by E E Rawls
Chapter 17:
Going Under
RED FLASHED, AND MADNES desperately tried to see past the after-glare in his vision.
Harrey, was he...?
“What, did you think we wouldn’t come prepared?”
He heard his friend’s voice—still alive. A pang of relief hit Madnes. He continued in a run around the pond to reach him. “Harrey! How did you—? What we? Who’s with you?”
Lasers were ricocheting off something like a curved shield. It reflected light like a mirror, and there were two of them either side of the bike and hiding the people within. He realized with mixed emotions that Alice was in a seat behind the grinning Harrey.
At the pond’s edge, Madnes leaped out over the azure surface to catch a dangling rope ladder, and quickly shimmied up one-handed, Ugly in the other.
A shield moved to give him cover until he was safely on a seat. The strange bike held several side-by-side seats; was it even a bike anymore?
“You brought Alice?” he berated him.
She glared at Madnes from the seat beside his. “I can do what I want. Don’t blame Harrey. Or are you being controlling?” Her gaze narrowed.
Madnes waved his free palm defensively. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Buckle up, troop!” Harrey grinned beneath a pair of aviator goggles as he pedaled and switched gears, making the bike ascend. Numerous lasers bounced away and then finally ceased coming. “Told you this thing worked! And I went and saved your life, haha!”
Madnes peered around a shielding mirror, while Harrey hummed pleased with his work. “Uh, Harrey?”
“Yes, passenger, sir?”
“Do you have cover for bullets?”
“Bullets?” Harrey’s grin tilted. “Um...no, didn’t plan that far ahead. Why?”
“We’re going to be full of them in a few seconds.”
“What?!”
The sentries below switched their laser mouths out for jaws full of guns.
“Oh crud.”
“That’s what I said earlier.”
Harrey pulled on more levers. “Faster—go faster, bikey, me beauty! Your captain is in dire trouble!”
The bike’s propellers whirred faster and faster, ascending higher and higher, and then...
K-splut-splut-spluttter...
The large top propeller sparked, slowed, and stopped spinning.
“Oh. At least we get to die together,” Alice mused aloud, just before the bike dropped like a stone.
“You said this thing was fixed!!” Madnes shrieked.
“It was!”
“You said you got it working!”
“I did! It just...didn’t last long!”
The contraption plummeted. They plummeted. Down, down to the watery blue depths of the pond.
SPLRssshh!
Everything went azure.
Madnes could see Alice off to his right, and Harrey a ways in front, kicking free of the bike; Ugly was still clutched in his arm, his beak wide in a silent cry.
A shimmering cold enveloped Madnes. Air. He needed air. He kicked his feet, heading towards the surface.
Why did it suddenly feel like he was going backwards?
Air. He needed air!
The surface was moving away—it was floating away from him.
Why?
His legs kicked harder, his free hand paddling.
The surface’s glow dimmed farther and farther away. He was sinking, and it didn’t matter how much he struggled. He was being sucked down, though there was nothing pulling him.
Down...down...
Looking about, Harrey and Alice were sinking with him, their eyes bulging and mouths screaming.
‘Fairy, help us! Do something!!’
No response.
The world was nothing but an endless pure blue stretching away in every direction he turned, enveloping all of the universe. Nothing else existed.
Air!
‘I can’t—hold on—’
The blue turned dark as his conscious fought and failed to stay alive, sinking, sinking. There was no end, no sandy floor at the bottom of the pond.
Nothing.
Nothing but endless falling into endless blue...
Chapter 18:
Transported
IT CAME AS A SHOCK when his back brushed against something—a something without any substance, and through it he fell backwards.
Air. It was air touching his body—his back, his head, as he tried to right himself, splashing and spluttering.
How could he descend through an endless pond and find himself back up at the surface?
But there wasn’t time to waste on wondering. He spotted Alice beneath the surface and caught her elbow, dragging her up to the precious air. She coughed and gulped it in.
Wrapping his free arm around hers, he kicked water and hurried her and Ugly over to shore. Bullets would be raining down on them soon—actually, they should be already. It didn’t make sense why none had yet. Everything was eerily silent.
Pushing them up onto a grassy bank, he turned back for Harrey, only to see the guy dogpaddling towards them. “Guys? Is that you?” Harrey’s aviator goggles were waterlogged, but in his panic to swim, he didn’t pause to take them off, even if it meant swimming blind. Madnes caught his left wrist and tugged him up to shore.
“Take cover!” he urged the soaking wet group. But Alice remained seated on the ground and staring up at a sea-green sky.
“Alice!” Madnes moved to grab her arm, but...something felt off. A sea-green sky? He let his gaze rise to scan their surroundings.
A sky green as the sea stretched wide overhead and down to meet a hilly horizon. A field of grass spread in all directions out from the pond, rolling up to a rise of cliffs off to the left, and down to thin woods to their right. As for the pond, its surface bobbed with green and purple algae.
This wasn’t the Sacred Pond. And this wasn’t Oswick.
“Dude, where are we?” Harrey’s question echoed his own thoughts.
A breeze carried salt to his nose. The ocean wasn’t far off—whatever ocean it was.
Madnes snatched his hat from the pond where it bobbed, before it could get coated in algae. He had a sinking feeling. Purple algae, sea-green sky...that didn’t sound like any place on Earth, even if he hadn’t traveled every corner of the globe just yet.
Ugly coughed and honked, trying to get out the bits of water he’d breathed in from his terrible ordeal, and Madnes’s attention locked onto him.
This bird...this foolish young bird that had almost got himself—and them—killed...
“Ugly, whatever gave you the idea—of all the water sources in Oswick to choose from!—to go to the Sacred Pond?” he nearly shouted.
The young goose jumped and trembled. “Wull...it...it sounded like a nice place, from what the crowv person told me,” Ugly admitted timidly, his cheek feathers paling.
Arms akimbo, Madnes waited for Ugly to say more, but before the goose did, realization dawned on him first. “Crowv person? Did he have blond hair and gray eyes and a haughty look about him?” he asked, with an effort to keep his tone even.
Ugly’s narrow head on his long neck bobbed nervously. “Uh, yeah, I think so, sir. W-why? Who was he?”
“Oz,” Madnes growled. “He used you to get to me.” He ran a hand aggressively through his drenched hair, top hat in his other hand. “This is the second time he’s risked someone else’s life to get to me...” His teeth ground together.
He had to put a stop to this! If only he knew why Oz had changed so drastically from the kind boy in his childhood memories—a kid who used to dream and find the world a fascinating place.
Madnes opened his mouth to say more when the ground beneath them suddenly tremored.
Harrey paused mid-ringing water out of his shirt and Alice ringing her skort. Another tremor came, rippling through the soil and fading away. Madnes held out his arms for balance and scanned the field, the tree line, the cliffs.
<
br /> A third tremor came, and this time Madnes could hear it as a heavy footstep. The cliffs—there was a cave there...and something coming out of it.
A deafening roar rolled over the grassy expanse, and a huge head followed by huge claw-tipped feet charged out from the cave’s depths.
A monster made of purple armor scales. A dragon.
Not the cute, cuddly sort in kid’s stories. No. This was a terrifying, solidly muscled and armored, and graceful creature. Grand and dangerous. You would be nothing but its plaything.
And it was charging straight at them.
“Oh crud. How many times am I going to have to say that today?”
Madnes swallowed, mustered his courage, and moved to intercept the dragon before it could crush his friends. But Harrey and Alice both clung to him like leeches, and Ugly sat on his head.
“What are you doing?” Madnes demanded.
“We won’t let you sacrifice yourself. We either live together or die together!” shouted Alice.
“But—!” Madnes tried to shake them off. The dragon was almost upon them, its massive wings spread out like sails. “Idiots, run away! I can fight it!”
No, he couldn’t. He knew he couldn’t. Not unless he gave a large amount of his life to the Madness Solver power. But better that than die here, right?
“Fine, I’ll tell you the truth! I was given a special power to deal with difficult situations like these. Now, let go and let me use it!”
But they wouldn’t let go.
The dragon was now almost on top of them. He could see the basketball-sized orbs for eyes, and jaws of sword teeth opening wide...
Chapter 19:
The Dragon Who Guards
A SECOND ROAR ROLLED out of the dragon’s jaws, sending shock waves across Madnes’s skin. ‘Fairy, why won’t you answer? Why won’t you grant me power?’
He tried to summon the power. Earlier in the compound she seemed to care. But now she was silent, indifferent in whatever corner of his mind she hid herself. He tried to think past the fear threatening to unravel him.
Warm waves of air from the dragon’s breath hit the group, and the ground shook with each thunderous paw step. They staggered backwards, ready to fall back into the pond.
Wings fanned wide and the massive, purple-scaled dragon ground to a halt—scimitar-claws stopping just shy of crushing them.
They all tipped their heads back, gaping.
The dragon’s growl steamed the air, and then...
The dragon melted down.
In a writhing column of smoke, it shrunk and twisted, its shape melting and melding into something else. Once the smoke cleared, a young adult human in full armor stood in the dragon’s place. Dark purplish hair fell about a face constructed of elegant sharp angles. Muscles bulged beneath scale-like armor of the same purple as the dragon’s hide. He looked every inch a grand knight from fantasy tales.
Lazy jewel-like eyes roved over the group, and the dragon-man raised a hand. “You’re on the grass.”
Madnes blinked. “...Huh?”
As they stared wide-eyed, the young knight pointed down at their feet. “You’re on the grass,” he repeated.
Madnes was too shocked to understand, the fear of almost being swallowed whole by a massive dragon still shuddering his body. “So are you,” he finally chirped in reply.
“Yeah, but it’s my grass.”
Speechless, Madnes tried to process how a dragon became a person, and now the person was telling them they were on his grass. Was this a lawn? Did dragon men have lawns?
“You’re...not going to eat us, then?” he asked.
A look of barbaric disgust crossed the dragon-man’s face. “Meat? Meat is gross,” his slow voice drawled. He shivered beneath his plates of armor as if Madnes had suggested something beyond comprehension. “I only ever eat greens,” he stated emphatically. “Greens are good. Greens are healthy. Greens put a shine on your human skin.”
“Greens?” Madnes imagined a dragon munching on a bowl of salad.
“Trees.” The knight nodded over to distant woods, and sunlight caught on the tangles of his voluminous hair. “Oaks and cypress are delicious. Especially with a sprig of lemon grass and cherry ferns.” He lifted his gaze dreamily, staring beyond them at whatever green meal his imagination must be brewing up.
Madnes felt Harrey and Alice slowly let their hold on him relax. Ugly cocked his bird head to one side, and Madnes to the other side. They waited until the dragon-man snapped out of his daydream.
A gauntleted hand waved. “You’re still on the grass.”
“Oh.” They all shuffled backwards. A dirt path circled the pond—they stood on that.
The knight cocked his head at a lazy angle, glittering eyes regarding each of them. “Where are you from? Nobody that’s nobody nears my cave,” he drawled.
“Nobody that’s what?” Madnes shook his confused head.
Harrey piped up behind him, “I think first we gotta know where we are?”
That was the first logical thing Harrey had said in a long time. “Apparently there are dragons here, so I’m thinking maybe...Norway?”
And that was the dumbest thing Harrey had said in a long time.
The dragon knight eyed Harrey, very perplexed. “What is a Norway?”
Madnes slapped a hand over Harrey’s mouth before he could answer, and asked instead, “We’re in Wonderland, aren’t we?”
The knight nodded.
Harrey’s eyes bugged out as far as they could go, and Alice gazed around her with newfound wonder.
“That pond, it’s linked to our world?” Madnes surmised, combing a strand of hair behind his ear. “That explains the old legend, and why people thought the pond was sacred. Long ago, something from Wonderland must have come through. But I thought few Earthians could see Wonderlanders who cross over?”
“This is the portal that I guard,” the knight stated, either ignoring or ignorant of what he had just said. Madnes squinted; it was probably the latter.
“Whoa, whoa, wait you guys.” Harrey’s hand caught the edge of his sleeve, tugging Madnes around to face him. “Wonderland? Did I hear what I thought I just heard? This isn’t some dream I’m having after eating half a pizza last night, right?”
“You said you have a special power?” Alice came at Madnes from the other side, her fists planted on her hips. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Madnes Hatter.”
Sweat beaded Madnes’s temples. “Ah, yeah. I guess now that you’re in their world, you can see them,” he half said to himself, then cleared his throat. “Welcome to Wonderland, I guess.” He gestured with a sweep of an arm.
Chapter 20:
Welcome to Wonderland
CHESHIRE FLIPPED OPEN book after old book, page after yellowed page, scouring the Red Palace’s library in Wonderland—in search of words, hints, anything that could tell him where the Madness Solver power originated from and how it all began.
The clues must be there somewhere, clues that could save Madnes from the power before it was too late. If only he could locate the information...
“Why, Cheshire, what brings you here?” spoke a voice at his back.
Cheshire turned around, tipping his head far back to meet Oz’s gaze.
“Prince Oz, what a coincidence meeting you here.” He gave a formal bow, to which Oz slightly inclined his head.
“I am often in the library. I’m surprised you didn’t know I was once a voracious reader.”
“Haha, my mistake.” Cheshire grinned sheepishly. “I’m doing a little research into the ancient history of Wonderland. In particular the history of the Madness Solver. You wouldn’t happen to know of any old—perhaps hidden away—books on the subject, would you?”
“Hmm.” Oz tapped his fingers on his hip and looked to the ceiling in thought. “Other than what we have in the regular history books, can’t say that I’ve come across anything. What was recorded about the first Madness Solver isn’t much.” He flashed an apologetic smi
le. “Sorry I can’t be of more help, Cheshire.”
The cat heaved a sigh. “No, no. That’s quite all right. I knew this would be a difficult task from the start.” He brushed at his whiskers and looked back to the rows of books lining the three-level royal library. “Maybe...could you direct me to the mythological and folklore section?”
Oz gave a nod and led the way, his blue cape swishing. He stopped at a bookcase tucked into an alcove, gesturing toward it with a palm. “Our oldest collection of myths, legends and whatnot, Cheshire.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
A half smile tweaked Oz’s lips. “I have other matters to attend today, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Cheshire bowed as the prince left his presence, cape sweeping the marble floor behind him.
IT WAS NO EASY TASK explaining Wonderland, the mysterious power, and his new job to his bewildered friends. Madnes’s face felt drenched in sweat by the time he finished.
He left out the most important fact, however: that his life was the price paid for using the power. Every time he used it, the clock on his wrist ticked away at his life. He wasn’t allowed to tell them—that was one of the rules. Who knew what would happen if he broke it?
“Ohhh.” Realization dawned on Harrey’s face. “That’s why you were talking to air and paper bags n’ other weird stuff. Those were Wonderlanders in disguise. You weren’t just going crazy.”
“Yes, I’m not crazy, thank you,” said Madnes with a frown. “Not yet, anyway...”
“You could have told us from the start, Madnes,” said Alice, trying not to pout. He cocked an eyebrow. She exhaled loudly. “Fine. It would’ve sounded crazy, and most likely we wouldn’t have believed you—something as impossible as this.”
“Thanks for understanding,” he told her. “There were a few times when I wanted to say, but...I couldn’t get the right words out.”
She nodded knowingly.
A beam of sunlight caught in Alice’s hair, and for a moment it wasn’t just blonde but glowing like golden flames. Madnes’s jaw fell slack. But when he blinked and looked again, she appeared normal, nothing out of the ordinary.
