En garde-shadows alive! Pawns awaken, veils tear, monsters rise. Al's endgame: NOW.

Ordinary? Not anymore. Thirteen-year-old Al Mathews scoffed at magic and monsters-until a shadowy Pawn attacks, a fencer lunges from the dark, and his world rips open like a torn veil.

Fresh start in a Mississippi River town? Think again. Bullied "loser" Al can't escape his past... or the supernatural war chasing him. Teaming with ragtag friends, he dives into a chessboard of good vs. evil-where one wrong move means game over.

With dark forces closing in, Al faces impossible choices: Fight the monsters? Save his crew? Unravel the secrets tying it all together? The clock's ticking. Will Al claim checkmate... or become the next pawn?