The Four Kings (41 page)

“I know, I know.” He massaged the back of his neck, thinking furiously, improvising upon the moment he’d anticipated for the past two years. “I was wrong. I’m very, very sorry, Amanda.”

“Being sorry doesn’t make it right.”

Demus had a thought. He perked up. “You’re a Christian, right?”

Not comfortable disclosing her religious beliefs, Amanda shrugged. “Raised as one, yes. Not active, but yes.”

“Don’t Christians forgive?”

“Not in this case, they don’t,” snapped Amanda.

“I want to tell you more about my past,” Demus said, pacing the floor, knowing that his time was running out minute by minute. “I showed it to you. I lost my brother, whom I loved dearly.”

“I know.”

“And I was a juvenile drug dealer, living in the sums of Detroit.” He laughed. “Doesn’t that tell you something, Amanda? I was a hopeless case from the start. In fact, if I had never been a wizard, I might be dead by now.”

He felt a surge of triumph as he detected a look of realization on Amanda’s face. “Yes,” he said, “I was a vagrant – a nobody, dealing with smuggled cigarettes and hash and heroin. That’s who I was. I’m not proud of it.” He exhaled, overcome with emotion. “So, then I found out I was a wizard.”

“By smashing beer bottles against two men,” Amanda recalled, horrified.

“I know, I know. But think of it! I became a wizard, with all these powers. And thanks to some incredible luck, using a forged birth certificate I never bothered to throw away, I found out I was eligible to sit on a very distinguished council.” His eyes invited Amanda to connect to him. “Can you imagine what it meant to a hoodlum like me? It was a whole world of difference.”

“Demus,” Amanda muttered softly, “you didn’t belong on that council. You were a fraud, and you knew it.”

“But if I weren’t on council, none of this would’ve happened,” Demus argued. “Don’t you see? This was fate. It was my drive that encouraged the Five Continents to conquer Earth the first time around thanks to
The
Great Blight
. If we didn’t liberate the Earth, you may have never become Supreme Liaison. And, therefore, I would never have met you. Regi would never have been your husband. Don’t you see how this all ties in together?”

“It’s scary,” Amanda admitted. She pondered, and then said, “But it’s making my head spin. If you weren’t supposed to be on council none of this would’ve happened. You planted the seeds of the destruction of The Prophecy!”

“And that is something I’ll always be remembered for.” He sighed, forlorn. “The wizard who severely damaged The Prophecy. It’s still intact, but no wizards’ council will touch it for a very long time to come.” He beamed at her. “We did make some good things happen, didn’t we?”

“Well,” she acknowledged, “I do admit I’m proud of some of the reforms we introduced. We’ve improved a lot of lives.”

“We destroyed the nuclear missiles.”

For once, Amanda’s approval shone through. “Thank you for that, Demus.”

He relaxed. He had all the time in the world now. Nonetheless, mindful of the ticking clock, he paced himself for this, his last moments with Amanda. He had a lot to talk about.

He exhaled twice, and nearly came to tears. Amanda braced herself.

“I loved you, Amanda, so much. Do you know how much?” He didn’t look into her eyes just yet. “I loved you so much that, despite my overwhelming urge to just see you, to talk with you, to share any precious time with you, I left you alone. For two years.” He held up two fingers.

“You didn’t spy on me? Appear invisible around me?” Amanda wanted to know.

“No. You know how I can prove it?”

“How?”

“If you were in my sight, I just couldn’t have resisted you. I would’ve appeared immediately. Just like that.” He snapped his fingers.

“I’m not sure I should be thankful at all. That’s the minimum I could expect. After all, you tried to kill me.” Amanda spoke angrily, through clenched teeth.

Demus became exasperated, pumping his arms above his head in frustration. Amanda retreated physically.
What if Demus exacts his revenge on me just before he dies? Will I die today too? I should have never agreed to Sheila and Brandon’s request.

Fear covered her from head to toe, but she did her best not to let it show.

“You don’t understand,” Demus said wistfully. “Let me talk, and listen. You can judge me later.” He drew in his lips. “Just think about that day. All in one day, I found out many things. One, I found out you had a relationship with Regi. That just broke my heart. Two, I got kicked off the council, and you know how important that was to me. Three, I failed Elsedor. I did not succeed in delivering The Prophecy. As a result, no wizard for the last two years would be my friend. No one checked up on me. Can you imagine?”

Amanda stood silently.

“I see you have a knife in the glass cabinet over there.” Demus pointed at it.

Amanda’s nerves tightened.
Why would he focus on a knife now?
Am I in danger?
“Yes,” she said dryly, “It was a gift from the Republic of Yemen.”

“That’s a real knife, Amanda.”

“It’s ornamental.”

“No, it’s a Mortal knife. Not a magic knife.”

She started walking backward. “Demus, you’re scaring me.”

He didn’t acknowledge her fear. Instead, he continued, “If I had wanted to, I could use a knife like that, to stab myself and bleed to death. That’s how I felt every single morning, Amanda. Ever since that day.”

She desperately looked for clues on his face. He appeared calm, not angry. But didn’t all madmen behave that way? She looked about for some way to escape.

“You’re right,” Demus said. “A wizard can’t use magic to kill himself. But I could use a knife like that and commit suicide.”

Amanda felt the blood leave her face.

“But I didn’t. You know what kept me alive every day?”

“What?” Amanda gasped.

“The image of your face, Amanda. I visualized it every time I thought of suicide. You are what kept me going every day. My love for you kept me alive.” He thought some more. “I never, ever thought I’d ever love anyone other than a wizard. I was wrong.”

Amanda relaxed her posture.
Still not sure. Waiting to see how this played out.

“And I left you alone. So many times, I thought of you.” Demus paused, then exclaimed loudly, looking off in the distance. “One time,” he began darkly, “I was out on my own, in the air, and I saw a cruise ship. You know, the ones where older couples celebrate the fact that they’d just renewed their wedding vows after fifty years of marriage. Where their grandchildren were playing shuffleboard on the deck. Where everyone gorged out at the buffet. I saw all their happiness. I wasn’t happy about myself. Do you know what this means?”

She swallowed hard. Demus had a knack of getting under her skin. “What?”

“It means,” – that menacing look again – “I could’ve decided on the spot, at that time, to capsize that ship!” He pointed his finger into the air.

“Oh!” Amanda shuddered.

“Thousands and thousands of lives. But I didn’t do it. You know why?”

“Love?” Amanda shrank away, believing he didn’t even know what the word truly meant.

“Yes.” He calmed down, with a wicked grin on his face. “Well,” he looked about her office, “I’m still alive. I don’t want to prattle on. I want you to enjoy your time with me.”

“Did you have something in mind?”

“Wizard chess.”

“What’s that?” Amanda asked apprehensively. She’d remembered many of his games, all of which had terrified her. Did he still have a hideous plan to kill her, taking her along with him?

“Why, just like your chess, but with magic.”

“I’m not sure.”

“Amanda,” Demus murmured softly, “I swear by our god Elsedor that I won’t scare you in the slightest bit. Have faith in me.”

“I – I guess.”

“I don’t blame you. I’ve truly changed.” He reflected, and gazed at her. “Regi was a good man.”

Tears ran down Amanda’s cheeks.

“He was a much better man than I ever was,” Demus said. “My only regret is that I could not be that man for you.”

Amanda sobbed. The wizard zapped up some tissue and patted her on the shoulder. He stepped back, and lifted an arm. “Now, let’s play.”

In front of them, directly on the floor of Amanda’s office, appeared the beige and brown tiles of a chessboard. On top were three-foot high chestnut brown chess pieces, with two very different shades of brown in order to distinguish the rival teams in some variation in height. The pawns consisted of men in armor, holding up shields clutched close to the chest. The knights, as usual, consisted of mares, standing up on hind feet. The bishops wore cassocks and mitres, culminating in peaks. The castles consisted of turrets topped with battlements. And the kings and queens – as majestic as ever – wore crowns, robes, and sashes.

He said, “Since I don’t know when I’m going to ‘go,’ let’s agree on the outcome. If the game isn’t complete before I start
The Luminescence
, it’s a stalemate and no one has won.”

“I’m white. I go first,” Amanda said. She wondered how she’d lift these heavy objects.

“No,” Demus held up his hand. “It’s wizard chess. You tell them where to go.”

“Oh,” Amanda said, understanding. She took a few moments to re-orient herself. “Pawn, e2, to e4.”

To her amazement, that beige pawn started walking, and then landed two squares up ahead.

Demus replied, “Pawn, d7 to d5.” His “black” pawn, which was actually dark brown, walked two squares ahead, to meet diagonally opposite Amanda’s.

Amanda couldn’t wait to see if there’d be a battle scene. “Pawn, e4 to d5.” Delighted, she watched as her pawn took out its sword, slashed Demus’ pawn, and walked over to beside its fallen comrade. Demus’ stricken pawn then disappeared.

“Cool,” Amanda remarked. She was still on edge. What if Demus used this game – like he did with many others – to trap her? Did she have a choice?

The game continued on. Many battles played out, with each match resulting in one vanquished. Amanda learned that knights kicked their opponents to death, bishops stabbed with their pastoral staffs, castles toppled over, and the queens used daggers concealed within their elegant robes, when eliminating an opponent upon a strategic move.

“Amanda,” Demus said, eyeing her, “you’re letting me win.”

His opponent grimaced. “No, I’m not, Demus,” she lied. His mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. These two years of purgatory had taken their toll on his aptitude. She felt sorry for him.

He pleaded with her. “Don’t. If you respect me at all, fight back as hard as you can.”

“Okay, Demus.”

The game was more than half over. What if she won? Would he stab her in the heart? Or, if he won, would be unleash his magic to strangle her, stomping over her corpse?

She shuddered, and pushed aside her tormented thoughts.

The game clicked along, with both wizard and Mortal vying for supremacy.

Amanda released a long, full breath. Just one more move. Her queen, with dagger outstretched, now stood before his king. How ironic… the king was about to be exposed to no mercy.

She looked up at Demus. “Checkmate.”

Suddenly, Amanda heard a gasp. Beams of light shot out from Demus. He clutched his throat in agony and fell to his knees. Amanda’s queen was still on her square, the knife near the rival king’s throat, but hadn’t yet stepped over to move in for the kill.

“Demus!” Amanda cried out.

“It’s started, Amanda!” Demus yelled. He moaned, undergoing spasms.

Amanda desperately wanted to run over, to help Demus stand back up. She froze, unsure what to do.

The wizard solved her problem for her. Making a concerted effort, he unsteadily stood up. Shutting out his acute pain, he forced a smile, gazing at her.

“No one won, Amanda. It is stalemate.”

“No,” Amanda agreed, staring on in shock.

He grimaced. “Your queen hasn’t… ugh! You queen… has not moved.”

“Demus!” Amanda cried out, “How can I help you?”

His face under incredible strain, he winced, but locked eyes with hers. “You already have, Amanda. You’ve given me far more than…” He nearly collapsed, moaning. “…than I can ever contemplate.”

Amanda broke out crying. She faced this once with Regi already, how could she do it a second time? “Don’t go!”

“I love you, Amanda.”

“I forgive you, Demus! I really do!”

She had released him. He smiled back, with the most loving expression Amanda had ever seen on him. His innermost demons were gone now. In his eyes, she saw only contentment.

He grunted. “I will do one more thing.” Using his last burst of magic, Demus conjured up a gold, six-pointed crown on his head.

Amanda understood. It was time. “Rest in peace, Demus.”

He stiffened, closing his eyes, bringing down his arms to rest against his sides. And just like that, he was gone.

The wizard game vanished, a victim of the magic taken away with the departing wizard.

The crown fell to the floor, making a clanging noise.

“You may call us Mortals,” Amanda whispered, “But we are more immortal than you.”

Tearfully, she bent over to pick up the crown, and examined it closely. It was heavy enough, but not as much as she’d expected. It was a simple crown, with engraved stars all around the perimeter. The points on the crown were rough, but not sharp to the touch. There were even scratches in some spots, showing that the crown had been worn several times before.

The last king was gone.

About Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong is not only famous for being one of the most popular early video games of all time, but for the first appearance of Mario, who wasn’t even known as Mario back then. His title was “Jumpman.”

The designers of Donkey Kong, constrained by the limited graphics of the day, decided upon a bright red hat and a thick handlebar moustache for Mario because it was easier to design! Thus Mario’s unique “plumber” look was born.

Donkey Kong was first released in 1981 and since then has earned a reputation as a classic video game. The author admits that he wasted hundred of quarters on Donkey Kong as a university student! Sadly, he was never good enough to surpass the fourth level of the game, but has many fond memories of the hours spent standing in front of the arcade cabinet in a games room at college.