The house slept badly.
Wesley took his place in the hidden passage before midnight and waited, back against the cold stone, the peephole level with his eyes. Below him the great hall lay dark, the bare tree a pale shape against the floor.
Time passed. Then, close to one, a faint light slid across the passage wall, and he heard footsteps.
A figure paused at the peephole. Someone leaned forward, shielding a lamp, and spoke under his breath.
“Not this time,” the voice said. “Not again.”
Wesley stepped out.
The lamp fell. Glass shattered softly. The man spun, bolted down the passage, and was gone before Wesley could catch him.
On the floor lay a glove, thick and lined, the sort made for handling live wire.
Wesley picked it up and held it to the light.
By morning the lamps in the valley flickered again, once, then steadied.
In the great hall, a chessboard had been set up overnight.
This is a serieshelpmate. Black plays 37 consecutive moves, without reply from White, after which White mates in one. Both players cooperate.
No intermediate checks are allowed, meaning that Black can only check on the 37th move.
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