A Dream So Dark

by L. L. McKinney

  “Yes, no thanks to you. Imagine being raised for a single purpose and failing so spectacularly at it I had to trick my enemies into bringing it to me.”

  Indignation flared within him. Before, he would’ve remained silent in the face of her onslaught, finding he deserved such punishment, but something … a part of him newly awakened … did not want to stand for this. Even so, he kept his tone as even as possible. “I did all you asked, Your Majesty. I learned of the Eye’s location from the White Queen, I poisoned her and Addison Hatta so they would have no choice but to seek out a cure in the Heart, which meant restoring the Eye, as you wanted—”

  “And at every turn, you somehow managed to let that girl get the best of you.” Her tone sharpened once again. “She was to be a means to an end. And yet, for some reason, you’ve gone out of your way to … I don’t know what you were doing, exactly, other than jeopardizing my plans. It causes me to wonder if you are indeed loyal. If you’re strong enough to do what needs to be done.”

  “I am, Your Majesty.”

  “Oh? Let’s find out.” She tilted her head to the side. “Chester.”

  Chess stepped into view from where he had no doubt been skulking behind the throne, waiting at her beck and call. His arm was still broken, but shadow slithered along the length of it, slowly righting the injury. The sight repulsed the Black Knight. Grave as his own wounds were, he never wanted that muck near him.

  “I have a gift for you,” she purred, before extending the Vorpal Blade to Chess.

  The Black Knight blinked in confusion, then incredulity. “I … You said the sword’s power would only respond to my call, Your Majesty.”

  “Are you questioning me?”

  He dropped his chin. “No, Your Majesty.” But to see his sword in another’s hands? No, he’d seen it in Alice’s. She’d even wielded it against him. To see it in those hands … twisted something inside him he couldn’t rightly understand.

  “You aren’t very good at keeping track of your things.” Her eyes bore into his. “So I have no choice but to take them away.”

  “Am … I to go unarmed, Your Majesty?” He barely managed to temper his voice.

  “I suppose not. Chester, give me your old sword.”

  Chess handed over the blade in a manner similar to how the Black Knight had presented the Vorpal Blade. Her Majesty took it by the hilt and flung it from herself the way one might fling soiled clothing. It landed with a clang at his feet.

  “Go on,” she cooed, when he didn’t move to retrieve it.

  Shame and indignation, and no small touch of anger, pouring through him, he bent to take up the weapon.

  “Good. Now, then, about your loyalty to me. Let’s test it. You can christen your new sword by driving it through Alice’s heart.”

  His body stiffened as ice slid down his spine.

  “Then you are to bring me her head. Do this, and I will question your fealty no longer.”

  It took a moment before he could manage the words. “Y-yes, Your Majesty.”

  She smiled and tilted toward Chess, beckoning him with a curl of her finger. “Chester will accompany you to make sure her friends don’t give you too much trouble, and that you do as you’re told. If, for some reason, you fail, Chester will finish the deed. It should be simple enough, with the Vorpal Blade.”

  A look crossed Chess’s face that mirrored the apprehension in the Black Knight’s heart. “I—I…”

  She froze, her eyes lifting to her new pet. “You?” she coaxed gently, her expression anything but.

  “I…” Chess’s lips twisted as he fought for the words, but he couldn’t manage them. His brow furrowed. He blinked, his eyes brightening just a tad. Then he glanced around, uncertainty clouding his expression.

  Her Majesty reached out to press a hand to his torso. “What was that, Chess?” Her fingers flexed, and the shadows crawling over his broken arm pulsed.

  And with that, his face settled back into complacency. The light left his eyes. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Yes indeed.” She pushed to her feet, still grasping the Eye.

  The Black Knight was thankful for her fixation on it, otherwise she may have noticed the way every muscle in his body tightened when she brought Chess back under her control. Had she ever done that to him? Was she doing it now?

  “Oh, and one more thing.” Her Majesty gestured between them. “If you fail, Chester will kill you as well. Am I clear?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” the two of them replied together, Chess under her sway and the Black Knight out of reflex. It shocked him, how easily he agreed to his own execution merely because she willed it so.

  No … This wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure what was anymore, but this certainly wasn’t.

  “Good. And also bring me the Poet. Now that I have the Eye, her real work begins.” She stepped around the throne and toward the archway at the far end of the chamber. The shadows slid after her like obedient dogs.

  Chess descended the stairs and came to a stop just in front of him. He stared with those dulled eyes.

  “You’re going to let her do this?” the Black Knight whispered, when he was certain she was out of earshot.

  Chess didn’t respond. The shadows around his arm continued to pulse.

  The Black Knight sighed. “Seems you have no choice in the matter.” Tightening his grip on the metal sword, he turned to head for the door, Chess on his heels. “And neither do I.”

  The two of them exited the throne room and moved into the long corridor that would take them to the dungeons. If he was going to save Alice’s life, and his own, he had to do something before they reached the lower chambers. There, Her Majesty’s “pets” kept watch.

  “Or perhaps we do,” he said evenly, just loud enough he knew Chess would hear. He didn’t respond, though. “We don’t have to do this. We can convince Her Majesty to spare them. Tell her they could best serve her alive.” He cursed himself for being unable to keep the desperate edge from his voice.

  The torches through the halls were cold. The glass and mirrors that reflected natural light throughout the palace fogged and dingy. This place was bleak, hollow, much like the growing fear tearing at his chest. Oh, he was afraid, well and truly terrified for the first time he could remember. It ate at him, slowly taking him over. But not only fear for himself, fear for Alice. For what would happen once they reached the dungeon. They approached the stairs leading down. It was now or never.

  “I don’t know what Her Majesty is doing to you,” he murmured. “But … it doesn’t last.” He was proof of that.

  Chess made some snorting noise, indignant. His feet scuffed against the carpet.

  Clang. The Vorpal Blade hit the floor.

  Confused, the Black Knight whirled. His eyes went wide.

  Thirty-Three

  COMPLICIT

  Addison had not laid eyes on Castle Findest in almost two hundred years, but the memory of it was clear as crystal. The high spires still glittered in the sun, but the overall appearance of the place was dulled, dimmed, lacking life. Even in the heat of the day, the stone walls appeared cold, foreboding. Lush as the surrounding woods were, very little grew on the palace grounds. A fire had once burned here as bright and lively as the Red Queen herself, but that light had long left this place, same as she.

  Or so everyone thought.

  Drawing the horse to a stop, Addison dismounted. He patted her neck, the turquoise hair shimmering beneath his fingers. “Thank you for the ride.”

  The horse sniffed. “I still don’t think going in there is a good idea.” Her tone was two parts disapproval, one part fear. “There has been a taint in the air for some time now. Other animals no longer linger. Even the plants have started to withdraw.”

  “How long has the taint been present, exactly?”

  “Mmm. It is relatively recent.” The horse shook her head as she turned this way and that. “A shame. This place was lovely once.”

  “It still is.” Addison drew the sword
he was able to procure from the town smith from its place strapped to the saddle. It was a simple blade but would serve his purposes. “Hopefully we can keep it from being lost completely.”

  “I wish you well in your endeavor.” She turned to go, then paused. “Will you need a ride back? It’s a fair distance on two legs.”

  “I don’t wish to impose.” And he doubted he would be making the journey at all.

  “There is no imposition, Sir Knight.”

  “Just Addison is fine,” he murmured. That name, that title, he wasn’t worthy of either any longer. “But … there are others who may need help, even if I don’t.”

  “Mmm. Very well. I will do what I can.”

  “I appreciate it.” He set a hand to his chest and bowed.

  The horse dipped her head before turning to trot back down the overgrown road.

  Wincing, Addison dug his fingers into his chest a little. Naette’s potion was working wonderfully, but the ache near his heart remained. Something told him no potion, no tonic, no salve would soothe this hurt.

  Sword in hand, he headed for the side entry to the palace. The massive doors were shut and sealed from the inside. He pressed his way into the receiving hall and couldn’t help the way his breath caught just slightly.

  Everything was exactly as it had been when he last visited. The high ceilings of glass and crystal that let in the daylight, tinting it the faintest red. The trappings and furnishings ever pristine. It was, as always, picture-perfect, but it lacked the one thing that always made such places sing softly

  Life.

  There was no staff, no gathered courtiers, no laughter or singing. The palace was all but a glorified husk, a pretty corpse.

  Releasing a slow breath, Addison pressed on. Down one hallway, then the next, silent as possible. Gradually the sparkle faded. The walls and carpets grew weathered. Time may not have touched the grand entry, but it slithered through other parts of the palace.

  He moved carefully, slowly, senses straining for signs someone was here. Natural shadows lined the halls. A hush filled the empty space. There was a sense of age and yet agelessness that clung to every facet of the palace, as if it lay dormant and, with the right Verse, could be awakened again.

  The majesty of the grand palaces of Wonderland was much to behold. There was power at these nexus points, though neither Legracia nor Findest would ever rival the wonder of Emes.

  He would have to be nostalgic later. Now he was focused on locating Alice, or anyone else who might be present. Xelon had to be here somewhere, at the very least.

  Coming around a corner, he went still when he heard the distant roll of voices.

  “We can convince Her Majesty to spare them. Tell her they could best serve her alive.”

  Addison recognized Humphrey’s tenor tone, and his heart stuttered. Humphrey could be talking about any number of people, or he could be talking about Alice and the others. Either way, he couldn’t leave whoever this was to their fate.

  He shifted along the wall, pressed against the shadowed stone, and waited.

  Humphrey stepped past first, a slight limp to his gait. Chess followed, shadows crawling along his body. Addison slipped forward, coming in behind him, moving silently, swiftly.

  “I don’t know what Her Majesty is doing to you,” Humphrey said. “But … it doesn’t last.”

  Addison launched himself forward, his arm going around Chess’s neck. The boy was nearly a head shorter than him, making it a bit easier. He gagged, dropping his sword in order to claw at Addison’s arm.

  The blade hit the ground with a clang.

  Humphrey spun and froze. His mouth opened as if to say something, but he didn’t. He glanced up and down the hall swiftly before looking back to them as Chess struggled in Addison’s arms.

  The boy twisted and bucked, fingers clawing at Addison’s sleeve. Addison rode the attempts to throw him off, tightening his hold until he felt the other start to go still. Catching Chess’s weight when the boy went limp, he carefully lowered him to the ground. Kneeling beside him, he reached to check his breathing and pulse. Not dead. Good. Alice and Courtney would be quite cross.

  Addison glanced up and right into Humphrey’s shocked face, then smiled. “Hey.”

  Humphrey’s mouth worked noiselessly for a second before he looked to Chess, then back and forth between the two of them, lips pursed.

  “Where are the others?” Addison asked as he hooked his arms under Chess’s and dragged him the short distance to a nearby pillar, propping him up against it.

  “What are you doing?” Humphrey hissed.

  “Rescue mission. Sounds like you were thinking the same.”

  “I … wasn’t…”

  Addison glanced up and down the hall for any signs anyone or anything had heard that brief scuffle. “Sure you were. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t’ve have let that happen.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “You didn’t stop me. You could’ve, but you didn’t. Ergo, you let it happen.”

  Humphrey puffed his cheeks but didn’t say anything.

  Gone his memories might be, but he was definitely still himself in there, and that was a comforting thing.

  “While I appreciate your assistance with step one, there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Addison said. “Where are your captives?”

  Humphrey glared at him, his expression stormy, his lips tight.

  Addison fought back a smile. The other knight used to get that same look whenever Addison did something to irritate him. But this wasn’t hiding the other’s greaves or putting dew milk in his tea. “You’re already complicit in this rescue, you may as well go all the way.”

  “Am I?” Humphrey snapped. Then his eyes went to the Vorpal Blade. It still lay where Chess had dropped it.

  Addison tensed. If Humphrey went for it, he wouldn’t be able to stop him.

  Humphrey flexed his fingers. “Let’s test that theory.”

  Thirty-Four

  REUNITED

  Alice’s whole body went rigid as she waited for whatever lurked in the shadows to pounce. If it was a Nightmare, none of them had any weapons to defend themselves. If it was something else … Well, Alice didn’t really want to imagine what else would be skulking around down here.

  The shadows shifted again. Everyone froze.

  “A-are … the ravens flying?” a small voice chirped, just before feet shuffled and a familiar face came into the dim light.

  “Oh my god!” Alice stumbled the short distance across the cell and threw herself down beside the mousy girl. Her knees banged against the cold stone, but she didn’t care about the pain. Her friend was alive!

  Maddi was never much of a hugger, but she wrapped her arms around Alice and squeezed.

  Alice could feel her trembling, shaking so hard it sent shivers through her.

  “L-lot … lost … and shadow…” Maddi’s voice quivered as well, soft and withdrawn. “In a past. Far gone, n-no, no!”

  “It’s okay.” Alice sniffed and drew back, wiping at her face. “It’s okay, we’re here.”

  Alice hugged Maddi again before withdrawing so the Duchess could do the same, smiling and speaking softly to the bartender. Behind them, Xelon had gone to her knees, the unconscious Odabeth lain against her. Haruka stood near the door, her eyes flickering between the group and the stairwell.

  “Trapped,” Maddi breathed. “Trapped, a flutter, a wing and stutter.”

  “Are you all right?” Alice asked, not understanding a word the other girl said, but her frightened tone spoke volumes.

  “Moonlight … moonlight song!”

  The Duchess settled beside them, her gaze intent as Maddi babbled her usual, though now frightened, babble.

  “She says that woman, the one we fought, has been experimenting with Slithe and corpses. She’s … trying to raise an army of undead Nightmares, one that—” Her head whipped around to Maddi, and she said something in quick Russian.

  Maddi nodded, her head bobbing
.

  “An army that what?” Alice pressed. Undead Nightmares sounded bad enough, but something told her that situation could be made worse.

  “That can’t be purged…” The Duchess trailed off, her eyes wide.

  “Is that possible?” Haruka asked.

  The look on the Duchess’s face said not only was it possible, but that she’d seen it before.

  Maddi continued speaking, snapping the Duchess out of her stare.

  “She says … Chess was one of those experiments.”

  Alice’s stomach plummeted. Did this mean he was really dead?

  “But the process was unstable,” the Duchess continued. “So, because of Madeline’s service as Master Mixologist to Queen Portentia, that woman sent Chess to capture her. She believed Madeline could help perfect the procedure. Maddi worked for her, but flubbed it here and there to buy time until she was rescued. She did manage to stabilize Chess, but doing so keeps him under the woman’s control, because of the Slithe. It’s … different from normal Slithe, bound to that woman’s essence somehow. Madeline doesn’t know if there’s a way to sever the connection without … without killing him.”

  Tears brimming, Maddi looked to Alice. She sniffed and winced. “I—I…” Another flinch as her lips worked. “So … s-sorry…”

  Her own tears spilling over her cheeks, Alice leaned in to wrap her arms around the other girl, squeezing. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Pardon me for interrupting a tender moment.”

  Alice drew back, fury coiling through her, as she and everyone else turned to find the Black Knight peering at them through the bars. He stood with his sword drawn, the black blade resting against his shoulder in a casual threat.

  “Her Majesty wishes a word, Alice,” he murmured, his tone heavy.

  “Tell her majesty she can kiss my ass.”

  “Happy to, but I’m afraid if you don’t comply, I’ll have to start poking holes in your friends, and neither of us wants that.”

  Alice stiffened.

  “Just come quietly, and they’ll be spared.” He pressed his hand to the wall, and the door popped open slightly.