A Blade So Black

by L. L. McKinney

  “Right in the middle of my serious complimenting.” He huffed, but she could tell he didn’t mean it. “Where’d you go this time?”

  “I was thinking about that night.” And meeting him, but “that night” was safer. “And how everything changed.”

  “Mmm. Well, it’s about to change again. Strap those on.” He gestured to the daggers, then pushed away from the desk.

  Alice fought with the belt for a few seconds before managing to get it fastened around her waist. Her hands shook, a combination of nerves and excitement. For three months she’d been coming here, learning how to fight with a handful of blunt weapons. When she figured those out, Addison said he would give her real ones and take her across the Veil. Now, it was happening. Like, for real, for real. These were real daggers hanging from her hips.

  She pressed her fingertips to the hilts again, just to make sure. Dude. This is really going down. She took a slow breath. Keep it together, Kingston.

  “You ready?” Addison stood at the door, holding it open for her.

  Alice swallowed and nodded. “Y-yeah, yeah.” She followed him out into the hall.

  “Need to let Maddi know we’re going through.” He led the way out to the main part of the building that had served as her training grounds.

  The Looking Glass pub was every bit the midtown Atlanta dive it pretended to be, from the mirrored wall of liquor behind the bar to the pool tables, high-top tables, and chairs grouped on the worn wood floor. Strategically mounted TVs meant you could see a number of shows or games from any spot on the floor. Her first time here she didn’t believe this was some secret gateway to another world; it just looked like a bar.

  “Looks can be deceiving, which is the point,” Addison had said.

  A patchwork of memorabilia from ages past covered the pub’s walls. Hats, pocket watches, monocles, beat-up old canes and parasols, photographs of flappers in Paris and World War II vets in London, an autographed picture of someone named the Big Bopper. A cacophony of sight.

  A cat-shaped clock hung on the wall behind the bar—the creepy kind where the huge eyes swish back and forth while the tail wags to mark the passing seconds. Black stripes covered its dark purple body. A grin spread beneath its wiry whiskers.

  Tick-tick-tick-tick.

  Underneath the clock, Maddi mopped the countertop in slow, lazy circles with a dingy rag. A mousy girl with a round, brown face, she was the pub’s bartender, although Alice believed she took more naps than she mixed drinks. On cue, Maddi yawned, covering her mouth with the rag.

  Alice grimaced. Gross.

  Like Addison, Maddi was from Wonderland. The two of them were stationed here to keep an eye on one of four openings in the Veil, called Gateways. As a front, they opened the Looking Glass, a functioning bar with drinks and food and regulars, which just happened to have a portal to another realm in the back. Addison owned it. He and Maddi looked young, late teens, early twenties, but they were both super old. Like, immortal old. Still fine, though. They looked like regular people until you got a good look at them, especially their eyes.

  “Madeline.” Addison knocked against the bar as he stepped up to it. “I’m taking Alice through.”

  Maddi blinked her big blue eyes slowly. With each fall of her lids, the color of her irises shifted, first green, then brown. “Whistle while you work?”

  “Yup. She’s ready.”

  A thrill slid through Alice at those words. She’d worked so hard. So many long hours, sleepless nights, and sore-as-hell days. This was it, though. She made it. She just had to keep telling herself that. And to breathe.

  Addison ducked around behind the bar, glass clinking as he searched for something. He emerged with three small vials of purple liquid, most likely Maddi’s handiwork. The girl was a bomb-ass Poet, but not in the Still I Rise way.

  In Wonderland, Poets were like witches or wizards, mixing potions and wielding the magical essence of the realm in spells called Verses.

  Alice never saw Maddi do more than mix mild potions to help Alice heal faster after training. Still, the stronger the Poet, the more potent the Verse, and the weirder they talked as a result. Alice figured Maddi was powerful as hell, the way she barely made sense half the time.

  “Hold the fort—we’ll be back in a tick,” Hatta said.

  Maddi saluted with the rag. There weren’t humanlike races in Wonderland, at least not the way it was in the real world, but people had different skin tones and features. Maddi, with her warm, copper complexion and high, round cheekbones looked almost Latina to Alice. Addison was white. Like, super white, saying stuff like “in a tick.” They both spoke English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Russian, and pretty much every other language on the planet. That’s what happens when your homeland is the collective unconscious of the entire world.

  Hatta offered Alice his arm. “Let’s go, luv.”

  While the front of the building housed the pub, the back was a labyrinth of hallways and random-ass rooms. Bathrooms. Bedrooms. A kitchen. Hatta and Maddi lived here after all. There was even a room that looked like a hotel somewhere downtown, had windows and everything. It was fake—the building was magic, but still, it was wild.

  Alice wondered which of these rooms held the Gateway. She’d never seen it, and now she had that feeling like getting ready to open Christmas presents: giddy, bubbly, and kinda worried that you wouldn’t like what you got. It was as if her stomach didn’t know if it wanted to do the butterfly thing or tie itself in knots. It left her feeling gassy and decidedly unhero-like.

  Keep. It. Together. Kingston.

  Addison stopped in front of a ratty-looking door. Inside, he flipped on the light.

  Alice blinked, staring at the buckets in the corner and the shelves lined with stacks of toilet paper, towels, and cleaning supplies. The sharp scent of bleach hit her nose. “A broom closet?” Was he playin’ with her?

  “The last place you’d look for an interdimensional doorway, right?” Addison bowed and waved her in. “After you, milady.”

  Shaking her head, Alice stepped into the narrow space.

  Addison followed, shutting the door behind them. Then he took a moment to strap a sword Alice hadn’t noticed he’d been carrying—he was always pulling things out of the air—onto his back. It wasn’t the big Fuck Off black one, but it looked dangerous enough. “Okay, the next bit is a tad … intense. It’s probably best if you hold on to me.”

  Alice blinked. “Hold on to you.”

  “The first time through can be a bit rough.”

  “Um.” She cleared her throat before swallowing thickly. “All right. How should I—” She stepped forward, lifting an arm to wrap around his shoulders mindful of the sheath. “Like this?”

  He nodded, watching her with those slightly shimmering eyes. “Whatever you’re comfortable with, so long as you’ve got a good grip.”

  “Right.” Alice stepped in a little closer, trying to concentrate on anything but how he smelled faintly of spiced rum, cologne, and something sweet she couldn’t place.

  His arm slipped under hers, hooking around her back. The other reached out to flip the switch, plunging them into darkness.

  “Last chance to back down,” he murmured, his lips near her ear. “You’ve accomplished a lot. No one will think less of you.”

  She couldn’t say she hadn’t thought about walking away—he was talking about fighting monsters—but she wanted this. Needed it. She shook her head, then nodded quickly. “No, no, I’m ready.”

  “Here we go,” he warned. His voice rippled through her.

  The ground dropped, and a sudden sense of falling yanked her stomach against her diaphragm. She screamed, the sound lost to a howl of wind and thunder. Her heart thrashed in her chest. Her hair slapped at her cheeks and ears. She latched on to Addison.

  I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die!

  Light burst across her vision. She shut her eyes against the sting and buried her face in Addison’s chest. His arms tightened around her. His ha
nd cupped the back of her head. The shrieking rush grew louder, drowning out the pounding in her ears.

  She whimpered. Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease …

  When solid ground pushed up beneath her feet, her knees buckled. She would’ve dropped if not for the arms holding her up.

  Everything in her stomach curdled, her last meal climbing toward the back of her throat. Shoving away from Addison, she stumbled across the floor toward what looked like a rosebush and threw up everything in her gut.

  “Oh god,” she groaned between retches.

  A hand pressed between her shoulders. Addison knelt beside her, his brow furrowed. “Told you it would be rough.”

  “Rough? No, Mondays are rough. The first few days of your period are rough. That?” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “Was three kinds of hell.” She groaned again, spitting to clear her mouth of that coppery taste. “Uck.”

  “Here.” Addison offered one of the vials. “You can rinse your mouth out.”

  She snatched the vial. “You coulda warned me I’d puke all over the place.”

  “Didn’t expect you would.” He shrugged. “Wouldn’t have helped, anyway.”

  She tipped the rim against her lips. The liquid was cool and minty with a hint of … banana? After swishing thoroughly, she spit it out at the roots of the rosebush as well, and was wiping her mouth when she realized those weren’t roses.

  It was definitely a bush, though the coloring was off, more blue than green, but the bursts of red she thought were flowers were actually little orbs of what she could describe only as fluffy light. The tufts glistened softly, shivering as they hovered close together. Alice stared, filled with a sudden want to see what they felt like, but also an understanding that touching random shit is how people lose fingers.

  “That is a Flit.” Addison stood and offered her a hand. “They grow here in the Glow.”

  “The—” Alice took his hand, glanced up, and froze.

  They stood on one side of a marble terrace, the surface opalescent. Pillars cut from the same material encircled the structure, giving it the look of an ancient, open temple. At the center, the very air had split but was falling closed with a sucking sputter. The world filled in the open space, leaving the structure whole. It shone, reflecting the light from the forest surrounding it. From the trees’ silver bark to their sparkling leaves, everything glistened as if spun from glass.

  “Glow,” Addison finished. He guided Alice along the terrace. The clap of their shoes resonated outward. The pillars hummed faintly in response, like massive tuning forks. The sound rose into the air and then fizzled out as they moved down a set of steps to the ground below.

  Addison shifted around in front of her, and she looked to him, her eyes widening. Her breath caught, just as it had the night they met. Everything about him had changed and yet … not. He was brighter, his skin moon-kissed, his hair more pale than moss green now. It stood up a bit instead of pressing against his head. And his eyes, now more silver than gray, glowed gold at their center.

  His smile was exactly the same, though, stretching his face in that way that always left her feeling warm. He swept his hand out in a wide gesture. “Welcome to Wonderland.”

  Two

  BEYOND THE VEIL

  She held on to Addison, her eyes wide, her mouth open. He’d tried to describe Wonderland a few times, but always wound up saying it was like talking about a memory that was half-forgotten: a dream faded at the edges of your mind but somehow whole in your heart. None of it made sense until now.

  He led her farther along, an amused twist to his lips. She didn’t walk so much as shuffle. Their steps stirred the mist creeping along the ground. It crawled over the white grass and hung just beneath the silver branches in a few places.

  “Beautiful.” She looked to him, then to the forest again. Actually, she looked everywhere she could—this place was incredible.

  “This is Wimble-Di’Glow Woods, though most just call it the Glow.” Squeezing her hand, he turned them around to face the pillared platform. “That’s the Gateway. It’s closed at the moment, and now you must defend it from Nightmares seeking to enter your world. With my help, of course.”

  “Oh, right.” A shiver slid like an icy finger down the curve of her spine, banishing the joy that had been bubbling up. The mention of the monsters sunk like a stone in her gut. “Are we here to stop one?” She hated the slight tremble in her voice.

  He nodded. “Small one. Not far. I said you were ready, and I meant it.”

  Oh shit.

  This was really happening. She was really here. They were going to do this.

  This is what you wanted.

  She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders.

  This. Is. What. You. Wanted.

  “Everything all right?” Addison watched her from nearby, a single eyebrow arched.

  “Fine. I’m fine.” A deep breath helped calm the flurry of anxiety skittering through her. A little.

  “We can go back if you don’t think—”

  “I said I’m fine.” Though the fearful flutter in her chest was distracting.

  His other brow shot up to join the first one. “Very well.”

  She didn’t mean to put that much bass in her voice, but she had to hold on to this. But what if she didn’t come back? No. No, she had to do this. But her body wouldn’t listen to her. She just stood there, frozen.

  “Do you remember why it’s best to slay a Nightmare before it crosses into your world?” Addison asked, those multicolored eyes still on her.

  Alice nodded. Of course she knew. They’d gone over it a hundred times. Humans were the source of a Nightmare’s strength, and the closer the beasties got to people, the more powerful they became.

  Humans were the source of everything, really. Wonderland was the literal world of dreams. Now-I-lay-me-down-to-sleep dreams. Good dreams made this world healthy. Bad dreams messed it up. Get enough bad in one place and poof! Nightmare. Maybe not poof. And nightmares … affected people.

  Folk might not see the monsters themselves, but they sure saw the end result. On the news, reports about someone snapping and killing their whole family, or shooting up their job for no reason? Yeah, people were still messed up, dudes not able to take no for an answer, KKK mofos, the “lone wolf” bullshit, all that mess … but sometimes? Nightmare. And she was here to face one.

  Oh god.

  “Can you tell me?” Addison’s voice cut through her thoughts.

  Alice swallowed thickly, her fingers twisting around each other. Something bitter coated the back of her throat. “Um, s-so they don’t get bigger.”

  “Good.” He tilted his head to one side then slowly to the other as he spoke. “And what is it that actually kills a Nightmare?”

  She pressed her shaky hand to one of the pommels at her side.

  “That’s just part of the equation.” His fingers folded over hers, his touch light but warm. “Remember?”

  Part of—? A combination of her growing fear and Addison being so close filled her mind, but his words from earlier rang clear in her ears. “M-Muchness.”

  “Right. What’s in here.” He gently tapped the tip of one ringed finger against her forehead, then her chest. “And in here. You are the one thing capable of ending a Nightmare’s terror for good, and now you stand between them and their goal. If there is anything to fear here, it’s you.”

  As Addison’s words poured over her frenzied thoughts like water over coals, the thumping between her ears began to fade. “Me?”

  “You.” His hands fell to her shoulders, squeezing gently. “But only if you believe you can do this. I think you’re ready; do you?”

  Alice continued to breathe deep, in through her nose, out through her mouth. In and out, in and out. Seconds ticked by. She even counted a few in her head. Gradually, the pressure behind her eyes lessened. The wild dancing of her heart evened out. The buzzing in her limbs subsided.

  “I can do this,” she whispered. “I
can do this.” Louder this time.

  Addison smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I know. Let’s go.” He turned to lead the way farther into the bright haze of the Glow.

  With another deep breath she followed him, now able to fully concentrate on taking in the … well, the wonder of it all. Every so often, tiny, hazy arms and legs materialized in the branches, accompanied by bell-like laughter. She jumped a couple times, even took a swing at something bright blue that dipped in front of her face.

  Addison laughed.

  “Hey, it was a reflex.”

  “Few things here will harm you.” He paused, angling his head back. “Intentionally, that is.”

  “So comforting.” Some of the tension melted from her muscles. She half listened to Addison’s tips as they went along.

  “Remember to keep your core tight when you move, especially when you jump or dodge.”

  Maintain your grip. Eyes on your opponent. All stuff she’d heard before.

  “And, I haven’t mentioned this before, but you’ll need to adjust for your newfound speed and strength. It’ll be—”

  “Wait, my what?” She blinked at him.

  “When a trainee crosses the Veil for the first time, the same essence that feeds this place empowers them, enhancing their natural abilities and bestowing a few new ones.” Addison continued on, leaving Alice staring after him. “That’s when, and how, you become a Dreamwalker.”

  “Wait, wait wait wait, wait.” She hurried to catch up with him. “You never said anything about superpowers.” She was hearing this right, right? That’s what he was talking about, right?

  “It only happens if you cross the Veil, so there was no need to mention it before, in case you decided not to.”

  “Uh, I kinda think superpowers are something you bring up when training to fight monsters.”

  “I didn’t want to influence your decision in any way. Crossing was your choice to make.”

  She looked to her hands as they moved along. “I don’t feel any different.”

  “You will. Trust me.”

  She curled and uncurled her fingers, grinning a little. Cool. Dad would flip if he knew she was pretty much a superhero now. Only, he would never know.