Malice in Wonderland Bundle 3

by Lotus Rose

  Sleepy finds herself wondering if the area around the throne formation was chopped away and sanded down just to make the throne, but now she realizes that this is a magical, symbolic place, and probably nobody shaped anything—it simply is this way.

  She exchanges a wary glance with Jabby before returning her eyes to the seated jabberwock female. So far, everymonster they’ve encountered has been a symbol—like the phantoms, like the bound male, and she wonders if that resting female jabberwock is some sort of symbol as well.

  Jabby shoots a look at Sleepy that she interprets as him asking if he should go ahead and try to speak to the jabberwock.

  Sleepy B gives him back a nod of encouragement.

  Jabby tentatively approaches the seated jabberwock girl.

  “Excuse me, milady,” he says in a soft voice. “Hate to be a bother...”

  The female jabberwock’s eyes slowly open. She glances at them, looking unimpressed—usually the sight of the floating Cat’s head is enough to stir some excitement, but alas, not this time. “Yes?” she says. “How may I help you?”

  “Yes,” says Jabby, “Um, we were sent up here to try to find a way to cancel the kissing spell. Do you know about it?”

  “Do I know about myself? I should say so! You wish me to cancel myself?”

  The teammates exchange puzzled glances.

  The Cat says, “She must be a symbolic representation of the spell. The witch said this realm is made up of symbols.”

  The female jabberwock says, “The witch sent you?”

  Jabby says, “Yes. Are you the spell that makes jabberwocks and little girls kiss instead of fighting?”

  A nod. “I am. And who might you all be?”

  “I’m Jabby, that’s Sleepy B, and the Cheshire Cat.”

  The Spell says, “You’re a little girl.”

  “I’m just a girl. I’m not little.”

  “How is it that you were able to climb the stairs? There is enchantment to prevent it.”

  “I was enchanted as well, when I started up them—under a glamour to make me appear as a jabberwock.”

  The Spell murmurs, “That should not have worked, if you really are a little girl. You must’ve used some other trick.”

  A sudden realization pops into Sleepy B’s head—the stairs had let her up, even though it only lets jabberwocks up. Could that be because the stairs consider her to be a jabberwock?

  To the Cat, the Spell says, “How did you get up the stairs?”

  “Didn’t bother with the stairs. I floated.”

  “Ah. So is it true that the witch sent you to tell me to destroy myself?”

  Sleepy B and Jabby again exchange glances. Sleepy B is wondering if they’re discussing the same witch—after all, there are an awful lot of them out there. From his expression, she feels Jabby is thinking the same thing.

  “Yes,” Jabby says. “That’s what she told us.”

  The Spell’s eyes narrow. She looks back and forth between Jabby and Sleepy B—even throws a glance at the Cat. “Why does she want me to kill myself when I am so close to my goal of the kiss of black death?” She stands up—a full grown eight foot tall female, with a vorpal blade in a scabbard, and Jabby and Sleepy B both take an involuntary step backward.

  “Whoa, calm down,” Sleepy B says.

  The Spell sneers. “I don’t take orders from little girls. I could kiss you right now, if I wanted.”

  Sleepy B is momentarily puzzled by the outburst of affection, before she remembers. “You’d give me this kiss of black death of yours?”

  “No, my little human. I haven’t built up enough kiss energy for that yet, but I can give you one of my special kisses that works specifically on little human girls or male jabberwocks—a kiss of death, or a kiss of incapacitation.”

  “My, how specific,” the Cat says mockingly. “Do you have one that works on cats?”

  “No, but I have two kinds that work on male jabberwocks. For cats, I always have my vorpal blade I can use.”

  “So do you consider us enemies?” Jabby says.

  She peers at him, seeming to truly take him in for the first time, her eyes roving up and down his body. “Yes, for the time being, my delectable specimen. For you see, the only way to get me to release my stored kisses, is to kill me. But you don’t have to do that, big boy.”

  “I don’t?” Jabby says.

  “No, you can stay here with me, toss the human off the side. I’ve been so lonely since I broke up with my fiance.”

  Sleepy B huffs and crosses her arms. “I must say, your suggestion is rubbish.”

  “Yes, it would be very inconvenient for me to kill her. She’s my servant,” Jabby lies.

  “Well, then dismiss her. Why did Zenta send her in the first place?”

  “Zenta?”

  “Yes, the witch’s name.” Her eyes crinkle in suspicion.

  “Oh, yes, that’s right. She only mentioned her name once,” Jabby lies.

  “Why does the witch wish to end me, when I am so close to finally attaining the kiss of black death?”

  “Umm,” Jabby says. “Why do you think?”

  “Either she decided she wasn’t done with love after all, or maybe she’s gotten second thoughts about unleashing the kiss of black death. Or, I dunno, maybe she even got back together with Vox.”

  “Vox?” Jabby says. “Oh, yes, Vox. Oh, yes, that’s it, she got back together with him,” he lies.

  The Spell sneers. “Oh, that prat. Well, as soon as he inevitably messes up again, she’ll have to revive me.”

  “You can be reincarnated?” Sleepy B says.

  The Spell looks to Jabby, says, “Can’t you keep your human quiet?”

  “Silence, puny human, or I shall smash you!” He shakes a fist at her.

  Since the Spell isn’t looking her way, Sleepy B rolls her eyes at him.

  “To answer your question, I can absolutely be revived. I am a spell, and I can be cast again, even though Zenta is the only one capable of doing it, because she has the only copy of the spell book. Once I’m restarted, it shall only be a matter of time for me to gather up all the kissing energy again, until I can finally unleash...the kiss of black death!”

  Sleepy B is dying to find out what exactly that is, so she makes eyes at Jabby, who says to the Spell, “You’ve mentioned that kiss before, but never explained it.”

  “Didn’t the witch explain it to you?”

  “I’m afraid not,” Jabby says.

  The Spell looks to Sleepy B, who shrugs.

  When she looks at the Cat—“I don’t know about it, either. But I wouldn’t tell you if I did, for I’m a non-interfering observer.”

  “Pheh,” the Spell says. “How much did she tell you about everything?” she says to Jabby.

  He shrugs. “Not very much, I’m afraid.”

  “Well, then, you must be a pretty lowly monster, for her to not even bother filling you in. She just ordered you to come kill me? Just like that? Why, you don’t even have a vorpal blade!”

  “The claws of a jabberwock can also pierce jabberwock flesh,” Sleepy B says with a sneer.

  Jabby says gently, “We are not here to fight. The witch told us to talk to you...”

  “Poppycock! Who exactly are you, Jabby?”

  Sleepy B feels the panic rising up within her—any further questioning along those lines could blow their cover, so she wants to shout out something to distract and enrage the Spell. What she comes up with is her shouting, “The witch told us only a half-witted gormless prat would actually think the kiss of black death was a good idea!”

  “Codswallop!” the Spell shouts. She rushes at Sleepy B, causing her to flinch, but she stands her ground—the spell kneels, pressing her muzzle within an inch of Sleepy B’s nose.

  Sleepy B fights the urge to panic as she feels the Spell’s breath upon her face. The Spell snarls, says, “I could end you right now, human. I happen to have two special kisses that work on little girls—a kiss to subdue, and a kiss to k
ill. You should pray I don’t use the second one on you.”

  Sleepy B fights to keep the fear out of her voice. “Forgive me if I offended you. Perhaps if you explained it all, we could realize how obviously correct you are about the whole situation.” She struggles to keep the mockery out of her voice, since she realizes she’s playing a dangerous game.

  The Spell pulls away. “Very well. You want an explanation? Fine, I shall give one, but not for your sake, little girl, but for this fine specimen of monsterhood.” She locks eyes with Jabby and takes several steps toward him. “I’m sure that once I explain it all to you, you shall realize that the witch played you for a fool. And no longer shall you wish to end me—instead, you will want to stay up here, by my side, as my companion. So I’ll fill you in, since you seem quite ignorant—feel free to stop me if I stumble into anything you already know...”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “FIRST, MY STORY. MY name is the Spell of the Kissing Curse, and I was cast by the witch, Zenta. Normally, I have no real form, but here, I am symbolically represented by the female jabberwock you see before you. Take a good look,” she says seductively to Jabby. “Like what you see?” She winks at him.

  “Err, yes,” he says bashfully. “You are a very handsome symbolically represented female jabberwock, and I’m flattered—”

  “Stop!” She holds a hand palm up at him. “I don’t want to hear your rejection speech. My relationship troubles are why I’m alone up here in the first place. I assume you saw my ex-fiance...he was the one tied up in the chair.”

  “Yes,” Jabby says, “and we saw his exes too.”

  “Yeuck,” the Spell says. “What a bunch of ugly four-legged trollops. I don’t know what my ex ever saw in any of them.”

  “Our friend temporarily vanquished them with a sword of commitment.”

  “Ah, of course. I was the only one not afraid of commitment. We became engaged to be married, and I was head over heels in love with him.”

  Sleepy B giggles. “My friend, Hatter, would ask how you got your head reattached.”

  The Cat laughs. “Jolly good!”

  Jabby and the Spell shoot them looks of disapproval.

  Jabby prods, “You broke up...”

  “Darn right! I dumped him. He was cheating on me with one of his exes. He broke my heart, so I climbed this column of relationship-related resentment, where I remain, building up my kissing energy.”

  “Wait,” Jabby says. “Was the column already here, or did it form after you broke up?”

  The Spell rolls her eyes. “My story is symbolic, so don’t overthink it.”

  “Righto.”

  “The witch’s story is similar—she was cheated on by her lover as well, then he broke up with her, and it turned her bitter to the ways of love. She became disgusted by the very notion of loving kisses, and sought to rebuke them, to transform them from a symbol of love into a symbol of pain and hatred, and so she cast me. From that day forward, little girls and jabberwocks, when they would square off to do battle, instead of trying to strike and kill each other, they would try to kiss each other.”

  “What malarkey,” the Cat mutters under his breath.

  “But I don’t understand,” Jabby says. “How does that serve to make kisses a symbol of pain and hatred? When I first found out about the spell I thought just the opposite—that kissing was a sappy, cutesy, and peaceful way of resolving a battle—so, not a symbol of pain, but of mushiness!”

  “That is how it would appear to someone who doesn’t know the true nature of the kisses. Once I was cast, my goal was to collect enough kissing energy to launch my attack upon the very foundation of love. To outsiders, the battle kisses may have seemed a loving and peaceful alternative, but that isn’t quite the case, for they actually have their source in hatred and vindictiveness, and every hate-filled kiss causes an increase in my kissing energy. Once enough battle kisses have been made, I shall attain a level of power strong enough to unleash a special kind of kiss. Jabberwocks and little girls, once kissed with it, shall be overcome with an urge to kiss another who shall kiss another, causing a kissing frenzy. But the kiss will be like a poison, killing each monster or person kissed within an hour. But during their last hour, they should be able to kiss several others, spreading the poison kiss which shall come to be known as...the kiss of black death.”

  “Why, that’s diabolical! It could wipe out all the jabberwocks and humans in Jabberwock Valley!”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Why?”

  “My witch was betrayed by a kiss, so she’s grown to hate kisses and wants to transform them into tools of misery and woe—from a symbol of love, to a symbol of death. I mean she’s really quite bitter about kisses.”

  “I don’t understand,” Jabby says. “You’re here on this precipice. Will you leave and go in to Jabberwock Valley once you become powerful enough?”

  “I already am all throughout Jabberwock Valley. I guess the idea that this body you see is just a symbol hasn’t sunken in yet. Once I gain the kiss of the black death, I shall remain here, whilst havoc is wreaked in the valley. Until then, I have other, less powerful kiss weapons at my disposal, and another power as well.” She gives him a crooked little smile. “Would you like to know what they are?”

  “I feel like you’re dying to tell me,” Jabby says with a frown.

  “Is that what you want me to do, cutey? Die?” She shakes her head while making a clucking sound with her tongue. “No, I have a different idea in mind. You see, I don’t think the witch really sent you here to kill me, my dear stud.”

  “You don’t?”

  “Oh, no. I mean, she may have told you that’s why you were coming here, and you may even believe that’s your purpose, but that’s just not the case.”

  “It’s not?” Jabby says.

  “No, no, of course not, my handsome, but not very bright monster boy. I’ve figured out her true intentions. Because frankly—and I hate to insult you—I’m much smarter than you.”

  “So what’s our true purpose?” Jabby says. “Try to put it into words even the Cat can understand.”

  “Heyyyy,” the Cat says.

  “You’re here to be my company,” the Spell says. “Before you deny it, hear me out, for my reasoning is impeccable—it shall be unchallengeable enough to even convince you that the witch lied to you.”

  “Well, then, please do go on. I only hope that I can fathom it all.”

  “Yes, well your attitude notwithstanding, the facts of the matter are quite plain. One: the witch is quite a miserable sod. I doubt she would ever get over her hatred of love and their symbol, kisses—especially since her ex is a cheating cad with no redeeming qualities other than fashioning exquisite cups. Second, why would the witch send both a male jabberwock and a human little girl up to me, eh?”

  “Hey, I’m here, too,” the Cat says huffily.

  “My apologies. I honestly don’t know why a floating Cat head is here, other than you say you’re here merely to observe. I’m almost afraid to delve any further, but perhaps I’ll do so once I’ve incapacitated my new companions.”

  “You wish to incapacitate us?” Jabby says.

  “Yes, I do, and would you mind not echoing the words of everything I say? It’s really quite annoying. Don’t you have anything original to say?”

  Jabby says, “You asked why the witch sent a male jabberwock and a female little girl. The reason is we’re well-suited for the job.”

  “Wrong, fierce boy. Actually, the exact opposite is true—you two represent the two most ill-suited sort to face me, because you are exactly the sort that my magic works against. I can only conclude from that fact that you were sent as some sort of sacrificial offering to me—a gift. Perhaps she lied to you, because it was an easier way to get you to fulfill her plan.”

  “I am no sacrificial offering. If you’re going to try to kill me, then I’d rather it be you than me. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “No, not hurt me�
�you just want to end me. I can control you though—you can be like my pet, my plaything. But there shan’t be any love between us, for I’ve grown to quite despise the very notion.”

  “So I’ve heard. But I shan’t be staying here with you. I have matters to attend to in Jabberwock Valley.”

  “You’ll have to neglect those matters, I’m afraid, my fine specimen.” She locks eyes with him—something shifts in Jabby’s facial expression. He tilts his head to the side, in curiousity.

  “You see...” the Spell says. She keeps her eyes locked with his. “This is another one of my powers...” She takes a couple of steps toward him. “All the kissing energy I’ve stored up has given me the power of seduction over male jabberwocks.” She steps up quite close to him now, staring intently into his eyes.

  Jabby says, “I hadn’t realized before, how utterly captivating you are my dear.”

  “Yes, I do want to hold you captive. Captive in pleasure.” She reaches out to caress his cheek, and he leans into her hand.

  Sleepy B feels the jealousy surge up inside her. “You leave my Jabby alone!”

  The Spell turns to look over at her with an arched brow ridge. “Oh, is he your property? I was under the impression you were his servant. My, my, naughty little girl, have you been deceiving me?”

  “He’s not my property, and I’m not his—we’re close friends.” She glances at Jabby for backup, but he’s too busy staring intensely at the Spell with his jaw hanging open.

  The Spell’s eyes widen. “Well that’s very unusual. So is the little girl going to have to rescue the big jabberwock whilst the little pussy watches?”

  The Cat hisses, but otherwise doesn’t reply.

  The Spell returns to looking at Jabby. “I have two types of magic kisses, which happen to only work on male jabberwocks or female little girls. Is it a coincidence that that happens to be exactly what you two are? I don’t think so. Anyhow, I have a kiss to incapacitate, and a kiss of death, which is more instantaneous, but also less contagious than the kiss of black death, but it still results in a corpse.” She leers at Jabby. “Do you yearn for my kiss, baby?”