Arkham Vault: Queen's Gambit

Queen's Gambit is the 10th story in the Arkham Files series, a collection of meta tales written by Diana Berrigan and Mozzie in the Caffrey Conversation series. This story was conceptualized shortly after Henry Winslow joined the Arkham Files Round Table writing group, and his influence is evident in the plot. To name just one example, he uses his Arkham Files character Henry Chaseman to justify his solo work in Argentina in The Dreamer and Nocturne in Black and Gold.

Henry's not the only one sneaking in hidden messages. Elizabeth is working through her conflicted feelings about having a baby by writing about Elizabeth Wayland Gilman's pregnancy. Meanwhile, Mozzie is using the platform to expound on some of his pet theories.

At the time this story was being written—during the Caffrey Conversation story Progress of Love—Mozzie advocated for a romantic thread to be developed between his character and the alien librarian Lavinia Armitage. Diana was outspoken in her disapproval and since she's the head writer, Mozzie was forced to go along. But Diana has become more attached to Mozzie than she's willing to admit—perhaps even to herself. As a consolation prize, she let him indulge in another of his favorite themes—time travel.

The Elizabethan era wasn't Diana's first choice. She would have much preferred a more battle-oriented period such as the reign of Napoleon but she relented to Mozzie's pleas. He even managed to work the Tudor Crown into the story. Readers of Caffrey Conversation know that Mozzie has been on a quest to find the lost artifact since the fall of 2005. In Queen's Gambit, he has a chance to feature the crown in a story.

I suspect Mozzie may have been peering over my shoulder in the writing cave. Many of the stories in my Six-Crossed Knot series are set in Elizabethan times. In Six-Crossed Knot, I blend actual events with fantasy. The Arkham Round Table uses the same strategy.

Mozzie has been obsessed with wormholes ever since they first appeared in Arkham Files. His attitude toward them appears to make a course correction in this story. Will it be a temporary phenomenon or a permanent evolution? Could there be a fringe benefit? Mozzie has refused to give any hints, but Diana suspects an ulterior motive.

Queen's Gambit on Archive of Our Own
Queen's Gambit on FanFiction

• Arkham Files stories on Fanfiction.net
• Arkham Files stories on Archiveofourown.org
• Arkham Files Pinterest Board
• Arkham Files Bestiary: a guide to the strange creatures of Arkham Files
• Alien Worlds and Races in Arkham Files