“There needs to be something else to it for Alice to even consider such a thing. She’s the last person who wants to go to war. When she does though, she is rather good at it,” Rabbit was still reflecting on Hatter’s words when another thought came to light. “What did you say was the boy’s name?” asked Rabbit, “the one who traded you the cow for the beans?”
“Jack, if I recall correctly,” Hatter answered. “Jack… Spriggins I believe the lad was called. Why?”
“That new offlander they talk about, isn’t his name Jack? Alice said his name was Jack,” Rabbit recalled.
“Now that you mention it, I have heard that about the offlander, Rabbit would be correct,” said Cheshire Cat. “Could it be the same Jack?” Then Cheshire made a realization. “Hatter’s looking glass,” he said excitedly. “That must have been how he got through. He must have found the looking glass in the Giant’s castle; sure a giant could not fit through, but maybe this Jack did.”
“Curiouser and curiouser,” the White Rabbit mused. “Speaking of the new offlander, I will have to go track him down now, don’t want to get too late of a start. I need to be in Ranqtoo by brilling.”
“You are too obsessed with time and schedule, Rabbit,” said the Cheshire Cat, shaking his head as he began to fade away again; only his eyes and his sharp toothed grin were visible to the last as he added “I guess that’s why you are good at being the queen’s liaison.”
Rabbit bid his goodbyes to them and, as he turned to leave, shared one last thought. “Here’s what I suggest,” he added. “Let’s keep things quiet for a bit, and stay out of Marchenton. Must keep up appearances,” he reminded them. “In the meantime, we shall find out more about our new uninvited guest.”
“It seems we have a conspiracy of aces,” Cheshire Cat purred, though by now only his eyes and teeth were all that were visible. “How exciting!” he said and flashed his wicked grin one last time before he faded away completely from view.
Then Rabbit paused and shot a sideways glance back at Hatter. “Not a full hand of Aces, though. What about… Him? He’ll have to do the formal initiation before any coronation proceeds and he’s metamorphosing soon. Have you thought about that?” He said, realizing there had been an absent member to this whole plan.
“All the more reason to have someone on the throne we can trust, when he does turn,” Hatter replied, “But, don’t worry about him; I will take care of the Caterpillar. He won’t have a choice in the matter.”
***
marchenton, en route to wonderland’s army, present day.
The White Rabbit easily found his way to the army by dusk; having to finally give in and use a rabbit hole. A bad reaction followed and he ended up vomiting by the side of the road; too much conjuring of that level of magic in such a short time. Rabbit was left with a pounding headache as he made a quick stop to freshen up to a more presentable state. Then Rabbit headed toward the line of marching soldiers to find the royal carriage. Several dodos in leather barding were tacked together in a train formation to pull to the large black armored carriage. Even the driver of the carriage was heavily protected, sitting in a metal cylinder in the front of the carriage, with only slotted openings to see and work the reins. A pair of Gryphons flew low, watchful patterns over the armored carriage. Several cavalry riders on their dodos flanked the carriage in escort. Four guards were positioned on the carriage itself. The Queen of Wonderland was well protected as she traveled in unsecured areas. And yet with a simple wave of his paw, the carriage and the queen’s guarded escort halted. Rabbit quickly stepped inside to sit with Queen Alice; shooing out Bill the lizard and another guard so he and the queen could speak in private.
In contrast to the armored and heavily guarded exterior of the carriage, the interior was rather posh; scented with a sweetly exotic perfume, leather seating for four and silk lined walls with small lanterns to light the interior and a small area to store food and drink. A small locked chest was bolted to the carriage frame to store valuables or papers of importance.
Two small windows, no larger than a hand, allowed the occupants to look out either side. They were fitted with large metal plates that could be slid closed from the inside, if need be. Alice peered out one of the windows to see Rabbit hailing the carriage driver, sliding the plate closed quickly as Rabbit approached.
“You’ve been gone all night, Rabbit. I was worried about you!” Alice exclaimed as the carriage started on its way again. She gave the White Rabbit a hug as he sat down opposite her. She had discarded her red armor while she sat in the carriage, wearing just the under clothing, a rather forming fitting doublet and skintight leathers that served to protect her skin from the chaffing of her armor, but now only emphasized her shapely, supple form.
“Any news of Jack?” she asked as they sat.
Rabbit stared at her for a moment; a dark thought crossing his mind. For all of the guards she had and the armored carriage she rode in, here they sat, a few feet of trust separated them. She was not even wearing her armor. How easy it would be to pull out a dagger and, with a flash, draw it across the delicate pale flesh of her throat. There would be no scream. It would be a quick death. Perhaps a dagger slipped into her side, where she sat, emptying her life as her lungs were emptied of any air to call for help. He would be close to her; his white paw would cover her mouth as he looked into her eyes dying in his arms. Dark thoughts crossed his mind in that moment; too easy, he thought, the consequences too dire. He needed to wait for Cheshire to make his move.
“I tracked Jack to a farmhouse. I wasn’t sure if it was his house or a place where he was trying to lay low, but the farmhouse had been burned to the ground when I arrived.” Close enough to the truth, he thought.
“Oh no,” she responded, her hand quickly covered the audible gasp that escaped her lips. “Is… is Jack... is he dead?”
“That’s not all. I found bodies of royal guards there. They must have been following him as well. The place was badly burned. I could not tell if he perished in the fire or if the guards had captured him and brought him to the castle,” Rabbit finished his tale.
“Or he escaped both,” Alice suggested. “He could be lost in the forest, and hurt,” she added, her eyes moistened at the thought.
Rabbit sighed, “It is possible he escaped, yes. But doubtful,” he said with enough conviction to sway Alice. “Though, I’d wager if he’s not dead, he’s probably captured and held prisoner in their castle.”
“Maybe we can negotiate his release?” she offered. “Cut these war games short before any blood is spilled on the battlefield.”
“Or better to continue with a quick siege and take him back,” Rabbit tapped on his metal foot. “They are not interested in diplomatic relations, remember.”
Alice frowned. “Wars are to be avoided, Rabbit. Is there no other solution?”
“Many just wars have started over far more trivial things than love. Don’t worry so, we are justified in our march,” Rabbit offered reassuringly. “He broke the treaty by leaving Wonderland and coming here. I didn’t want to mention it, but there is something else to consider…as a native of Marchenton, his presence in Wonderland is also a treaty violation in the first place. We had no choice but to initiate a show of force to defend ourselves.”
Suddenly the carriage stopped again. A loud rapping on the door followed and Rabbit dutifully got up and slid the metal plate from over the window.
“They’ve found one of the scouts up ahead,” said Bill the lizard. He gave a quick lick of his eyeball as he continued. “His body was lashed to his steed; killed by arrows with royal insignias and colors. I believe it was sent as a message, sir.”
Rabbit turned and gave a look at Alice. “What do you suppose the intended message is, my queen?” He asked knowingly.
Alice’s gaze dropped to Rabbit’s metal foot as she responded. “There can be no diplomacy when one side hopes for a peaceful resolution while the other beckons for war. Very well, Rabbit, I will not question th
e matter further. We shall raze their castle to the ground.”
***
tower of hearts, wonderland, about a year ago.
“She wants to make Jack a king!” the Cheshire Cat’s voice faded in as he materialized practically on top of the table where the White Rabbit and Hatter were engrossed in a game of cards. The velvet-covered walls of the parlor in the Tower of Hearts had become a regular meeting place far away from any of the sights and sounds of the Queen’s palace.
“A king? How absurd!” replied Hatter, still focused on the cards
CHAPTER 37
JACK IN WONDERLAND
Wonderland, Present Day.
The sand smelled like sun baked cinnamon and sugar.
“Back in Wonderland,” Jack moaned as he faded to consciousness. He lay washed up on a sandy beach, small waves rolling in about his legs. Jack started up at the bright blue sky as he gathered his thoughts. There were two things he had noticed about Wonderland in the time he stayed before; the clouds in Wonderland always seemed a little off. They always seemed flat as if it they were cut out of parchment and glued to the sky, as if Wonderland had been made by someone who just could not get the clouds quite right. The other was the ocean. The “Wonderlantic Ocean,” Jack had heard Alice call it. It was a very curious sensation, if you were to put your hand in, it felt wet, but as soon as you pulled your hand out it was dry again.
Now the memories of the other night faded back into memory. Jack dully recalled his fight in the burning barn and the White Rabbit nearly killing him. Forced to use the Looking Glass, Jack had barely escaped with his life. That had been the second time in less than a week the Looking Glass had saved him. The first time was shortly after he arrived back in Marchenton. He called it a magical mirror and used that to barter his life against the dwarves of General White. The dwarves did not trust this stranger dressed like the enemy guards of the castle. Now here he was a week later, back in the very place to which he vowed never to return. When it came to Wonderland, Jack knew more about it than anyone else in Marchenton because he had lived there. Missing for years, Jack had barely been back to Marchenton for a few days before stepping through the Looking Glass again. That time it had saved him from a fiery death at the hands of the White Rabbit.
Jack could see small oysterlings had gathered about the rocks. They had cautiously and curiously taken an interest in the stranger on their beach. They were small grey oyster shells, harmless, standing upright on little grey legs, no taller than his thumb, clicking their shells open and closed together excitedly as they scurried over the rocks. When Jack moved to sit up, the oysterlings jumped back a distance with loud and surprised clicks that turned to annoyed and scolding clacks when they saw Jack move. For a moment, Jack sat still, amused by the little creatures. The oysterlings’ courage returned and hesitantly they began to move closer to him again. Jack slowly held out his hand, beckoning a few of the braver ones closer. Instead, the oysterlings abruptly darted away, diving into the water, some burrowing themselves in the sand or scuttling off to disappear in deeper water. Jack noticed all of the oysterlings had gone as he heard a noise behind him, the shuffling of large wings.
Slowly Jack rolled his head to the side and saw three vulture-sized birds that had silently landed nearby. The scavengers had spotted him on the beach and came in for a closer look at a potential next meal.
“I probably look like a pretty good meal to them,” he guessed. Further inland there was a line of trees that marked the edge of the forest; Jack judged the distance to be a hundred yards. He would surely be attacked before he could reach to the safety of their cover. The birds were between him and the tree line.
The three monstrous raptors each vied for dominance over the others as they approached. Snapping and hissing at each other, they argued over who would get the kill first. The giant birds made clucking sounds to each other as they closed in followed by a deep and menacing guttural growl that sounded like…
Jub, Jub.
Jack was not going to be a meal for Jub Jub birds.
Bigger than vultures, with beautiful feathers and hideous looking heads, a mix of dull dark feathers and striking black iridescent ones, the large birds also had brightly red and orange colored wings, and purple, boney talons that menacingly clutched deep into the sand. Jub Jub birds were named for the low guttural sound they gave right before they attacked. They were fierce birds of prey, but would not pass up an opportunity of either an easy kill or a feast of carrion. They looked desperately at him with beady red eyes set back behind large ink black, razor sharp beaks. Their bald, maroon colored heads lowered and darted deliberately about. The largest one gave a high, shrill scream and hopped forward at Jack, its huge wings open in a display of aggression. It stood between Jack and the safety of the tree line.
“Get outta here! Shoo!” Jack yelled back, waving his arms at the bird, which only elicited a low, threatening hiss as the two other birds hopped and maneuvered about. They landed in the wave-licked, wet sand behind Jack, cutting off their prey’s chance to escape into the water.
Jack looked about for anything he could use as a weapon, a rock, driftwood, perhaps a sharp shell, but there was only the soft sand of the beach.
Jack heard it, a low guttural noise that came from the largest bird: “Jub Jub.”
The bird darted in at Jack with surprising quickness, Jack swung at it, but the Jub Jub bird pressed in, unimpressed at its prey’s attempt to fend it off. Again Jack swung, connecting with a slap on its head this time. Jack was keenly aware the birds were pushing him backwards and encircling him. He heard the “Jub Jub” sound now from behind him as well. Then the first bird moved in and this time as Jack swung at it, the bird caught Jack’s hand firmly in its beak and clamped down. Jack pulled away with a shout, his hand covered in blood and grimy saliva from the carrion feeder’s dirty beak.
Then Jack ran, heading towards the trees. The birds were quickly after him. It was an effort, as the sand made it difficult to run fast, and Jack did not get very far when the largest Jub Jub bird flew low and dug his claws into Jack’s back and pushed him down hard.
Jack gave a muffled scream of pain as the bird placed his clawed foot on the back of his head and forced his face into the sand to suffocate him. Face down; Jack was choking on the sand unable to see what happened next.
Jack heard the sudden sound of an arrow striking the bird, forcing the bird off of Jack’s back. The Jub Jub bird squawked in pain and quickly took to the skies. A burst of feathers flashed from the back of one of the other birds as a second arrow grazed by. It was enough to frighten them and just as quickly the other two lifted off and followed, disappearing behind a craggy outcropping further down the beach.
Slowly Jack got to his knees. His wounded hand and arm were covered in sand, dark and wet with saliva and blood that stuck to his skin. The wound on his hand throbbed painfully and still continued to bleed.
Two strangers approached. One was a young woman, looking no more than twenty years old, but Jack knew that in Wonderland things were not always what they appeared to be. She was dressed in white hunting leathers, had white blond hair and seemed to be in a heated discussion with the second stranger. Petite in size, she was towered over by a tall, broad chested, humanoid rabbit with chestnut brown fur, long ears tipped with black and carrying a bow.
“We should have left him for the Jubs, Haigha. It’s an offlander,” Jack overheard the woman say as they approached.
“The man was clearly endangered, Miss Lily. Your father would have intervened; your mother would have insisted so, offlander or otherwise. He is wounded,” Haigha replied in calm yet authoritative tone.
“Well, I still think Mother wouldn’t like that we’re helping an offlander. You know how she feels about them. Let’s not waste any more time out here than we need too,” Lily said in a loud whisper.
Jack gave them a wave with his non bleeding hand as they neared. “I should thank your friend with the bow. He’s a pretty good shot at di
stance.”
Haigha nodded as he shouldered the weapon.
“I thought your types only came in white?” Jack looked cautiously at the well-built frame of the humanoid Rabbit. “I’ve met your cousin,” Jack added with a grin.
“The White Rabbit? Yes. We’re not related. I am a Hare- there’s a difference,” Haigha was quick to correct the offlander’s assumption.
“You are an offlander aren’t you? How did you get—” Lily started to ask. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Offlanders aren’t welcome in these parts. You need to be on your way, preferably back from where you came from.”
“Manners, Lily,” Haigha scolded politely. “You look hurt, stranger,” he said to Jack. “I can give you some dressings for that wound,” Haigha pulled his back pack from his shoulder and began to rummage around inside.
“Name’s Jack… I guess the long story short is, I am not quite an offlander, you see. I’ve been here before,” Jack asked as he slowly got to his feet, shaking off a dizzy feeling, “what square are we in?”
Lily shook her head. “I don’t care about your story, offlander. This is Wonderland you are in. You won’t survive here.”
“Believe me, I know Wonderland,” Jack insisted. “What square is this?”
“We’re on the Wonderlantic coast,” said Haigha stepping forward to offer some strips of cloth for bandaging, “In the mid-ranks, Aiphyve. My name is Haigha, and this is Lily,” Haigha pointed at Jack’s wounded hand. “I’m afraid you’ve got a nasty bite there, friend.” Then he handed Jack a water bottle.
Jack looked at his hand again, still bleeding and very painful, oozing and covered with sand and yellowish saliva. Wincing in pain as he did, Jack poured water over his hand to clean it and wrapped a bandage around it. The bandage quickly soaked with blood.
Shards Of The Glass Slipper: Queen Alice Page 13
