Plague 9/?
by Nancy Smith and Linda Garrick
Chapter VI
Fong awoke to the sound of voices, aware of a throbbing headache and rapidly rising nausea. He groaned.
"Sorry, Strike Commander." It was Jason's voice, coming dimly through the waves of pain. "I didn't want to do that, but you didn't give me a choice. I'm really sorry."
Fong moaned, struggling to control his heaving stomach. He gagged, but fought desperately to preserve what little was left of his dignity.
After what felt like eons the nausea began to subside, and then, much more slowly, the headache. He hadn't been stunned since his basic training days, he realized foggily. He'd forgotten the joy of the experience.
He heard Jason laugh softly. "I guess you'll be okay, now."
Fong opened his eyes cautiously. The scene was blurred, and he blinked, trying to focus. "What happened?" he managed.
Jason was presenting him with one of the canteens. Fong accepted it and took a cautious sip. To his relief, his stomach remained steady.
"You headed for the river," Trevor's voice said from behind him. "Jason ran after you and tried to stop you. As soon as he was distracted, I felt this terrific urge to head for the river too. Jason realized what was happening and stunned you. Then, he told me to pick you up and carry you here. As long as Jase was talking to me, I seemed to be able to resist."
Fong rubbed a hand across his face, and glanced at the small, unimpressive boy sitting beside him. "Uh ... thanks, I guess."
Jason chuckled. "You'll feel more grateful after the headache goes away." He sobered. "That thing must have terrific control over people like you and Trev. Even down there in the water it was pulling you toward it."
Fong rubbed his face again, feeling ashamed of himself. He was the Strike Commander of a Patrol battlecruiser, bigger and much stronger than little Jason Sweeney, and he had not been able to resist the mind control of a creature the size of his fist.
"It doesn't have anything to do with size, or physical strength," Jason said, accurately picking up his thought with no obvious effort. "I was born a psychic with good shielding ability and you weren't."
Trevor gave him a hand to his feet, without further comment. Well, he thought, Trevor had been affected, too, and apparently more seriously -- perhaps because he had been closer to the thing during the initial encounter.
"We'd better hurry," Jason said. "Do you feel like walking, Strike Commander?"
"Not really," Fong said, "but I'll manage."
They started down the stone corridor, following the river. Fong thought uneasily that he would have to report what had happened to Blashvor and that Mai Wing would hear it and realize what a weakling he had been.
But undoubtedly Mai Wing already knew. Jason had undoubtedly informed his boss, and Blashvor had probably relayed the information to her. Whatever had happened, he was going to feel like a fool.
Mai Wing came quickly toward him as they approached the camp, but her expression was one of concern, intermixed with relief. "Lee! Are you all right? I've been so worried!"
Her concern touched him and he put an arm around her. "I'm all right, honey."
Blashvor rose majestically to his feet, regarding the Terrans searchingly. Jason approached him and dropped gracefully to one knee. Fong watched the Jilectan gesture carelessly and the boy rose quickly to his feet, presenting to him the dead globe and the amulet that they had found around the patrolman's neck. "Here they are, sir."
Blashvor took the articles. He examined the dead globe thoughtfully and then laid it down absently on the ground. It was the amulet that seemed to command his attention.
He examined it closely, his brow furrowed. "This is most peculiar. It is no jewel with which I am acquainted, and yet it appears quite costly. The setting is also unusual. I do not believe I have seen its like before."
Mai Wing moved quickly over to the Jilectan. "May I see it, sir? I'm a student of xeno-archeology."
"Are you indeed?" Blashvor smiled, obviously pleased at the information. "Very well." He dropped the object into her palm. "What do you think of it?"
Mai Wing held the object before her in the direct light of the lantern that Fong had placed on the shelf of rock above their impromptu campsite and turned it back and forth, examining it from every side. The others waited, watching her.
At last she spoke. "I *have* seen something like this before -- in a book. There was a jewel like this -- the same pattern of gold, the same glossy color -- found in a ruined temple on the planet Dalzeer."
"Dalzeer," Blashvor repeated. "I am not familiar with the name."
"The Baka system, on the edge of the Sector," Mai Wing explained, briefly. "There used to be quite a civilization there, but something happened to it, which caused it to decay. No one knows why. The jewel was brought back by a Jilectan expedition sponsored by Lord Revolthvor's grandfather, Lord Trevolthvor. The piece has been in his family's famous collection of antique alien jewelry for over sixty years. It's quite old, and must date back at least three or four centuries." Again, she paused, fingering the object thoughtfully. "This looks very like the picture I saw." She paused, then added abruptly, "There are symbols here. Ancient writing."
"Can you read it?" Jason asked quickly.
She shook her head. "A symbol or two is vaguely familiar, but I wouldn't want to swear to their exact meaning."
"What do you *think* they mean?" Jason prompted.
"Well ...." Mai Wing looked uncomfortable. "This one here --" She indicated a faint curlicue at the very top of the setting. "I think it means 'eye'."
"'Eye'!" Jason leaned eagerly forward. "Like an eye you see with?"
"Yes. And this symbol here --" She indicated a second curlicue, more pronounced than the first and bearing a tiny dot in its center, "means death ... I think."
"Death!"
"I *think* so. I could be wrong. This is old -- ancient. I'm not even sure of its origin. I could be way off."
"Eye and death." The Jilectan took the ornament back, smiling benevolently at Mai Wing. "Most intriguing, my pretty Terran."
Mai Wing's cheeks turned pink and she looked down. "I'm afraid it isn't very useful."
"Do you believe this article could be connected with the death of the globe creature?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe. There's certainly some kind of power to it. It froze the patrolman's skin and clothing."
"Death!" Jason repeated. "And the power cells in his belt and blaster were exhausted."
"Very mysterious, is it not?" Lord Blashvor slipped the chain around his own muscular neck and let the ornament rest on his breastbone. "However, we have other concerns at the moment, Jason. I wish to find an exit from this cave -- one which is unguarded by carnivorous native wildlife."
"Maybe they've gone away by now," Fong suggested, half-heartedly.
"They haven't," Jason informed him. "I don't know, M'Lord. We went quite a way back and didn't find any sign of an exit."
"Why do you suppose the wolf-things won't come into the cave?" Mai Wing asked in a small voice.
"I do not know." Again, the Jilectan smiled benevolently at her. "I have been wondering the same thing. They were certainly quick enough to attack us out in the open."
"Maybe they're afraid of something," Trevor suggested.
"That possibility has occurred to me," Blashvor said calmly.
"The globe things, maybe?" Jason suggested in a subdued voice, as though he feared he would be laughed at. But, of course, nobody laughed. Blashvor regarded the boy in silence for a moment and then gave a very Terran-like shrug.
"Who can say? We know the globes affect Jilectans and humans. Who knows what they might do to animals? But I am inclined to believe that there is another reason why our furry companions have not followed us."
No one had anything to say to that. The Jilectan gestured. "We will follow your steps, and we will remain together this time, and will continue to walk until we find a way out of here."
Fong hesitated to protest. He knew that the chances were good that they would not find a way out, no matter how far they went, but you didn't say that to a Jil. Blashvor was probably already aware of his thoughts, anyway, and nothing he said would make any difference.
They gathered their equipment and set off again, following the previous path. Mai Wing walked beside Fong, following Jason and Blashvor. Trevor, as usual, took up the rear. They proceeded in silence until they found the squad of dead patrolmen. Blashvor stopped, staring down at the bodies. He turned to look at Jason.
"Your description was quite accurate," he said. "They appear to have killed each other. But why?" He glanced across at the underground river. "Is that the place where the globe went in?"
"Yes sir," Jason said. He stepped across to Trevor, resting a hand on his friend's sleeve.
"I'm okay, Shorty," Trevor assured him.
Jason didn't answer. Fong tried not to look at the river, but it drew his eyes irresistibly. What would it be like, he wondered, to dive into those icy depths. Perhaps it would be warm, because of the hot springs. It would probably feel like bath water.
Blashvor was bending over the fallen men, removing supplies and energy cells from their belts. Fong hardly noticed. He couldn't look away from the river, the shimmering, swirling water. It beckoned him, drew him toward it.
Mai Wing's hand descended on his wrist. "Lee!" She gripped the wrist hard. "Jason! Watch Trevor!"
The Jilectan's large hand gripped his collar, turning him forcibly away from that beckoning death. A stinging slap caught him, snapping his face to one side and making his ears hum. Fong shook his head and his eyes focused. Blashvor was holding him hard by the collar in one hand, and in the other he held Trevor. He spoke sharply to Jason. "Bring the supplies -- you and the woman! We must remove them from here!"
Fong was thrust, stumbling, away from the river. As they moved farther away from it, the compulsion to go toward the river weakened. Blashvor forced him on, choking and staggering, another fifty steps before releasing him. He released Trevor at the same time, and the former patrolman stumbled back, gasping and clutching his throat. Jason grabbed his arm, looking scared.
"Trev! You started toward the river again! You were going after the globe, weren't you?" It wasn't really a question.
Trevor stared down at the boy. "What the hell --"
"You did it too, Lee!" Mai Wing clutched his hands convulsively. "Did you know what you were doing?"
Fong frowned down at her. "I was just sort of wondering if the water would be warm or cold. I wasn't going to go in. I mean, the thought sort of crossed my mind but --"
"You started walking toward it," she informed him shakily. "I spoke to you and you didn't even seem to hear me!"
"I don't remember any of that!"
"Let's get away from here, M'Lord," Jason said, urgently. "I don't know what that thing does, but it's dangerous!"
"You are quite right, Jaason." The Jilectan gestured. "Let us go, quickly."
Fong trailed the Jilectan along the tunnel, feeling shaken and foolish. What *were* these globe things, which appeared to exert such incredible power over his mind, and Trevor's, and yet appeared to do nothing to Jason and Mai Wing? No, not nothing. That was inaccurate. The globes frightened and repulsed them, but apparently exerted no power over them.
"Listen!" Mai Wing whispered.
Everyone stopped, and instantly, Fong heard what had already alerted the sharper ears of his companion. A sound behind them -- an odd, moist, "squish-squish" of large feet, placed softly on the cave floor. The sound continued for perhaps five seconds, and then ceased.
Trevor brought his light up, flashing it back along the tunnel. Shadows flickered eerily away from the searching beam, but there was no sign of anything alive.
"Something," Blashvor said, "is following us."
Fong saw Jason take a step toward Trevor. The ex-patrolman rested his hands on Jason's shoulders, and the psychic boy closed his eyes, his face relaxed, concentrating, Fong knew, on the lurking presence behind them.
"Do you sense anything, my psychic?" Blashvor inquired.
So it was out in the open, Fong thought. Jason was a Terran psychic in the service of a Jilectan pirate. He supposed it would have been rather foolish to continue the charade any longer at this point.
"It's an animal," Jason said slowly. "I can't pick up anything else."
Mai Wing moved closer to Fong. He put an arm around her.
"Let us go on," Blashvor said. "Jason will warn us if it starts to attack."
No one commented. They continued on for perhaps ten minutes. Then the Jilectan held up his hand and again they stopped.
"Squish, squish, squish ...." For several seconds, the sounds continued and then ceased abruptly.
As of one accord, they turned around, peering down the passageway behind them. There was nothing to be seen.
Fong swallowed, glancing quickly at Jason. The others were watching him, too, he noticed, Lord Blashvor included. Jason moved a step closer to Trevor. He shook his head.
"I don't know," he said. "It's there, but I can't tell exactly where."
"We must keep moving." Blashvor gestured to Fong. "If the creature attacks, Fong, Jason is to be protected. Do you understand? If he is injured and you could have prevented it, I will kill you."
"Yes, M'Lord."
The Jilectan gestured curtly. They continued on.
Twice more they stopped, and as before, the soft, moist sound of footsteps could be heard for a few seconds, only to cease. Fong knew that he was sweating, although the cavern was icy, the hot spring having been left far behind. He wasn't the only one, he noted. Blashvor's fair skin glowed in the illumination of the hand lights with a sheen of perspiration and Mai Wing's hand was damp within his. Beside them, the underground river continued to flow benignly, its depths reflecting opaquely the beams of the tiny hand lights that inadequately lit the darkness.
The tunnel they traveled opened out suddenly into an enormous cavern. A massive lake in its center reflected back the rays of their hand lights.
"Listen!" Mai Wing whispered suddenly.
They did. Except for the soft ripple of the stream beside them, all was still.
Fong turned to flash his light back along the corridor they had just traversed, already knowing that there would be nothing there. No motion, no lurking forms. Was it possible their pursuer had just gone away on its own? It seemed too much to hope for.
No one else commented on the possibility. They moved forward across the cavern, skirting the lake. The water shimmered darkly beside them, and somewhere to their right there was a muted splash. Five hand lights jerked instantly toward the spot.
Slowly widening ripples indicated where something had entered the water, but there was no sign of the creature itself. Fong saw Trevor glance at Jason and the boy's slight shrug of negation. Mai Wing moved uneasily against Fong's side and he looked down at her. Her clear, dark eyes met his, wide and scared. He tightened his arm, speaking softly.
"Whatever that was, I don't think it was what was following us."
"Neither do I." Her voice trembled softly. "Lee, I don't like this place!"
He managed to grin at her. "Me, neither."
"Come," Blashvor said, "we shall circle the lake."
They went forward, Blashvor once again leading, Jason and Trevor close behind. Fong and Mai Wing took up the rear.
The lake was huge, spanning over two thirds of the cavern. They had not gone a tenth of the distance before Fong's skin was crawling. A sensation of impending doom encompassed him. Sweat trickled down his neck and beaded on his face. He wiped it impatiently away. There was no reason to be feeling this way, he told himself firmly. There was no sound behind them now. Their pursuer had gone.
Mai Wing's face hovered before his vision. He kept seeing her eyes, wide with dread, and hearing her voice in his ears. "Lee, I don't like this place!"
She wasn't really speaking, of course, but her voice kept echoing in his mind. He tried to ignore it, but couldn't. The feeling of déjà vu was unmistakable. Hadn't this happened before, and recently? But where? What had the circumstances been?
Behind them, he heard a soft splash. He jerked around, playing his light over the surface of the lake. A faint line of ripples marked the otherwise smooth surface: ripples that subsided rapidly. Mai Wing held his hand more tightly. No one spoke.
They continued on. Perhaps two minutes went by and the splashing sound came again, this time farther out on the lake. Hand light beams centered in on the spot and Fong caught a brief glimpse of a dark flipper, vanishing instantly as the beam rested on it. Trevor muttered something he didn't catch.
But Jason apparently did. "No, the other thing -- I could sense its presence but not its mind. This thing's different. It knows we're here, but I don't think it's very interested in us."
"It's following us."
"Curiosity, I think. It isn't very intelligent."
"An animal doesn't have to be intelligent to be deadly."
"No," Jason agreed, "but that thing out on the lake has a mind sort of like -- oh, a Terran rabbit, or something."
"What's a rabbit?"
"It's a little creature from Earth -- sort of soft and furry and inoffensive. They were brought to Bellian with the first settlers and adapted very well. Some people eat them, and some use them for pets. They're cute." The boy's voice became wistful. "My sister got one for a pet when I was six. It was white, with pink eyes, and long, soft ears. She named it Watership Down after a book that was written about rabbits, but, of course, we ended up calling it Puffy."
Trevor chuckled. "What happened to it?"
"Oh, Ellen took it with her when she got married. Her husband was allergic to it, too, but she couldn't bear to part with it. I guess it must be dead by now. Rabbits don't live very long."
"I would like to see one some time," Blashvor stated unexpectedly. "You say they are good eating, Jason?"
"That's what I'm told, sir. After having one for a pet, though, well, I've never eaten one. It'd be sort of like eating your pet cat or something."
"I ate a cat once," Trevor said.
Jason made a gagging sound. "I don't want to hear about it!"
Trevor chuckled grimly. "When you're hungry, you'll eat anything. Besides, it was already dead. It had been hit by a car.
Jason put his hands over his ears. "Trev!"
"Okay, okay." Trevor slapped the boy gently on the back. "Subject is closed."
The splashing sound was repeated, nearer this time. Fong tried not to glance toward it. If a Terran psychic said the thing wasn't dangerous, then it probably wasn't.
"Play you chess, Strike Commander," Jason said suddenly. "Come on. It's better than worrying."
"It is my turn to play the Strike Commander," Blashvor said. "You were beaten by him, my little psychic."
"And you were beaten by me, sir."
Again, Fong felt his breath catch at the boy's words. How did Jason *dare* to address his master like that?
But Blashvor laughed. "And after I beat the Strike Commander, Jason, I shall beat you as well. Come, Fong, you may have the first move."
Fong had no desire to play chess at the moment, and doubted that he could concentrate. Still, even though Jason apparently had no fear of the big alien, Fong did, and had no wish to anger him. He advanced his king's pawn, a traditional move, two spaces to open the game.
Except for their voices, the silence around them was eerie. Occasional splashes from the lake sent tingles over Fong's scalp, and Mai Wing's hand still clutched his tightly. But after a few minutes, the sensation of fear began to ebb and he became more interested in the game. Blashvor was certainly a very astute player. Gradually, the space behind them was swallowed in darkness. Their voices and the faint scrape of their feet echoed around them like phantoms.
"Rook takes pawn at king's pawn four," Blashvor said.
Fong studied the board in his mind. Their forces were close, with Fong still retaining his queen, a rook, both bishops and three pawns. Blashvor still had his queen, a rook, both his knights and was ahead a pawn. The bishops were a great advantage, but those blasted knights were beginning to be a real pain. Maybe it was time to break up the set, even at the cost of a bishop. "Bishop takes knight at king four."
"I thought that might be your move, Strike Commander. Rook takes bishop at king four."
Fong studied the board in his mind. "Queen to queen's bishop five."
"You are a shrewd player, Commander. Queen to Queen's rook six. Check."
The pirate had him in a bad spot. He might not be able to wiggle out of it. "King to queen's bishop two."
"Rook to queen's knight five."
The far wall of the cavern came into view. Fong breathed a sigh of relief as they headed away from the ominous lake at last and toward a yawning crevice in the far wall. Something twittered faintly overhead.
"Queen takes pawn at queen's rook four," Blashvor said.
As they approached, several tunnels came into view. Fong studied them, feeling his heart sink. Any one of them might prove a death trap. Their hand lights would not last forever, and the thing that had followed them earlier might still be lurking in the shadows beyond the range of their lights.
"Strike Commander?"
"Uh ... rook to king's bishop one."
"Even in the face of fear, a true leader will not allow his concentration to falter, Strike Commander. Queen to queen's rook six."
They reached the wall and Jason went forward to study the many openings. Blashvor accompanied him, and Fong watched them as they examined each passageway intently. The boy pointed to one, smaller than the rest, situated between two larger openings. "This one, I think, sir."
"Very well. Come. Fong, it is your move."
Fong entered the passage, mentally going over the moves in his mind. He smiled suddenly to himself. The pirate chieftain wasn't as cool as he pretended to be. That last move hadn't been too shrewd. "Bishop takes pawn at king's bishop seven. Check."
Blashvor said something under his breath. "Knight takes bishop."
"Queen takes queen at queen's rook three."
"Shrewd, Commander. Very shrewd. You lured me into thinking I was safe and then dropped your overloaded blaster. Well, well, one must accept such errors occasionally. Rook to king's rook five."
The tunnel, which they had entered, was dark, narrow, and, if possible, colder and damper than the cavern they had just vacated. They went slowly along it, Fong pondering his next move. He had Blashvor on the run, now, but would the Jilectan pirate take kindly to a defeat by a member of the Viceregal Patrol? He flinched slightly at the thought. He was smart enough to see through it if Fong allowed him to win, but perhaps a draw .... Even that would be obvious now.
"Queen to king's bishop three."
"Rook takes pawn at king's rook seven. Check."
"King to queen one."
"Knight to king's knight four."
"Queen to queen's knight three. Check."
"Listen!" Mai Wing whispered.
They stopped. Fong held his breath, feeling again the fear which had clutched him earlier. Utter silence reigned. The beams of their hand lights revealed dripping moss-covered walls and pools of water. Their breath steamed white in the clammy cold.
"What did you think you heard, little Terran?" Blashvor inquired.
"I thought I heard that ... sound again."
Again, they listened. Nothing.
"Maybe I was hearing things." Mai Wing sounded apologetic now.
Trevor laughed without humor. Fong caught Jason's sharp glance toward Trevor, and saw the ex-patrolman turn the laugh into an unconvincing cough. Unpleasant thoughts rose in Fong's mind again, and he tried unsuccessfully to quell them, reminding himself firmly that he shouldn't take anything Trevor said or did seriously. The man had made it clear from the beginning that he found Mai Wing attractive. He might do anything to create a wall between her and Fong.
"Let us go on," Blashvor said. "Fong, King to queen's knight one."
Their footsteps sounded louder now. Fong could feel his breath coming short, and Mai Wing's face was again hovering before his eyes, making it difficult to concentrate. It didn't matter, of course. He had Blashvor on the run and it was difficult to temper his moves to allow the Jilectan the necessary face-saving. Once he heard Jason make a sound that might have been a laugh when he pressed his attack a little less vigorously than he could have, but when he glanced at the boy, Jason's face was sober, his attention apparently on his own footing.
"Listen!" It was Mai Wing again.
They stopped, and this time they all heard it off to their right, the faint, soft moist squish-squish sound that had followed them before.
"It must be in a side tunnel somewhere!" Jason whispered.
"No doubt." Blashvor's hand light played over the dripping walls. "And I have no doubt these tunnels interconnect in dozens of places."
"And whatever this thing is," Trevor put in, "it probably knows this damned place backward and forward."
"Sure it does," Jason said. "We're in its back yard."
"This is accomplishing nothing," Blashvor's firm voice cut through their whispers. "Come. We must go on. It is now your move, Strike Commander."
Fong tried to reconstruct the last few moves in his mind, distracted still by the vision of Mai Wing's frightened face floating insubstantially before him. "Uh ... queen to king seven. Check, M'Lord."
"You are being gentle with me, Commander. I do not like that. King to king's rook one."
"Blashvor gets offended if you don't do your best, Strike Commander," Jason informed him absently.
Fong swallowed and managed a weak grin. "You promise not to kill me if I beat you, M'Lord?"
"I did not kill Jason."
"No, but he's ... uh ... valuable to you. I'm not."
For a moment, the Jilectan didn't reply, but when he did, there was unmistakable annoyance in his tone. "Be assured, Terran, that I am not so petty or vengeful that I would kill a Terran simply because he had bested me at chess."
Fong gulped. "I beg your pardon, sir. A lot of Jilectans I know --"
"I am not like the Jilectans to whom you are accustomed, Terran. Make your move."
"Uh ... bishop to king's knight two."
"Rook to queen's bishop three."
Fong took a deep breath. "Queen to --"
Jason and Mai Wing voiced simultaneous cries of warning and the tiny woman threw herself at him, the sudden weight of her small body causing him to fall back a step. Something thick, cold and slippery brushed his face and he heard Mai Wing scream. She was jerked from his grasp and by the wildly gyrating beams of the hand lights he saw her being dragged swiftly toward a yawning opening in the cave wall, a black, shining tentacle wound tightly around one slim ankle.
He leaped forward, grasping for the thing and trying to wrench it free. Instantly, a second tentacle whipped tightly around his leg. A third encircled his chest and contracted, crushing the air from his lungs. He fought it desperately, wrenching at it without avail. He and Mai Wing were dragged inexorably toward the yawning opening in the wall.
He heard Jason shout something and heard Trevor echo him. Blashvor's deep voice: "Get *back* Jason!" and then the spitting of a blaster set on needle beam. Mai Wing voiced a shrill cry, and her body was suddenly no longer next to Fong's. A pair of wide, gaping jaws was suddenly close to his face and a puff of foul-smelling air emerged from it. He had a close up view of razor teeth, six centimeters in length, a forked tongue, thrusting toward him in anticipation, and couldn't restrain a scream of terror and revulsion.
"Hold *still* Strike Commander!"
It was the Jilectan's voice and instinctively he obeyed, ceasing his struggles and going limp in the creature's hold. A needle beam spat close enough for him to feel the heat on his face, and the mouth jerked back with a snap of closing jaws. A second beam and he felt the tentacle around his chest release, and an instant later the one around his ankle. With a gurgling moan, his attacker retreated into the dark aperture in the rock wall.
Large, powerful hands caught him and he was tossed to a pair of broad, well-muscled shoulders as though he were a child. Then he was being bumped up and down as Lord Blashvor ran.
For perhaps fifteen seconds, this continued, and then the Jilectan came to a halt. Blashvor put him down, and across from him, Fong saw Trevor placing Mai Wing gently on the cave floor. She was chalk-white, her dark hair wildly tousled. He must look in a similar state, Fong thought. Man, what an embarrassing thing to have happen! Since starting this venture, Fong had been rescued three times: once by a boy and twice by a Jil!
"Are you hurt, Strike Commander?"
Oh well. He might as well land on his feet, he decided. He had no dignity left to lose.
Fong lifted his face to meet the gaze of Lord Blashvor and managed to summon a grin.
"Queen to king's bishop six. Check Mate, M'Lord."
**********
tbc
