Gah I love the Downside crew!! Chess is a junkie, Terrible a thug for hire, Lex the rival gang leader.. but they are freakin great! Chess has finally stopped the never ending love triangle, and is completely in love with Terrible. Now that Lex has taken over his section of Downside after his father Slo-bags death things are getting tricky.. If their never ending turf war isn't enough, someone is selling magic laced speed in both of their territories, and people are dying rapidly. Chess still hasn't figured out how to stop Terrible from passing out when he touches dark magic, but that is a disadvantage that he can't afford for people to know about, and she needs to fix it asap!


****Spoilers****
Lex asked Terrible to come on board, and work for him. He has plans to take over, and if Terrible isn't with him, then he has no choice but to put a hit out on him. He is trying to save the peace for Chessie's sake, but Terrible isn't buying. Lex knows all about Terrible's two weaknesses, his vulnerability to dark magic, and Chess. At Elder Griffins wedding she introduces him to Terrible, and when he shakes his hand he feels Chessi's magic. He asks her to come talk to him, tells her what he felt and asks her to trust him. She does, but when he learns the extent of her crimes, killing a psychopomp, he is extremely disappointed in her. He gives up his promotion, telling Chess there is no way he can swear to uphold the Church rules when he didn't turn her in for her crimes. Their relationship is over, he is not only disappointed, but angry to be involved. Even though they aren't friends anymore, he does help her build a new sigil that should keep Terrible free from the effects of dark magic. When people start showing up dead, and the killers are basically unstoppable zombies Chess & Terrible realize the speed they are taking is laced with dark magic. Mixed with the catalyst blood nut (the junkies were given as a good luck charm) they are under the control of a dark witch working for Blake. He has plans to destroy Downside, and use the Downside junkies to do it. Once he gets rid of all the tenant's, he can buy the land cheap, raze it, and put in new housing editions. Chess realizes the only way to locate the spell that is controlling the people is to take the speed herself, try to keep her wits about her, and follow the line of magic back to the original spell. When she does this she finds the spell isn't an object but a person, and she has to destroy him and the ship he is on. She takes as much power from him, the zombies, and herself and pushes it back at him hoping the dark magic will explode if forced back on itself. It works, the ship explodes, and she barely makes it back to shore, only to find Terrible and his assassin fighting to the death. When he starts to falter, she makes sure to get in his line of vision, to let him know she made it, hoping that will give him the edge to win. He does win, and all is right in Downside. Chess & Terrible have a beautiful heart to heart before all the drama.. so sweet, and life is good. :)