, «and if you're getting any funny ideas about stealing my card... I don't have it on me!»
"So both Philemon and Sophia were right."
This meeting wasn't going to be as easy as our group and Sam's piling on to the loner. But it seemed that Jonathan was more than his absurd antics would have suggested, as he, like my incredibly clever girlfriend, had realised the loophole in this game of cards.
«And you think we are just going to believe you? You are obviously saying this to save your ass,» Andrea commented in her usual annoyed tone.
"Is this girl always angry or what?"
But Jonathan didn't bat an eye at the accusation:
«You're free not to trust me, but... would you risk voting for me? Unless you have a way to expose my lie.»
«I don't think the Seer will be stupid enough to fall into such an obvious trap, Johnny,» Sam Rover commented with a nervous smile on his face, «how about we let the one who brought us here together start the discussion? Otherwise we're not going anywhere.»
Instead of Celeste's, his black eyes are fixed on mine. I looked to my right as Sophia gave me an encouraging nudge with her elbow. I stood up tentatively, racking my brain to find a way to put this meeting on the right track:
«... so... one of us has to die, just like Celeste said before. Voting for the King is obviously out of the question. Let's assume for the moment that Jonathan is the one with that card. We still have one more variable: the Demon card,» I began, talking more to myself than to the others.
Suddenly something struck me. My eyes went to Jonathan's face. Maybe... I had thought about his actions from the wrong angle.
"He says he's the King... but then... why did he seem so inclined to come to this meeting? I'm sure he knows that if we voted for him, the Seer would have eventually given in and revealed themselves. Even if he's hiding his card, since he's alone, we could easily force him to give it to us. Why risk it?"
I looked at him even more intently. Sure, he seemed calm at first glance, but I could see that his hands were gripping the seat of his chair a little too tightly. Of course, it could have just been because of the palpable tension in the air, but... what if he had come here... because he had to?
"Let's see if I can confirm this hunch."
«Let me be clear: one of my friends has the Demon Card. And, as it's kind of obvious by the fact that we organised this meeting, we also have the curse. We have the keys to solve this game ourselves. What we are doing now is giving you a choice. Since you have probably confirmed each other's cards, it should be easy for you to choose a safe victim from your group,» I said, looking at Sam and his friends.
I couldn't help the bitter taste in my mouth. I was trying to emulate Celeste's tactic of cornering them. But having five pairs of eyes looking at me with such contempt was not pleasant at all.
"But if I play nice... we'll just get stuck in an endless game of chicken."
«Don't fuck with us!»
For once it wasn't Andrea who had shouted this, but Annette Walker, the girl who had attacked me from the stairs with Jen Corbain during our previous encounter.
«Are you not satisfied with killing Jenny by manipulating the rankings and helping Pembroke?! You also want to make us choose one of us to eliminate? And let me guess, you're going to make Pembroke get the 1000 point bonus so that next week I'll die too! You are just a bunch of monsters.»
Her words were like daggers, but they were also the ones I wanted to hear.
"If she's getting so upset... unless she's a big bluffer... it means she believed my lie."
That could only mean two things: she was unaware of her companions' roles, or... no one in Sam's group had the Demon card.
"Which leaves only one possibility... Jonathan is lying about being the King and he's actually the Demon."
I turned to him. His knuckles had turned whiter. What was his plan? If people thought he was really the King, no one would've voted for him and he would've been penalised 1000 points.
"Unless... he was hoping that the real King would expose him. Maybe he was trying to appear untrustworthy from the start so that we would vote for him."
But so far, if that was indeed his strategy, it hadn't worked. Apart from a little pushback from Andrea, everyone else seemed to have accepted his statement as true.
"... but all of this would mean that the King is part of Sam's group... so why didn't they speak up? Are Jonathan and Sam working together? Or... "
The traitor. One of my friends might have lied about their card. But then all my reasoning about Jonathan being the Demon would ago out the window as well.
"This is so complicated."
Meanwhile, the atmosphere was getting heated.
«As if you wouldn't do the same thing if you could!» shouted Nicole, putting a hand on Penny's shoulder, who, sitting close to her, looked like she was about to burst into tears again.
«We would never stoop so low!» Andrea countered, getting up from her chair.
«So what are we supposed to do?» asked Wilhelm, «Are you telling us to vote against our own friends? Or do you have any other ideas?»
«What about the mole you have in your ranks?» interjected the chubby boy called Ian, «after what happened with the dungeon test, you definitely have one between you! You were all paired up. We could vote for them.»
"If only we knew who they are..."
But Wilhelm didn't like his insinuation:
«That's just speculation,» he snapped, turning red in the face, «we trust each other. If you hope to poison our well, it won't work.»
"Ah, Wilhelm..."
It was a good thing we hadn't talked to him and the others about our little trip upstairs and the trick Celeste had played on them to counter the presence of a traitor.
As the back and forth between my allies and Sam's continued, I realised that we had reached a dead end. Even if there was no other solution, the opposing alliance was too tightly knit to single out a member to sacrifice just because we had asked them to. I turned to the one person I knew could break the deadlock. Celeste nodded and rose from her chair:
«I think we have talked enough. Thanks to Liz, most of us have realised who actually has the Demon card. Right, Sir Jonathan?»
The poker face the boy had been wearing crumbled at her words.
«I... this is... preposterous! I have the King! I told you so!»
"So I was right."
Ignoring his complaints, Celeste continued:
«So I think we can safely proceed with the vote. We'll abstain, of course, since we have no way of knowing which of you is the King. I trust that you will make the right decision, one that doesn't put more lives at risk than necessary. Is that all right with you, Sammy?»
Sam, who had so far remained silent after telling me to start the discussion, watching the situation unfold through his joined fingers, also rose from his seat. I could see from his expression that things were about to get serious. As usual, the clumsy boy I had first seen him as was nowhere to be found.
«I agree that we have talked enough. I think it's time we stop playing around and put all our cards on the table,» he stated in a firm tone, «don't you agree, Miss Thornton?»
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"Hm? Why is he asking Sophia?"
I turned to my right. My girlfriend was looking at Sam with a strange expression on her face. It was almost as if she was incredulous and impressed at the same time.
«Are you sure? That would just mean you surrendering completely to us,» she said slowly.
"What is she talking about?" I thought confused.
My eyes went back to Sam who now had a slight smile on his face:
«In the end you would be forced to reveal it anyway. I think I understand what you're up to, but I'd rather you didn't use my friends' lives as a plaything.»
«Sophie, what is he talking about?» Celeste voiced the same question that was echoing in my head.
My girlfriend stood up and put a hand on my shoulder.
«You don't have to worry about who to vote for... because the King is not between them. I'm the King.»
There was an astonished silence for a moment. And then:
«The... KING?! But you said...»
«I lied,» Sophia cut Celeste off in a dry tone.
«You... lied?!»
Celeste was as stunned as I was. I could feel Sophia's nails digging into my shoulder:
«Blame me if you want, but I had my reasons. It's not relevant anymore anyway,» she said clearly.
"Your reasons..."
What did Sophia hope to gain by hiding her role as King? Knowing that we had that card in our possession would have made this discussion a lot easier for us.
"So... she wanted to prolong this meeting?"
I could only think of one reason for this behaviour. The one that had already led me to believe that some of us might have lied about their cards: the traitor. Sophia probably wanted to keep everyone on edge, hoping that they would make a mistake and reveal themselves, by trying to put us in a bind.
Of course, she couldn't say any of this out loud after the way Wilhelm had reacted earlier.
"I wish she'd at least told me her plan."
But with everything that had happened since the beginning of this game, I wouldn't have blamed her if she had forgotten to mention it. Or maybe she wanted to keep me in the dark so that I could act naturally during this discussion. I wasn't the best liar after all.
"You crafty menace..."
In any case, she was right, it was no longer relevant. Since Sam had revealed her true role, it didn't matter anymore.
"But why did he do that?... Now that we know they don't have the King or the Demon, we can just vote him out."
Celeste had regained her composure by now, and after giving Sophia a sour look, she turned to Sam:
«So you are the Seer.»
«I am,» he replied, «but it doesn't really matter. Since we know who's in control of the Demon and King cards, Villager or Seer is functionally the same.»
«So... what's your plan now? You've put yourself in a difficult position.»
I could hear the caution in her tone. Sam, after all, didn't look like someone who had given up.
"What does he have in mind to get out of this situation?"
The answer I was looking for came immediately. It was as if the night that was outside the window had suddenly seeped into the dining room. All the torches on the wall were suddenly extinguished. The only light left came from the open door leading into the corridor. But even in this almost total darkness we could see a shadow stretching out under Sam's feet. It was of such a deep black that for a second I thought an endless abyss had suddenly opened up in the floor.
«What the-?!»
Panicked exclamations rose from our ranks as I drew my wand. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sophia put a hand on the hilt of her sword. But before anyone could move, the shadow retreated, leaving us in a normal, but still unsettling, normal penumbra.
«This is my solution,» Sam Rover said in a calm tone, «Celeste, you said I would get my legs chopped off... you may be right, but I may be also able to take out one of you before that happens. Are you willing to risk it?»
«So you really are a demon!» cried Wilhelm, «I saw it! That purple glint in your eyes!»
"A purple glint... I was more worried about that damn black hole in the ground!"
But if Wilhelm was right... purple eyes, horns and pitch-black skin were the trademarks of demons. Of course, when they were not disguised as humans, as they often did to catch their prey.
«He's not-» Andrea started, getting up from her chair again.
But Sam held out his arm to signal her to stop:
«That's right, I'm a demon. And demons have no qualms about killing people to achieve their goals.»
«Sam...»
There was dismay on Andrea's face and the ones of her companions. But it wasn't the same emotion that ran through our ranks, it wasn't fear, it was concern.
"Even after seeing such a terrifying power... they're not afraid of him... instead it looks like they're worried he's going to get himself killed."
But why was Sam Rover behaving like this? He was obviously not joking, but what would attacking us achieve? After all...
«Have you forgotten the rules of this game?»
It was the first time Philemon had spoken during this meeting. Hearing his voice reminded me that if things were dangerously close to getting out of hand now, it was only my fault.
Sam stepped back calmly and returned to his seat.
«Your leader reminded me of that before we got here. But, you see, what she didn't take into account is that I am more than willing to endure any kind of punishment if it means protecting my friends, even if it means dying,» he said in a light tone, as if death was not a frightening prospect for him.
This new silence was so heavy that I felt as if I couldn't physically move a muscle. It took almost a minute for Celeste to break it:
«So what do you want? If you really wanted to fight us, you would have done so when you had the element of surprise,» she stated contemptuously.
She was probably thinking about what she had said to us in her room, about how it wouldn't be dangerous to meet Sam.
"But I'm the one to blame here... if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have agreed to this in the first place."
«Of course I don't want to fight. I know I wouldn't stand a chance against all of you. But I'm sure you'd rather not risk losing a few people to the darkness. So how about I return the courtesy of giving you a choice?»
I saw Celeste biting her lip, irritated at having her own words thrown back at her. Unfortunately, Sam had the upper hand at the moment. You simply could not negotiate rationally with someone who had nothing to lose.
«What choice?» asked Sophia coldly. Her hand rested on my thigh, trembling slightly.
It didn't take a genius to work out that she was very nervous.
"Has she realised what Sam is up to?"
Sam sighed:
«I say I don't want to fight, but I don't think this situation can be resolved any other way. So... how about a duel? That's what this gods-forsaken academy is all about.»
I felt Sophia's grip tighten. That's what she was afraid of. And I could understand why. In a duel, Sam Rover could unleash the full destructive power of dark magic without worrying about rules or hurting his own allies. Accepting such a challenge was pretty much a death sentence.
«What are the conditions for this duel?» I asked.
«If I win, I want you to give me the curse. The same goes for the Demon card, Johnny, you'll exchange it with my Seer. I'll trade my card and the curse to Jen here and have her choose Celeste as the victim, since she's your leader.»
An awful feeling spread through me. The terrible future I had imagined was dangerously close to becoming reality. No... it was even worse. By letting Jen vote, she would get the 1000 point bonus and overtake Penny in the rankings. Two of our friends were going to die... all because I had chosen not to follow Philemon's plan.
«What have I got to do with this? I'm not in any of your-»
Jonathan's panicked words were cut off by Sam's stern voice:
«If you win... I'll still get the curse, but for the Demon card... I want you to take it, Celeste.»
"Celeste... get the Demon card?"
She had so many points that even the 1000 penalty wouldn't have brought her close to the last places. It made sense that Sam would want to prevent that grim fate from befalling one of his friends instead.
"I guess he also wants to save Jonathan in exchange for his cooperation... but does he really expect us to accept such a deal?"
Philemon seemed to think the same as he spoke again:
«So we have something to lose either if we win or if we lose. You are being ridiculous.»
Sam's group did not seem happy with his terms either.
«Are you thinking of sacrificing yourself for us? Don't fuck with me!» Andrea shouted.
«You can't be serious, Sam! Why should you get the curse? You're our leader,» said the guy Nicole had knocked out at the start of the game.
«Precisely because I'm your leader, I have to take responsibility. Besides, I have no intention of losing. What do you say, Celeste, would you take responsibility?»
"No..."
He was obviously trying to provoke her into accepting a duel with him. And I knew how proud Celeste could be...
"I can't let this happen."
But Celeste didn't seem inclined to let him push her around. She looked at Sam Rover without fear in her eyes.
«Do you think I'm stupid or something?» she asked him calmly.
«You ask because of what Hargrave said? I understand it's not a favourable deal for you... but when do bad guys make reasonable offers?» Sam replied with an half smile.
«The deal isn't the problem, I'd have no problem taking a 1000 point penalty if it meant avoiding an unnecessary fight and protecting my allies. What am I saying is: do you think I'm stupid enough to fight a dark magic user, demon or not, on my own?»
«So you are afraid,» Sam commented.
But Celeste didn't give in to the provocation:
«I'm not. Like I said, I'm not stupid. I know there are things a single mage can't handle... unless your name is Aldric, I guess. If we are going to fight you, we might as well do it together. I'm calling your bluff, Sam Rover. The moment you summon your dark magic, we'll strike you down!»
«So you are thinking calmly even in a life and death situation and taking what you think is the lesser risk... You are as amazing as people say.»
Sam chuckled. A laugh devoid of any joy.
«Then I guess it can't be avoided.»
Celeste was right. She was not stupid. Everything I knew about Sam Rover indicated that he was, in fact, not a bad guy. Would he really have killed us? Would he have unleashed dark magic when his allies were so close to him?
"Probably not. But if there's a chance... I have to take responsibility. Celeste is not stupid... but I am."
Before the unthinkable could happen, I rose from my seat.
"I'm so sorry, Sophia."
«I'll duel you, Sam.»
«LIZ?!»
Celeste looked at me with wide open eyes, all the composure she had shown in front of our opponent gone out the window.
«Oh sorry, I meant I'll duel with you if Celeste accepts your terms,» I quickly clarified.
«That's not the fucking issue!» snapped Celeste, red in the face.
But she wasn't the only one shocked by my words. Penny, who had spent the entire discussion in anguished silence, had also risen from her chair, looking extremely upset:
«She's right Liz!» she shouted loudly, «Are you trying to be a hero again?! After what happened in the dungeon?»
«Listen to Penny, Liz. I know you want to save her, but you'll only make things worse if you die,» Nicole said, uncharacteristically firm.
«Demons are not something even you can face alone, Liz. Let's fight them together,» Wilhelm echoed.
Even Philemon seemed taken aback by my sudden declaration. He pushed his glasses up his nose and gave me a serious look:
«If you're doing this because you feel guilty... don't be ridiculous. We have nothing to gain if you die here. What's done is done, let's deal with this situation rationally.»
«Guys...»
Having so many people looking out for me... was something a loner like me had never hoped for in life.
"You seeing this Amy?... I'm kind of popular now!"
And that was exactly why I wanted to do this. It was my duty. Not because I had made a mess and needed to do penance. Just like Sam Rover, I was going to put my life on the line to protect my friends.
There was only one person who hadn't spoken up. I had avoided looking at her. I didn't want to see her face. I was afraid of the disappointment or distress I'd find on it. So when I heard her standing at my side, I trembled.
«Let her do it.»
"Huh?!"
I turned to look at Sophia, stunned. She was smiling. A smile of confidence.
«Sophie, have you lost your mind too?!» Celeste asked.
«Not at all.»
Sophia grabbed my hand. Her grip was tight and firm. She turned to Sam Rover:
«Are you sure you want to do this? Because there's no way my girlfriend is going to lose to you.»
«Sophia...»
Sam Rover looked at her in surprise, but then he smiled, nervously running a hand through his messy hair, as he often did:
«Ah, this is the worst... if what Pembroke said it's true, this is going to suck. A demon never wants to face a hero after all.»