School the next day was a repeat of the Roy Lassiter show - with one severe exception. Instead of joining them for lunch, Marny sat at the head table, with Roy. Granted, there were a lot of other kids there too, but something was wrong if even Marny had fallen under Roy Lassiter’s spell. Whatever kind of spell it was.

Jennet swallowed, shards of fear scraping her throat. There was only one place she knew of where magic was real - and Roy had access to it.

“I asked my Dad a bunch of questions last night,” she said to Tam as he set his lunch tray on the table.

“And?” He sat across from her and rested his chin on his fist, as though his head was too heavy to hold up.

“And… Roy’s mom has three models of the Full-D system at home.”

“Crap.” He straightened and glanced at the front of the cafeteria. “Is Lassiter a gamer?”

“I don’t know.”

“We need to find out.”

“I don’t think we can just go up and ask him about his gaming experience, do you? At least, not if we want a real answer.”

She followed Tam’s gaze to the table, which was packed with students listening to Roy talk. Whatever he was saying, it looked like everyone thought it was fascinating. Why were she and Tam unaffected by the new student’s charm?

“Anyway,” she continued, “we have more serious problems. Dad said VirtuMax is pushing for the Full-D system - with Feyland - to launch in two months.”

“What? They can’t do that!” Tam’s face tightened with worry. “Especially after the terrible stuff that’s happened.”

Exasperation sharpened her words. “Apparently the company can’t let little things like death and comas stand in the way of profit.”

“Your dad must have something to say about this.” Tam leaned forward, his voice urgent. “He’s seen the damage, up close. He has to stop VirtuMax from releasing the game.”

She clasped her hands together under the table. It had been nearly three weeks, but the skin of her palms was still tender. The doctors said she might not get her fingerprints back.

“Dad’s doing what he can,” she said. “He comes home from work every day, frustrated beyond words. But Dr. Lassiter is convinced the Full-D is safe to use. And the company techs inspected each wire and element of the prototype systems we used, Tam. They didn’t find a single thing wrong.”

“Because there’s nothing wrong with the hardware, Jennet!”

“I know that. But I can’t convince Dad the game itself is at fault, and there’s no proof. Of anything.”

“Damn.” Tam raked a hand through his hair.

She caught the haunted look in his eyes, and knew it mirrored hers. Feyland was dangerous, and they were powerless to stop it.

The bell blared, and she frowned down at her half-eaten lunch.

“Meet me after school,” Tam said. “I have an idea.”

 ***

 Tam waited for Jennet outside, leaning against the eroded brick wall and trying not to act like it was holding him up. He was tired - but he couldn’t give in to his exhaustion. As soon as Jennet walked out of the building, he straightened. The narrowing of her eyes showed she wasn’t fooled.

“Maybe we should talk another time,” she said.

 “Meaning?” He slanted her a glance from under his hair.

“Meaning you look like you’re about to fall over.”

“I’m fine.”

She set one hand to her hip. “Tam, it’s me, remember? I know how you feel - I’ve been there myself. Quit being so drastically stoic.”

“Alright - I’m not feeling great.” He gave up on trying to seem lively. “But I’m ok for now. And I have a plan.”

“Sit down, then, and I’ll listen.”

He looked around, at the tail end of students leaving school, then picked up his backpack. “Not here. Let’s walk.”

Jennet pointed with her chin as a flash of red sped past. “There goes Roy Lassiter in his new grav-car.”

“Who’s that with him, in the passenger seat? Long black hair.”

Jennet squinted at the receding vehicle. “Keeli, I think.”

Another Viewer. Of course.

Lassiter had everything - fancy grav-car, privilege, all the status money could buy. And he lived in the compound, practically next door to Jennet. Jealousy curdled through Tam. There was no way he could compete with Lassiter - and he was planning to put Jennet right in the guy’s path. Yeah, a flawless idea.

He hunched his shoulders against the late-November wind, and headed down the street. Beside him, Jennet kept pace. Her pale hair blew around her face, until she pulled it back and tucked it into the hood of her coat.

“So, what’s your plan?” she asked.

“We need to find out if Lassiter’s a gamer. The way that people are acting around him - it’s not normal. Why are we the only people who aren’t affected by his charm, or whatever-it-is? What if it’s connected with the game, and that’s why we’re immune?”

“I hate to say it - but the thought crossed my mind, too.” She drew her brows together. “Still, it doesn’t make sense. The Dark Queen tried to kill us, not make us the most popular kids in school.”

Tam jammed his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, but we lost. What if Lassiter won? What if he got a real-world prize for beating the queen?”

“Could he be such a flawless player - so much better than us?” She shook her head. “I don’t buy it.”

“We’re going to find out. Grab that fancy tablet of yours and message him. Tell him to meet us at Zeg’s sim-café.”

Her eyes widened. “Seriously? You’re taking me to Zeg’s?”

He knew she’d wanted to see the cafe, although it wasn’t the kind of place Viewers went. Ratty around the edges, with older gear - at first he’d been afraid she’d scorn it. Zeg’s was way too important to him. Now, though, he trusted her.

“I’d like to see what Lassiter’s got,” he said, “but in neutral territory. We can test him - see if he’s a top-notch player. If he has what it takes to beat the Dark Queen.”

“But… why would he even come?”

Tam stopped and just looked at her a moment - her intelligent blue eyes, her pale skin and high cheekbones, the silken beauty of her hair.

“You’re cute,” he said at last. “No way Lassiter hasn’t noticed you.”

Pink flushed into her cheeks. “Really? You think so?”

Her good looks were so obvious. He didn’t know how she could pass a mirror and not know. Of course, he liked her for way more than that. She was brave, and smart, and a prime gamer, all rolled into one flawless package.

“Completely.” He set one hand on her shoulder. “Lassiter would be an idiot not to see it. So, message him. Tell him one of the locals says he’s nothing but talk, and is challenging him to a sim duel. Give him the co-ords to Zeg’s. He’ll come.”

Tam swallowed, trying to ease his sense of dark foreboding. He hoped to hell this wasn't going to backfire all over him.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote for it.  :)

Feyland: The Bright Court is published and for sale in both print and digital formats (only $3.99 for the e-book version) from all online retailers. Did you miss the first story? Feyland: The Dark Realm is here on Wattpad, and available as well from all online retailers.

NOW AVAILABLE: Feyland: The Complete Trilogy in one epic digital bundle for only $8.99. Three full books - The Dark Realm, The Bright Court, and The Twilight Kingdom - in one awesome adventure~     http://www.amazon.com/Feyland-The-Complete-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00B73TD9I/

Visit antheasharp.com, and head to http://www.tinyletter.com/AntheaSharp to sign up on my mailing list for info about new releases and bonus material!