A Blade So Black

by L. L. McKinney

  “The Queen even said it herself; she’s no longer the Eye’s protector. With Hatta being exiled for treason, he’s the last person anyone would expect to have it, making him the perfect person to give it to.”

  “Many were exiled,” Xenon said. “Why would it go to him?”

  “Because his sentence is the most severe.” At least, the way he and the Duchess spoke, it was.

  “That does make a ridiculous sort of sense,” the Duchess said from where she and Maddi had managed to squeeze half of their faces into the mirror. “No one would believe he could be trusted with anything like that.”

  “I would.” Alice grunted. “And obviously the Black Knight.”

  “It sounds like something Her Majesty would do.” Xelon set her hand against the hilt of her sword. From anyone else, the action would have come across as threatening. “This way, not even she could use the Eye if tempted.”

  “So what now?” Dem asked around a mouthful of a purple pear. Odabeth had ordered food be brought in when his stomach interrupted Alice for the third time. A trolley sat nearby, covered in various dishes of funky fruit, weird bread, and sweet-smelling pastries, cheeses, and tarts.

  Alice realized she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast when her gut gave an embarrassingly eager churn.

  “We’ll look for the Eye,” Maddi said. “You bunch hurry back, quick as you can.”

  “Got it,” Alice nodded. “How’s everything?”

  Maddi puffed her cheeks. “Hatta’s doing okay. Anastasia was going to check on your mother right before you contacted us.”

  “On my way now.” The Duchess waved before stepping away.

  Maddi’s full face filled the mirror. “Remember what I said about hurrying.”

  “Yup. See you soon.”

  The image faded to a regular ole mirror again.

  “Let us begin preparations to depart immediately.” Odabeth rose to her feet.

  “Hold on,” Xelon cut in. “If the White Queen hid the Eye with Addison Hatta, clearly she did not wish it found. No matter the circumstances.”

  “We’re certain our mother, even with her vast wisdom and insight, could not have foreseen these events,” Odabeth countered.

  “I don’t think Her Majesty would want this.”

  “What my mother would or wouldn’t want is irrelevant,” Odabeth barked. “On my order, we leave for the Western Gateway as soon as possible.”

  Xelon bent at the waist. “At once, milady.”

  In a flourish of satin and gossamer, Odabeth crossed to the door. Xelon beat her to it, drawing it open for her to pass through. On the other side, Malal and Kapi stood at attention, then fell into step behind her. Xelon heaved a sigh before facing Alice and the Tweedles.

  “I’ll return shortly. Help yourselves to all you wish.” With that, the White Knight slipped out the door.

  Alice dropped onto the chaise longue Odabeth had vacated, draping herself over it spread-eagle. The twins stood over the trolley and talked to each other in soft, somber Russian between bites. The tone made it easy to guess what they might be discussing. Alice snagged a small sandwich from one of the lower trays. Nomming eagerly, she let her gaze wander the room. Several large paintings hung on the walls, including one of a woman and little girl near the door.

  Alice recognized the White Queen, though she appeared a bit older than the image Maddi had shown her in the bar mirror. The little girl, clearly Odabeth, looked thrilled to be getting her picture painted, beaming, blue eyes full of life.

  Still chewing, Alice approached the portrait. Beneath the massive frame, a small plaque read HER ROYAL HIGHNESS QUEEN EMALIA AND THE CROWN PRINCESS ODABETH.

  Alice examined the Queen’s smile, those eyes. There was a light in them Alice recognized, one she saw in her mom, and missed in her dad. The Queen was probably a loving mother, the right amount doting and attentive mixed with strength and firmness.

  Overcome with a sudden want to burrow into her parents’ bed and snuggle between them like when she younger, Alice lowered her gaze to the floor and wrapped her arms around herself.

  A light touch at her elbow drew her out of the memory. Xelon stood beside her.

  “I came to let you know we will be ready to depart within the hour. The princess and I are the only ones making the journey with you.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Alice looked at the twins, whose quiet conversation had turned to bickering. Again. “I’ll let them know.”

  “Very good.” Xelon turned, her cape sweeping out behind her.

  “Wait.” Alice reached out to catch Xelon’s arm. The armor warmed beneath her fingers.

  The knight faced her, brows lifted in the same curious manner as when they had met on the stairs.

  “Thank you. For the other night.” Alice dropped her hand to her side, fingers tingling where she rubbed them against her palm. “Saving me.”

  Xelon’s lips ticked upward before she dipped her head in a faint bow. “An honor, milady. By your leave.” Xelon swept from the room, calling something in Russian to the Tweedles over her shoulder. They howled with laughter.

  A faint smirk tugged at Alice’s lips. It was nice to hear laughter, with everything going on. Her attention shifted back to the portrait. She didn’t know why, but she’d always thought the beings of Wonderland were immortal. Now, it was more than obvious they weren’t.

  Seventeen

  D IS FOR …

  Alice gazed at Maddi’s face, centered in the mirror. “We’ll be leaving shortly. Hopefully, we’ll reach the Gateway a lot faster than it took us to reach Legracia.” They were bound to make good time, with the princess packing a whole carriage for the trip.

  “Keep us informed,” Maddi said.

  “Talk to you when we reach the midway point.” Putting the mirror away, Alice joined the Tweedles at the base of the stairs by the castle entry. Xelon approached, guiding a pair of lily-white horses by the harness, where they pulled along a coach fit for royalty indeed. All ornate silver, white, and pearl trappings, it looked more like a massive accessory than a mode of transportation.

  Dem whistled as he pushed away from where he’d been sitting on the stairs. “Looks like we’ll be riding in style.”

  “Style and speed,” Alice said, encouraged.

  “Indeed.” Xelon patted one of the horse’s necks. Dapples of blue and purple shifted in and out of sight along the hair beneath her fingers. “These are Moondance horses. They’ll ride through the night, meaning we’ll reach our destination that much faster.”

  “Can they outrun Nightmares?” Dee asked, eyeing the shimmering animals.

  “If not, we’ve got three Dreamwalkers with us.” Xelon stroked one of the horse’s silvery manes. “There’s enough room for one of you to join me in the box. The other two will ride inside with Her Majesty.”

  “Dibs!” Dem darted forward and hauled himself up onto the driver’s seat. Or the passenger’s seat—Alice wasn’t familiar with the specs on magic carriages.

  “Guess that means we’re in first class.” Dee approached the side of the carriage and tugged open the door.

  “Oh joy.” Alice climbed inside, taking in the posh interior of royal blue velvet seats and the coach’s single occupant.

  Odabeth sat in the center of the rear bench, taking up the entire thing. Not a problem. Alice settled across from the princess and moved over to give Dee room to join her.

  “Highness.” He nodded in Odabeth’s direction as he settled in, his weapons in his lap.

  “Mmm.” She sat with her back straight and her hands folded atop her thighs, her eyes fixed on something through one of the small windows on either side of the coach. She had changed into a lavender dress with golden embroidery dancing along the pleats. Shimmering fabric gathered at her left shoulder, fell down her back, pooling on the bench.

  Xelon stood outside the door, holding it wide, her eyes on the princess. “If you are ready, Highness, we’ll be on our way.”

  Odabeth waved a glov
ed hand without looking away from whatever had her rapt attention.

  Xelon bowed and shut the door. The carriage rocked slightly as she climbed into place. Then, with a slight lurch, they started forward.

  The creak of wheels made a steady rhythm as the carriage carried them across the wilds. Xelon and Dem spoke to each other, their words muffled through the walls of the coach. Odabeth shoved her nose in a book, apparently unable to be bothered. Dee was similarly occupied with the same little tome from the other night.

  Alice busied herself with watching Wonderland race by. A couple of weeks ago, she would have been beside herself at riding in a carriage, with an actual princess, pulled by magic Moondance horses. Seriously, she’d be no more good. Now, she was too occupied with thoughts of Hatta, the White Queen, and the Black Knight to fangirl properly. She scanned the trees and brush, her wet palms resting on the pommels of her daggers.

  As they rode on, the landscape around them shifted. The trees thickened and grew taller. The ground softened, the canter of hooves muted against a carpet of moss that spewed an orange mist in their passing. Alice frowned, taking in the forest.

  Odd plants with red stalks as tall as men and bulbous, white pods sprouting in every direction grew in twos and threes. They swayed in the wind, the pods swiveling back and forth, at least until the coach drew near. Then the stalks went rigid and the pods whipped around, revealing black orbs at the base of each one. It was a ripple effect, and within seconds what looked like hundreds of massive eyes fixed on the carriage, following it as it rode by. Maybe it was the shadows dancing beneath the canopy, but she could’ve sworn the “eyes” blinked.

  Alice withdrew from the window. She and the twins hadn’t passed anything like this on the way to Legracia.

  “Where are we?” she asked.

  Both Dee and Odabeth lowered their books to peer out the window.

  The princess’s face scrunched. “We’re on course.” She lifted her book, a shield against further questions.

  Gee, so helpful.

  “The Blind Thief’s Forest.” Dee settled back in his seat. “We’ll reach the main road soon.”

  “We didn’t come this way.” Alice rubbed her arms, trying to banish the crawling-beneath-her-skin feeling of being stared at, watched, the fabric of her shirt suddenly scraping like sandpaper.

  “Too long on foot. By carriage, faster.”

  Made sense. Her knuckles cracked as she fisted her fingers. Swallowing a groan, she shoved her hands under her thighs and fought the urge to rock. “Blind Thief, hmm? That’s not creepy.”

  Dee smirked. “There’s an old myth the Duchess told us when we first came to this place, about a witch who lived out here: a woman of great power and greater beauty. She wore this gold mask rumored to be the source of her magic. That or she was cursed by jealous gods so no one could ever see her face. Either way, she never took the damn thing off.

  “Along comes this thief one night, breaks into her cottage. He creeps in and removes the mask while she’s asleep.” Dee snapped his fingers and Alice jumped, glowering as he grinned. “Just like that, the gods’ holy fire burned his eyes out of his skull. The witch took pity on him and restored his sight, but she couldn’t completely undo a divine curse. So, every night the thief’s eyes would fall out of his head, and every morning the witch would give him new ones. Over the years, the thief placed his discarded eyes on branches in the forest surrounding the house, to warn others to stay away.”

  Alice stared as Dee finished his story. “Well, that’s gruesome.”

  He chuckled and went back to his book. “Is just a story.”

  “Still pretty gross.”

  Being watched by the forest was not something she wanted to remember, and she didn’t want to spend the rest of the trip staring at the back of Odabeth’s book, so she settled against the cushion of the bench and closed her eyes.

  When she opened them again, night had fallen, and two shafts of azure light poured through the windows on either side of the coach, splitting the darkness. Odabeth, her book closed on her lap, tilted against Xelon with her head on her shoulder and her eyes closed. Xelon slept as well, her arms folded across her breastplate. The two of them shifted slightly with the sway of the carriage, two glimmering statues undisturbed in their rest.

  “Hello there, sleeping beauty.” Dem had taken Dee’s place beside her. He grinned, his teeth white in the gloom. “Have a good nap?”

  “Why’d you guys let me sleep so long?” She sat up and rubbed at her face, shaking herself to full wakefulness.

  “You needed it. You barely got any sleep last night, and since we’re making good time, we figured it wouldn’t hurt. Travel during the day is pretty safe. It’s now when we need to be alert, so you have perfect timing.”

  Alice grunted, not sure if she was more grateful or annoyed. She shifted in her seat to peer out the window. They were gliding through another forest Alice had never seen, but this one was decidedly less creepy. A couple of times Alice thought she saw movement in the distant trees, alerting Dem, who searched the darkness with her, both of them drawing their weapons and Dem opening the window to the driver’s bench to let his brother know what was going on. Nothing came at them, but that didn’t mean something wasn’t out there. Something was always out there.

  Night bloomed into morning, and daylight crept through the windows, gradually filling the coach. Xelon woke first, blinking her eyes open. She bade Alice and Dem good morning and asked a few more questions about the Black Knight, but did not so much as move until the princess woke as well. Odabeth yawned and stretched, then seemed to remember Alice and the twins were there and went right back to her book.

  The hours ticked by, steady and silent, until, grrrrrrrrrbbbblbllblllll. The familiar sound of an empty stomach filled the quiet, and all eyes went to the princess. She kept her book firmly in place, but the blush creeping up her neck was a dead giveaway.

  Odabeth cleared her throat. “Could we, perhaps, pause for a rest?” She peeked over the top of the book, her eyes fastening on Alice. “Not long, merely enough time to give the horses a chance to catch their second wind. And I’m certain everyone could benefit from something to eat.”

  Alice started to refuse, but realized the princess had asked, not commanded. And she seemed willing to wait for an answer. Alice fingered the pouch, where the mirror rested. There had been no word from Maddi on any change in Hatta’s condition.

  “Fine.” Alice sighed. “We’ll rest, but not too long.”

  Relief washed over Odabeth’s expression like she’d avoided an execution. “Thank the heavens.”

  “Breakfast sounds like a good idea to me.” Dem turned to rap on the window behind his and Alice’s heads. “Though it’s probably lunchtime by now.” Three knocks and the carriage slowed to a stop.

  Xelon pushed open the door, spilling bright light into the cab. Alice blinked back tears as her eyes adjusted. Xelon exited first and extended her reach to Odabeth. With her aid, the princess descended to the ground. Dem and Alice followed, though she paused when Xelon offered her a hand as well.

  “Uh, thank you.”

  A faint smile stretched Xelon’s face as she nodded. “Of course.” The metal of her gauntlet was cool to the touch, sending a faint shiver through Alice even in the warm Wonderland afternoon.

  Outside, she drew in deep breaths, the faint smell of pine and something fruity filling her nose. Behind her, Xelon unhooked the horses to allow them a bit of a rest while the twins sat two buckets of water into place in front of them. The steeds nudged the Tweedles gratefully, earning pats to their noses as they drank.

  “We’ll need more water,” Xelon said as she pulled a parcel free from the back of the coach.

  “We passed a stream not far back,” Alice said. “Two, maybe three hundred yards.”

  Dee held up a large canteen.

  Alice snagged it with thanks and started in the direction of the stream. “Don’t let Dem eat everything while I’m gone.”


  “Then hurry back,” Dem said around the half of something already shoved in his mouth.

  “Really?” Dee asked. “You couldn’t wait for everything to be prepared?”

  “What’s to prepare?” Dem shot back at him.

  As Alice followed the trail the wheels and hooves had left, the sound of Dee and Dem arguing in Russian faded. Clusters of trees eventually blocked the others from her sight. As she walked she breathed carefully, evenly. In and out.

  Like Dem said, everything would be okay. Addison would be okay. She repeated this in her mind over and over until the sound of rushing water filled her ears. She followed it to the stream cutting its way through the forest floor.

  Unscrewing the canteen cap, she knelt at the creek bed. The cool dampness of the earth seeped into her jeans. The metallic scent of the minerals in the mud mixed with the perfumed smell of the lilies growing nearby. She dipped the canteen into the icy water, a chill dancing up her arm.

  While the canteen grew heavy in her grip, her thoughts wandered again. She hoped Hatta hadn’t worsened.

  Hold on, I’m coming …

  “Aww, you’re worried about him.”

  Alice’s head snapped up. The Black Knight hovered in the air on the other side of the creek, his legs crossed at the ankles and his hands hooked behind his head.

  She surged to her feet, daggers in hand.

  “Easy, I’m not here to fight.” He rolled his shoulders. “But talking might be nice. Get to know each other since we’re spending so much time together now.” He worked one foot back and forth at the ankle. “Open and honest communication is essential, don’t you agree?”

  Stance set, she watched him. If she shouted, would the others hear her?

  “Such a Chatty Cathy.” Sarcasm coated the lazy way he drew out the words. “Look, I’m a big fan, Alice, I really am. I mean, brains, beauty, magic daggers, and the know-how to use them.”

  Alice scowled. “Bet you say that to all the girls with lethal weapons.”