Beneath his armor, the Black Knight’s skin crawled. Something about the human unnerved him.
“Oh, you don’t like my new pet?” She reached to play her fingers against the human’s arm. “Shhhhh, he didn’t mean it.” The boy remained unresponsive.
Crash. The Black Knight looked to the table where Maddi plucked the pieces of a shattered vial from the floor.
Her Majesty gave a sound of annoyance. “I really wish you wouldn’t break the nice things I’ve given you to work with.”
Maddi whimpered.
“Which reminds me, how close are you to finishing?”
Maddi turned, though she didn’t look up. “T-trying—”
Her Majesty cleared her throat loudly.
Maddi dropped to her knees, her chains clanking.
“Better. Go on.”
“F-flutter and fruit, not a tide but a stroke. Shade and smoke…”
The smile faded from Her Majesty’s face. She held out a hand as if to rest it against the air. Darkness crawled forward from the walls, pooling beneath her palm and stretching outward. It solidified into muscle, inky fire, white fangs, and red eyes, glowing with menace as black lips curled.
“I invite you to my home, give you a place to sleep, materials to do potentially your best work, and you insult me like this. My babies are not pleased.”
Maddi clapped her hands together, lifting them over her head. “Pass! Pass through the night, feathers and stardust.”
Her Majesty sighed. “Very well. You shall have more time. But remember, if you fail me, I’ll add your friends to my growing menagerie.” She ran her fingers over the Fiend’s head.
The monster snarled, its form flickering as if struggling to hold together. Paws shifted to inky fingers, then back again. The maw flattened briefly to an unfamiliar face before reverting.
“I always have room for new pets.”
Maddi drew back, bumping into the table. The jars and vials shivered against the wood. She hurried to her feet and went back to mixing her tinctures for … whatever Her Majesty desired. She hadn’t shared the details around the Poet’s capture with him, why she wanted her. He wasn’t foolish enough to ask her to explain herself, but he had inquired as to why she hadn’t just sent him to capture the Poet.
“Because you’re making a bad habit of failing me” had been Her Majesty’s answer. It had cut deeper than he anticipated. Then she poured salt on the wound by saying the human—Chess—would be running errands for her now. She needed someone she could trust with the important things.
“Now then,” Her Majesty cooed, snapping him back to the present. “While Madeline is a dear and works on my contingency plan, I need you two to do something for me.”
“As you wish,” the Black Knight said, frowning when Chess said it as well. The sound of their voices overlapping sent another unpleasant shudder through him.
“Chester, dear, if you would fetch the Eye for me, I would appreciate it. Burn that place to the ground and search the ashes if you must.”
Chess bowed.
She smiled and set a hand on his head. Then she turned her attention to the Black Knight. “There is something … about the girl that intrigues me. Her abilities suggest there is more to her than any of those fools may realize.” She stretched out along the throne, her body shifting, skin moving in and out of view. “I’d expected trouble from Hatta—still do, truth be told—but the girl is proving … resourceful. I want you to find her and bait her into a fight.” She played those red nails against her chin. “A fight where she has to protect someone. Test her. Push her. Then report back to me.”
The Black Knight hesitated, not really wanting to know the answer to his next question. “Am I to leave her alive?”
Her Majesty eyed him, her gaze knowing. For a moment he feared she would order him to slay her, just to test his loyalty. After all, even when ordered to cause Alice harm—as much as it twisted something inside him to do so—he always made sure it wouldn’t be enough to kill her. He’d almost failed on that front.
“If she falls, she falls. I am merely curious.”
The Black Knight bowed. “Of course, my lady. Might I voice a concern?”
She arched a thin brow.
“Not for myself, for…” He trailed off as his eyes moved to Chess, still kneeling beside the throne. “Addison Hatta is still a formidable opponent, even with the Madness eating away at him. Then there are the Duchess and Xelon to deal with.”
She chuckled. “Worried for my new pet?”
“Not in so many words. Worried he won’t be able to complete the mission on his own. I wasn’t, after all.” He couldn’t keep the bitterness from his tone. “And I like to think I’m a bit better at this than a corpse.” He didn’t like being replaced. It bothered him more than he was ready to admit, and she seemed to enjoy pressing him about it.
“So rude, my knight. Chester is not a corpse. Those are dead. They lack purpose. And I’ve given him one.” She played her fingers through Chess’s hair almost lovingly, were she capable of such a thing. The Black Knight doubted it. All she knew was devotion and rage, perhaps fondness one might keep for creatures, but not love. He’d known love well enough to recognize it, and it was not in her.
He blinked, brow furrowed. He wasn’t … Now his very mind was getting ahead of him. Know love? The idea didn’t bother him, but he didn’t know where it came from. Still, he schooled his expression. She already did not trust him with finding the Eye; he couldn’t give her reason to go beyond that.
“Perhaps you are correct. The traitors are formidable.” Her Majesty sighed dramatically, then waved a hand. The shadows around her shifted, oozing toward the throne. Her expression twisted, as if the exertion brought her pain.
Several black globs broke away, solidifying into Fiends as they came to gather at the base of the staircase. They hissed and snarled, the sounds keening as their bodies continued to morph until what appeared to be humans stood before him.
“Take them.” She gestured, sinking back against the throne. “Both of you. And do not fail me.”
His skin crawling beneath his armor, he bowed then turned to depart. He could hear Chess fall into step behind him, until they exited the throne room and the Black Knight turned left, heading for the rip in the Veil Her Majesty had forced open in order for them to travel back and forth between here and the human world.
Some of the Fiends followed after Chess. The rest stayed with the Black Knight.
Find Alice, bait her into a fight. That would be easy enough.
“Famous last words,” he muttered to himself before gesturing to the Fiends. “Sniff her out.”
Twelve
THE EASTERN GATEWAY
Alice knew the feel of a blade against her skin well enough to tell when someone had a sword on her. Any other time, that would probably be funny. Right now, it sent a cold wash through her body, her muscles freezing, her breath catching as her eyes darted to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever the hell this was.
The pressure from the blade eased slightly but did not draw away. Alice resisted the urge to swallow, fighting to keep her breathing even. Not only was she in some unknown place in Wonderland, unarmed, but now someone had a weapon on her.
“Nani shiteru no, koko de?” The words were fast, clipped, but Alice recognized the language, even if she didn’t understand it.
“I’m sorry,” she started, her voice slightly shaky. “I don’t understand.”
“What are you doing here?” A Japanese accent coated the words.
Alice’s mind danced over possible answers. Hatta had told her once that many Wonderlandians weren’t all that fond of humans, especially since one started the war. Most were fine or indifferent toward them, but was it worth the risk? “I don’t know, really. I mean, I didn’t mean to come. At least, not this time.”
“This time? You’ve been here before?”
“Yes, I—”
“How?”
Alice hesitated,
but only long enough for the pressure at her neck to increase slightly. “The Western Gateway.”
“The Western Gateway?” The blade withdrew.
Alice released a heavy breath, her hand going to her neck, though she froze when something moved at her right and a Japanese girl stepped into view. She moved carefully, clearly a fighter, carrying her body just so, ready to strike or defend. She gripped the hilt of a long Figment Blade fashioned to resemble a katana. Daylight glinted along the length of it.
The girl stood a little shorter than Alice, her cropped black hair falling around her face, just reaching her chin. Wide, dark brown eyes flickered over Alice.
“You’re really from the Western Gateway?” the girl asked.
“Uh, yeah.” Alice glanced to the side, then back to the girl.
“Who guards it?”
“Addison Hatta?”
“All right. That would explain the accent.” She twirled the sword up and then slipped it into the sheath just over her right shoulder. The black strap stuck out against her white blouse, which she wore over a pair of black leggings and matching boots. “But not how you survived that fall.”
Alice shook her head as her brain tried to wrap around this bit of information. “Wait, what?”
The girl aimed a finger upward. “There was a boom, like thunder? Then you fell out of nowhere.” She whistled as she swirled her finger toward the ground. “Flop! I thought you were dead. You should be.”
“Hol’ up.” Alice glanced at the sky, shielding her eyes with one hand, then looked back to the girl. “You’re telling me I just dropped out of the sky?”
“Like a sexy comet.”
Wait, what? Alice blinked rapidly, caught off guard. Her mouth worked for a second while her brain didn’t. “U-um, I—where am I?” There, that was a safe question, and one she actually needed to focus on, not the sudden uncomfortable heat in her face and flutter in her chest.
“Hikari no Aterie. Aah…” She bit at her index finger as she tapped the toe of one boot. “You can call it Fusasa Forest.”
Alice nodded, glancing around at the funky yellow cac-trees. “And what do I call you?”
The girl extended her hand. “I’m Haruka.”
Alice couldn’t help the little squeak at the back of her throat but covered it up with a faint cough before shaking Haruka’s hand. “I’m Alice. And I’m hella lost.”
“I can tell. The Western Gateway is not close.” Haruka shifted her weight, glancing around in a few directions as she chewed on her finger again. “Why are you here?”
At that, Alice flung her hands up. “I got no clue. I don’t even know how I’m here. I was…” She trailed off, remembering the altercation in the parking lot with that thing wearing Chess’s face. Groaning, she rubbed at her eyes. “It’s a long story, but I need to get back.”
“To the Western Gateway? That’s weeks in that direction.” Haruka pointed. “You don’t look like you’d last more than a few days, though.”
“Weeks?” The sinking in the pit of Alice’s stomach worsened. “This ain’t happening, man.”
“Mmm.” Haruka nodded. “It may be simpler, and faster, for you to go home the conventional way. Come with me.” She started off, sure in her steps.
Alice hesitated a moment before moving to follow the other girl. Usually she wouldn’t be so quick to trust some random person wandering through Wonderland, or anywhere else really, but Haruka had the chance to shish-kebab her and didn’t. Plus she had a Figment Blade, and looked relatively normal. Human normal, that was.
“So, when you said I’d have to go home the conventional way?” Alice’s eyes wandered over the other girl. “What did you mean?”
Haruka glanced over her shoulder. “A plane.”
* * *
The two of them walked for what felt like at least an hour, though the time was spent with Alice explaining what the hell happened right before she apparently dropped out of the sky. Then she had to explain things with the Black Knight, which Haruka knew a bit about, as the other Gateway guardians had been informed of what was going on and were on alert, just in case. Turned out Haruka was on her way to the Red Palace to try searching for the Heart again, and Alice dropping in sort of derailed things.
Alice offered to go with her, but it was decided they should go back first for a few reasons: One, Alice could call and let everyone know what happened and that she was okay. Two, she needed weapons; this was still Wonderland, and it wasn’t smart to go unarmed. Three, Haruka didn’t have enough supplies for two people to make the trip. This point was driven home when Alice’s stomach gave a gurgle. She had skipped breakfast and then didn’t eat much of her lunch, so she was pretty much starving by this point.
Haruka paused long enough to pull an energy bar out of the satchel she was carrying. “Here. It doesn’t taste great, but it’ll calm the beast.” She smiled in a way that sent a wash of heat through Alice, some of it settling in her cheeks.
“Thanks,” she murmured, taking the bar and unwrapping it, though she didn’t take a bite until Haruka turned back to lead the way. Alice devoured the bar in three rushed bites. She could practically hear her mother lecturing her to slow down, chew her damn food, or at least taste it, before swallowing.
Shoving the wrapper in her pocket, she froze as a low roar filled the air. Ice stampeded down her spine, and her hands went for her daggers, but they weren’t there.
“Shit!”
Haruka glanced over her shoulder, blinking. “What is it?”
“You don’t hear—” Another roar sounded. Alice hunched her shoulders, head whipping back and forth as she searched for the creature making that noise.
Haruka blinked, glancing around as well. “Oh, it’s the Furies. You have no need to fear them.” And like that, she faced forward and continued.
Alice hesitated, still in her ready stance, but as distance grew between them, she dropped it and hurried along. “Furies?”
“Mmhm.” Haruka pointed off to their left. “They’re dragon-like creatures. They live here and in the deserts to the north. A few in the seas to the south.” She paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face. “That gives me an idea. Come on, we’re almost there.” She took off at a jog.
Alice hurried after her, pitching a couple of glances in the direction of the roars as they went.
Dragons … in Wonderland. It didn’t really surprise her, but it still kinda did. In that moment, she realized just how little of Wonderland she’d explored, or seen. She wondered what else was out there.
The plains eventually bled into forests thick and lush, blue and yellow leaves of varying sizes springing from trees thick and thin. Pink vines curled through the overhang, blossoms of varying colors and textures sprouting along blue bark. The canopy stretched overhead, blotting out the still pink skies. Shadows crawled along the jungle floor, shifting as the girls picked their way through the underbrush.
Alice ducked under leaves as wide as her bed and climbed over roots shooting along the ground like thick veins. It took a bit of doing, especially at this pace, and especially since she was unfamiliar with this area. Right when she was about to ask how much farther they had to go, the brush parted and they stepped into a small clearing.
There it was, the Eastern Gateway. It looked exactly like the Western one, only instead of alabaster marble making up the stairs, platform, and columns, they were a bluish green that shimmered in the daylight, the color shifting and never quite settling.
“Romi-san,” Haruka called as she climbed the few stairs to the platform. Her steps echoed, the sound bouncing from the columns, the air humming faintly with it. “Romi? Doko ni iruno?”
Alice made her way up to the platform, turning to take in the area. Where the Glow was light and silver, this place was soft shadows and rich color.
With a whoosh of sound, the air at the center of the platform split in the same way Alice had seen many times before. The slices curled backward, folding open, and light spilled free. A f
igure wreathed in brightness stepped forward, boots sounding against what looked like jade as they emerged.
Alice blinked a few times, caught a little off guard by the sight that greeted her. A woman stood in the Gateway. She was already taller than Alice, but a pair of platform boots added several inches to that. The boots climbed her calves, and blue and purple striped tights went the rest of the way to a pair of high-waisted cigarette shorts. Over those was a bright orange sweatshirt cropped short, but just long enough to be modest. Ish. The woman had the hood pulled up, and a pair of cat ears rested atop her head.
She took a slow drag on a vape pen, the whine from the mod just loud enough to hear, then blew a cloud of bright pink smoke into the air. Alice followed the sugary puff as it rose above their heads and vanished. She looked back to the woman, who watched her with hooded amber eyes so bright they seemed to glow.
The woman said something in quick Japanese, and Haruka answered in turn. Alice heard the words Western Gateway in there somewhere.
The woman looked back to Alice, took another drag, and blew smoke into the air. This time, it was green.
“So.” The woman rolled the word along her tongue. “You’re Hatta’s girl.” Her Japanese accent wasn’t as pronounced as Haruka’s.
Alice’s face flamed, and she swallowed before clearing her throat. “I work with him, if that’s what you mean, yeah.”
“My condolences.” The woman clicked her tongue. “You’re a long way from home, Miss … Alison, right?”
“Alice.”
“Alice.” The woman nodded. “I’m Romi. Welcome to the Eastern Gateway.”
Thirteen
WHO ARE YOU?
Romi turned and stepped back through the way she’d come. Haruka moved to follow and, after the briefest moment of hesitation, Alice hurried after them.
She stepped into the bright haze, blinking as her eyes stung slightly. The whirl of the Gateway closing behind her filled her ears. A wave of unease rolled through her.
A Dream So Dark Page 11