Spades: The True Wonderland Awaits. (Of Wonderland Chronicles Book 1)
Page 11
The room was dark, but once I walked in, all of the candles flared into light. The room was empty save a large mirror in the center of the room, leaning against the wall facing me. The walls were painted black, therefore accenting the silver frame of the mirror. But the surface of the mirror wasn't smooth; it was cracked with jagged edges poking out. Meadow gestured for me to step forward, and I did.
I examined the mirror and found that when I peeled a large piece of the broken glass away, it revealed a tiny keyhole. My fingers immediately found the key that Blayke insisted I always wear with everything. It sat underneath my dress, but it was easy to get to once I unbuttoned the first few buttons of my dress. I lifted the key over my head and followed my instincts, pushing the key into the hole and turning. The glass repaired itself, molding itself around the key.
I knew this magic; it was mirror magic. I just had to envision where I wanted to go, jump into the mirror, and it would take me there. So I thought of the Dark Mountains, of the purple, craggy peaks; blue waterfalls; dark green trees; trees with white blossoms; trees with black blossoms; the sky orange and gold, painting the tips of the mountains golden yellow. I envisioned this, somehow knowing exactly what the Dark Mountains look like. The image of the Dark Mountains at sunset appeared on the mirror. I looked back at Meadow, gave her a smile, and jumped into the mirror.
Chapter 27:
The Dark Mountains
I landed with a thump on the blue grass that covered the Dark Mountains, rolling to avoid being injured; I had no idea how high up I'd come from with the mirror magic, so I had to take precautions. I looked up at the purple mountains, their tips covered in pure white snow as they scraped the blue sky accented with stars. The Dark Mountains were beautiful and weren't razed to the ground like the rest of Wonderland was by the Queen of Spades. I guess it was because the Dark Mountains were hallowed ground. Only rightful rulers, champions, and card soldiers could step foot into the Dark Mountains. The Queen of Spades was not the rightful ruler of any kingdom. Therefore she couldn't step a single foot into the Dark Mountains.
You see, the current Queen of Spades was the youngest sibling. Her older sibling, Rosenetta, was to be the rightful Queen of Spades. But the current Queen of Spades grew jealous of her older sister's beauty and talent and ability to rule, so she murdered Rosenetta in her sleep. By default, the current Queen of Spades became the Queen of Spades, but by the gods of Wonderland, she was not meant to be Queen.
I climbed to my feet and brushed myself off, brushed myself clean of any dirt or grass that had clung to me. In jumping through the mirror, I had changed into an adventuring dress made of red fabric with a brown belt around my waist, right above my hips. I wore knee-high, brown boots and a brown leather top-hat. All in all, I was ready to find the Mad Tea Party guests.
"Remember me?" came a familiar voice from inside of my head.
"Seth?" I asked, and the familiar Cockney accent chuckled.
"Yes, luv. It's been a while, hasn't it? Your darling Blayke's Faeries were blocking me from communicating with you," Seth said bitterly, and I blinked.
"Why?" I asked as I began to trek my way up through the mountain passes.
"Because he was afraid that I would steal you from him. Looks like the gods of Wonderland caught up with him, though. Being caught like that. Ha! It's pitiful," Seth said mockingly, and I scowled at his words.
"Shut up!" I snapped. "Blayke is amazing and sacrificed himself for me. I love him!"
Seth chuckled darkly. "You say that now, but I guarantee by the time that the next leg of your Quest has begun, you will have forgotten all about him."
"How dare you!?" I exclaimed angrily, and Seth chuckled.
"I'm only warning you of what is to come. Call it a little gift, though for betraying me, you deserve no gift," he said, and I stopped in place.
"How have I betrayed you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "All I have done is fallen in love. Do I not have the right to fall in love?"
Seth sounded as though he was scowling at that when he replied: "You're supposed to only fall in love with one person. You are falling from your destiny."
"Who are you to decide my destiny?" I demanded, and Seth chuckled, though it was no doubt fake.
"I am your future lover, Seth of the Court of Hearts," he said, the smirk he was no doubt wearing bleeding through into his tone.
"You cannot decide that for me," I said, and Seth became bitter.
"It has already been decided; you and I have no choice. We are going to become lovers in the future," he said, and I smirked.
"You sound as though you aren't happy to be bound to me for all of eternity," I teased, and Seth chuckled.
"I am happy to be bound to you, little luv. I am just unhappy with the way that the gods of Wonderland are deciding this to play out. They're straying from the Prophecy in allowing you to fall in love. I only hope that they haven't decided that you and I are no longer to be bound together. I am rather fond of you, luv. We did grow up together," he said as way of explanation, and I blinked, biting my cheek and chewing on it as I began walking again.
"Do you have any way that you could help me get through the Dark Mountains faster?" I asked, looking down at my own feet warily.
"I do," Seth said, and I sighed deeply.
"Will you send it to me?" I asked, and he chuckled.
"It has already been sent to you, luv. It is on its way; it shall be by your side soon," Seth promised me, and I smiled despite myself.
"Thank you, Seth," I said softly, in hopes that he wouldn't hear me for I feared that if his ego became much larger his head would explode.
"My head won't explode because you said 'thank you' to me, luv," Seth said, chuckling, and I blushed.
"How do you do that?" I asked, and he no doubt blinked innocently.
"Do what, luv?" he asked, and I deadpanned.
"Read my thoughts like they're a book sitting out in front of you," I finished, and Seth chuckled.
"Oh, that," he said dismissively, and I scowled.
"Yes, that," I said scathingly. "Now explain."
"As you wish, luv," Seth said, chuckling. "You see, you and I grew up together. I know you better than you know yourself. Therefore I know when you're thinking things, because it's exactly in your character to think them."
I blinked. "Am I really that predictable?" I mumbled, and he chuckled again.
"Yes, you are," he said, and I scowled at nothing.
"Where is that thing to help me through the Dark Mountains?" I asked, leaning against a dead tree trunk.
"He's right above you," Seth said, and I looked up, my eyes widening.
A roar echoed through the air.
Chapter 28:
The Mad Tea Party
The creature that Seth had sent me was a red dragon with white horns and white whiskers. It would have looked like a Chinese dragon, if it weren't for the European dragon body; its head was easily identifiable as that of a Chinese dragon, but its body was definitely European dragon. I watched the creature in disbelief as it landed in front of me.
"I am Kyloth of the Dark Mountains," the mix of cultures dragon said, and I blinked at the loud, booming, and very, very large voice in my head.
"Nice to meet you, Kyloth," I said, smiling at the dragon.
"I will take you to the Mad Tea Party, where it is being held," Kyloth said, lowering his head gracefully in a way that only dragons can, and I climbed on to his neck.
"Thank you, Kyloth of the Dark Mountains," I murmured, stroking his smooth, cold scales of crimson red.
"You are very welcome, Milady. Now, hold on tight," Kyloth instructed, and I bent over him, grabbing his horns tightly with my hands. "Are you ready?"
"I am," I said, and Kyloth crouched down before springing into the air, his large, leathery red wings catching us in midair and pushing us up higher.
We began to coast through the air, over the mountains and through the passages. The Dark Mountains were even more beautiful high up i
n the air, above where anything could touch me. I spread out my arms, gripping Kyloth's sides with my knees. I whooped, brushing my fingers through clouds and catching the clouds. I grabbed one with my hands and held it in my lap.
"You'd do best to let it go, Milady," Kyloth told me, and I did as he said, allowing the cloud to slip from my hands.
"What would have happened if I didn't?" I asked, grabbing his horns once more.
"The Nimbus Demonlings are not very friendly. They attack anyone who holds them for longer than five seconds," Kyloth explained, and I blinked.
"But I held it for at least a minute," I said, and Kyloth chuckled.
"Well, I was just taking precautions. Seeing as how you can enter its home and ride a dragon like the one the Prophecy foretold of, I'm guessing that it acknowledged you as the Chosen One," he explained, and I giggled.
"You guys all call me the Chosen One, but I'm not going to rule," I said, oblivious to Kyloth's disapproval of my words. "I'm only going to put the rightful ruler on the throne of Wonderland."
"What if you are the rightful ruler?" Kyloth asked me, and I bit the inside of my cheek and nibbled on it.
"Then I will rule as the Queen of Wonderland, but only if I am the rightful ruler. I'm not going to follow in the Queen of Spades' footsteps," I said, and Kyloth chuckled, his laughter vibrating his entire body.
"That's good to hear," he said, and I smiled.
"I'm glad," I said gently, and he must have smiled also at that.
"Now," I said, changing the subject, "how close are we to the Mad Tea Party?"
"We are very close, Milady. Now grab the enchanted pocket watch from inside of the satchel to your right," Kyloth told me, and I dug in the satchel that was - as he had said - containing a pocket watch.
"Now what do I do with it?" I asked, examining the pocket watch that was sealed closed tightly; I couldn't open it no matter what method I tried.
"When I drop you off outside the Mad Tea Party, you must put the watch into its rightful place. Only then will the Mad Tea Party guests awaken from their slumber. You must do this right, or you will be frozen, too. Understand?" Kyloth asked, and I nodded.
"I understand," I said, and Kyloth turned his long neck back so that I could see his toothy smile.
"I am glad. I know that you will awaken the Mad Tea Party guests and free them from where they're being held. Once they have been awoken, tell the Mad Man of Diamonds that you need a place to stay, tell him that the Faerie of Spades has been captured," he said. "He will help you for sure, then. He never could refuse a maiden in trouble. Be careful. I'm sure the Faerie of Spades warned you: there are many traps surrounding the Mad Tea Party. If you are not careful, you will be caught in one and be beheaded by the Queen of Spades' executioner. They will find you if you're not careful."
"I'll be careful; I promise," I said, and Kyloth's smile widened.
He turned his head back to the front. "I'm very glad to hear that. It would not do if our champion was captured before she saved all of Wonderland."
I ignored the inkling of warning in my chest and watched the surroundings instead. As I watched, we descended below the cloud, landing right outside of a clearing ringed by the mountains. I couldn't see anything in the clearing; it was just plain, with blue grass and red poppies dotting the blue strands of grass covering the entire clearing's black dirt. I blinked as I examined the clearing, sliding down off of Kyloth.
"The clearing is under a spell. Anyone or anything outside of the clearing can't see what's inside. Take the watch, and step inside. The watch will protect you from the spell on the clearing, and when you put it into place, the spell will be broken. But be careful; just because you're immune to the spell doesn't mean that you're safe from the traps. The traps are designed to make you drop whatever it is that's protecting you from the spell, so put the watch around your neck," Kyloth told me, and I nodded, putting the pocket watch around my neck. "Now go, Chosen One. We believe in you."
Kyloth took off and I stepped inside of the clearing.
Immediately, I was assaulted by the sight of the Mad Tea Party guests trapped in fetters and chains, frozen in place. They were bloody and had tattered clothing, as though they had been whipped before being trapped in the spell. It made me sad, but I ignored the sight for now, instead looking for the place where the pocket watch was going to go. I at last found it, in the center of the table. I took a step forward and was knocked backwards by an invisible force.
I looked around at the ground for what had knocked me back, and I, at last, found it out to be one of those red poppies; the resemblance between this and the story "The Wizard of Oz" were striking. I had stepped on it and it had knocked me backwards. I could see gas floating in the air, and I took a deep breath, holding my breath. I climbed to my feet and dodged each poppy, moving from foot to foot gracefully. At last, I reached the table and took the pocket watch off from around my neck and went to put it in the slot. But there was a forcefield around it, and more gas was released into the air.
By this point, my lungs were burning, begging for air. I kept my breath held, though, ignoring the pain that shot through my body from oxygen deprivation. I pushed my hand through the forcefield carefully and slipped the watch into the slot. Just as it fastened in place, my breath exited my lungs in whoosh of air. I sucked in several lungfuls of air greedily, inhaling the gas. I whooped at my success and turned around.
What I saw behind me had my eyes widened and my entire body shaking.
"Hades, please . . ." I begged, a tear slipping down my cheek. "Don't hurt them. I love them - even though they've done so much to me. Just let them go. You let me go; why not them, too? What difference would it make?"
In the arms of someone I considered to be a friend, someone who had let me go out of the kindness of his heart, were my parents. Hades stood there in all of his disturbing, skeleton-like glory, holding my mother and father. He had a knife to their throats as he pressed them together, and I let out a choked sob, reaching for my parents. As if they could see me through their closed eyes, both of their hands raised to reach for me. Our fingertips touched, and I was jolted backwards. Everything disappeared.