The Grandest Game, #1
The Grandest Game
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
CHAPTER 23: ROHAN
Overview
Odette triggers a clue that points not to the shattered glass box but to the hourglass in the Great Room. Rohan deciphers the clue faster than the others, outruns Savannah, and claims the metal disk hidden inside the hourglass.
The chapter sharpens the rivalry between Rohan and Savannah, revealing Savannah’s intense drive to win and Rohan’s willingness to pay a physical price for victory. Rohan’s successful deduction gives him a major advantage in the competition.
Summary
Rohan searches the rocks while tracking the other players’ positions. Gigi, Brady, and Knox have returned to the house, while Lyra and Savannah remain outside. Rohan notices the moment Odette Morales finds something and moves toward her before anyone else can react.
Odette teases Rohan and makes it clear that she can read people too. In one hand, Odette holds her opera glasses; in the other, Odette holds a glass box with a glowing button. When Odette presses the button, a shade drops over the Great Room windows, lit from below long enough to reveal the message: IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS.
Odette smashes the glass box, and Savannah immediately searches through the shards. Rohan does not join them because he decides the obvious answer is a misdirection. Connecting “glass” to melted sand and remembering Jameson’s clue about not stealing too much of their time, Rohan realizes the target is the hourglass in the house.
Rohan slips away, but Savannah notices and chases after him. Rohan abandons stealth for speed, climbs the cliff, and reaches the Great Room before Savannah. With nearly all the black sand fallen, Rohan sees a metal disk inside the hourglass and punches through the glass rather than wasting time trying to break it more carefully.
Rohan takes the disk, cutting his hand in the process, and declares the injury the price of victory. Savannah confronts him with visible fury, and Rohan reads how badly Savannah wants to win. Savannah insists she sets goals and achieves them, but Rohan warns Savannah that he wants the game more.
Who Appears
- RohanDeciphers the glass-and-time clue, outruns Savannah, and claims the metal disk from the hourglass.
- Savannah GraysonPursues Rohan to the Great Room and reveals fierce determination to win the game.
- Odette MoralesFinds and activates the glass-box clue, then smashes it to misdirect or test the players.
- Jameson HawthorneAbsent but influential; his earlier wording helps Rohan connect the clue to the hourglass.