A Blade So Black

by L. L. McKinney

  Her vision blurred, and that hollow place in her chest deepened. No. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. Not here. Not now. She couldn’t come apart here.

  She smoothed her hands over her hair, fingers catching the coils a couple times. That trip had blown her hair all over the place, so she worked it into the large ponytail holder she always kept on her wrist. She stole a glance at Addison, who looked to be caught up in searching their surroundings for something. If he noticed her brief break, he didn’t say anything.

  “So, what else haven’t you told me about this place?” She waved a hand. “Not wanting to ‘influence me’ or whatever.”

  “I can’t very well tell you everything. Wonderland is as wide as your world and as immense as the human imagination.” He shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “Uh-huh. So this is you sayin’ you don’t know everything.” A corner of her lips lifted.

  “What I’m saying is your training covered a lot, but ‘there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’”

  Alice snorted. “You know poetry don’t work on me, right?”

  Addison grinned. “I’m simply saying there’s a lot here. A lot of history. A lot of … complications.” His tone dipped around that last word. “And I’m here to be your partner and tour guide all rolled into one. And that wasn’t poetry.”

  “You know what I mean.” She wanted to ask what he meant by complications, but they’d reached the end of the Glow. At least, she assumed they did, because everything was suddenly less bright.

  A meadow opened before them; a sea of tall grass—or what looked like grass—waved back and forth in the night. The color shifted in a gradient of pink and yellow. Purple clouds drifted overhead, rimmed in silver, and bloated from soaking up moonlight. Blue moonlight. The moon was freaking blue.

  “Wow,” Alice whispered, stepping forward. The grass brushed against her thighs. She could feel the tickle through her jeans. She was so focused on the sky, the moon, that when a luminescent blue blob bounced out of the grass, she yelped and stumbled back.

  Addison laughed.

  Alice puffed her cheeks, trying to ignore the burn in them. She slugged him in the shoulder, which only made him laugh harder. “It’s not funny.”

  “No.” He snickered, trying to breathe. “It’s hilarious. And these little guys are harmless. Frubbles. They just want to play.”

  She rubbed her arm as a few more Froo-bles, Frubbles, whatever, rolled around at her feet, shining different colors. “Play?”

  “Yeah. They’re like puppies. Round, glowing puppies. Just run, you’ll see.” He smiled, those dimples appearing again. “Go on,” he urged when she hesitated. “Fast as you can.”

  She looked to the Frubbles, then to the meadow. It was about a hundred yards or so to the next tree line, which wasn’t as bright as the Glow. With a quick breath, she took off, crossed ten yards in a burst of speed that shook her core, and promptly tripped over her own feet. “Whoa!”

  She hit the dirt with a whuff as all the air was pushed out of her lungs. “Uggghhhh.” Cold from the ground seeped through her jeans and her shirt. She shivered and struggled to her knees, then hugged herself to ward off the nighttime chill. The rich smell of damp earth mingled with the sharp scent of moss and fresh water from somewhere nearby.

  Addison knelt beside her. “You all right?”

  “Yeah.” Though her torso ached a bit, but the pain was already starting to fade. “I didn’t—I was so fast, I couldn’t keep up with my damn self. How does that even work?”

  “Heh, told you you’d feel it.” He offered her a hand up. “Try again.”

  Alice took a second to gather herself, flexing her arms, shifting her legs. The Frubbles rolled about in the grass, trilling softly like birds. She grinned. They were so cute!

  Okay. She glanced across the meadow again. Super speed. Well, not super, just faster. I can handle this. With a deep breath, she pushed into a run. Slower at first, getting a feel for her Wonder-legs? Now that was corny.

  She stumbled a bit, but didn’t fall. She turned at the tree line and kept going. Faster now. Faster. Faster! Luminescent blobs bounced out of the thigh-high grass, racing beside her, surfing the meadow like dolphins. The Frubbles trilled cheerfully, dipping in and out of her path, arcing through the air like shiny beach balls.

  She pushed into a full run, her head buzzing as her chest heaved. Her legs and arms pumped. Wind swept over her face and through her hair. She whooped and kept going until she pushed off into a jump. Her momentum carried her forward, propelled her up.

  “Whoa!” Her arms and legs flailed, throwing off her center of gravity. She managed to get her feet under her before hitting the ground and tumbling to a stop.

  On her back again, she stared at the starless sky and the moon overhead. Her muscles sung, jerking here and there. Her nerves were alight. She laughed and whooped again, panting.

  The Frubbles rolled back and forth beside her, cooing like doves. She patted a pink one gently, her hand black against its shine, gliding across the smooth surface. Sitting up, she glanced around for signs of Addison when an odd sort of pressure slid along her limbs, like dozens of tapping fingers. Goose bumps prickled her flesh. The Frubbles gave high-pitched trills before darting away into the grass.

  “Um … okay.”

  “Alice?”

  “Over here.” She brushed herself off, glancing around. She was at the edge of the forest across from the Glow. It was much darker. Shadows filled the trees. Tangled branches and vines choked the canopy, keeping the moonlight at bay.

  Alice tensed when she thought she saw something move out of the corner of her eye and scanned the undergrowth.

  “Alice?” Addison called again.

  She lifted a hand out of the grass and waved, not wanting to shout again. Something was out there. Her senses strained to take in everything they could.

  The forest remained still, quiet enough for her to hear the wind sweep through with a low, heavy whuush. Whuush.

  Not wind. Breathing.

  Movement to her left.

  Oh shit. She pushed to her feet, scrambling back from the forest just as a roar shattered the quiet like an air horn. Her ears rang. Her bones rattled.

  “Alice!” Addison was racing toward her when the Nightmare burst from the brush, looking like a hippo with more limbs than a squid.

  The beast charged. She twisted out of the way, barely avoiding a swipe of claws. She screamed, fear jolting through her as she tried to get her legs to work.

  “Alice!” Addison stood a short ways off, gold eyes wide and dancing between her and the Nightmare. “You can do this!” He gripped the hilt of the sword at his back but hadn’t pulled it free yet.

  “It’s too big!” She backed away from the Nightmare as it lumbered around, looking between her and Addison as if trying to decide which of them to eat first. She shook her head, feeling the sting of tears. “It’s too much!”

  “But you are much more!” He sidestepped, putting distance between them, drawing the monster’s attention. It sniffed the air and growled, turning to focus completely on him. “You can beat it. You trained for this. You’re faster, stronger than you know.”

  Alice whimpered, shaking her head. She drew back a few more steps, her whole body cold and shaking.

  The beast charged Addison. Alice’s heart practically uppercut her it jumped so hard, but Addison spun out of the way, unsheathing a sword and slicing across the beast’s side in the same move. The monster roared. Yellow blood spattered the tall grass.

  Addison slid into a ready stance, his weapon lifted, the silvery blade shining against the night.

  “We can go back,” Addison called without taking his eyes off the beast. He dodged again, rolling under a swipe of claws. “I can stop it, and we can wait for it to re-form. Try again later.”

  No no no. Alice lifted her trembling hands to the sides of her face. How could she suck so bad at something she trained
so hard to do? But she couldn’t. It was too much.

  Breathe, Baby Moon. Dad’s voice filled her head. It did that a lot lately, memories of him laughing with her, talking to her, chastising her. The tears spilled free and she shook her head. “I can’t,” she whispered.

  Breathe.

  “I can’t.”

  Breathe …

  “I’ll try.”

  Ain’t no try. You know that. What you gone do?

  Alice’s hands fell to the daggers at her hips. She palmed the pommels before gripping them tight and yanking them free. Azure moonlight filled the crystalline surfaces of the blades.

  Across the meadow, Addison fended off a swipe of claws, the shriek of grating metal filling the air. He leaped back and shot a glance Alice’s way. Their eyes met.

  What you gone do?

  Her fingers tightened their hold on the daggers. Something swept through her, pushed outward from the center of her chest to the top of her head and the soles of her feet. “This. I’mma do this.”

  The Nightmare whipped around to face her. It loosed a roar and pounded the ground with its feet.

  Alice adjusted her weight, then pushed off into a run. The smell of grass and dirt snapped crisp against her senses. Her steps thudded against the ground, mirroring the pounding of her heart, a storm in her chest. She darted across the meadow, coming around the monster’s flank. It stood out against the black, her vision sharpening. Before the Nightmare could turn to take her head-on, she jumped.

  “Aim for the core!” Addison’s voice reached her above the scream of wind in her ears.

  The Figment Blades burned against the night. Their fire stampeded up her arms, filling her, fueling her, igniting something inside her that would never dim again.

  As she came down on the beast, she tightened her grip and threw her weight into the thrust. The monster roared.

  So did she.

  They collided.

  Three

  DREAMWALKER

  One year later …

  Alice dropped into a slide as a barbed tail lashed through the air overhead. The Nightmare, a massive thing with a rhino’s body and spindly, almost-human arms sticking up from its back, tumbled past. She twisted out of the slide and caught her balance in a crouch before exploding forward to drive her dagger at the monster’s side. The blade glanced off with a crack like striking stone. Armored hide. She spun outside another swing of the tail and leaped, aiming to land atop the creature. It swatted her aside like a gnat instead of her tall-ass self.

  The impact robbed her of breath and the ability to scream when a white-hot throb lanced up her arm. She hit the ground in a roll, then twisted out of it, her knees on fire. Blood ran warm and slick where claws had torn into her forearm.

  “Dammit.” She swapped her weapon to her other hand, shifting to shield her wound. “Hatta!” Her eyes flickered between the monster and the treetops. Where was he?

  The Nightmare howled and came at her again.

  Every inkling of self-preservation shouted to jump, dive, get out of the way. At the last instant she jerked to the side. The beast crashed into a tree, tearing it up from the roots. Wood groaned and snapped. Leaves shivered and fell like rain. Blue moonlight spilled into the clearing.

  Alice ducked a spindly, talon-tipped arm. She jabbed the dagger into the rippling flesh of the monster’s underbelly and yanked. Something wet, thick, and rank spilled over her hand. She gritted her teeth and pushed.

  Come … on …

  The knife sank farther into the creature and, with a snap and hiss, pierced its core.

  Yes! A thrill blazed through Alice. She smiled. That’s right, you sonuva—

  The Nightmare loosed a keening cry and lashed out, slicing into the trees and scoring the earth. Alice shuffled aside, dagger ready as her target staggered, limbs twisting, body buckling. The creature collapsed inward like crumbling stone. Its wounds popped and fizzed, spewing yellow goop across the dirt and onto her shoes.

  “Augh.” She danced backward and wobbled as she shook each foot. Too late—the pus had already soaked into the material. “Really? Really.” Another pair of kicks ruined. Along with her good mood. “Perfect.” She couldn’t afford a new pair of shoes right now! Or jeans. And asking her mother was not happening. Who knew being a superhero meant going broke.

  Pop. The body started to dissolve. She pinched her nose against the stink, which no doubt clung to her, thick and gross.

  As she wiped the dagger on her already-ruined jeans, a second shadow dropped from the branches of a nearby tree. She whirled, body sliding into a defensive stance, weapons up.

  “Easy, luv.” Silhouetted in shadow, Hatta’s face was hidden, but Alice knew he was smiling. Bastard was always smiling. “It’s just me.”

  Alice straightened and glowered at him. “It’s just me,” she mimicked, scrunching her nose and pitching her voice higher. Releasing a heavy breath, she sheathed the blades and tilted against the toppled tree to assess her injuries.

  Her legs throbbed but held. Scuffed knees peeked through holes in her pants, stinging with each subtle movement. A torn sleeve revealed nearly invisible slices in her dark brown skin. They burned and bled a fluorescent green mixed with deep red as her body expelled toxins from the Nightmare’s claws. One of the actual perks of being a Dreamwalker, along with getting to stab things, not some bull like “the honor of serving her fellow man.” Was her fellow man gone pay for a new pair of Converse? Or keep her mom from wringing her neck if she got this crap on the carpet?

  Didn’t think so.

  “Nothing serious, I hope.” Hatta gestured to her arm as he approached. The rings on his fingers glittered. “May I?”

  She snorted and thrust the injury toward him. “Where the hell were you?”

  “Close.” His long fingers curled around her wrist, their press gentle as he inspected the wound, his head bowed slightly. In the Wonderland light his moss green hair paled, the wavy strands clinging to his forehead and face. His white skin shone like polished porcelain.

  “Close,” she repeated, hoping the darkness concealed her flushed state. He’d know, though. Hatta had this way of knowing when he was getting under her skin. Usually, she was annoyed, but sometimes? Sometimes heat filled her face, her palms prickled, and her stomach tried to wedge itself between her lungs. Like now as he traced the edge of one of the cuts with a gray-painted fingernail.

  “I was ready to jump in if needed.” He glanced up. His eyes practically glowed. Over time she’d noticed the gray wasn’t just one color but a mix of different flecks and dabs, like stained glass at sunset. Weird but gorgeous, and god, she was weak. And sappy. And staring. And he was smiling again.

  “Uh-huh.” Alice withdrew her hand, certain he’d feel her rising temperature or heartbeat in her wrist. “So helpful, considering you said we were after a Chihuahua, then ran into a pit bull.”

  “That … was unexpected. I’m sorry.” He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, slouching a bit. “But you’re strong, adaptable. I could tell you had things handled.”

  Okay, so that lifted her mood somewhat. She smirked. “Thanks.” He hadn’t even brought his sword, so he must’ve really thought she had this.

  “And my plan worked.” He glanced at the Nightmare carcass. What was left writhed and squirmed as the land absorbed the remains, leaving a shadowy scorch mark.

  “It was a stupid plan.” Alice yanked a dagger free from her belt. Seriously, having her sit out in the open like bait? Here’s a human, come and get it! Ass.

  “It still worked.”

  “Meh-meh-meh.” Covering her nose again she drove the blade into the tainted ground with a “Cosmic moon power!” The dirt gave easily, and the blade lit up like a Roman candle. White sparks skittered across the ground, leaving jagged marks like lightning in the earth. They pulsed a few times, brighter and brighter, before fading entirely and taking the taint with them, leaving no trace of the fallen Nightmare.

  “Why do you say that?” Ha
tta tilted his head to the side, eyeing her. “The moon has nothing to do with it.”

  “True.” She yanked the dagger free and resheathed it. “But it feels cool.” Purging Nightmares so they wouldn’t rise again didn’t require moonlight or magic words, just a Figment Blade and Muchness—the Wonderland equivalent of believing in yourself or something like that, it didn’t make a lot of sense whenever Hatta tried to explain it—but the words didn’t hurt, so Hatta could suck on that with his logic.

  He chuckled, eyes on the newly purged ground. “If you say so.”

  “Yup.” Alice started toward the Gateway, happy to put as much distance between herself and that lingering stank as possible. Hatta moved at her side, seeming to glide over the brush while she plowed through, smacking leaves and vines out of her way. Cool, crisp air gradually banished most of the foul smell, though a faint whiff did follow them. No doubt her shoes and clothes. Ugh.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Hatta watched her from the corners of his eyes. “You’re favoring your left leg.”

  “Eh. Hit my knee pretty hard when I landed. I’m cool, though.”

  “Mmm.” He didn’t sound convinced. He drew a hand from his pocket, fingers wrapped around the handle of an ornate mirror, the kind the Queen of England would own, and much too big to be carried around in someone’s pants but, y’know, Wonderland. An intricate curl in the mirror’s metallic back formed the raised profile of a woman’s face. Alice had seen the mirror a number of times and asked about it. It belonged to a friend, Hatta explained, and that was all she got.

  “I’ll have Maddi prepare something for the pain.”

  Alice rolled her eyes. “I said I’m fine.”

  “I know.” He knocked three times against the reflective surface of the mirror. “Open my eyes.”

  The glass rippled before swirling into itself. Color poured through the chaos, like drops of paint in water. Alice had a similar mirror, though much smaller and less fancy. Hatta gave it to her after she killed her first Nightmare. Was in it for the long haul, then.