“I wouldn’t have had to face him in my night clothes if you had bothered to tell me what was happening!”
“By all means, yell louder.” Alice jabbed a hand of the dark shadow soaring overhead. “Alert the beast with fire-vision of our exact location.”
“Hey, you’re in love with that fire beast,” Persephone shot back.
Lightning flashed overhead, followed by a low rumble of thunder.
Sterling kept his stare locked on the sky, reading every vein of light that rumbled across its face. “He’s not coming for us. Not yet. But we have to move fast.”
“Move where?” A hint of panic snaked through Persephone’s tone. “We’re surrounded by shrubberies!”
“We won’t be. Just wait.” Arms out wide, Sterling herded them back a few wide paces.
A bolt of lightning struck the outside wall off the maze in a blinding flash, burning a crater into the foliage. As the leaves and branches surrounding the now-gaping hole hissed and crackled, the trio broke through the billowing smoke onto the dirt path that lay beyond.
“How did you know—”
Spinning to face her, Sterling offered her his full attention. “We can stop now and I can explain the intricacies of the situation. Or, we can get some distance between us and a fiery death.”
“I’m all for avoiding the fiery death alternative.” Catching Sterling by the sleeve, Alice broke into a sprint with Persephone falling into step behind her.
All three sprinted, although only one of them understood why.
“Helllooooooooo,” rasped a bright blue caterpillar toking on an elaborate glass pipe.
“Don’t talk to him!” Sterling warned, not breaking stride. “Last time I was here, I took one hit from that pipe and my hand started talking to me. Darn thing was judging all my life choices. You know the worst part? It made some really solid points.”
“I’m going to need you to tell me that story later,” Persephone shouted to hear herself over her pulse pounding in her eardrums. “When we aren’t running for our lives!”
“Gooooood-byyyyyyye!” the caterpillar called after them, treating himself to another puff.
“We just have to make it to the looking glass!” Sterling glanced over his shoulder, secure in the knowledge that the Jabberwock hadn’t shifted its course their way… yet.
“Then I’ll be granted the power to defeat Hades?” Tripping over a rock, Persephone stumbled forward.
Catching her elbow, Sterling kept her upright. “No, then you’ll give up all your power and start again in a world without magic.”
Persephone came to an abrupt stop, planted her feet, and shrugged off his hold. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Not that anyone asked,” Alice interjected with the raise of one finger, “but this actually works perfectly with my plan. You leave and I pop right into your place.”
“I’m not going anywhere. And I’m sure as hell not giving up my magic.” Persephone’s teeth ground to the point of pain, adding to the sting of this deception.
Sterling didn’t shrink under her stare, but met it head on. “You have to, or what was will be again.”
“You can’t know that. You said it yourself, the circumstances have changed. I’m not that person.” Even to her own ears, Persephone’s claim was far from convincing.
Head tilted, Sterling’s face was painted with sadness. “You’re holding on to your hate. Same as her. The only way to break the chain of events is to let go.”
“I could win. I could defeat him! My power here is stronger than it’s ever been. There’s no way you could possibly know that if I stay here and face him I’ll become the monstrous version of me you met!”
“I know,” Sterling interrupted, his words calm and measured, “because I lived this night before.”
“Again, a version of it, not this exact one.” Persephone shook her head, blonde hair tangling with her lashes in her attempt to shake off the dark thoughts creeping in.
“My nightmarish trip here was the same night, a lightning storm just like this,” his chin jerked upward at the forks of brilliant light cutting across the sky, “burned the hedge maze to the ground. The same maze we just ran through, which is currently smoldering.”
Throat suddenly constricted by a vice grip of guilt, Persephone glanced back at the maze where embers were feeding off of leaves and growing into flames. “It’s… not possible.”
“I thought that, too. At first. But, it makes sense. You’re an industrious girl. If you knew Hades was here, you would have found your way with or without me.” Sterling’s hand drifted up, self-consciously brushing the corner of his scar with one knuckle. “That’s why I had to get you out of the castle, that’s where it happened. All this time, I couldn’t understand why. I’ve been haunted by the sound of my own flesh tearing, which couldn’t be drowned out by my screams. I watched my blood pool and I couldn’t fathom how anyone could be so cruel. It’s all been coming back to me, little by little. And I realize I lived our whole journey in the reverse order. That’s where I got lost. That’s when the present and past jumbled into a murky mess in my mind. People think me mad. They don’t realize imagination has been my only weapon in a war against reality. Now, I remember and I understand. After she mutilated me, the Queen of Hearts marched straight out of the castle, waving her blood-soaked arm overhead.”
“Why would I do that?” Persephone rasped, tears burning behind her eyes.
Sterling’s head raised from his chest slowly, gazing off into the distance as the secrets of the world were splayed before him. “She thought a blood sacrifice would lure him in. But, he was coming for her all along. Drawn to his queen by the blaze of her hate.”
As the words left his lips, a pair of enormous wings sliced through the clouds of smoke. The Jabberwock had come for them.
Chapter Nineteen
“No. No one decides my fate but me. I’m getting the two of you out of here. Then, I’ll deal with him.” Persephone stabbed a finger at the lizard king soaring straight for them. Then, spinning on the ball of her foot, she caught Sterling by the wrist and bolted.
While Alice half-heartedly jogged after them, her gaze stayed locked on the incoming nightmare of scales and fang. “Wait! I could talk to him! He listened to me in the Underworld. I may be able to get through to him now!”
The night brightened to a midday glow, flames shooting from the Jabberwock’s glare. His blaze torched more of the maze and made escape to the south of them impossible.
“The scorching flames of death suggest he’s not in the talking mood!” Persephone shouted, her throat raw from the heavy haze of smoke.
Coming to an abrupt halt, Titonis turned with a beaming smile to welcome her true love... the murderous lizard.
Glancing back over her shoulder, the Queen of the Dead groaned her annoyance through gritted teeth. “For Olympus’ sake! You are a special kind of stupid.” A twirl of her fingers lassoed Alice/Titonis with her magic and floated her off the ground and to Persephone’s side at a speed that matched her own. “Now is not the time for conversation! You run, or you die… and that second part isn’t happening on my watch!”
Straining against Persephone’s power, angry red blotches sprouted on Titonis’s neck. “It’s Hades! If he knew it was me, I could get him to listen!”
The trio ducked as another streak of fire whizzed by. Covering their heads with their hands, they protected themselves from the dust and debris that rained down.
“I’m not going to presume to understand your relationship,” Sterling wheezed, sweat streaming from his brow. “But I would be curious to know—good gracious, running is hard! Is it possible to choke on your own spleen? Ugh!—summing it up, you made him hate you in the Underworld. Why do you think he’ll listen now?”
Titonis slammed the heels of her fists against the bubble of magic surrounding her. “He will if he recognizes me! I just have to convince him. What better way to do that than to wear the face of the one person he wants to get intima
tely close to and completely decimate? There can’t be two versions of you here, people would surely notice and it would cause more problems than solutions. But, Persephone, I am begging you! Allow me to become you!”
The glow of the moon was blocked out by the cloud of reptilian destruction closing in fast.
Seeing Sterling falling behind, Persephone wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him upright and moving. “You used to be the craziest person I knew. She has since stolen your title.”
“I’m slowing you down.” Sterling glanced to the vicious jaws of the Jabberwock opening wide in an ear-piercing shriek. “If any of us hope to make it out of here alive, you need to leave me behind and get to the tea party. There, you’ll find the looking glass.”
Leaning to the side, Persephone adjusted her hold on Sterling to take more of his weight on her. “No. I’ll burn before I let anything happen to you.”
Sterling’s tongue clucked against the roof of his mouth, his tail sagging with exhaustion. “That’s the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. Now shut up, and run.”
Lightning flashed.
The ground shook.
Fire licked at their heels.
For the first time, Persephone allowed in the notion that her own rage could cost her someone she truly cared about. Unwilling to accept that, she pumped her legs harder still.
It was then that a high-pitched whistle cut through the night. Perched next to a hollowed-out tree trunk, he stood on his back paws with the front ones resting on his hips. “Anyone need a fast exit?” His floppy ears jerked in the direction of the fallen tree.
Swallowing hard, Sterling’s brow furrowed. “Does anyone else see the talking rabbit? Or, was I downwind of the caterpillar?”
“I do, and we’re going for it!” Grabbing Sterling by the shoulders, she shoved him toward his chance at escape.
Stumbling forward, he fell head long into the hole and disappeared with a high-pitched squeal.
With the Jabberwock’s wide wingspan filling the sky, Persephone drew Titonis to her.
“Leave me here! I can reason with him, I know I can!” Titonis raged, fighting against the goddess’s influence.
The fresh belch of flame burning straight for them argued otherwise.
“Yeah, okay. Down the hole with you,” Persephone deadpanned, and tossed her husband’s ex to safety.
“Your turn, your Majesty. Move it or lose it!” the Rabbit coaxed, anxiously hopping from one foot to the other.
For a beat, she hesitated. Locking eyes with the reptilian nightmare, she entertained the idea of facing off with him right then and there.
A fight to the death, with no casualties but the two of them.
As enticing as that thought was, she couldn’t do it. Not anymore. As much as she wanted him dead, she cared about Sterling’s safety more. The Cheshire Cat would go through the looking glass. Then, she would rip Hades from the sky and make him pay.
Feet planted in a warrior stance, she pointed one finger at the swooping Jabberwock. “I’ll see you soon, my husband.”
Chapter Twenty
“Mirror?”
“Mirror?” Floteson echoed after Jetteson.
Praying it was Vanessa finally willing to talk to him, Alastor’s hopes were dashed the instant he saw the zebra sharks staring back at him. “You beckoned?” His irritation was audible.
Jetteson glanced toward the cave entrance behind him, his tail urgently swishing from side to side. “We worry about our queen. She’s made many enemies in Atlantica. Powerful enemies.”
Floteson twined his body around his brother’s. “Now, Triton has married and she’s become obsessed with tracking his every move.”
“We fear what you’ve warned us of will come to pass,” they chorused in unison. “Please, help us save her from herself.”
And just like that a spark of hope ignited on the ocean floor. “Listen up, boys. I know exactly what you need to do. Keep the shard close by. When you hear my call, make her look into it. We will tear her from that toxic realm if we have to do it kicking and screaming.”
Tumbling down the tree trunk, Persephone slid through a thatch of thistles before being spat out in a clearing of spongy grass and lush trees.
“We’re here. We made it,” Sterling gasped, still struggling to catch his breath.
Pushing off the ground, Persephone’s mouth fell open. “What is this place?”
Paper lanterns of every color were strung from the low-hanging branches. Centered beneath them was a ridiculously long table decorated with more cups and saucers than Persephone had ever seen.
“It’s the tea party, and we were nearly late!” the White Rabbit bubbled. Bounding between them, he took his place at the table next to a waifish beauty with wild red hair.
“Welcome!” The redhead tipped her top hat to them. “You can call me the Hatter. How wonderful to have guests!”
Grabbing a cup with his tiny paws, the rabbit treated himself to a sip. “They have a friend who’s coming. He’s rather large. I fear our chairs won’t accommodate him.”
“We’ll find a way.” The Hatter treated her friend to a grin that bordered on manic. “The more guests, the more fun at a tea party.”
“You can’t keep me from him! You can’t!” Free from Persephone’s hold, Titonis knocked over dishes and a pot of clearly labeled Earl Grey as she climbed up on top of the table. Waving her arms frantically over her head, she shrieked her throat raw. “Hades! Hades, my love, I’m here!”
“Oh, how nice! A performance!” Rabbit gushed. He and the Hatter joined together in polite applause.
Persephone whipped around, thankful to find the Jabberwock wasn’t scorching at their heels... yet. They had time, but moments only. “Sterling, whatever you need to do to find that looking glass, do it now.”
With a resolute nod, he darted to the table. Plucking the lids off of the tea pots one by one, he peered inside of each.
“Is there a kind you like?” the Hatter asked over the rim of her cup. “We have Green Tea, Black Tea, Herbal Tea, White Tea…”
Sterling’s nose twitched as he sniffed the air. “I’m looking for a mouse.”
“A mouse?” Persephone cringed, a lump of dread sinking fast in her gut.
Rabbit’s beady eyes flicked from Persephone to Sterling and back again. “Of course, a mouse, silly girl. He’s a cat. But I’m afraid we have no mouse tea.”
“A horrible oversight on our part.” The Hatter tsked.
“Hades, hear me!” Hands balled into fists at her sides, Titonis screamed her face purple.
“Everyone can hear you, dear. But if you’re worried, try yelling from the diaphragm. You’ll get better range,” Hatter helpfully suggested.
The whole scene was mad, yet for some reason Persephone had run headlong into it. Rubbing her hands vigorously over her face, she tried to find some sort of clarity to cling to in the sea of chaos. “Sterling, you said we were searching for a looking glass.”
“Maybe he wants a snack. I often get hungry in the middle of chores.” Plucking a raspberry tartlet from the tray of desserts, Rabbit popped it in his mouth. His whiskers twitched with delight as he chewed.
“I don’t want a snack!” Sterling barked, fighting to keep his composure despite his visibly trembling hands. “And I know this sounds insane, but there is a little mouse who attends this party to get drunk off the tea leaves. He lives inside a wardrobe. Within the wardrobe is the looking glass. That, is our only way to finally be free. It seems bonkers, but it’s true.”
“Completely bonkers,” the Hatter interjected.
“I can save us,” the desperation in Sterling’s eyes pleaded for her to understand, “if you just believe in me.”
“Hades! Come to me!”
“Sterling?” Combing her fingers through her hair, Persephone squeezed her eyes shut and took a blind leap of faith. “Find the mouse.”
With a smile brighter than the
first brilliant light of dawn warming his features, Sterling bowed his head to the task with renewed vigor. His hands moved with feline grace, overturning every mug and peering into every teapot.
“You know,” the Hatter’s lips parted with a pop, “he spoke of the mouse being drunk. Do you think he might be partaking in our fermented tea?”
Sterling froze, hands hovering over the lid of his umpteenth teapot. Out of the corner of his eye he glanced to Persephone, finding her on high alert same as he.
Rabbit patted Hatter’s hand with one fuzzy little paw. “What a clever goose you are! Yes, yes! The fermented tea. We keep it in a pitcher under the table and only serve it to the surliest guests. A cup or two of that and they’re far more friendly.”
Tail standing in an upright point behind him, Sterling disappeared under the table and come out with a glass pitcher cradled in his hands. Floating within, was a very drunk, possibly dead dormouse. “The mouse is the key, but what does that mean?”
Rabbit’s nose crinkled into an adorable cringe. “I think you have to eat him.”
Swallowing down a gulp of her tea, the Hatter dabbed at her lips with the corner of the tablecloth. “He was sleeping in the tea. Maybe you just need to drink that.”
“Hades! I will wait for you forever, my love!”
Leaning back in his chair, Rabbit crossed his little legs at the ankles. “This show has grown tiresome. I do wish she knew another song.”
“Which is it?” Sterling erupted, sloshing the amber liquid up the sides of the pitcher. “Do I eat it or drink it?”
If Persephone saw or heard any of this, she didn’t let on. Her attentions were locked on the log they slid down which was now gushing with plumes of smoke. The woods around them grew eerily quiet. A murder of crows cut across the sky, high over the treetops, moving like a living current. As quick as they came, they were gone, blazing off into the horizon as fast as their wings would carry them.
The Unfortunate Souls Collection Page 52