The Inheritance Games, #3
The Final Gambit
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
CHAPTER 58
Overview
Avery escapes the gemstone room by recognizing it as one of Jameson’s puzzles rather than a true prison, then learns that Eve, Jameson, and Grayson are safe after Eve’s failed attempt to reach Blake. The chapter shifts the investigation toward Xander’s father, Isaiah Alexander, after Xander discovers that Isaiah once worked at Vincent Blake’s VB Innovation Lab.
This revelation gives Avery a new lead and raises suspicion about the missing page from Isaiah’s file, possibly connecting Eve’s secretive actions to Blake. Avery and Xander prepare to confront Isaiah, moving the story from immediate rescue panic into a search for leverage against Blake.
Summary
Avery is furious after Jameson locks her in the gemstone room to protect her. Unable to reach Oren, Libby, Xander, or Rebecca, Avery texts Max, whose outrage helps Avery calm down. Avery studies the room and realizes the gemstone walls are made of rotating black and white bricks, turning Jameson’s “dungeon” into an escape room.
After three hours of failed patterns, Avery thinks about Eve, Toby, and the danger surrounding everyone close to her. Avery tries a diamond-based pattern on the walls, then accidentally discovers the solution by wiping one diamond away. A floor trapdoor opens, and Avery drops into a hidden passage, follows it to a ladder, and emerges through another trapdoor into an unfamiliar bedroom.
Nash is waiting in the bedroom and blocks the door, but instead of physically stopping Avery, he challenges Avery to think before acting. Avery realizes she is already hours behind Jameson and Grayson and that Oren would not have let them leave unprotected. Nash steps aside, and Avery leaves calmer than before.
In the hall, Oren tells Avery that Jameson, Grayson, and Eve are safe. Eve reached the Blake compound but was denied entry, and Jameson and Grayson arrived soon after and talked Eve down; all three are returning. Avery is relieved but angry that Oren allowed Jameson to secure her.
Xander, Thea, and Rebecca arrive with a theatrical “rescue,” and Avery learns Xander missed her calls because he was researching Vincent Blake. Xander reveals that Blake was the sole funder of the VB Innovation Lab, where Isaiah Alexander worked after being fired. Because Isaiah is Xander’s father, Avery connects this to earlier clues and the empty file, suspecting the missing page may have linked Isaiah to Blake and that Eve may have taken it.
With Jameson, Grayson, and Eve safely monitored for the next few hours, Avery decides that she and Xander should talk to Isaiah for possible information about Blake. Xander agrees with bravado, though the emotional weight of facing his father shows through, and he asks for a group hug before they leave.
Who Appears
- Avery Kylie GrambsEscapes Jameson’s puzzle room, regains composure, and pursues a new lead about Isaiah.
- Xander HawthorneResearches Vincent Blake and reveals his father once worked at Blake’s innovation lab.
- Jameson HawthorneLocks Avery in the gemstone room to protect her, then helps talk Eve down.
- Nash HawthorneWaits outside Avery’s escape route and urges her to think before rushing into danger.
- OrenReports that Eve, Jameson, and Grayson are safe and returning under watch.
- EveReaches Blake’s compound but is denied entry and later brought back safely.
- MaxTexts Avery encouragement and outrage, helping her calm down while trapped.
- Rebecca LaughlinArrives with Xander and Thea after missing Avery’s calls while blowing off steam.
- Thea CalligarisAccompanies Rebecca and Xander, teasing Xander and showing signs of private activity with Rebecca.
- Grayson HawthornePursues Eve with Jameson and helps bring her back safely from Blake’s compound.
- Isaiah AlexanderXander’s father; identified as a former employee of Vincent Blake’s innovation lab.