Underland, #1

by Rebecca Goodwin

  Rob shuffled beside me as the thorny guards led us down a stairwell lit with flaming torches every few feet. I thought about grabbing one and using it against the plant-like creatures who took us to the dungeon but the fires were too high for me to reach even if I could slam-dunk like an NBA star.

  We entered a circular stone room with several thick wooden doors. One stood open and Rob was shoved inside.

  “Hey!” I pushed against the doorway. “Enough is enough. I want a lawyer and a phone call. You can’t keep us in here.”

  But my shouts didn’t faze them and they slapped thorny hands on my arms. I screamed as thorns buried into my flesh. The pain like drops of piercing acid. Then they tossed me into a dungeon cell and the door slammed shut. A small window about twenty feet up let in some light.

  Rob drew closer to me. “Did they hurt you?” He pulled a thorn from my forearm, and I winced. “Shouldn’t have tried to fight them.”

  “Yeah, no kidding.” I gasped when he yanked out another thorn. “Thanks.”

  He nodded. “If you leave the thorns in too long, they’ll bury deeper until you can’t get them out. It’s more painful than anything you can imagine.”

  “Sounds like you’re talking from experience.” I placed my hand over his before he took out the next thorn. “The queen is a bully, you don’t have to obey her. In my world...things are different.” I was going to ask him to go with me but what about my grandmother? I still wasn’t completely convinced, despite the tapestry, that the queen wasn’t my grams. Maybe she used to wear a wig when she came here when she was younger. Or she just looked so much like the old queen that everyone told her she was or a spell bewitched her every time she crossed the barrier into this place and made her into this...queen. If that was the case, I needed to figure out a way to free her. Then this wondrous place wouldn’t have a tyrant and I would have my grandmother back. Unless Rob and Hadden and Chaz were right and this woman only resembled my grandmother but wasn’t her at all. Either way, I had to know for sure.

  “I’ve seen your world before,” he said quietly.

  “You have? When?” And why had he come back to this place with a crazy monarchy even if she was my grams or not.

  “Last time was when you were trying to find the gateway.” He took out another thorn from my arm but this time I didn’t even feel it. “I wasn’t going to show you the way because I thought you’d be safer in your own land but you looked so sad sitting on the grass that I helped you.”

  My mind raced to when I hadn’t been able to find my way back here. It was right after I’d gone to the funeral home and saw Grams’ empty casket. I’d packed my bag and raced up and down the backyard. The opening in the hedge had been gone. I hadn’t seen Rob anywhere so how had he—wait—he wasn’t talking about the bunny, was he? “Um... how exactly did you show me where the passageway was?”

  His eyes met mine. “I hopped to it.”

  I backed away from him. Did this place drive people crazy? “Uh, no. You weren’t there only a white rabbit was—”

  In a poof of smoke, Rob was gone and in his place, a fluffy white bunny. I backed up until my shoulder hit the stone wall. This was impossible. People didn’t turn into animals or vice versa. A pop followed and Rob was back looking at me softly.

  “Believe me now?”

  Holy fuck! I was in crazy land and it made people go insane. I had to get my grandmother and get out of here before it was too late.

  Chapter Twelve

  The stone wall scrapped my back as I scooted as far from Rob—er the rabbit—that had suddenly appeared in his place. Then it twitched its nose at me and I swore it winked. Was Rob a magician like Hadden? I swallowed the lump in my throat as my insides froze. Hadden had warned me about the queen, and I hadn’t listened. I was so sure this was my grandma that I was still struggling with doubts.

  “Rob?” I choked out.

  In a flash, the bunny disappeared and there stood Rob like before. I rubbed my eyes. Was I going mad?

  “Wha—How?” I stumbled over my words my mind rebelling that any of this was real. How could it be? People didn’t transform into animals. It was impossible. Except, I’d seen lots of bizarre things since walking through the hedge-gate.

  “I’m a rabbit-shifter,” he answered.

  I scoffed. “There’s no such thing.” Sure, in legends and myths there were werewolves and dragon-shifters but never someone turning into a fluffy, white rabbit. Wouldn’t it be better to transform into something else? Something more powerful like a tiger or bear?

  “Yet here I am.” Rob sat down across from me, his back pressed against the opposite wall. “And without my watch, I’m late all the time, so the queen whips me and keeps me here for durations of time.”

  “That’s awful. I’m so sorry that happened to you.” My heart squeezed as I empathized with his plight. I rubbed my arms. The thorns from the plant guard things were removed thanks to Rob but a dull soreness still permeated my skin. He didn’t deserve to be treated this way. “Why haven’t you run away then?” And why hadn’t the people rebelled and overthrown her?

  “I tried but I’m bonded to her because I’m her herald. It’s my job to announce anyone coming into her rose garden for any reason or one of her court parties, where her favorite pastime is beheading her enemies.” He shivered, his skin growing ashen.

  “Can’t you quit? Tell her you don’t want to work for her and get someone else? Or better yet, get a new queen?”

  “My dad told me stories of another queen. Half the land went to the queen of hearts and the other went to the white queen.” He gave me a soft smile. “Every time it rains, this queen becomes infuriated. She has to renew her spell each time.”

  Spell? I still was finding it hard to understand that magic might be real in this world. But it was better I understood as much as I could to figure a way to get out of here and find my real grandma. “Why? What spell?”

  “Because all the white roses grew, breaking through her magic, and showed those of us who don’t remember the white queen that she is the true ruler of Underland, not the red queen.”

  Goosebumps danced along my flesh and I licked my lips. “Um... Why is the white queen the ruler and not the red one?”

  He gave me a look like I’d just asked him why clouds were in the sky. “Because, the white queen is the first-born. She inherits everything but a sliver of land that is for the red queen. But her sister refused to rule her section of Underland in peace, taking over all the land.”

  I sat up straighter. The white queen? Could that be my grandmother? Excitement bubbled in my core. “And this white queen? What happened to her?”

  His gaze lowered. “The queen killed her.”

  My stomach dropped to my feet. I’d been wrong. It made sense if my grams and this red queen were sisters. Then it explained that they would look alike and sounded similar. Could they be twins? But Grams was an only child from what I knew. Like my mother and like me. And if this evil queen had killed grams, then she was truly dead, like everyone in my world had believed. Acid burned the back of my throat while a boulder sat in my chest. All this time... and I’d been wrong... my grandmother was killed in this place by a villain and her own sister.

  No more! I wasn’t going to allow this insane queen get away with this. She was going to answer for her crimes. And hopefully, I could at least recover my grandmother’s body and bring her back to our world to be buried.

  I stifled a sob as grief thrashed at my heart repeatedly. Without asking, Rob crept over, then put his arms around me and held me close. His warmth offering me a fraction of comfort as my world collapsed. Tears flowed down my face, my cries shaking my body. Rob stroked my back and held me the entire time.

  Once my tears slowed, I scrubbed a hand down my face. We had to get out of here. Then find a way to make the Red queen pay for her crimes. She’d have to tell me what she did with my—Rob had said she beheaded her enemies—had she done that to Grams? My stomach rolled. I scrambled ou
t of Rob’s embrace and ran to the copper chamber pot in the corner. Heaving, I emptied out my stomach. Rob held my hair back.

  My queasiness calmed some. “Thanks.”

  “Sure.” He cocked his head looking at me oddly. “But why are you so upset about the queens? I mean, you’re not from Underland, what does our royalty matter to you?”

  I took his hand in mine not knowing if he’d believe me or think I was crazy. Just touching him gave me comfort to continue. His blue eyes stared into mine and my breath hitched. Then his gaze moved to my mouth. Was he thinking about kissing me? I shook my head. Focus, Alicia.

  “Because, I think my grandmother was your white queen.”

  He gasped. “Are you sure? How is that possible?”

  “I’m not sure.” I was silently pleased that he kept holding my hand when I led him to the door. Maybe there was a way to escape like removing the hinges or something. “But your queen is the spitting image of my grams. Even when she was a young woman. Only difference is the queen of hearts, as you call her, had black hair while my grandmother had blond like mine.”

  “Yes,” he nodded, “the white queen had your color hair but that could be a coincidence.”

  “There’s more than that. Her mannerisms, looks, everything except the color of her eyes is exactly the same. You had mentioned that the queens were sisters—were they twins?” Thoughts pounded through my head. If grams was a queen, why didn’t she tell anyone? Was that why she lived alone out in the woods?

  “I suppose.” He frowned as though considering my suggestion. “Not many are alive today that were part of the first queen’s court.”

  “Let me guess, the red queen killed them.” I was beginning to think that the reason the queen of hearts was called that was because of all the blood she’d shed. She made a serial killer seem tame.

  Then Rob squeezed my hand, his thumb rubbing across my knuckles and sending excitement coursing through me and making it hard to concentrate on anything but his mouth on mine. “If you’re the white queen’s granddaughter, then you are the rightful ruler.”

  I swayed on my feet, collecting my thoughts for a second. “Uh no, I’m just a girl in college wondering what the hell to do with my life and came here to find my grandma.” I hadn’t come here to overthrow anyone and claim a throne. Now that I was here I wasn’t leaving without my grandmother though and if I could help these people live in peace and without fear, then I would do whatever I could.

  “You are much more than that.” He stared into my eyes and my cheeks heated.

  At the intensity, I found there and his nearness, my heart raced. He cupped my face with one hand, his gaze searching my face before settling on my mouth. My lips parted. He was going to kiss me! Warmth and desire mingled in my belly. He leaned forward, his nearness making me heady. He brushed his lips across mine. My sigh sang through my lips as tingles spread through me. His kiss was gentle but struck a fire in my belly that I couldn’t get enough of. I grasped the back of his neck, pulling him closer to me. His hands skimmed underneath my shirt, and I shuddered a breath. Too much clothing separated us but as much as I wanted to feel his naked flesh next to mine, this wasn’t the place. And I’d been with Chaz. As much as I wanted to be with Rob too, he was nearly a stranger to me and turns into a rabbit. But besides all that, I still yearned for his touch, his kiss, all of him. Was this place affecting my judgment? My body and heart wanted two men…no, make that three… cause I still fought fantasies of Hadden despite him locking me in his house. But logic said I need to focus on an escape first and foremost. Later, I could figure out my love life.

  Reluctantly, I eased away. My hands clasping his shoulders and my breathing ragged. “Sorry, let’s continue this another time.” Reality slammed into me. There might not be another time. What if we couldn’t get out of here or the queen cut off both our heads? But I couldn’t stand by and do nothing. There had to be a way to stop her madness, free these people, and take my grandmother’s body back. My throat worked at that thought and I swallowed hard. Grams wouldn’t want me to shed too many tears for her. She’d want me to continue living, after I showed this queen that she didn’t mess with my family.

  “Okay, let’s figure a way out of here.” I stood and held out my hand to Rob.

  He took it and together we examined the door. Damn, the door hinges were on the other side. How could we get the door open? The thick wooden mass was too solid to break through. And the metal bars blocked the window otherwise I could probably squeeze...I spun. “Rob.”

  “Yes,” he prolonged the word out.

  “Why can’t you transform into a rabbit and go under the door? Then you can pop back into your human form and unlock the door.”

  “Because the door has a magical spell on it. I can’t pass over the threshold until the queen wills it.” He ran his fingers through his white-blond hair. “Don’t you think I would’ve tried everything I could each time she put me in here?”

  “Okay.” I chewed on my fingernail. There had to be something I was missing. I examined the door again. I jerked at the knob but it didn’t budge. “Does this place have rats?” I’d read rodents could gnaw on wood and make a hole. My pack had a few crackers, not that I could get the rats to eat the wood but if they were hungry enough, maybe they’d keep eating to get the tiny crumbs that fell in between the wood and the metal bars? Right. That was crazy.

  Would the spell hinder me too? I tried to push my arm through the open slat between the metal bars but a burning sensation hit me and I yanked my hand back. Ouch. No wonder Rob wasn’t able to escape.

  I shifted to my pack. Maybe the rats here were huge or had big teeth but there was still the issue of getting through the magic ward. One problem at a time.

  “What are you doing?” Rob asked.

  I pointed. “Trying to entice some rats to eat around the metal base here. Then we can move these two out and reach the lever.” Which would work if we had trained rats and years. What was I thinking? There had to be another way than depend on rats. “What about you in your rabbit form? Could you chew through the wood and loosen one of the bars? I can reach the lever and let us out if I had more room.”

  “And endure the burning pain until you do?” He shook his head. “No. And the door magically repairs itself cause I’ve tried gnawing on it before.”

  “Fuck!” I kicked at the door. What if he could change sizes when he transformed? “Can you shift into a bigger rabbit? Something that could make the hole faster?” My pulse raced with hopefulness. “Then I could try and reach the lock before the door before it fixes itself.”

  “Sorry, I only have the size you saw.”

  Damn it all. The queen really had this place rigged so that not even a shifter could escape.

  “If we had magic mushrooms, then we could both change sizes but most of those have been mowed down by the queen.” He clenched his fists.

  Of course, the mushrooms were gone and not like we had any here in the dungeon of stone. Then a thought tickled the back of my mind. “Wait. If my grandma is a queen, does that mean I have magic? Maybe I can do magic instead and we can either blast the door open or at least shrink ourselves and run underneath it.”

  His eyes widened and hope spread through my chest.

  It was worth a try. And if it worked, we’d get out of her then run like hell.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “We can cross the threshold,” Rob said excitedly. “If you can break the spell.”

  “Right.” I’d never seen my grandmother do anything magical, unless you counted her gardening or desserts. Yet, this entire place was wondrous and amazing. I’d seen things I never would have believed were possible. So maybe my family had magic abilities that didn’t work back in my world. Heck, it was worth a try. What did we have to lose?

  I stepped closer to the door, held my hands out, and tried to picture the door opening.

  Nothing.

  Maybe I had to touch it? I pressed my hands to the wood. Closing my eyes,
I forced the image of the lock sliding open. Pictured us striding out the open door, unharmed.

  But the door didn’t make a sound or movement. The wood was cool under my palms.

  I sighed. Was I wasting my time? If I had an inkling of magic, surely I would have sensed it by now.

  “Any ideas?” I asked Rob.

  “The magic is just beyond the door.” He frowned in concentration.

  “So maybe it’s not connected to the door exactly, but once someone goes past it?” I said, remembering the jabbing burn on my arm when I tried to reach the door through the barred slat. I nodded. Time to try this differently then.

  “Okay.” I shoved my arm through the hole but not far enough to trigger the spell. I thought about the lever moving up and unlatching the door. Still, nothing happened. I needed a crash course in how to use magic because obviously I had no clue. “It’s not working.”

  I eased my hand back out when a sharp sting hit my fingers and I winced. Blood bubbled up on my fingertip and a small amount remained smeared on a jagged piece of metal on the bar. I shook my finger out, several crimson drops shooting on the wooden part of the door frame.

  Smoke sizzled from spots on the door my blood had hit, and I shuffled backward into Rob.

  The door slammed into the cell with a deafening thud. We’d done it. Somehow. Elation filled me, my heart racing. But when I stepped forward, Rob grabbed my wrist.

  “Wait, it could be a trap.”

  “And it could be luck coming our way.” I grinned. “My blood broke the spell. Let’s get out of here before anyone comes running to see what the noise was.”

  He didn’t let release my hand. When I looked over my shoulder at him, he nodded. “Let me test it first.”

  The magical barrier was like dipping my hand in boiling water that only increased in searing heat when I’d touched it. I wouldn’t want to wish that on anyone. Not even the evil queen. I wanted justice, not over-the-top vengeance.