Max shook his own knucklebones before releasing them, but the result was pathetic. He was forced to watch as the clockwork fired an errant plasma bolt that hit one of the gas lamps.

Hale's monster landed on top of the machine, ripping off the clockwork's turret with a swipe of its claw. The clockwork sputtered before its gears stopped rotating. It was out of the game.

Max went on the offensive with a clockwork covered in iron plating. Each of its four hands held a plasma revolver as its eye scanned the horizon, looking for an opponent.

"Multiple-attack advantage? Nicely played," Hale said.

She countered with a pixie that looked like a cross between a grasshopper and a little girl. When the clockwork fired its first round, the pixie danced nimbly to the side. Then she stuck out her tongue. The second shot wasn't even close. Max was ready to ditch his knucklebones for a new set, especially after the next shot missed as well.

"Can somebody get Max a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows?" Hale said. "He's going to need something to calm his nerves."

Max tried to ignore her chatter. He scooped up his knucklebones and shook them in his fist. He had one last chance.

"It's about time," Hale said after she saw what he cast.

The clockwork took aim before squeezing the trigger. Hale's pixie tried to fly away, but it wasn't fast enough. When the bolt struck, she exploded in a cloud of shimmering dust that turned back into a Round Table card after it settled on the street. He was on the board with his first point.

"So what's with all the metal, Sumner?" Hale asked.

"They're part of the new expansion set."

"Clockwork Chaos?"

"Yeah."

"It's not even out yet. How'd you get them?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Max said. "But if you're nice to me, maybe I'll give you my doubles."

"Is that a bribe?" Hale had disappeared only to be replaced by Chief Constable Oxley. His enormous mustache was dripping with water as rain beaded on his hat.

Max smiled. "No strings attached."

"Very well," Oxley said in Hale's voice. "Just make sure you mind yourself-these streets aren't safe for children."

Oxley disappeared, leaving Hale standing in his place. Her green skin glistened in the rain as her antennae swayed. Over her next four turns, she scored three points to take a commanding lead. Max did his best to counter, but he didn't have much luck.

He had no idea how to use the new cards in his deck, but Hale was managing hers expertly. She set traps and took advantage of bonuses that eliminated some of his best cards. It wasn't long before she had five points, while Max was still stuck on two.

Then she sent a Frost dragon after him. The beast roared as it shimmered to life. Its wide mouth was filled with more teeth than Max could count, and everywhere it stepped, the ground turned to ice. It looked hungry.

Max countered with an enormous Nemesis clockwork. As it came to life, he could see the fire burning through a grate in its chest. Clouds of steam poured out from two exhaust pipes that shot up over its shoulders, and the hands on all four of its arms flexed and unflexed.

The dragon roared, but the clockwork didn't budge. It stood with its feet planted firmly as the dragon slammed its tail against the ground. Chunks of frozen bricks shot into the air. Then, with its lip curled back, the dragon launched at the clockwork.

The Nemesis wrapped two hands around the dragon's snout while two others took hold of its neck. Then the clockwork fell back. Its feet shot onto the dragon's chest before it flipped the dragon over. The dragon landed with a thud, and Max struggled to remain standing as the ground shook. The dragon dissipated. Max had won.

He went on the offensive with his Nemesis, and Hale countered with a gnome. Max frowned. It seemed like a ridiculous play. After all, the tip of the gnome's pointed red cap didn't even reach the clockwork's knee.

"Are you serious?" Max asked.

"Do your best," Hale said.

The clockwork charged. With each step it took, brick cracked under its weight. All four arms were outstretched. Its eyes were glowing red. The gnome looked unperturbed. Its eyes were heavy as though it was tired. Then, as the clockwork closed in, the gnome reached into a pouch hanging from its belt. In a single motion it tossed seeds onto the ground.

The rain continued to fall. The ground rumbled before it broke apart. The Nemesis was about to grab the tiny gnome when giant vines sprang from the ground. Like the tentacles of a hungry octopus, the vines wrapped around the clockwork. They twisted around its neck, legs, waist, and arms before hoisting the Nemesis into the air.

Its arms and legs flailed, then bolts of electricity coursed over the vines before shooting into the clockwork. The machine convulsed as smoke rose out from its eyes. The vines threw the lifeless metal husk to the ground. A moment later the clockwork fizzled before it turned back into a Round Table card.

Max slammed his fist on the table.

"You realize we should be tied, right?" Hale said.

"Yeah, right."

"You get too emotional, and then you lose focus."

"It's your move," Max said. Losing was one thing, but getting a lecture was unbearable.

Hale tossed a card into the air. It vanished with a pop before an armored zeppelin appeared in the sky. Max wished he had his regular deck. He would have sent a swarm of Fireball Pixies to rupture the zeppelin's envelope.

Instead, he had to settle on a massive machine called a Magnetron. According to the description on the card, it was capable of creating a magnetic field that would devour anything made of metal once it was in range.

"Nice try," Hale said. "Too bad missiles are made of metal, too."

As Hale cast her knucklebones, Max closed his eyes. The magnetic field would make sure that the zeppelin's missiles didn't miss. They roared through the sky before hitting the Magnetron. The ground shook as the machine exploded, sending a shower of scorched metal into the air.

"Time's up," Ross said before Max had a chance to go on the offensive. "And our winner is... Hale!"

Everyone cheered.

Max peeled off his Kinematic goggles and threw them onto the table. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he was back in the dining room of the abandoned house.

"Shake it off," Harley said as the crowd dispersed. Most of the group ended up in the kitchen, where Ross and Todd had set out snacks. For the Toad brothers, the duel was nothing more than a chance to sell more Toad Reports, so they didn't skimp on the treats as part of their bribe to entice new business.

"If I play like that, I'm not going to make the team," Max said.

"If you focus, you will," Hale said, joining them.

"Yeah, right."

"Listen, Sumner. Did you know that I got kicked out of a tournament last year for flipping a table over?"

"What happened?"

"I was upset because an unranked player scored against me on consecutive turns. If that wasn't bad enough, he started taunting me," Hale said. "I told him to shut his mouth, but he kept on chirping, so I stood up, threw the table out of the way, and then I punched him."

"During a school tournament?"

Hale nodded. "I got suspended for the rest of the season. It was my own fault. I mean, I had a shot at becoming the youngest champion in the history of the Templar academies, but thanks to my temper, I blew it."

"So that's how Xander won the title," Max said.

"Who knows, maybe he would have beat me anyway," Hale said, shrugging. "But yeah, I think about it every day. If you don't keep yourself in check, you're going to have the same regrets. You can't let your emotions get the best of you... not at this level."

"Here." Max offered her his Round Table cards.

"I don't need your charity."

"It's not charity," Max said. "I told you, I have doubles. Besides, after what just happened, I'm never playing with those cards again. Either you take them or I'm going to burn them. It's your choice."

"What are you talking about?" Todd said.

"Yeah," Ross said. "Do you know how much money we could get for those?"

Before the Toad brothers could snatch them away, Hale took the cards. Then she placed them in her satchel. "As long as these are doubles, I guess I could take them off your hands."

"By the way," Max said, "thanks for the duel... and the advice."

"No problem," Hale said. "Next time, bring your best deck. I heard you almost beat a Grandmaster."

"That was just luck."

"There's no such thing."

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE UNDEAD.

Natalia spent Saturday in the Iron Bridge library, researching the writings of Sir Walter Windham.

She had written the name down after seeing it inside the visual memory linked to Von Strife's journal. Windham was the author of some books on Von Strife's desk.

Natalia had been hoping to find a direct link between Windham and Von Strife, but she wasn't having much luck. Most of Windham's writing was on the subject of time travel, which was a controversial subject at best. Then again, a man who was desperate to save his daughter might be willing to try anything to save her.

Then Natalia came across an old article in the New Victoria Chronicle.

"You had me come down here to read the obituary of some guy who died over a hundred years ago?" said Raven, who was sitting at a table with Natalia.

"Please lower your voices," the librarian said from behind the checkout desk.

Raven rolled her eyes.

"Don't you recognize who this is?" Natalia asked in a whisper.

"Should I?"

"He wrote the books that were in the memory you showed us, and guess where he's buried?"

"Underneath the school?"

"You're close," Natalia said. "He's buried at the cemetery behind the Cathedral of St. Peter."

"What good does that do us? He's kind of dead, right?"

"I was thinking," Natalia said, "what if Von Strife visited his grave?"

"So you want me to talk to a gravestone, is that it?" Raven asked. "Are you serious?"

Natalia got Raven to agree to her plan, and within an hour, the girls exited the Zephyr at the Walpole Road platform. A light drizzle fell as the weak gas lamps fought to give meager light.

"Is New Victoria always this dreary?" Natalia asked, opening her umbrella.

"Pretty much," Raven said. Her heels clicked on the sidewalk as they headed toward the iron gate that stood protectively around the cemetery lawns.

There was a gust of wind, followed by a low moaning sound. Both girls stopped.

"That was just my imagination, right?" Natalia asked.

"Let's hope so," Raven said.

Though the cemetery was closed to visitors after five o'clock in the evening, the length of chain that held the gate shut had been cut away. Natalia crouched down to find at least two distinct footprints.

"You still want to do this?" Raven asked.

Natalia swallowed and nodded.

"After you," Raven said, holding the gate open.

As they moved down a line of crumbling vaults, Raven said, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Rain was beading on the hood of her jacket, and her lips were blue from the cold.

She stopped at one of the crypts. The iron door leading inside was choked with weeds. Raven brushed them aside to reveal a plaque: WALTER WINDHAM.

THE MARQUIS OF TIME.

D. 1880.

"TEMPUS RERUM IMPERATOR"

"Is that your man?" Raven asked.

"It looks like it," Natalia said.

Raven closed her eyes and placed her hand on the plaque. Then she frowned.

"What's wrong?" Natalia asked.

"Von Strife hasn't been here," Raven said. Her head was tilted to the side as though she was confused. "But Strange was here a few weeks ago, and he went inside."

"Obadiah Strange?"