I feel the bones shift under my skin. They are restless. I can't blame them. The potion Ches had swiped from Mirana was labeled 'For The Displacement of Bodies '. I was dubious but Ches had assured me it was safe and at this point I had no point no choice but to trust him.
I shuffle out into the square. My legs wobble under me as they try to escape but that cat hadn't drunk his half of the potion yet. Until he did, I would have to force my limbs to obey my instructions.
Blast that Cat! I am standing in front of the block now. My body trembles and I'm no longer sure if it is the result of the potion or nerves.
I kneel. The block feels cool to the skin of my neck. I close my eyes. Checkmate. Chess has run out on me again for the last time. I will no longer have a part to play.
Suddenly the very particles of my core seem to shift. I lash my tail in tension. Wait. My tail? Ches! He grins and I feel the corners of my mouth turn up. I feel as if I might disappear and then ….. I do.
The backlash sends me tumbling into a coat-rack. I lunge and manage to right it without too much of a clatter. It's then I notice where I am. I run to the doorway and watch with glee the expressions on the faces of the courtiers. Best of all is the shock in the faces of the Bloody Big Head and the Knave merging into outrage and thwarted fury respectively.
My hat floats upward on the breeze and it seems I alone know the culprit.
Ches spins and bows low to the crowd, visible at last. The grin on my face is my own now and I pause only for a second before striding out onto the balcony.
"Madame, you are being heinously bamboozled by these lickspittle toadies you surround yourself with!"