Emily The Strange_ The Lost Days Part 29

Curls' hand led. And all because Schneider overlooked Rule 78.b.9, governing the fluctuation of point value in the Ruby suit in conjunction with the Royal Pickaxe. I thought about speaking up, but in the end, I decided it wasn't worth letting Attikol know I had any interest in the game. Curls went for the money again. Attikol gave him a mighty glaring. I guess Curls doesn't care too much about the health of his kneecaps.

ROUND 10: 10:.

Attikol's hand led. He chose to stipulate: If he won, he and Raven would be married within a week. Raven gave him a spot-on sweet, demure smile. I congratulated myself for some first-rate programming.

ROUND 11: 11:.

Raven's hand led. She chose to whisper in Attikol's ear. I don't know what she said, but I bet it was one of Molly's lines, cuz it sure made him blush.

Round 12: .

Raven's hand led. She chose to give Attikol a kiss on the cheek. He was in heaven.

ROUND 13: 13:.

I was dealt the rare Blank Slate card, which allowed me to choose the suit and value of the card. Had to ponder it quite a bit before I decided to draw in the symbol for the 13 of Crows, hoping that wouldn't make Attikol too suspicious, even though he would immediately notice the point bonus I would earn in combination with my other card and those on the table.

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Like I expected, there was a pretty furious debate when I laid it down, but in the end, when all possible points were tallied and retallied, and Attikol had run out of alternate interpretations to argue, Schneider ruled that Curls' hand and mine had tied. I graciously offered to let Curls a.s.sign the challenge, and he accepted. I picked Feats of Strength, Skill, and Endurance. And Curls gave us our challenge: Raven would have to fly from the roof of the El Dungeon, or we'd forfeit the round. And therefore the game.

Stunned silence, and then laughter, backslapping, and a general release of tension, as everyone in the room a.s.sumed victory was Attikol's.

SCHNEIDER:.

[Looking mournful.] Raven and Earwig, Rule 20.c.34 clearly states that ALL challenges must be met, no matter how difficult, or you must forfeit the round.

ME:.

It's OK.

RAVEN:.

[Nice and loud.] I accept the challenge!

ATTIKOL:.

You can't! Raven, darling, you don't need to.

R:.

I accept the challenge!

ME:.

[To Schneider.] I guess she's accepting the challenge.

S:.

I think she's...confused. Or...maybe I'M confused. I don't really know if you want to win or lose, but if she tries the challenge, she's probably going to...[Drawing his finger across his neck.]

ME:.

[Shrugging.] It's her call. I'm just her a.s.sistant.

Amid general confusion, low-level panic, and loud complaints, everyone relocated outside except for Raven, who appeared a few minutes later on the roof. Attikol was smacking Curls about the head and neck, growling threats on his life if anything happened to Raven. And still no umlaut, Jakey, or Vintage Fedora Guy in sight.

Raven stood at the edge of the roof, three stories up. My hands were sweating. I kept thinking about how she said it didn't hurt when all the bones in her arms were crushed. I kept thinking, "I can rebuild her." I kept thinking, "Should I stop her? What is my plan? Do I HAVE a plan?"

It was windy up there, three stories high. Raven's long wig streamed out behind her, and her skirt and cape billowed and whipped. It was all very dramatic.

She just stood there. And suddenly I had a terrible thought.

What if Raven COULD fly?

We would win the game, and Attikol would have to leave Blackrock forever, but...Wouldn't Attikol then suspect her of being his ancestral enemy?

Was Attikol smart enough to suspect her?

Was Attikol too smitten to care?

Raven stood there at the edge of the roof. As if waiting for instructions.

Just then umlaut staggered up to me. He'd been in a fight, it looked like-b.l.o.o.d.y nose, cuts on his cheekbones and eyebrows, red splotches that would soon be bruises, and a missing tooth. Clothes all torn up and dirtied. He grinned at me and gave me a thumbs-up. "You're all good," he said. "Your Fedora Guy-he never made it to Jakey."

I pointed wordlessly up at Raven, and watched the blood drain out of umlaut's face. Several of his friends promptly started competing to tell him the events of the past hour, and it looked like he was ready to do some more fighting, if he could decide whom to fight; but none of that mattered, because good or bad, I'd made my decision.

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I stepped forward out of the crowd and yelled up, "FLY, RAVEN, FLY!"

She threw back her arms and leaped into the air.

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Half of the crowd covered their eyes. The other half looked down, where they expected her to come cras.h.i.+ng to the ground. Schneider and umlaut and I kept our eyes on Raven. We saw her rise gracefully off the roof and up into the air. We saw her pirouette and dive. We saw her do majestic, soaring figure eights in midair. And once everyone had seen, and the whole crowd was gasping, and swearing, and calling on their ancestors for deliverance, she came elegantly back down to earth and lighted on the ground in front of Attikol.

ATTIKOL:.

Darling?

RAVEN:.

Attikol.

A:.

[Falling to his knees in front of her.] Give me another chance!

R:.

Stand up and face me like a man! I have given you two challenges, Attikol. Tell me, how have you fared?

A:.

I...moved all those buildings for you...darling?

R:.

[Sweeping her arm out to indicate what we could all see: the El Dungeon, standing firm on its foundations.] Attikol! [In a voice that wasn't exactly LOUD, but still, a voice I could imagine his ancestors hearing in the depths of h.e.l.l.] You...have...FAILED!