17

The bell in the great hall sounded twice.

One by one, the guests came in, invitations in hand. Dr. Kasparsnow stood by the long table. Wesley and Snowell had laid out a cloth and three shallow trays.

“Your cards, please,” Kasparsnow said. “All of them.”

The invitations were set down in a line. Some were stiff and clean, their seals barely disturbed. Others showed wear at the corners, the folds softened by use. Yours lay among them, the crease deeper than you remembered making.

Wesley lifted it, turned it once, then looked at you.

“This has been handled,” he said quietly. “Not by you.”

Snowell compared the texts. A word changed here, a phrase shortened there. Nothing obvious on its own. Together, it suggested someone had been gathering pieces.

The telephone rang. Kasparsnow crossed the room and listened, his face unreadable. When he put the receiver down, he did not sit.

“The square went dark again,” he said. “They coaxed it back, but the pattern is slipping. If the North Pole finds this valley blinking when they come to check, they will not risk a launch.”

No one needed him to explain what that meant.

On the side table, a chessboard had been set up while no one was watching.

This is a helpstalemate, which means that both sides cooperate to achieve stalemate. With Black to move first, how can White, with Black's assistance, stalemate on the second move? Black plays 2 moves and White 2, and White's 2nd move is stalemate. Here's the position on Lichess. If you are confused, check out Offerspill's Discord server.