With a screaming battle cry, I bring the blade down on the Jabberwocky’s neck, only to be met with resistance and a shallow cut. He roars in pain and fights hard against the chain. All the soldiers focus on keeping him landlocked, none raising their weapons. Only the Vorpal Blade can kill a Jabberwocky. Only the savior can deliver the final blow. I pull the sword free and hack again, and again, and again.
The Jabberwocky’s screams turn to gurgles, and still I hack and scream in outrage, tears leaking from my eyes with the extreme emotions flooding my body. Rage, fear, determination, Love, it all takes over until I’m a mess. Blood splatters my face, and arms, until I’m covered in it, drenched in the gore of a monster. I don’t flinch from it. I revel in it.
“Cal!” Someone yells, but I don’t turn. I keep swinging. “Cal!”
“What?” I snarl, whirling to meet Clara’s eyes where she stands behind me.
She’s much the same as I am, covered in blood and bits of gore, her hair hanging in strands around her dirt-smeared face.
Anger still fills my body, the Vorpal Blade calling for more blood, Wonderland urging me onwards, my viciousness taking over. I can taste the blood that covers me. It should disgust me, but right now, I don’t care. It’s just another sign of victory.
“You did it, Cal,” she says, speaking slowly, like she’s talking to a spooked animal. “He’s dead.”
I look down at the mutilated flesh beneath me, surprised to see the Jabberwocky’s head completely detached, his yellow eye glazing over with death. The mouth is open in a silenced scream, the fear still written across his face.
“You’re sure he can’t come back as a zombie?” I ask hesitantly. I’m not sure what is possible, not after the stories of Alice standing back up after a massive gunshot.
Jupiter laughs at my words, and my eyes flick to hers. She’s a little cleaner than Clara but not by much. Her hair is completely loose from the braid, flowing around her shoulders like a flame.
“He won’t be a zombie,” she promises. “I can feel it. His power is gone.”
I breathe a sigh of relief and turn to look for Cheshire, but I don’t get the chance. Screams fill the air before I can ask where my mate is.
“For fuck’s sake, what now?”
I twist around and look into the crowd of soldiers, just in time to see Tweedledum and Tweedledee begin to rip through them.
Chapter 51
Clara looks down at her wrist in alarm, searching the smooth skin there.
“The deal! The deal is done!”
Jupiter frantically checks her own and meets Clara’s eyes.
“Fucking really?” I growl, raising the Vorpal Blade again. It’s completely coated in blood, but it sings for me, ready for more. Can’t catch a break in this place.
The Tweedles focus their eyes on Jupiter, hunger on their faces, as they push through the soldiers attempting to bring them down. It’s useless, their power far greater than the creatures of Wonderland. They move through together as a unit, intent on their target. The Hope Bringer squares her shoulders.
“Come here, little girl,” they talk as one, growing closer and closer to us.
Jupiter growls. “My powers are depleted.” She meets first my eyes and then Clara’s. “This is gonna have to be a fight.”
That Hatter and White take up our sides, Doe standing guard behind us. We have to make up an interesting party, battle-weary and covered in blood. Flam lands in front of us in a crouch that makes the ground shake beneath our feet. His feathers are ruffled from the battle, a few of them sticking out at odd angles. There’s a deep red gash on his right flank, but he acts as if it’s not even there.
“Move aside, Half Breed,” Tweedledee hisses.
“Or we’ll eat you, too.” Tweedledum keeps his eyes focused on Jupiter, as if seeing her means capturing her.
“If you touch any of them,” Flam growls, his tail swiping back and forth. “I will destroy you.”
They hesitate. “You wouldn’t touch us.”
“Try me.”
Tweedledee hisses, and they turn their attention to us. Tweedledum meets my eyes.
“Mark these words.”
“This is not over.” Dee curls her lips.
“We are the Lost, and we will have your power.” Dum finishes by baring his teeth, before they turn, intent on heading into the woods, but they don’t make it far.
Attie steps in front of them, and my heart stops. Before I have a chance to run in his direction, or even move to do so, the Tweedles pull up short.
Attie swings his battle axe, still shiny and sparkling, at the twins. I gasp as it takes off Tweedledum’s head with a sickening slurp before the head falls to the ground with a thump. Tweedledee hisses in agony and lunges forward, but Attie swings again prepared, until two heads sit on the ground, and black blood splatters the ground. His golden armor sports the spray, giving the color a rusty appearance.
“What the ever-living fuck?” I growl, racing towards Attie and yanking him away. “What were you thinking?”
Attie looks at me funny, his eyebrow raised. “I told you, I’m the backup.”
“What does that mean?”
Hatter steps forward then, a grin on his face. “Atlas carries the Berserker axe,” he says proudly. “He had one mission today, and that was to keep his eyes on the Tweedles at all times.”
I turn on the Hatter. “You ordered my little brother to kill the deadliest creatures?” I snarl.
I’m ready to wring his neck, punch him in the nose, anything, until a harsh grunt comes from behind me.
We turn as one, and my eyes land on Cheshire, where he leans heavily against a tree. There’s still a gaping hole in his chest, blood flowing from the wound without resistance. His ears are drooping, his tail limp behind him, and he meets my eyes with faded blues. The electricity there is dull, no longer as bright as a livewire.
“Justice is done,” he whispers, a harsh gasp.
I’m already sprinting forward before he drops.
Chapter 52
Sitting at the tea party table, the amount of people attending today makes me uncomfortable. All victory comes with a cost, and we were not immune to that. We lost countless soldiers to battle, and every Card that fell, also, sits at the table, finally released from Alice’s curse. The table isn’t big enough and so we had to find crates and stools, anything people can sit on, to cram into the available space. There are even some people sitting on the floor, because we ran out of seating.
The table is overflowing with food and teas, every variety imaginable. For once, we have an entire section of the table safe to eat, and I tear into the meat pies with relish. They’re not as good as the ones my mom used to make, but they still hit the spot. I make sure to drink lemon-flavored tea today, remembering my mom’s smile when she’d stepped through the portal. She would have loved the celebration.
Hatter and Clara sit in their usual spots, the head seats always occupied by the hosts of the tea party. Jupiter, White, Flam, and Doe sit opposite me, relaxed smiles on their faces for the first time I’ve ever seen. There’s a collective relief that fills the room, as if suddenly, the sun has begun to shine again.
It hasn’t, not outside at least. The sky still stays unbearably dark, even if the plant-life glows a little brighter.
The doors open, and the mumbling of the guests quiets, all of us turning to the doorway. Cheshire stands there, his hand clamped over his chest where a bandage still rests. A Son of Wonderland can’t die, but he can feel pain. With a wound like Cheshire’s, it’ll take time to heal, time to rest. Now, the wound is mostly a shallow thing, probably will be healed by the next day, but for now, he keeps it wrapped with a bandage under Jupiter’s orders. No one can resist the new Hope Bringer.
Cheshire isn’t the reason that everyone grows quiet, however. It seems we have one last guest to this tea party that has everyone standing from their seats and placing their hands on the weapons they all wear. I don’t move for mine, knowing t
hat it’s pointless.
The little girl is no longer a threat.
Alice walks hesitantly around Cheshire and looks up at him, a tiny smile on her face.
“Hello, Cheshire.” Such innocence in those words that I feel my eyes mist. Wonderland had stolen all that Alice had become after she left, leaving behind only the little girl. She’s still Alice, still capable of great destruction, but she no longer has any power to do so.
“Hello, Alice.” I’m surprised at the softness in Cheshire’s voice as he gestures for her to go before him. Her little shoes make soft clicking noises as she makes her way down the table, closer and closer to our position. There are only two empty chairs in the whole room, and both of them are beside me.
“Should we be worried?” Clara whispers, but I shake my head.
There’s nothing to worry about anymore, not from Alice.
Her little blue dress is clean and wrinkle-free as she slides into the seat two spaces from me, Cheshire sliding into the one closest. Alice leans forward and meets my eyes.
“Calypso.” Her little voice brings the first tear over my lashes, but I don’t move to brush it away.
“Alice.” There’s a thickness in my throat that I didn’t expect, but I saw her in the visions. I know she didn’t mean to turn into such a monster even if she was twisted before the Jabberwocky. Having twisted thoughts and actually acting on them are two different things. Sometimes, fate is a real bitch, and little Alice was the victim of the wrong side.
Still, I don’t expect the words that come out of her mouth.
“Thank you,” she whispers, and there’s an awkward shuffling of the other tea party guests at the words. I can feel their confusion, matching my own, and their anger at the crimes this little girl committed as a woman. I understand it all, but they also haven’t seen what I have. Only Jupiter and Clara could know.
“For what?” I ask quietly.
She smiles, and I can see the first bit of mischievousness in those eyes.
“For making me a part of Wonderland again.”
And then she pours herself a cup of lemon tea as if she’s done it a million times and sips it quietly, not meeting the stares of any other creatures.
I suck in air and fight the emotion threatening to spill out. Cheshire, with his awareness, reaches over and curls his tail around my ankle and places his hand on my knee. I can breathe easier, and I look up at him gratefully.
“Pretend it’s just another day,” he whispers. “Or the emotions will consume you.”
Focus on one good thing. His words come right back to me, and I follow the advice.
I nod my head and look over at Attie on my other side. He’s been mostly quiet since the battle, far too mature-looking for his age. He’d returned the armor to the room, and the axe, even though Hatter told him it was his.
“I have no need of it for now,” Attie had replied to him. “So, keep it, until it’s necessary.”
There’d been so much strength in those words, when any normal teenager would have gleefully taken home a battle axe to show off to his friends. But Wonderland has changed us. It’s uncertain whether it is for the worse or for the better.
“I think there’s something important to address,” Flam comments, popping a piece of bread into his mouth.
“What’s that?” I ask, tilting my head.
“Who will rule. The Old King and Queen are dead. Their legacy gone with Prince Alex. And the White Queen is in no position to rule anything.”
“Can she be helped at all?” Jupiter bites her lip with her question, thinking through the possibilities.
“I don’t think so, but if anyone can find a solution, it would be you, Hope Bringer.”
Jupiter blushes with his words but nods her head in understanding.
“I think it should be Clara,” Atlas speaks up, meeting everyone’s eyes. “It makes sense. She’s been the one in charge since I arrived here.”
Clara shakes her head. “I’m not in charge, and I’m certainly not a ruler. Besides, I don’t like the word ‘Queen’.”
I snort, a grin spreading across my face. For a moment, I forget that little Alice is sitting beside Cheshire.
“Well then, All hail Empress Clara Bee.” I wink at her. “Or whatever title you want.
Alice sighs, and I tense, looking over. “An empress sounds lovely,” she says, that childish lilt echoing in the room. “Empress of Wonderland.”
I relax, a smile on my face.
“All in favor of Empress Clara Bee?” I raise my hand and everyone in the room follows suit. Clara watches in astonishment as every creature raises their hand, or hoof, or paw into the air. “Seems like it’s unanimous.”
“Well,” she mumbles, glancing over at the Hatter. “Seems I’m in need of an Emperor.”
A grin stretches across Hatter’s face, so silly that I can’t help but laugh. He stands and jumps up onto the table, his combat boots making the dishes rattle as he kicks plates aside.
He turns in a circle, addressing us all.
“As is the custom for proposals, I will now perform the Flutterwacken.”
I watch, shocked, as he starts dancing on top of the table in something that reminds me of the chicken dance rather than some romantic proposal. I cover my mouth to hold in my snort, but I’m too late, and I fall into a fit of laughter.
Clara isn’t much better. She’s laughing along with everyone else, delight in her eyes as he kicks china off the table. When he actually flaps his arms like a chicken and makes a sound in his throat so close to a rooster that it’s insane, Clara actually falls out of her seat, tears leaking from her eyes.
Hatter stops, so much happiness on his face that I can’t contain all the emotion. I bite my tongue in an attempt to stall it and only succeed in making it bleed.
“It’s alright, sis,” Attie says in my ear. “We won. And this is how it should be.”
I nod my head at him and watch as Hatter leaps from the table and picks up Clara from the floor. He doesn’t kneel. Instead, they stand face to face, as lovers, as rulers, as equals.
“Clara Bee, you were meant for me. Will you be my wife? Will you be my . . . Empress?” Clara laughs as he slides a large purple rock onto her finger, the stone seeming to glow from within.
“My dear Hatter, it’s about time. I want you completely, with or without the rhyme.”
She wraps her arms around him, and they kiss, the moment so beautiful, it hurts. There’s so much love there, so much trust, that I find myself looking for an escape.
As the room erupts in furious cheers, and a line of congratulations is formed, I whisper to Attie that I’m okay, before I slip from the room.
Chapter 53
Cheshire
I feel the moment she leaves the room, slipping away as if she can’t stand to be in here. I watch Clara and Hatter for a few minutes longer, nodding my head at them as they turn and receive the applause and congratulations. They deserve it, and I’m certain there won’t be better rulers than those two. Clara has a knack for emotions. Even now, her eyes flick towards the door where Cal disappeared.
To be honest, I’m just relieved it’s not me in their positions. My life is already restricted enough.
For a second, I stare at Jupiter as she laughs at something White said. My first instinct was to be bitter when I learned she’s the new Hope Bringer, but I realized that Danica would love her and wish her the best. Her quirkiness would have made them fast friends. I’m sad that Wonderland replaced her, but I choose not to look at it as replacing, as much as birthing a new power to protect the land.
Jupiter is the logical choice, and the emotional one.
I slip from the room in search of Cal, trusting the connection we have to find her, until I come to the usual window. When I climb from it and gingerly step onto the roof, I’m not surprised to see her with her chin on her knees as she watches the stars. The wound on my chest aches, still visible but mostly healed. The Hatter had slipped me some of his special
brew to keep Cal from worrying. She’d sat by me after the battle, when I was too weak to open my eyes, even after what I’d done to her.
I take a seat beside her, and we sit in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest. It’s more docile now, the shrieks of Bandersnatch nonexistent, the Beezles buzzing as usual. And the stars seem just a little bit brighter tonight, as if even they celebrate.
“I have to go back home,” Cal whispers suddenly, and I turn to look at her. I’d thought we might have more time before we had this conversation. My chest aches when she meets my eyes. “Attie needs to grow up in a normal world. Finish school. Achieve his dreams.”
I frown and look down at my hands, where they clench against my pants.
“I know.”
Cal bites her lips and looks back at the stars. When she speaks again, I recognize the heavy timber of a prophecy, the words sinking into my soul.
“Child of metal, fire in your soul,
You’ll take out Alice and save us all.
Open your heart and love complete,
The journey won’t be easy, and you’ll know defeat.
Wonderland asks for everything you have,
She’ll demand your heart, and that you take the Cat’s mask.
You must surrender it all to succeed in this war,
The third, the mate, the chosen liberator.
Your love will be deep, which will help you succeed,
Love Justice and Wonderland, but then you must leave.”
I let the words ring in the air, settling into my bones with their demands. Another prophecy to act on my life, another damned prophecy.
“Where did that come from?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“When you left Absalom’s house, she told me.”
“Makes sense,” I growl quietly. “The Caterpillar was never one to give up.”
Feral as a Cat (Sons of Wonderland Book 3) Page 23
