CHECKMATE, DARLING
Without waiting for a response, Francesca Conti turned and walked briskly back down the marble corridor, her footsteps fading into the cold, ancient silence of the palazzo.
Daniel and I stepped inside the room, shutting the heavy door behind us.
I immediately walked over to the chess table by the roaring fire. The pieces were made of heavy silver and dark obsidian. White’s king was trapped in a complex, claustrophobic net near the edge of the board, surrounded by Black’s knights and rooks.
"It looks like a composition by Loyd," Daniel said, leaning over my shoulder, inspecting the board. "Mate in three."
"No," I whispered, staring at the obsidian queen sitting on c4. "Look closer, Daniel. It