A Dream So Dark

by L. L. McKinney

  Addison reached to take one of Naette’s hands in his. She blinked at their fingers then at him, her expression curious.

  “You and your family have already done more than I could ever hope to repay,” Addison said.

  A smile pulled at her lips. “True.”

  “And I hate to ask more, but … I have to do this. But I can’t do it in this condition. Is there anything more that can be done?”

  Naette pursed her lips and sighed through her nose.

  “I can make a potion that should give you strength enough for the journey. But once it wears off, it will weaken you in other ways,” Naette said. There was an ominous lilt to her voice. “Ways that will bring you dangerously close to the brink.”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” Addison murmured.

  “That bridge is death, Sir Hatta. I would not treat it so flippantly.”

  “There is nothing flippant about this. I know full well what I am risking. This is worth it. Alice is worth it.” He shook his head. “I caused … so much pain during the war. M-more than I could ever hope to repay. But I can make the right choice this time. Help me. Please.”

  For a stretch of seconds, Naette merely stared at him. Her expression was blank, her eyes betraying nothing. He had no idea whether or not she would help him, and for a moment he feared she would not. But then she nodded. “Very well. Though I cannot in good conscience let you go out there like this alone.”

  “He won’t be alone.” Courtney set her jaw and jutted her chin out as she glanced at him. “Because I’m going, too.”

  Addison almost laughed. In fact, he felt a faint smile pull at his face, but hid it as he shook his head and rubbed at his mouth. It wasn’t ha-ha funny, just … funny. “You can’t do that.”

  “Course I can. We walk out the door, head in the same direction, it’s not that hard.”

  “No, no, what I mean is I’m potentially heading into battle. I’m already halfway on my ass, it won’t take much to knock me the rest of the way, I won’t be able to look after you.”

  “And? You think I don’t know that?” Courtney folded her arms over her chest. “And I didn’t ask you to look after me. I’m going to look after you, since you missed that bit. My best friend is out there in this. She has been for so long, and I just…” She took a quick, shaky breath. “She talked about how dangerous this shit was, and I didn’t really listen, but after seeing those … things at my school? Then at the bar and … dragging my ass halfway through this place, I at least owe her going the rest of the way. And Chess, he’s … he’s out there, too. I can’t just do nothing!” Her voice cracked. With a frustrated whimper, she wiped at her eyes and sniffed before schooling her expression. “I want to fight.”

  Addison released a slow breath. He knew what Courtney was feeling to some degree. What it was like to have someone you loved, in the thick of things, and not be with them. Not be able to protect them.

  No, he knew exactly what Courtney was feeling, because that someone was the same someone for both of them. Alice was her best friend and his … He didn’t have a word for what Alice meant to him. Not yet. And the thought of losing her before being able to define it?

  Oh yes, he understood the want to do something, anything, to help. But he also understood how trying to help could actually be a hindrance when you didn’t know what you were doing. Courtney had heart, but heart couldn’t carry a weapon.

  “Alice trained for this. Weapons training, combat training. Broken bones, bruises, all of it. She was at the pub for months before she ever set foot in Wonderland, then she spent from then until now facing down a very real danger time and again. She is an experienced warrior.” He reached to set a hand against her trembling arm, squeezing lightly as her sniffles increased. “Your other friend…” There were a few theories.

  Whoever this Chess was, whatever he was, there was a fighter in there somewhere, and a damned good one. To think he’d been at Alice’s side this entire time, and Addison had never known …

  “He can hold his own in a fight.”

  Courtney snorted a laugh that sounded one part humor, two parts incredulity. “Clearly.”

  “He’s also part of this now. He doesn’t have a choice. But you do. And, quite frankly, I’m not going to be the one to explain to Alice I brought you along and wittingly placed you in the line of danger.”

  This time when she laughed, it was all genuine, though soft.

  “Because if this battle doesn’t put me fully on my ass, she will.”

  “True.” Courtney gave one final, long sniff as she rubbed at her bright red face. Her eyes continued to water and her throat worked in a swallow.

  Addison rubbed her arm lightly, offering what comfort he could.

  “I’m okay,” she sighed, nodding. “Or I will be, when all of this is over.” She swiped at her nose, then wiped her hands against her pants. “I still wanna help. I can pack things, or mix stuff, just … gimme something to do.” She flapped her hands, her fingers curling.

  “You and Effe can go into town and get supplies and a mount for Sir Hatta.” Naette had made her way to the door, but paused to watch their little exchange. Understanding shone in her gaze as well. “I’ll work on making sure he’s on his feet as best we can get him. Then it’s up to him to stay that way.”

  “Thank you,” he said with a tip of his head, but whatever happened to him didn’t matter. His main concern was getting to Findest. Whether or not he survived, well … That far into Wonderland, if the Red Queen didn’t finish him, the exile Verse would. Its grip on him had been a painful undercurrent beneath more severe injuries, but now that they had been seen to, he could feel the Verse’s effects keenly.

  It was a feeling like fingers around his heart slowly tightening, squeezing, choking the life out of him. It thickened each breath he took, like the air was too thin. It made him dizzy, the pain a constant drain, like his bones were brass and his blood was lead. Things would only get worse from here, but that didn’t matter, either.

  It was almost laughable, how the punishment for his past crimes was the only thing standing in the way of making things right. How he’d survived all the terrible things he wrought only to die doing what was right.

  Or maybe not funny, simply just. A fair price. Either way, he didn’t have time to feel sorry for himself. He didn’t have time for much at all, so long as it was enough to get him to Alice …

  Whatever happened after that, he’d have to live with it, for however long, or short, that was.

  Thirty

  FINDEST

  Alice was damn near about to pass out from exhaustion by the time they stopped to make camp shortly before nightfall. They divided up the watch, with even Odabeth offering to take a turn. The night passed without incident, and they set off the next morning.

  No one really spoke as they walked along, with the Duchess in the front, Odabeth after, and Alice bringing up the rear. Haruka stayed back with her, and the two exchanged a few words now and again. Had either of them ever been this far in? Had they been inside the Red Palace? No, for both of them.

  Their party stepped out of the forest and the Duchess lifted a hand for them to stop. “We’re here.” The palace sat on a small rise, cliffs on three sides, waterfalls spewing into a vastness they couldn’t see from here. It was beautiful, but different from what she remembered seeing in the mirror.

  “I have not been here since I was a child,” Odabeth murmured, her hand clutching at the Eye where it rested beneath her shirt.

  “Eyes up. Stay alert.” The Duchess set a hand against her hip, over the whip Alice hadn’t noticed before. Romi had a whip, though hers was more chain-like than this.

  Haruka likewise took hold of her weapon. Alice went to do the same, then realized she was reaching for the Vorpal Blade. She paused before switching to the Figment Blade.

  Carefully, quietly, they crossed the overgrown grounds with nothing but the noise of the animals and the chorus of waterfalls following them.
They circled to the gate that opened into the main courtyard. When they passed through, Alice … wasn’t sure what she was seeing. The cliffs vanished, and plains spread out around them. This was the image she remembered from the pub’s mirror.

  “What?” she asked quietly.

  The Duchess glanced back at her and smirked. “The hidden battlement. The Red Queen was quite adept at illusion Verses. That this one has lasted even in her absence is a testament to her power.”

  They kept going, approaching the looming doors at the front of the structure. Their steps echoed faintly as they climbed the stairs. Like at the White Palace, they moved to the side of the massive doors and instead found a set of smaller ones. The Duchess looked them over quietly, as if to ask, Ready?

  Everyone nodded, and she pushed her way inside.

  Alice wasn’t sure what she expected once they entered the Red Palace, but it wasn’t this. The place was near perfect! The portraits, the trappings, the furnishings, all of it was pristine and polished. It was like everyone had gone to bed just last night and would rise at any moment to start the day.

  But that wouldn’t be the case. There was an emptiness here, a quiet that was more like a scar against the atmosphere, so different from the life at Legracia.

  Like Legracia, the crystal ceiling allowed light to pour into the palace and along the halls. A carpet muted their steps as they proceeded.

  Haruka ran her fingers gently over a table as they passed. They came away covered in a layer of fine white dust. Alice blinked, shocked. None of the items around them looked dusty, but sure enough, when she touched them, her fingers came away coated in the same powder. Weird.

  The Duchess led the way to the throne room, and Alice couldn’t help the faint gasp that escaped her. Her mind instantly went to when her parents took her to Disney World as a child and she couldn’t help being a little disappointed when she passed through the castle for the first time. It was nice, but small, and kind of plastic-looking. This? This was a palace, a real palace, a real throne room, tall and elegant, the walls lined with tapestries and gossamer curtains. The room was huge, and their steps echoed around them, taking on an almost musical quality.

  At the far end of the room, the throne sat empty, abandoned, royal-less.

  They stopped at the center of the room, along the red rug that led toward the throne. Alice wrapped her arms around herself as a shiver slid up her spine. She thought she felt a breeze the way her skin prickled.

  “All right, Your Majesty,” the Duchess murmured.

  Odabeth nodded and set aside her pack. Haruka took hold of it for her.

  The princess pulled the Eye free and took a slow breath.

  Watch out …

  The words were a whisper against Alice’s mind, but she heard them clear as day. “Wait.” She grabbed Odabeth’s wrist, interrupting the Verse. The princess blinked in surprise and confusion. “Something … something’s not right,” Alice murmured, her eyes flickering over their surroundings.

  The Duchess turned to glance around as well.

  Alice was starting to feel a bit silly when a sound floated in from one corner of the room, filling the space around and above them.

  Laughter.

  The voice finally grounded itself as the shadow of the throne shifted along the floor as if alive. It bubbled and rose, reminding Alice of the ground the night she first met the Black Knight, how the black had taken on a life of its own. Only, instead of forming a Nightmare, it formed an archway, and through it stepped a woman.

  Shadow fell from her body, sliding along it like liquid, giving her the appearance of having been sculpted from it. Blood-red hair fell along her pale, white shoulders and down her back. Her beautiful, elfin face was pulled into a disdainful expression, the smile on her lips sharp like a blade. Red fabric painted her body the same color as her hair. And her nails, long, lethal-looking things, tapped at her hips where her hands rested against them. Her eyes, red as coals, fixed on Alice. The shadow archway behind her spilled black mist a few feet into the room, lightning flashing at the woman’s back.

  Alice had stared into those eyes before, in the In-Between.

  “Smart. For a human,” the woman snarled. Her gaze swept over them, then landed on Odabeth. “I’ve enjoyed our little game, flushing you all out like mice, watching you scurry. But I’ve been denied long enough. Give me the Eye.” She lifted a hand.

  “Behind, Your Highness.” The Duchess pulled her whip free and stepped in front of Odabeth. It uncurled against the carpet, spikes along the length of it and the morningstar tip gleaming in the faint light.

  Alice drew the Vorpal Blade.

  The woman’s eyes shifted to the black blade.

  “So … that’s what happened to my knight,” she murmured.

  “Your knight?” the Duchess asked.

  “Mm.” The woman tapped her nails against her chin. “Mine. I’ve started a collection. I think I’ll add this one to it.”

  She snapped her fingers twice. The shadow arch behind her shifted. Two figures stepped through, the first one stumbling forward as she was shoved at sword point.

  Odabeth gave a strangled gasp at the same time Alice’s chest tightened.

  Xelon, her face twisted in pain, shuffled forward. She clutched one arm below a red stain in the fabric. Red stained the ends of her white hair where it fell around her shoulders. Behind her, Chess pressed the tip of a sword between her shoulder blades.

  Where Xelon’s expression was angry and defiant, his was blank. He was a shadow of the boy who had met her outside her grandmother’s building what felt like an eternity ago, the same boy who came to her broken and confused, and had kissed her. Those violet eyes of his were dulled, almost dead. But he wasn’t. He was standing there whole. Or was this another trick, another inky lookalike, like the one from the school parking lot?

  Alice’s throat closed. Her eyes stung. If this was Chess, he was a shell. Maybe the real Chess was lost in there and she could get him out, but seeing him like this? She took a few quick breaths, fighting back tears.

  “What do you think?” The woman reached to trail a long nail against Xelon’s arm. “She would make a marvelous addition, yes?”

  The White Knight yanked away from her and spat on the ground at her feet.

  The woman stared at that spot, her nose wrinkling slightly. “Mmmph. Chester, darling.”

  He drew back the sword.

  “No!” Alice shouted.

  “Don’t!” Odabeth cried.

  Xelon jerked as Chess cracked the pommel of his blade against the back of her head. She dropped to her knees, and he pressed the tip to her back again.

  “Leave her alone!” Odabeth screamed, moving forward. Alice reached to hold her back as the Duchess threw out an arm.

  “Stay back, Your Highness!”

  “No need to be dramatic,” the woman crooned. She stepped over to Xelon and slid her fingers into those white strands, twisting them in her fist. “It’s simple, really. Give me the Eye, or I kill this one. And maybe that one.” She jerked her head toward Chess, who didn’t react whatsoever.

  “Don’t do it,” Xelon spat, then hissed when the woman yanked at her hair.

  “Don’t be rude,” the woman warned.

  Xelon glared up at her before shifting her gaze to Odabeth. “Don’t give it to her.”

  “I—I can’t … I can’t watch you—”

  “You can do anything, beloved,” Xelon murmured. “Be strong.”

  Odabeth whimpered, tears spilling over her amber cheeks. For a moment Alice didn’t know what would happen. They’d done so much, been through so much, to save people. And now …

  The woman rolled her eyes and let go of Xelon’s hair, shoving her away.

  “Fine. Then I will put an end to one nuisance and take the Eye for myself. Chester.”

  Alice’s eyes widened as Chess lifted his weapon. Odabeth screamed. The Duchess started forward at a run.

  Alice felt something inside her shatte
r.

  Chess’s sword came down.

  Thirty-One

  LATE

  Alice’s breath caught as Chess brought down his sword.

  It crashed against another blade, the sound tearing through her ears. It wasn’t the howl of metal on metal but the scream of glass. Alice’s eyes widened, and her heart leaped in a rush, a smile pulling at her face.

  “Haruka!”

  Chess jerked in surprise, giving Haruka just the leverage she needed to throw him back. That was when the Duchess unfurled her whip and twirled it around herself in a flourish.

  Crack!

  The whip launched itself across the space. The woman screamed as she stumbled back, her hands going to her face.

  Chess reached for her, but she threw him off with a shriek.

  “Don’t touch me!”

  By now, Xelon had regained her feet and hurried down the stairs, Haruka guarding her back. She raced to a frantic Odabeth’s side. The princess reached to pull uselessly at her bindings.

  Brandishing the Vorpal Blade, Alice stepped forward to join Haruka on the stairs. Her eyes moved between Chess and the woman, wanting to call out to him, to tell him he didn’t have to do this, he could fight it, but the words shriveled on her tongue when the sound of laughter began to build.

  “You dare…” The woman straightened, her hands still pressed to her face. Blood ran red streaked with black and glistening between her fingers. She drew them away to stare, revealing the wide smile on her equally red lips. The skin of her cheek was split open where the Duchess’s whip had torn into it.

  Alice’s hand went to her mouth as her stomach rolled. The flesh of the woman’s cheek was black beneath a layer of pale skin. The gash poured red and black down the woman’s neck, painting her skin: Portrait of a Bloody Lady.

  “You dare to strike your queen?” Her voice echoed faintly.

  The Duchess scoffed. “I plan to do more than that.”

  The Bloody Lady ran her tongue against her red-wet fingers, and Alice cringed.

  “I had hoped to delay things, to watch you all suffer as traitors should.” The Bloody Lady curled those same fingers into a fist. “But I grow tired of your impudence.” She lifted her hand into the air.