by Eva Chase
I needed to see the Queen, this villain who’d kept Wonderland’s people trapped in the space of a day for nearly fifty years, whose shrieks of dismay had pierced my ears last night. I eased out of Hatter’s embrace and crept closer to the window. Hatter made a warning sound, but he didn’t stop me.
The Queen of Hearts sat in a golden throne with a heart-shaped back, borne by several of her guards. The immense skirt of her salmon-pink dress billowed out over the narrow platform. Her hair was styled in the same coppery loops I’d seen in a painting of her in the palace, coiled toward the base of her tall gold crown. Her scarlet lips were pursed, and her wide-set eyes gleamed with a metallic shimmer that apparently hadn’t been just the painter’s artistic license. Her gaze roved over the street as if it could have sliced through the walls around her just by looking at them.
When her gaze swept toward the higher floors of the buildings, I backed up with a shudder. Her voice heaved from her lungs again, so loud I’d have thought she was using a loudspeaker if I hadn’t seen her hands were empty.
“You bring this on yourselves,” she said. “You harbor these criminals; you look the other way. These beasts killed my son. They claim they fight for you. Well, let us see how true that is. Are they willing to give up their own lives when it’s merely yours on the line?”
At a jerk of her hand, one of the guards broke from their formation and slammed open the door of the nearest shop. There was a cry, and he emerged dragging a young woman—a girl, really, not much older than Doria’s fourteen.
An older woman appeared in the doorway—the girl’s mother? She stared white-faced and tight-lipped but unmoving as the guard lashed a metal cord around the girl’s wrists. He tossed the prisoner onto the back of the throne’s platform with an audible thump. The girl let out a pained gasp.
The Queen smiled.
“I will collect more of you each day until the Spades come forward to take your place—or until our dungeon is full,” she said, sounding almost gleeful now. “If there’s no sign of them by then, you will face the punishment for their crimes and cowardice in their place. Do not try my patience. If you know anything of these miscreants or the new Alice Otherlander, bring word to the palace, and you will be rewarded for your loyalty.”
The procession marched on. The Queen’s last words echoed through me, confusion dulling my horror.
“The new Alice Otherlander,” I repeated. “Does that mean me? Why would she call me ‘Alice’? Why new?”
Hatter’s jaw worked. One look at his face was enough to tell me he knew the answer.
“We didn’t tell you before,” he said. “We already had so much to explain, and that part wasn’t really relevant—it’s all the Queen’s paranoia. In some ways you know more about it than I did.”
“I think I still need you to tell me the parts you know,” I said.
He drew in a ragged breath. “Before your grand-aunt, there were two other women who came through a looking-glass into the Pond of Tears. Both of them were named Alice. Alice, Alice, Alicia, Lyssa… The Queen might not even know what your name is yet, but she’s gathered enough to assume you’re the next in that line. And for whatever reason, she thinks the pattern is part of a plot to overthrow her.”
“For the same reason she decided the Spades must have killed the Prince way back when,” Doria said, hugging herself. “For the reason that she’s totally fucking insane.”
I wouldn’t mind seeing the Queen of Hearts overthrown now, but it wasn’t like I’d come here to do that. I hadn’t even meant to come here at all the first time. But Aunt Alicia had suggested our family was tied up with the mirror and Wonderland. How far back did that connection go? There had been Alices farther back in the family tree she had hanging in the library. Were they all Tenniels from longer ago?
Mom had said something about that, hadn’t she? That my grand-aunt hadn’t wanted her and Dad to name me after her. Was the name somehow part of the connection?
Too bad I couldn’t really investigate the family side of things while I was stranded here in Wonderland.
“Okay,” I said. “So basically, my name just makes her want to chop my head off even more. I guess you’re right—it doesn’t make that much difference. I’m still in a lot less danger than that girl she grabbed.”
Doria sidled closer to her father’s side. “Do you think she’ll really do it? She’ll fill the dungeon with regular Clubbers and then kill them all if we don’t turn ourselves in?”
“Hey.” Hatter turned to her and touched the side of her face, giving her a look filled with so much fatherly firmness and caring that it turned my heart into mush, watching them. “She’s not getting you, Mouse. The White Knight will hear about this. He’ll dream up one of his grand plans, and we’ll stop as many heads from rolling as we can. Yours is definitely staying right where it belongs.”
Doria still looked nervous, but a sly glint lit in her eyes at the same time. “We’ll stop? Does that mean you’re officially back with the Spades?”
Hatter gave her a grim smile. From what I’d seen and gathered, he’d been doing everything possible to keep himself and her apart from the rebel group since he’d become her father—until last night. As he’d sprinted across the gardens and prodded the palace’s locks open with his hatpins, it’d been clear he was in his element. But that didn’t mean he’d changed his mind completely.
“We freed Time,” he said to Doria. “We have a real chance now. And I’d rather run those risks than watch you do it. You are going to be even more careful than usual while the Queen’s on a rampage.”
“I’m not promising anything,” she said.
He sighed. “I didn’t figure you would.”
“Maybe I can help somehow, because of that whole Alice thing,” I said. “If the Queen feels threatened by me being here… even if I’m not really the threat she thinks I am… there’s got to be a way to use that. And I’ve got this too.” I fished the ring out from under my shirt and popped off the gold filigree case around the ruby to show it to Hatter. “This is what Aunt Alicia left me along with the letter. She seemed to think it was important.”
Hatter cocked his head as he studied it. “The gem is a match for that symbol you found on the ruin out by the Topsy Turvy Woods.”
“I know,” I said. “When I asked Chess about the symbol there, he said the Queen freaks out about ruins like that—she orders them destroyed if she hears about them. She’s afraid of something to do with them too. It could all be connected. Aunt Alicia never said anything to you about the ring?”
“Unfortunately, no. I didn’t even realize she had it.” He frowned. “Theo might be able to tell you more.”
His tone was a little reluctant. Hatter and the current White Knight had something of a contentious relationship, partly because Theo continued to let Doria pitch in with the Spades and partly, I suspected, because of the circumstances around Hatter’s abandoning the group years ago. But Theo did seem to be the most knowledgeable person in Wonderland, maybe because in his public role as Inventor, he had a license to dig into any matter that came up.
I’d already meant to ask Theo about the ring. I’d forgotten about it during the rush of our mission and our victory afterward, but there was no other urgent task to get in the way now.
“I’ll head over to the Tower then,” I said.
“First get that powder in your hair, and get yourself into proper Wonderlander clothes,” Hatter said. “I’m not letting the Queen get a hold of your head either.”
The dyeing powder Theo had given me darkened my pale blond waves to a light ash brown. Definitely a different look. I stuck the rest of the package on the bathroom shelf—he’d said I’d need to re-dye it every couple days to make sure the color didn’t fade too much. Then I pulled my hair back into a bun so it wouldn’t be obvious how long it was. No one was going to identify me at a glance as the Otherlander the guards had been looking for.
When I came down in the borrowed dress with its patte
rn of rich greens and pinks, Hatter and Doria were sitting at the dining table with a platter of scones, and they had company.
“Chess!” I said, a smile springing to my face. Of the three men I’d found myself drawn to since I’d arrived in Wonderland, Chess was both the most enigmatic and the most likely to raise my spirits.
He gave me his characteristic playful grin that showed just a hint of his fang-like teeth. His whole face had a feline look to it, from the shape of his eyes to his prominent cheekbones, features that made even more sense now that I’d discovered he could literally shift into the shape of a large tabby cat when he wanted to. He’d sworn me to secrecy about that talent.
“Glad to see you too, lovely,” he said in a light voice. “After the commotion, I felt the need to stop by and confirm all was as well as well can be.”
“She’s heading to the Tower,” Hatter said. “Maybe you can make sure she doesn’t get into any trouble along the way.”
I wanted to say that I didn’t generally get into trouble just walking down the street, but the truth was, I had screwed up a couple times during my last trip here, and with the Queen of Hearts gunning specifically for me, I didn’t exactly mind the idea of having a guard of my own. Especially one as built as Chess was. Even with the loud yellow shirt he was wearing covering most of his torso, you could tell the guy had muscles upon muscles.
“If you were thinking of going that way anyway,” I said, and swooped in on the scone platter. Hatter had gotten a couple of my favorite flavor: vanilla-cranberry-pine. He caught my eye with a pleased glint in his as I scooped them up, the sweetly tart scent already making my mouth water. “And I’ll take breakfast with me. Thank you!”
Chess made an elaborate gesture with his hand as he dipped his head. “I promise to return her to you with all pieces intact.”
“You’d better,” Hatter grumbled.
“You’d better make sure you both stay in one piece too,” I shot back before I followed Chess out the door.
Chess sauntered through the city as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but he managed to be stealthy at the same time. We rambled down winding alleys that took us on a more direct route toward the silver spire that shone against the clear blue sky up ahead. Theo’s office and apartment were up near the top of that tower.
“I do believe every time I see the Queen, her skirts have added another layer,” Chess murmured to me. “Perhaps soon they’ll swallow her up and save us the trouble.”
As much as the sight of the Queen had chilled me, my lips twitched at the image he’d drawn. “I guess you saw her pretty regularly when you used to hang out with the Diamonds?” I said. He’d told me he used to visit regularly with the diamond-brooch-wearing courtiers who lived alongside the royal family in and around the palace.
“Ah, I preferred to steer clear of her even then. She does put you off your whatever-you-happen-to-be-having. And the only point in going to the palace is to have quite a lot.”
“Hatter said she thinks I’m here to overthrow her,” I said.
“It’s an easy thing for her to predict,” Chess said. “Nearly everyone wants to. The issue isn’t the motive but rather the means.”
He looked down at me as we walked into the Tower. The dimmer light inside didn’t dull his bright auburn hair. “You needn’t worry, Lyssa,” he said. “A Spade dug in is there to stay. We’ve danced around her for ages.”
“She caught Sally.”
His glib demeanor faded for a second. “Sally was on her own,” he said. “We’ll see that you always have company, wanted or not.” He punctuated that last comment with a wink.
We came to a stop in the tight but tall elevator shaft that appeared to run up the height of the entire building. My arm brushed Chess’s, and my mind darted back to last night, after our victory, when I’d told him I wanted him too and he’d offered himself for a kiss.
He hadn’t touched me in any purposeful way the whole walk here. Chess never seemed to worry much about anything, but it was hard to tell what was going on beneath his jokes and wordplay. Had he enjoyed that kiss as much as I had? Or was he regretting it now that the moment and the victory high had faded?
I wasn’t used to being this flustered by three guys at once. But there was something so compelling about all of them in their different ways.
“About last night,” I said, willing my tongue not to tangle. “The part at the end… I didn’t mean for you to feel at all pressured. If you’re not sure it’s really such a good idea or whatever—I won’t be offended.”
Chess blinked at me. Then his eyebrows lifted as he must have made sense of my rambling. “You’re talking about the kissing part. You’re worried I might have decided I object?”
My cheeks heated. “Um, yeah, basically. I don’t expect that you have to be into me that way. I only want that kind of company if you really want it too, you know?”
The smile he gave me then was a softer version of his usual grin, his expression so tender it sent a giddy quiver through me.
“I think this once I can produce an answer as straight-forward as you could ask for.” He raised his head to speak to the elevator. “Twenty-seventh floor. Chess coming calling with Lyssa.”
With a lurch, the cushion of air beneath us hurtled us upward. In the same moment, Chess traced his fingers over my cheek and lowered his mouth to mine. His kiss was as sweet as it had been last night, as tender as his smile. My heart leapt with it and with the rush of the air moving past. When he eased back as the elevator slowed, my head spun for a moment as I recovered my balance.
Yep, that was all the answer I needed right there.
“All right then,” I said. “I’m glad we got that sorted out.”
Chess let out a laugh that practically sparkled and nudged open one of the doors to Theo’s office.
And here was the third man I’d been kissing last night.
The White Knight had the kind of presence that filled a room, no matter how many other people were around him. As we came in, Theo looked up from where he was standing by his sleek white desk in the stark white room, where he’d been talking with the redheaded twins who’d helped yesterday’s mission. His stance was casual, the motion of his head subdued, but even if you’d never met him before, you’d have been able to tell he was calling the shots. Clothed in his usual white collared shirt and gray slacks, his tall muscular frame wasn’t as brawny as Chess’s, but it exuded confidence and power.
“I was hoping you’d make your way here this morning, Lyssa,” he said in his smooth baritone, with a smile that felt just for me. His dark brown gaze swept from me to Chess. “And Chess, you’ve got perfect timing. Can you scout out a secure location for a meeting this afternoon? Dee and Dum will round up as many of us as they can.”
“As your Knightliness commands,” Chess said with an extravagant flourish that ended in a salute. He blinked out of sight as his hand dropped to his side, leaving behind only the flash of his grin for a second before it vanished too.
Chess could turn invisible at will. A man of many talents.
The twins ambled to the elevator, presumably to follow him. The one wearing an orange polo shirt with blue slacks and bowtie shot me a quick smile. The one with a blue shirt and orange slacks and bowtie glanced at me and then away. I wasn’t sure which was which, but they weren’t identical in friendliness.
Theo came over to join me. He took in my expression, one of his chestnut curls falling across his forehead as his eyes searched mine. His face wasn’t perfect, his Roman nose slightly crooked, but that imperfection only made his handsome face more striking.
“The procession came past Hatter’s house,” he said, not bothering to make it a question.
The memory of the parade of guards and Sally’s head bobbing in their midst made my throat constrict. I nodded.
Theo’s mouth twisted. “I wish you hadn’t needed to see just how vicious Wonderland can be. As you can probably imagine, the Queen’s declaration has to put a temp
orary hold on our plans to get you home. We need to decide how to respond to her threat quickly.”
“Of course,” I said. It hadn’t even occurred to me that he’d be worrying about how to get me to the one remaining mirror he knew of, the one deep within the palace of the Hearts, not with this menace looming over the people he’d dedicated himself to leading.
Now that he’d mentioned it, a pang filled my chest. Melody had been so worried about me when I’d returned home bleeding a few days ago. My mom fretted about me even when I wasn’t facing down swords and daggers. If they realized I was missing, completely vanished from the only world they knew of…
But while I was here in Wonderland, time seemed to pass much more slowly in the Otherland where I belonged. I shouldn’t be gone for long enough for anyone to worry back home until a couple weeks had passed here. If getting to the mirror took longer than that... I’d tackle that problem when I got to it.
“I do have something for you.” Theo retrieved a container about the size and shape of a toothpaste tube from his pocket. “This salve should heal most of your wound so it won’t cause you as much pain—and it’ll be less noticeable to searching eyes.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised he’d have taken the time to take care of that with everything else going on. Part of the Inventor’s job was coming up with plans, and Theo seemed to have a plan for everything.
“Thank you,” I said.
He motioned for me to hold out my arm. The stitches stood out against the angry red line that ran from my wrist almost all the way to my elbow. Theo squeezed out a dollop of a swirling green-and-white gel that even looked like toothpaste.
A cool tingle spread through my skin and down into my muscles as he gently rubbed the gel down the length of the wound. The stitches and the redness faded. By the time he reached my elbow, the cut that had been gushing blood four days ago was little more than a thin pink line across my pale skin. Nothing visible from a distance; nothing noteworthy.
