by E E Rawls
He would find her, and see for himself who she was and if she held a clue to Mother’s whereabouts.
FROM THE SAFETY OF the small room, Cheshire listened in through a voice-catcher gadget hidden under Oz’s shirt.
“Healing the crowv people?” He pawed his furry chin.
Creating a second Wonderland, having another world under his rule—how wicked! The king was willing to destroy their neighbor, Earth, just to satisfy his own greed.
“I must get to Madnes. We must find and destroy those crystals before it’s too late!”
Chapter 35:
Vanished
“BEWARE...” the rocking-horse dragonfly had rasped in Madnes’s ear, what seemed like a lifetime ago now. “Oswick sinks further in danger. The Red King wills to take all for himself. Beware the portals!” The insect whined like a prophet in trance. “Seven crystals—you must destroy them all! Aaall...!”
Madnes opened his eyes, recalling the memory, and stared at the playground’s bare soil: the benches, swings, play equipment, along with the grass and trees, all gone.
But then tiny mushrooms and other colorful flora he recognized as indigenous to Wonderland began to sprout and grow, flourishing in place of the playground.
“Whoa, it’s like a piece of Wonderland is growing,” Harrey marveled. “Look, even the grass is strange colors! I wonder if blue worms will appear?”
“It’s not something to be excited about, Harrey,” he grumbled under his breath, watching the forested meadow that now replaced the park. The people around panicked, and some ventured to step on the foreign piece of land.
And then, a scream ripped the air.
“My sister, my nephew!” A lady ran across the park space, searching frantically, face wide with tears. “Where are they? They were right here!”
Madnes wished he had an answer, some kind of hope to give her. But everything and everyone who was in the park was gone. He turned aside and let the brim of his hat shield his eyes.
“Are they...?” Harrey asked tentatively as he followed Madnes away from the vanished playground.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” he replied. If this was just the beginning, then more people and land were going to vanish. And he had no clue as to the cause. You can’t stop something without finding what’s causing it, first.
“Madnes!”
He tilted his hat back at Alice’s call. They watched her trot up to them, once again wearing her cute green skort. “The same thing just happened at a farm across town,” she said. “A powerful force is at work. Someone in Wonderland must be doing this.”
He looked past her, contemplating. “The Red King wills to take all for himself. Beware the portals... Destroy the seven crystals...”
“Hm?” Alice and Harrey both cocked their heads in question.
“A strange insect told me that. At first I thought it was crazy, like most Wonderland critters are. But now...”
Alice nodded. “Maybe it was foretelling something?”
“Exactly.”
“But where could the Red King get the power to do this, and why?”
“Questions we’ll have to find answers to, even though there’s not much time.”
“Get moving then!” Harrey bounced on his heels. “If this keeps up, we won’t have an Oswick to come back to.”
“Your families,” Alice reminded. “You have to warn them and all the people on Oswick.”
True. But how?
Through the crowd of mixed terrified and fascinated people, Madnes scanned until he spotted the one person he could use.
“Inspector Coolette!” He trotted over to the stiff man.
“Hatter boy, and other delinquents,” the inspector acknowledged them briefly. “Staying out of trouble, I hope?”
Madnes shook his head. “Oswick isn’t safe anymore. You must warn everyone.” He motioned toward the stand of strange trees and the playground turned into rainbow-meadow.
“Why do you think I’m here?” Coolette sniffed. “We’re roping this place off.”
A cluster of police fanned out, ropes in hand, beginning to tie off the area from the public.
“That isn’t enough. An evacuation needs to be ordered!”
The inspector’s thick eyebrows fluttered. “This is an island, boy. Evacuation is no small order and no easy task. Do you really think we have enough boats and airships to carry every human off?” He shook his head briskly. “No, no. That is a last resort. We cannot let ourselves get stirred up by a few odd happenstances.” He nodded as if to agree with himself. “Yes, the scientists will come up with an explanation, and then we can think about what course of action to take—if any is needed at all.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Madnes exclaimed. “A park disappeared and grew back into something you’d only find in a fantasy novel! How can you not panic?”
“My job is to help keep the public in order, Hatter boy—not to get the island residents in a panicked mob that could do further damage. Now go,” the inspector shooed with a gloved hand. “Off with you. And no spreading rumors or hysteria.”
MADNES SHOVED OPEN the glass door to his office building, hurrying inside with Alice, Knight Pelur and Harrey on his heels. Harrey had the orphans in tow, Ash and Drisel, holding hands to keep up.
He knew the inspector was right about one thing: causing island-wide panic wouldn’t help matters, especially when there wasn’t enough transportation to evacuate everyone quickly. No, what he had to do was stop whatever was causing this. That was his job, and the only way to save Oswick.
If only his mom hadn’t been so stubborn, and Harrey’s uncle too. They refused to budge an inch from their homes and fly to the mainland, not while there was so much uncertainty about what was happening. A hurricane people understood—they knew the danger and consequences. But this...no one could understand it, and so, people like his mom refused to leave.
The doorbell announced their entry.
“Madnes! It’s about time you got here.” There was the gray tabby, pacing back and forth on two booted paws before the counter.
“Cheshire, you’re a sight for sore eyes!” Relief flooded through Madnes. Cheshire could fix this problem. Surely he would know what to do, how to set things right. He’d never been more glad to see the cat!
“Hello, Madnes,” said a second voice.
Madnes’s footsteps faltered before he reached Cheshire. The hair on the back of his neck rose, and his pulse quickened. He lifted his gaze from the cat up to the person standing behind him, swathed in a black frock coat that concealed royal clothes.
The person who had tried to kill him, who almost ended Alice and Ugly Duckling, and who successfully ended Nico’s life.
The person whose fault everything was.
Cold rage stormed inside him, ready to be unleashed.
“Oz.”
Chapter 36:
Unexpected Quest
FOR ONE LONG SECOND, Madnes glared cold fury at the prince, and Oz likewise stared coolly back.
And then, all heck broke loose.
Before Cheshire could get a word in, Madnes lunged for Oz’s throat.
Oz swiftly side-stepped, raising a hand that grew crow talons to cut him as he passed by. But Madnes redirected his momentum and spun around to face the taloned hand—knocking it away with a balled-up fist and leaving Oz open for attack as his other fist struck Oz’s cheek.
The force of the blow sent Oz skidding back, crashing into a table and chairs and hitting the far wall.
Cheshire yelped, as Oz staggered to his feet. “Stop, Madnes! This isn’t what you think! You can’t—”
The cat was ignored. Oz wiped blood from his mouth with a dark grin, then sprouted his crow wings and charged into Madnes, top hat flying off as they hit the floor in a heap.
Black feathers and red-carrot hair mingled in an angry blur.
Cheshire’s paws reached out, wanting to stop them but helpless to do so, instead berating them loudly with his voice.
Fro
m the sidelines, Harrey called out: “Two points for Madnes! One point for Oz. Another point for Madnes!” Next to him, Knight Pelur held a clipboard, keeping score.
Alice ushered the orphans back and covered their eyes with her hands, no matter how much they begged to watch.
Amidst the turmoil, a shadow fell over the room, and with it two large hands descended: one each grabbing Madnes and Oz by the scruff of their collars and yanking them apart. “How many times do I gotta pull you boys apart, eh?” a familiar voice boomed.
Madnes wiped away blood from a cut above his eyebrow and saw heavy belted boots and the hem of a duster coat. He craned his neck painfully and met the rough stubble face of his uncle; a wide-brim hat played shadows across his jagged features.
Cheshire sank to the floor, exhausted. “Cosmic Hunter! I could not have asked for better timing. Thank you.”
Cosmic tossed both Madnes and Oz to the floor, a hand each pressing down on their shoulders to keep them seated. Despite a black eye, the prince kept smirking. Madnes watched angrily as the injuries healed, and felt his own body heal somewhat too.
“Whoa, all that fighting, and they’re already healed enough to battle again,” marveled Harrey.
“Yes, let’s beat each other up for eternity, Madnes.” A spark lit in Oz’s eyes. “I could use the therapy.”
“Ha! If therapy’s what you want, how about I give you something that’ll really knock you out?” Madnes jabbed a fist—or tried to. His uncle’s hand on his shoulder shoved him back down.
“Enough, you rascals! Sheesh.” Cosmic shook his head of shaggy black hair.
“Indeed!” Cheshire stepped in, now that the danger of getting caught in the crossfire was past. “You didn’t give me a chance to explain things, Madnes. You must learn better control over your emotions. Oswick is at stake, here.”
Madnes shut his mouth, halting what he’d been about to say. Adrenaline still pumping, he crossed his legs and crossed his arms, seething but listening. If only Oz would wipe that aggravatingly pleased smirk off his face!
“I’ll begin by sharing with you what I’ve just learned...” Cheshire began, and proceeded with a monologue about the portals, the dangerous state they were in, and what the Red King had planned.
Madnes in turn told about the Forest of the Haunted—glaring sideways at Oz—and of the current situation with the park disappearing and growing back into a garden of Wonderland flora.
“Terraforming spell?” Madnes reviewed Cheshire’s information. “Though, I’m not surprised the Red King is bad news, just like his son.” He ignored the arrow of hate Oz flung his way.
“Yes, you were spot on in your prediction,” Cheshire admitted. “But we have to stop the spell before we can confront him. Time is short.”
“You mean, find the seven crystals to break the spell?” said Madnes. “Some Wonderland insect told me the same thing.” He considered, then sat up straight. “What’s this got to do with Oz? Why is he here, when he’s the enemy?” he demanded. The crowv prince’s wings and claw were gone, now looking like any other handsome human.
“I told you,” the cat sighed, exasperated. “He wants to find the crystals as much as we do, for reasons I promised I would not say. We could use his help, Madnes. We need every little bit we can get for this quest.”
“Quest?” Harrey interrupted. “We’re calling it a quest, now? Woohoo!” He slung on a backpack crammed with supplies. “We’re gonna become famous adventurers! Heroes who saved the world—the sort that people make up songs and ballads for!” he swooned. “I really want my own ballad, something heart-wrenching and epic.”
Madnes blocked him out of the conversation with a hand. “You think I can forgive Oz, let alone trust him, after what happened to Nico?”
Ash and Drisel were all ears, keeping a distance from the prince and waiting for Cheshire’s answer.
The cat looked worn out. “I know this isn’t ideal, Madnes. But it’s for the sake of Oswick, your home. That is, if you want there to be a home you and your friends can come back to. I don’t know what fate will befall the people who live here.”
The words hit hard. Madnes kept his lips shut against the tirade writhing inside his chest. His uncle’s heavy hand moved to pat his back.
“I’m comin’ with ya, lad. Cheer up!” said Cosmic. “Nobody ever saved the world by cryin’ and glarin’, so pucker up that miserable face of yours.”
Madnes rolled his eyes, but he had to agree with his uncle’s blunt logic. “Fine.” He took a shaky breath, his body still cooling down. “How do we locate these crystals?”
“Heheh.” Cosmic pushed the brim of his hat back with a thumb and grinned toothily. “That’s why yer feline friend called me here! I know just the person who can help us with that there problem.”
Chapter 37:
The White Duchess
HIDDEN DEEP INSIDE an obscure cave, which Cheshire led them to, was a portal resembling a small pond. Its surface swirled and groaned, like an angry whirlpool ready to swallow them whole.
The sight made Madnes question whether this was a good idea or not. But Cosmic sauntered up, turned, and let himself fall backwards into the swirling blue, just before saying: “This one’s stable enough for now, kids. But gettin’ back home may be a problem if we fail our quest. Ah well, life’s full of risks!”
With that, Uncle vanished beyond the blue.
Madnes swallowed and clenched his fists, not wanting to think about the risk of failure, then dove in after him.
A world of blue, and the chilling feel of ice running along his skin, enveloped him, and then Madnes found himself stumbling out into Wonderland’s daylight. He almost lost his footing when the ground rolled and crunched beneath him. After diving into the portal, he’d expected to come out the other side horizontally, but instead, this side of the portal was a vertical swirl in the air, and it spat him out.
He stared down at his boots and the red stuff under them: the ground made of red, porous pebbles. They crunched like cereal when he stepped. The air was salty, and he could hear waves and see a beach far to the left. They were on an island—part of an archipelago of bits of coral trees and red sand.
He helped Alice and the orphans as they stumbled out of the vertical rotating portal. Harrey tripped over the crunchy terrain and got a mouthful of red, which he then vigorously spat out. Cheshire, Oz and Pelur strolled forward without a hitch as if they’d stepped onto normal pavement.
Cosmic Hunter was already far ahead, hiking up the red slope toward what resembled a giant seashell. As they got closer, Madnes could see the shell had been carved and made into something like a monastery, with many floors and windows. Its gates were oyster shells, and two fish-like people stood guard.
Cosmic reached them first. He waved one of his hands to the guards and spoke. “Gwee blub bloo blee, fa jeejee ah voo.”
Behind him, Harrey guffawed. “Is that really a language?”
“‘Course it is!” Cosmic angled his head back. “I’m fluent in all kinds of speech, boy. Comes with the bounty hunter job.”
Madnes shook his head. The fishy guards swung the oyster gates open, and Cosmic led the way inside.
The interior of the palace was the smooth inside of a shell, off-white with hints of pink. A shorter fish person bowed before escorting them down a grand curve-walled hallway.
An oyster door at the end swung open, and they poured into a room of dangling shell lanterns and arched windows. At the head of the room sat a large clam, its white halves closed. No one else seemed to be present besides them.
Madnes absently tugged at the brim of his hat, turning about and wondering what they were supposed to do now, when Cosmic approached the clam, kneeled, and proclaimed.
“White Duchess, greetings! Blee bleu gur. We have come to seek your gracious assistance!”
Alice and Harrey’s expressions were as mystified as his own. Had his uncle finally gone insane, speaking to a clam? Was it the destiny of every Hatter? He glimpsed
Oz and Cheshire, both blank faced, and Pelur was off trying to munch on the seaweed curtains, muttering something about “too salty.” Ash and Drisel wandered here and there, poking at things.
A minute passed, and Cosmic didn’t budge one inch before the clam. And then a loud creak came as the clam before them began to open.
It opened like a giant mouth, and a person stood up inside and stretched fin-like arms—a pearl-white fish person, with a long dress and hair like seaweed that swayed as if underwater. Large fish eyes set in a humanoid face regarded Cosmic and then the group behind him.
“A long time I not see you, Cosmic Hunter,” she said, and glided out of the clam to alight on the floor. “You brought Madness Solver, I see.”
She drew near and circled Madnes slowly. “Normally I not allow people to interrupting my solitary prayer time, but for you I make one exception. Is emergency I hear in your voice and see in your eyes, yes?”
Cosmic nodded, and Cheshire stepped forward, giving the duchess a sweeping bow. “White Duchess, a terrible spell has been cast upon the portals—one that will devastate Earth if not stopped,” he explained with grace.
“To surmise, you need location of crystals that are generating this spell?” The fish lady gestured, and a pearl table rose out of the floor, a map engraved across its surface. “Yesss, I have felt disturbances. I wondered what took so long for you to act, Cheshire. You not are on top of things well, lately.”
Cheshire bristled, and Madnes hid a grin.
“I would have been, if my apprentice wasn’t still a greenhorn.”
Madnes grimaced. “So,” he spoke and moved to view the table, ignoring the cat, “can you pinpoint where the crystals are for us?”
“Hasty you are.” She bopped the tip of his nose with a too-slick finger. “I like that.” She grinned, showing fish fangs. “Come and observe.” She stretched a webbed hand out over the engraved map, and the group gathered around the table to watch.