by Amy Sumida
The woods trickled out into lush farmland, and then there were several villages, most of which showed no sign of life. Hills rolled up into mountains, and in the far distance, I saw a crimson castle cloaked in storm clouds. Lightning flashed around it, making it seem more menacing than it should have.
“Heart Castle.” Jaxon followed my gaze. “Even the air around it knows that something is wrong.”
“Where is the Spade Castle?” I asked him.
“That way,” he pointed closer to the Wilds. “You can't see it from here, but it's in the East. Club Castle lies to the South, and Diamond is in the North. Hearts lies in the West; you can always find your way with the castles as your guide.”
“Humph, the Wicked Witch of the West.” I stared at the storm. “How appropriate.”
“I'm sorry?” Jaxon frowned.
“Never mind. How do you rule a kingdom and have a relationship with a queen who lives in the Wilds?” I lifted a brow.
“We stack the deck.” He smiled.
“You what now?”
“You came through a stacking room to get to Wonderland,” Nick explained. “It's a circular room with five doors.”
“Right,” I agreed. “I remember. Each door had a different symbol on it.”
“There are similar stacking rooms in every kingdom,” Bevan said. “Several are sprinkled throughout the land, but every castle has its own. It's the easiest way to travel between kingdoms, and especially between castles.”
“So, the doors link the kingdoms?” I asked.
“They stack them,” Draven explained. “You step inside a stacking room, and Wonderland is layered before you. You chose the kingdom you wish to visit and step through the appropriate door. Then the land spreads out again.”
“When I came into Wonderland, I entered a tiny door.”
“The Wilds door.” Jaxon nodded. “Wilds is the most important kingdom in Wonderland, and as such, must be guarded more avidly. The stacking rooms which connect to Earth feature only little doors to Wilds. That way, only those with magic can come through.”
“Stacking rooms,” I said and shook my head. “Damn, I need a stiff drink.”
“Who are you?” A voice boomed around us.
I flinched and looked around the garden.
“It's us, Barnabus!” Bevan called out.
“Who is 'Us?'” The voice echoed around me.
“Does he have a sound system, or what?” I asked Nick.
“Tubes.” Nick waved a paw at a fluted tube set in a flower bed on our right. “Barney likes a bit of drama.”
“It's the god-damned Wizard of Oz,” I huffed. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
“The Card Kings are here with the Queen of Wilds,” King Bevan called out as he took my hand. “Queen Alice, if you'll come with me, please?”
“Sure, why not?” I let Bevan lead me down a crushed shell path, amid fruit trees and waist-high flowers.
The rest of the men followed us up to a clearing with a circle of mushrooms in the center of it. The mushrooms were colored brightly; crimson, daffodil, and violet. In the center of this ring was one gigantic mushroom about the size of my head. It had a pure white stem and a golden cap. A blue caterpillar as big as my forearm was curled upon it. He had silk pillows beneath his head and a large hookah bubbling away beside him. The caterpillar took deep puffs on his hookah pipe and blew the smoke out in impossible shapes. He also wore a fez upon his head with a golden tassel hanging down the side of it. When he saw me, he undulated up, to peer at me curiously.
“Is this Princess Alice?” The caterpillar asked.
“Queen Julia is dead, remember, Barney?” Draven said. “Her daughter is now queen.”
“Queens need a queendom to rule and magic to rule it with.” The caterpillar crawled to the edge of his mushroom. “Come inside the circle, Princess Alice.”
“My uncle told me to never step into a fairy ring.” I eyed the garish mushrooms warily.
“Ah, your uncle was a wise man,” Barney, the caterpillar said. “But I am offering you my hospitality. As such, the ring will have no power over you.”
I looked at the kings, and they nodded. I stepped over the ring of mushrooms.
“Please, have a seat,” Barney waved several arms toward the grass.
I sat down, and it put me at eye-level with him. His eyes were bulbous and black, so glassy that I could see my reflection in them.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hello, Your Highness,” Barney replied. “Do you want to rule Wonderland?”
“I suppose.” I shrugged.
“'I suppose' is not a good answer for a queen,” he eased forward. “Queens should be certain in demeanor and speech. I'm certain that your uncertainty is a problem.”
“Fair enough.”
“What is your magic?”
“I'm not sure of that either. I may not have any.”
“Oh, you do,” he assured me. “I recall your birth vividly.”
“You're not the only one.” I shot a look over my shoulder at the kings.
“Yes, yes, the Card Kings were bound to you upon your birth,” the caterpillar said, “as it should be. As it has always been. But you do not seem to be bound to them. You are... attracted but not really interested. Curious but not determined. A princess, not quite a queen. You are in between.”
“The guys said that you might be able to help me find my magic,” I said.
“Find it?” Barney rose up higher and looked around the garden. “Has it run off?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Then why am I looking?” He dropped back down. “If it never left, then you must know where it is.”
“Actually, I don't,” I huffed. “I don't feel anything.”
“Ah, not feeling is different than not finding,” Barnabus declared. “You should have said so immediately.”
“Sorry?”
“Yes, you are,” he agreed. “But I will help you with that too. Take a piece of mushroom from the left of the cap. Beneath it, if you will.” He tapped his pipe toward the left side of his mushroom.
“All right,” I leaned over and pulled a chunk of pearly mushroom from the soft bit beneath the cap. “Now what?”
“Eat it, silly girl!” Barnabus huffed. “What else would you do with a mushroom?”
“Sit on it.” I looked pointedly at him.
“Humph, yes, well, only caterpillars do that.”
“This isn't psychedelic or anything, is it?” I narrowed my eyes on Barnabus.
“Eat the mushroom!”
“All right!” I shoved the mushroom into my mouth.
The flavor of forest and soil ran across my tongue as I chewed the spongy thing and then swallowed. I couldn't believe I was doing this; eating a damn magic mushroom inside a fairy ring in the middle of an English garden on top of a marble pyramid in the center of a make-believe world that I was a princess–potentially a queen–of. I felt like I was going to wake up at any moment.
And then I did.
The mushroom melted into magic, and that magic burst out into my body with a trembling effervescence that felt like bubbles under my skin. The world was suddenly clearer, brighter, and sharper, as was my mind. I was finally awake. I sucked in a deep breath and pulled in the power of my world with it.
My Wild Wonderland.
It had me then; inside and out. I could feel it racing through my blood, filling my bones and mind as it simultaneously flowed across my skin. I looked down at myself and watched the magic dance across my arms in sparking waves of gold. I began to glow, brighter and brighter until I had to close my eyes against the glare. Once my eyes were shut, I could see the magic inside me.
A deck of cards shuffled in my mind and then were cut into four. A king sat atop each pile, one for every kingdom in Wonderland, and they stared at me steadily. I knew what they wanted, what they needed, and as soon as I acknowledged it, I saw a golden shimmer flicker over the cards. The kings climb
ed out of their cards and came toward me, each of them encased in a golden aura... my aura. I was a part of them, had been since my birth, and I was the only woman who could unite them.
The truth settled inside me, and I accepted it. My life on Earth took on the dream-like qualities of a distant memory, and this life became more real. Wonderland had been wounded, and the strike had come from my mother. Queen Julia had paid the price, but I was the one who had to heal our world.
And I had been born with the power to do so.
My head fell back on a gasp as the magic shook off the last of its slumber and shot through me, energizing me with power and a deep awareness of my world. I knew them all–felt them all. From the gryphons to the bread and butterflies. I heard the call of the jubjub bird and the roar of the bandersnatch. I smelled the perfume of the living flowers and tasted the salt of the sea. Then I saw the citizens of Wonderland; the dodos and the mock turtles, the lizards and the lobsters, the fish and the frogs, the mome raths and the borgoves. On and on they went, shuffling through my mind like pages in a picture book. All of those who had suffered while I grew to adulthood in a different world. While I trained to become strong enough to return to Wonderland and save the world of my birth.
“That bitch is going down,” I whispered as I opened my eyes.
“Yes, I believe she is.” Barnabus the Caterpillar smiled. “Now, Queen Alice, tell me; what is your magic?”
I felt the men tense behind me, all of them eagerly anticipating my answer.
“Wilds,” I declared.
“Wilds, yes, of course,” Draven muttered. “But which of the wild magics do you hold?”
“She answered truly, King of Diamonds,” Barnabus said. “Queen Alice holds the Wild magics–all of them.”
Chapter Eight
“Where is my mother's sword?” I asked as I stepped out of the ring of mushrooms.
“My work is done.” Barnabus sighed and laid back on his mushroom to enjoy a good smoke.
“How did you... ?” Bevan stared at me in shock. “I'm sorry, but is it just me or is Queen Alice even more beautiful than when she stepped into the mushroom ring?”
“It's the Wild in her emerging,” Jaxon said with wonder. “You are most striking, Queen Alice.”
“That's all very good,” I said crisply. “But where is my mother's sword? The Wild says that I will need it to win back Wonderland.”
“The Vorpal,” King Draven stepped forward. “That is the sword you speak of. It was taken by Queen Rina when she subdued the Jabberwocky.”
“The Queen of Hearts was able to subdue the Jabberwocky when my mother couldn't?”
“Well”–Draven exchanged a heavy look with the other kings–“in a manner of speaking, yes. Queen Rina used her love magic on the Jabberwocky and bound it to her. The creature has become another source of power for the Queen of Hearts.”
“After the King of Hearts died, she needed a new battery,” I huffed.
“Yes, precisely,” Jaxon said. “Queen Rina needed another magical being to feed off of. The bond she created has subjugated the beast and turned the Jabberwocky into Rina's personal predator.”
“And the sword?” I asked.
“The Vorpal was abandoned, allowing Queen Rina to claim it,” Draven said.
“But she cannot wield it, Your Majesty,” Nick added as he stared at me intensely with his green cat eyes. “Only a Wild Queen can use the Vorpal.”
“Then we must get it back.” I headed down the pyramid, and the men followed.
“Queen Alice”–Nick floated up to me–“we'll need to sneak into the Kingdom of Hearts before we march on it.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you'll need the Vorpal in your possession before you fight the Queen of Hearts,” Jaxon said as he came over and gripped my upper arms. “Take a deep breath, Alice. You were just hit with a world of magic and information. You need to acclimate before you make any decisions.”
I blinked at Jaxon and realized that he was right. I felt a little lightheaded and tingly. I needed to sit down. So, I did. I took a seat on one of the marble steps and looked out across Tulgey Wood and over to the Wilds. I remembered it now. I could see its soaring ceilings, gilded in gold. I recalled walking through its echoing hallways and playing in the vast gardens. It was more home to me than Uncle Ted's Victorian, and I suddenly wanted to be there. I wanted my home back.
I took another deep breath, knowing now, that this was just the magic settling inside me. I had a lot to filter through, and I needed more than a few seconds to figure things out. But I did know that I needed my mother's sword. It was a driving force lodged low in my belly, urging me to move.
“How do we sneak into the Kingdom of Hearts?” I asked the men, who had gathered around me.
“Stacking rooms are out.” Nick rolled through the air. “Rina blocked her doors.”
The kings looked at each other and began to smile.
“We burrow beneath the castle,” Bevan answered. “Underland will save us again.”
“So be it,” I agreed. “We'll tunnel beneath the Heart Castle and steal back my sword, and then I'll return to battle Rina with the Vorpal firmly in hand.”
“You'll need to practice those new magics of yours too, Queen Alice,” Draven said. “We need you to know exactly what you're capable of when we finally march on Hearts.”
“What I'm capable of,” I whispered as I looked over the three kings. “And what we're capable of.”
“You feel it now.” Bevan smiled softly at me, and I couldn't look away from his sweet face.
Bevan's eyes were warm and kind, but his lips were strong and determined. Next to Jaxon, Bevan appeared slimmer, but he wasn't a small man. The curves of his biceps pressed against his tunic, and a sleek expanse of solid chest could be glimpsed through the V neck. He blinked long-lashed eyes, and I took another deep breath.
“Queen Alice?” King Draven laid his hand on my shoulder.
I looked over at his hand. Long fingers attached to a soft palm; this was the hand of a hedonist, a man who knew how to give and take pleasure. I looked up into his bedroom eyes and licked my lips. The motion made his stare drop to my mouth, and I saw him swallow convulsively. The column of his throat was fair and pampered, but I traced the line of it to his wide shoulders and knew that Draven hid more power than he revealed. He would let his enemies believe his mask of lazy sensuality until they were right upon him, and then he would strike.
“Alice!” Jaxon snapped his fingers in front of my face.
My stare jerked to him and widened. All of these gorgeous men were mine. I knew it now with complete certainty. These were my Card Kings, and I could play them as I saw fit. I stood abruptly and grabbed Jaxon by his tunic. His eyes darkened to indigo as I jerked him forward and set my lips to his.
Our kiss was as wild as my magic–a triumphant reunion with the man I was meant for. Did I love him? I didn't know. But did I want him desperately? Yes, I did. I wanted them all, and I put that desire into our kiss. Jaxon's hands went to my waist and pulled me tighter to his solid chest. I groaned and ground myself against him, luxuriating in the feel of him hardening between us. Magic tingled along my tongue, and he drank it down.
Then I felt the other kings surround us.
Jaxon eased back, heavy-lidded and happy as Draven came forward. I turned to my Diamond King with a smile and drew him against me slowly, sliding my hands up his chest. He inhaled sharply and closed his eyes, basking in the attention. My hands crept up his neck and bracketed his face as I began kissing his sharp jawline. I nuzzled his face as he moaned and then brushed my lips over his.
“Alice,” Draven whispered just before I claimed his mouth.
We sank into each other sensuously; an erotic dance of hips and hands, of licking and nibbling. His fingers threaded through my hair, massaging my scalp as he made love to my mouth. Where Jaxon's kiss had been conquering, Draven's was pure pleasure. It was over too soon.
But then t
here was Bevan.
He smiled softly as I went into his arms, one gentle hand going to my cheek. Bevan just looked at me for a moment, taking in every nuance of my face before he laid his forehead against mine. We breathed together as he took my palm and placed it over his heart. Then he laid his hand on my chest.
“I've waited so long for you,” Bevan said.
Then he covered my mouth with his and kissed me with all of that longing. He stoked the fire of my desire steadily until I was pulling at his shoulders and slashing my lips over his. But Bevan pulled away just as gently as he had begun, and smiled into my hot gaze.
“Welcome home, Alice.”
Chapter Nine
It took us a week to burrow beneath the Heart Castle, but during that week, we planned. First, I needed to get the Vorpal sword; then I needed to slay the Jabberwocky. The Vorpal was the only weapon that could slice through Jabberwocky hide. Once the beast was dead, it would weaken Queen Rina enough for me to kill her with my wild magics.
Not only did we plan, but we also talked. I got to know the Card Kings, and I quickly began to care for them. Each man had special qualities, and they seemed to compliment each other. Jaxon was a man of action, but he was also a strategist. He knew when to fight and when to stalk his prey.
Draven loved the finer things and believed that every day should be lived to its fullest. I would have thought that a man like him would fare poorly in hiding, but Draven also had an indomitable spirit, and nothing could dampen it. He had lost a wife and a kingdom, and yet he could still find the beauty in a sunrise or pleasure in a glass of wine. The King of Diamonds knew how to treasure every moment and hoard them in his heart forever.
Bevan, on the other hand, loved in a deeper and wider manner. A healer at heart, Bevan was at his finest when he was helping people. He truly cared about every living thing in Wonderland. When a patient was brought to him, he looked after them as if they were family and checked up on them often. He knew everyone's name and the names of their children. When he wasn't healing, he was experimenting with potions to be used to heal or help others.
