Hobbling over to his bed on his knees, my son grabbed his blankie and draped it over his head. “I don’t like this part.”
“I know, my love. Even so, to have rainbows we must have rain.” I waited for him to settle back in before I continued. “Driven by desperation, the boy pushed farther into the abyss than ever before. Jumping from land to land, he didn’t stop or hesitate. Until, one unfortunate day, he realized he had ventured too far. No longer could he blink his way home. A simple thought wouldn’t reset the clock. Somewhere, in the infinite maze of his mind, he lost his way. The harder he tried to return, the further he sank into nothingness. Time no longer held meaning. What was possible in one world, was lunacy in the next. Who he was here, no longer existed there. Years passed with no one for him to talk to, no one that could ever begin to understand. Numbed by the painful solitude, he found himself lingering longer in the more brutal worlds.
“If his cheeks were sliced to ribbons…
“If his back was beaten bloody…
“If he was thrown into a dank cell…
“At least he felt something.
“Along the way he forgot who he was. Couldn’t recall a detail about the place he once called home. One thing he never forgot was her. It was in a particularly watery tomb, where he sat marveling at the fact that he was miraculously able to breathe underwater, when he heard an interaction that reminded him of what it was like to care for someone, and have them care for you in return.”
Reaching down, my daughter patted her brother on the shoulder, coaxing him out from under his blanket. “It’s the mermaids! You can’t miss the mermaids!”
I waited for him to poke his head out from under the knitted blanket and offered him a wink of encouragement. “The boy heard the voice of a young man venturing closer, calling for someone by the name of Nessa.
“‘Alastor?’ the mermaid in the cell opposite of the boy rasped in response. ‘Is that you?’
“There was little light in that murky dungeon on the ocean floor, other than the boy’s smile that—for reasons he couldn’t begin to fathom—glowed a brilliant blue under water.
“Still, the couple found their way to each other as if drawn together by the magnetic pull of their hearts. ‘I’m here. I came as soon as I could. I had to wait for the changing of the guard so I could sneak in.’
“The girl’s sadness was audible in the uneasy quake of her tone when she said, ‘You can’t be here. If they find you, they’ll throw you into a cell or… beach you.’
“Curling his hand into a fist, the boy squelched a yelp of compassion for the star-crossed lovers. The first real emotion he felt in longer than he cared to remember.
“‘No one is going to be in a cell, or anything else for that matter. We’re going to get you out of here and swim far from the reaches of Atlantica.’ Hope reverberated from the merman’s tone. At least, the boy guessed that to be the emotion he was exhibiting. It had eluded him for so long he barely recognized it.
“‘And where would we go? Where could we possibly swim to free ourselves of Poseidon’s clutches?’ The girl’s fear strummed at the boy’s heart strings, making him wish he could help keep her safe. There was true terror to be found in the infinite of time and space, but if the couple could find a way to stay together, he believed they could be each other’s light to guide them home.
“‘I don’t know where we’re going,’ the hero rumbled through his teeth, ‘but we are going.’
“Unable to keep silent a moment longer, the boy floated to the bars of his cell. He wanted more than anything to offer them wisdom acquired from his travels, or tips on how to survive. But in the muddled mess his mind had become, the best he could muster was, ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.’
“No. That wasn’t right. That wasn’t what he meant to say. They needed more clarity than that. Even as he watched, he saw the girl dismiss his suggestion and whisper claims of his lunacy behind the back of her hand.
“‘I’m not crazy,’ the boy countered. ‘My reality is just… different from yours.’
“Yes, that was good. Sound advice! It even landed close to what he meant to say. Maybe he could be useful yet! Hands closing around the algae-slicked bars, he leaned in to absorb their every word.
“‘Someone is coming! You have to go. Something down here blocks my magic. I can’t get out and, more than that, I cannot watch another person I care about be condemned to this hole because of me,’ the girl shouted, any apprehension that had once been in her tone replaced by stone cold conviction. ‘If you care for me one iota, Alastor, do not ask me endure that anguish again! Go! Hide!’
“Sinking farther into the catacombs of the dungeon, the hero held tight to his lady’s hand for as long as he was able. ‘I’ll hide, Vanessa, but I will never leave you. Whatever happens, we go through it together.’
“‘Together,’ she seconded, their fingers stretching to their limits before breaking apart.
“Alastor.
“Vanessa.
“Listening to their interaction made the boy’s heart swell in his chest. Squeezing his eyes shut, he felt one lone tear slip from his lashes only to be gobbled up by the sea. Moments ago he had toyed with the idea of blinking his way out of that realm under the sea. Now, he wanted nothing more than to stay near the couple and aid their journey in any way he could. They helped him recall what love looked like. Reminded him… of who he was.
“His name was Sterling, known to many back in London as the Cheshire Cat Burglar.
“And one way or another, he was determined to find his way back to his sister
… Alice.”
Chapter One
“And, my Darlings, stay near them he did. Though that quickly proved a complicated task. Vanessa cast a spell which granted legs to all the merman, allowing them to storm the shoreline to battle their human enemies. Thrust into the middle of the battle, Sterling ducked and covered to stay alive.
Then, things took a horrifying turn.
The mermen’s tails returned, trapping them on land at the mercy of their enemies. Never having been shackled with fins to begin with, Sterling found himself immune to the change. Instead, he was powerless to do anything but watch as lifeless bodies littered the sandy shoreline.
To Sterling’s relief, the hero he knew as Alastor survived. But cursed with human legs, he couldn’t return home to his beloved. Having only each other in this strange, new world, the two men become reluctant travel companions. Somewhere along the way, they even became… friends.
Which made it all the more heart wrenching when Alastor sacrificed himself and became entombed within a magic mirror.
And his treasured love? Darkness and treachery morphed her into a tentacled sea witch thirsting for vengeance.
All seemed lost, yet Sterling refused to lose hope. Not when his heart was warmed by the first spark of it after years of icy loneliness. Holding tight to a shard of Alastor’s mirror—that allowed them to communicate—Sterling continued on their quest which had twisted into a mission to prevent a world-shattering war. Now, pay attention. This is where it gets tricky. Alastor’s mirror had fallen into the hands of Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Hades sought to use its all-knowing magic to claim his revenge against his brother Poseidon’s widow, Amphrite. For it was she who caused the death of his true love, Titonis.
Did I mention Hades and Titonis were Vanessa’s parents? That’s right. You think romance is tough? Imagine having your biological father trap the love of your life in a mirror. That is sure to result in some awkward family dinners… if Vanessa had any idea who Hades was.
Which she didn’t.
Complicated backstory, isn’t it? Well, we aren’t done yet.
As punishment for his many sins, Zeus arranged a marriage between Hades and a virtuous goddess from the Summerland by the name of Persephone. With powers over springtime, flowers, and vegetation, Persephone was a sweet, naïve young thing who believed their union would be t
ruly beautiful. She envisioned the kind of love forming between them that poets wrote romantic sonnets about.
Unfortunately, Hades would never give them that chance.
His heart still aching for Titonis, he treated Persephone with cruel indifference, leaving her abandoned and alone in the Underworld. Far from her home of flowers and sunshine, she soon realized the only thing that grew in the Underworld was resentment. Anger rooted deep in her soul, its poisonous vines clawing at her from the inside. One lone thought lessened her pain… to cut Hades as deeply as he cut her.
Where does that land us now in our story?
Vanessa, the evil sea witch, is terrorizing the Seven Seas with her wrath.
Alastor, the magic mirror, has become a slave to Hades’ whims.
And Sterling, the Cheshire Cat, finds himself tasked with prolonging a stand-off between the King and Queen of the Underworld for as long as he possibly can. Yet one thing has not changed for our odd little anti-hero; he still ached to be reunited with Alice. Now, thanks to Alastor’s limitless fountain of knowledge, he finally knew where to find her…”
England, 1865
Buggies puttered over cobblestone streets. The men driving extended a friendly wave or tip of the hat to those they passed. Women and girls in full skirts folded their hands in a demure fashion, and scurried off for afternoon tea.
In the backyard of one regal estate, Sterling rifled through clothes hung on a line in hopes a particularly dapper coat could distract from the garish scars that sliced his cheeks into a wide, manic smile or the odd striped appearance of his skin.
“What is this place, and how is it going to help me ensure Hades’ eternal suffering?” Persephone sneered, recoiling at a tabby cat that rubbed against her ankle.
Did I mention that while she was once a sweet and caring soul, time and hostility had made Persephone genuinely unpleasant?
“This is where we are going to find Alice and heal her.” Sterling paused in his task to pat his satchel where the fragment of mirror was safely tucked away.
Shoulders rising to her ears with equal parts rage and disgust, the goddess’ face reddened. “I don’t care about any Alice!”
Face falling slack of emotion, he blinked in her direction. “Oh, but you should. Legend states that she’s the only one who can defeat the Jabberwock.”
“What, in Olympus’ name, is a Jabberwock?” she erupted, crossing the line into foot-stomping annoyance.
She’s just a treat to be around, isn’t she?
“I don’t know. What’s a Jabberwock?” Sterling lobbed back.
Persephone’s mouth swung open, any and all words momentarily locked on her tongue. “What? I don’t know. You said it.”
“No, I didn’t,” he argued and returned to his task. “And, that was a most terrible riddle. Really, as a queen I expected far more.”
“I didn’t— Ugh!” Throwing her hands in the air, Persephone paced divots into the meticulously clipped yard. “Can you at least tell me where we are?”
Unfastening a few items from the laundry line, Sterling tossed a more time-period-appropriate dress her way. “We will discover that soon enough. If I could offer a suggestion, though? All the worlds I have traveled in, for some reason layers translate to wisdom. I don’t understand the logic, but the more I bundle the more respect and kindness I’m shown. And the less likely it is for people to throw manure at me. Which,” turning her way, his expression was stone serious, “should be avoided at all cost.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” the Queen of Darkness deadpanned.
“You can get changed behind the sheets on the clothesline, I’ll keep watch for you.” Seemingly oblivious to her snark, Sterling turned his back to grant her a bit more privacy.
“I lived in a land of nudity and togas.” Persephone shrugged off her gown, and wriggled into the lace frock Sterling gifted her. “Modesty isn’t something I’m cursed with.” She was struggling to coax up the new garment’s zipper, when she felt a familiar pang from within the house. “Who… dwells within this residence?”
Turning at her question, Sterling peered at the lovely Victorian two-story with hand-carved trim. “I do… or I did. This was my family home.” As if drawn by an unseen force, Sterling floated to the side window of what he remembered to be the sitting room.
And there she was.
His Alice.
Older.
Far more lovely.
Still very much asleep.
Seated beside her, reading aloud from a book of fairy tales, was the nurse Sterling hired to care for her. Tears welled in his eyes to see he had chosen well. Alice had been lovingly cared for. One small mercy in a sea of bitter regret.
Drawn by his sniffle, Persephone edged up beside him.
“That’s my sister.” Sterling wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. “She’s the one we came to save.”
“Why does she need saving?” Persephone’s nose crinkled in disgust at the fragility of mortals.
It was a simple question that Sterling hated himself for not being able to answer. Brow crumbled with confusion, his mouth swung open and shut. He knew he should know… that he once did. Even now, the answer was there. Somewhere in the dark recesses of his mind, that morsel of truth was buried beneath countless time jumps and shifts in reality. “There was something there. Not a spinning wheel, but something smaller… I think.” Chewing on his lower lip, he swam through the muddled sea of countless realities. “Sometimes it helps when I speak in rhyme, if for no other reason than it passes the time. Alice was fine with her shiny, golden locks. But all that changed,” the memory clicked and his glowing green eyes bulged with welcome relief, “when she opened the box!”
Persephone’s shoulders sagged with the weight of the revelation. “A box? By any chance would that be a lovely walnut box with a simplistic gold clasp?”
“The best gift you can ever be given is a lifetime of adventures!” Sterling nodded enthusiastically.
“I’ll take that as a… yes?” Flipping her curtain of golden locks over one porcelain shoulder, Persephone lifted a brow in the direction of the window. “It matters not. I can feel what’s wrong with her. Your sister is pulsing with the essence of the gods.” Noticing Sterling’s vacant blinks, she tried again. “She’s all glowy with an ethereal light only I can see, because I have it, too. Like a bear smelling another bear.”
“Yes, of course.” Sterling nodded along, his tone far from convinced.
“Let me try this another way.” Persephone used the last of her patience to explain, “She has enough divine power pumping through her veins to rule this realm and the next. But, because of her meager mortal existence, it crippled her instead.”
“A gift given; a treasure bestowed. A girl changed… or so it’s told?” Face a question mark, the words tumbled from Sterling’s mouth in his struggle to keep up.
Persephone’s lips parted with a pop. “You’re quite frustrating. Has anyone told you that before?”
Sterling’s chin dipped in an apologetic nod. “If once, a thousand times. Often brought on by one of my… rhymes.” His regret over uttering the last word was audible, yet in his frazzled state he couldn’t find any other way to articulate.
Filling her lungs to capacity, the Queen of the Underworld emitted an exaggerated groan of annoyance. “You’re really going to have to stop doing that. It’s been a while since I’ve smote anyone, but you’re making my skin itch to brush up on that little skill.”
“Sorry,” he managed, then pinched his lips shut between his thumb and index finger for added measure.
“My point is simply this; someone gifted your baby sister an artifact known as Pandora’s Box. Are you familiar with it?”
It was hard to say if Sterling knew of it or not considering his head started bobbing along the second she began speaking, and continued well beyond her posing the question.
Rubbing the tips of her fingers in a circular motion at her temples, Persephone attempted to th
wart a brewing headache. “All I want is to destroy my husband. That’s it. Just a bit of bloody vengeance. Yet, here we are.” Exhaling through pursed lips, she tried again. “The quick overview: shortly after the time of Achilles—when a godlike mortal was killed by a simple weakness—the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus foretold a day when a human would come along that would be worthy of their divine gifts. Each extracted a bit of their essence and stored it within the box. Myself included. It was meant to add strength, power, and invincibility to the chosen mortal. We envisioned it being given to someone along the lines of Achilles or Hercules… both bastards of Zeus. Truth be told, the whole box thing was probably Zeus’s idea as a way to keep one of his many scattering of children alive and safe. I wish I was kidding when I say that god would tangle with any creature that was willing… and a few that needed a little coaxing. But I digress. The point is, we thought we were welcoming in the new age by creating a means to breech the realm between gods and super-human men. We never intended our greatest weapon be gifted to a random little blonde girl.”
“Power gifted to an unworthy vessel.” Swallowing hard, Sterling fought the impulse to rhyme. “Will she… ever wake up?”
“Actually,” Persephone chuckled, her shoulders bouncing with wicked delight, “this should prove to be quite entertaining. All little sister needs to be able to handle the awarded attributes is a bit of divine grace. Lucky for you, I know exactly how to do that. There is one small catch…” She trailed off, waiting for him to ask what it was.
He kept quiet, choosing instead to blink in her direction.
“You have to vow to serve me!” she erupted in the awkward silence that followed. “Swear yourself to me, that you will join me on my quest to bring down Hades and I will reward your efforts by offering your sister my aid. But a word of warning; if at any time you break your vow, I’ll crush her life like a leaf under foot. Do we have an accord?”
The Unfortunate Souls Collection Page 41