“Go on, soldier,” the Eight of Clubs said, not thinking anything was anything out of the ordinary, “Grab it and get back on to your duties, we’re pulling back to Wonderland,” he ordered. “And have one of the smithies bang that dent out for you.”
Jack flashed a quick salute and dug about the canvas for his helmet. He gave another quick salute as he passed by the Eight of Clubs officer again, fixing the helmet to his head.
“That could have gone a lot worse,” Jack whispered to himself, and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Jack noticed that Alice was no longer flying on the gryphon. He did not see her anywhere in the sky above the retreating army, though he could still hear the sounding horns calling for withdrawal. He saw Rabbit heading towards the distant siege tower. He ran that way, using his boots of swiftness to help close the distance to the abandoned part of the battlefield. Jack hoped he could get there in time to stop Rabbit and save Alice.
CHAPTER 51
ALICE & THE WHITE RABBIT
The gryphon, fatally struck in the head with an enemy arrow, began to plummet, tumbling limply through the sky as Alice desperately struggled to hang on. She immediately discarded the large white flag of surrender, letting it fall to the distant ground in a fluttering, billowing streak of fabric. The beast’s momentum carried them downwards toward an abandoned siege tower.
Alice wasn’t sure if she would fall short and strike against the armored wall of the tower or if the angle was too great and she would sail over the top, missing the tower completely.
Then there was the matter of fire. Standing orders were that any structure left on the battle field would be set on fire so as to not fall into enemy hands and the army’s retreat would not be burdened with recovering the large towers. If she managed to survive the landing on the siege tower, she may be still trapped by rapidly growing fires set at the base of all of the towers. But Alice had more of a chance against a burning siege tower than she had if she just fell to the ground.
A cloud of thick black smoke rose into the air from the large Knight-shaped siege tower. Unlike traditional towers built at the site of the battle, these were built ahead of time in Wonderland. The towers were then wheeled along as the army traveled; another psychological tactic as well. To see these imposing, monoliths rolling through the invaded land often brought a quicker surrender. Made to look like the knight chess piece, a large wooden framework of platforms and ladders led up to the top to an open platform on top. It had the basic shape of a horse head complete with pointed equine looking ears, and a long sloping head that jutted out and allowed it to dominate and reach out to an enemy’s wall, even if the base of the tower could not be situated as close. The flooring beneath the head could be removed when it was over a wall, providing a drop down for troops, a vantage point to release a barrage of arrows, or to pour boiling oil onto unsuspecting defenders. Covered on every side with metal plates with a large opening in the lower rear for troops and equipment, these monstrous constructs were almost a hundred feet tall. A sturdy and effective siege tower, it was still susceptible to damage in battle. A direct hit from Marchenton’s trebuchet had sent a large section of structural archway gouging a hole that tore down the side of the tower, smashing through walls and crushing sections of staircases and flooring, greatly compromising the structure’s integrity.
It would be a stroke of fortune if her trajectory sent her to into the top of the tower, lessening the distance of her fall, and Alice hoped that her armor and the gryphon’s body would help diffuse the impact. Not that there’s really any other option, she thought.
Alice pressed hard against the gryphon’s feathered neck and braced for the impact as they slammed into the wooden structure. Then, like a stone flung from an enemy’s catapult, Alice and the gryphon crashed across the top of the tower, splintering wood as she clipped the rim of tower’s top. Upon impact, Alice tumbled like a tossed doll in the air flung from the back of the gryphon. Bouncing roughly, Alice and the dead gryphon landed hard as weakened planks beneath her creaked and gave way. Helplessly, Alice fell within the smoky confines of the siege tower. She landed on a lower platform amid a pile of broken wooden boards. A blind flash of pain followed a soft, wet pop as her as her leg folded awkwardly amid the planks. Dazed from the painful fall, Alice laid there unconscious for a moment.
A short time later, unsure of when or for how long she had actually passed out, Alice’s eyes snapped open at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Hello Alice,” said a voice with an evil purr. “So nice that I can still find you wherever you may be… just like the old days.”
***
Rabbit arrived at the base of the broken massive construct; flames licking the siege tower’s walls as the set fires began to take hold of the wooden structure.
“Not going to leave anything to chance. This has to be quick,” Rabbit muttered under his breath.
Already a gathering of onlookers, mostly soldiers, were trying in vain to put out the fires that had been set and were now growing rapidly beyond control.
“It’s too dangerous. The flames are getting worse,” he heard from the crowd of soldiers had gathered helpless to save their queen as the siege tower burned. “The fire is beyond control!”
“The White Rabbit is here! He’ll save Queen Alice,” another soldier shouted.
Let them think that all they want, Rabbit smiled to himself as he pushed through them amid the cheers of the gathered soldiers,
“Should we get the gryphons to help?” one of the soldiers asked.
“Stand down. No gryphons. As a matter of fact, you all should be leaving. It’s too dangerous here. You should be preparing to withdraw. I’ll take care of the queen,” Rabbit ordered.
Then Rabbit took a single graceful leap and effortlessly bounded through the smoke and disappeared into the fiery belly of the siege tower. Out of sight, he quickly ditched the wrapped bow into flames to discard any evidence and made his way to the thin wooden staircase, pulling the dwarven dagger from his vest.
Rabbit quickly made his way up through the siege tower, navigating up through the eight interior platforms until finally arriving near the uppermost level. He stopped mid-way up the ladder, when he saw a visitor he did not expect.
“Cheshire?” he said somewhat surprised. “And you are corporal? Not a good look for you, I’m afraid,” Rabbit remarked.
The big cat sat next to Alice. His fur was matted with blood clumped like mange; and he was thin as if his body did not materialize properly. Rabbit’s arrival had interrupted their conversation, but without missing a beat, Cheshire was quick to acknowledge the White Rabbit.
“It’s over, Rabbit. It’s done,” Cheshire said. “Our plan has failed.”
“What do you mean our plan?” said Rabbit, as he climbed up the remainder of the rungs and stood next to the opening in the floor where the ladder led to. The smell of burning wood hung heavy in the smoky haze as Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat quietly sized each other up.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Chesh. I’ve been here protecting Alice the entire time,” Rabbit answered defensively.
“Stop the charade, Rabbit. Cheshire told me everything,” Alice said. “You are a traitor to Wonderland.”
“I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding,” Rabbit growled, his pink eyes narrowed like daggers at the Cheshire Cat. “Like I am sure he mentioned how he escorted this kingdom’s advisor, the Maldame she was called, and offered her Wonderland’s throne. Your paws are just as dirty in this,” he said to the sickly cat. “Or did you not tell Alice that?”
The look of surprise slowly crossed Alice’s face. “No, he did not,” she said with a frown.
Cheshire stood weakly, his stance shifting to compensate for the missing paw on his right front leg.
“Still rather unsteady... not used to the weight I’m afraid,” he chuckled nervously. “It’s been so long since I was fully tangible, took quite the effort, wasn’t sure if I could pull it off,” he smiled the familiar grin
of the Cheshire Cat; once he steadied himself, Cheshire began to explain. “Yes… but there are bigger problems. What I was about to mention is that Hatta is dead. The Black Of Hearts has fallen, the Grand Looking Glass shattered, all destroyed by the Caterpillar. The gravest news though is that the great Caterpillar has died. I almost died myself; it took everything I had to escape back to this world through one last rabbit hole that nearly killed me.”
“Well, the day is not over yet, Cheshire,” Rabbit threatened in a most polite manner.
“Don’t think me so naïve. I came here to make sure Alice knew your part in this. I had to escape or die. Getting here nearly killed me; and I expect to die, of course. You’ve no surprises left for me. I wanted to be tangible one last time, though. And I will not go down with out a fight, Rabbit, to be sure … when the time comes,” Cheshire warned. “But also to let you know that Wonderland has closed its gates. There is no way back. No Looking Glass or rabbit hole can access it,” Cheshire said as Alice looked on. “But that’s not the best part, my long eared friend.”
“The Caterpillar is… dead?” Alice paused sadly. “We can’t go back to Wonderland? What about the army?” she started to ask.
“Well, part of the plan involved trapping the army in this realm anyway,” Cheshire added, “once Rabbit had killed you, of course.”
“I’m still not at all comfortable with that thought of this nonchalant conversation regarding this plot to kill me,” Alice said. “And I’m rather cross at the both of you for it.”
“You’ve hardly a choice in the matter if we wanted you dead at this point,” reminded the cat. Then he continued talking to Rabbit. “But we were supposed to be in control of all of that from Wonderland’s side, anyway,” he continued his explanation, “staging a war to draw any military opposition loyal to you away and also as a cover for your assassination. What was not expected is that we’d be trapped here as well... all of us,” said Cheshire, and then with a thought added, “Really, it doesn’t matter if we kill her or not, Rabbit. Plus, she has a broken leg anyway so it would hardly be sporting.”
“I’d prefer not to die, thank you very much,” said Alice to her friends, who now apparently had turned into the most courteous of enemies, “if that is okay with everyone?” She reached for a piece of broken plank to defend herself with, wincing in pain as the shifting weight aggravated her wounded leg.
“Now here is the best part to all of this,” the Cheshire Cat’s purred as he spoke and it built into a low growl. “Wonderland already has a new queen.”
“What? Who?” Alice asked with offense.
“What are you talking about?” Rabbit muttered as he took a step forward, his metal foot giving a heavy thump on the wooden boards.
“Lily,” Cheshire answered with a grin.
“Who the hell is Lily?” asked Rabbit angrily, “another of your tricks, Cheshire?”
“If it were, why would I be here?” Cheshire rolled his eyes. “Really Rabbit sometimes, I swear…”
“I remember now,” Alice recalled. “The second time I came back; such a long time ago, the red queen asked me to substitute for one of the pawns in the chess match. The pawn was the White Queen’s daughter; she was just an infant at the time!” She pondered her recollections aloud, “Not eligible to play. How curious!”
“I might have had something to do with that at the time, pressuring the Red Queen to get you in the game,” admitted Rabbit to Alice. Alice glowered at him silently.
“But Lily is still a direct living descendant from the previous ruling bloodline,” Cheshire interjected, reminded them, “ With Alice away and the throne was vacant, Lily’s bloodline claim trumps any of an offlander. And the Caterpillar did grant her sovereignty. Much like Alice had been crowned at the end of the chess match,” said Cheshire. “So you see, our plan would have worked, to a degree, if there was no other claim to the throne that is. An offlander could have been ours, Rabbit.”
“I’d forgotten about that child,” Rabbit whispered. “And she was never eliminated, just slipped through the cracks,”
“The White Queen had been beaten back at Rank Five,” recalled Alice. “She turned into a sheep; elimination by resignation. It was very strange. And at the end, we let the White Queen escape into the soup,” the three nodded recalling the old terminology as Alice recounted the events of the coronation dinner. “I killed the Red Queen at that dinner,” she added, “I had killed the Queen of Hearts, previously on my first visit. But it seems the White Queen lived, hiding in exile all of this time, raising her daughter to take back the throne; one last forgotten pawn to reach the eighth rank…. the right of Promotion.”
Alice laughed despite herself as she realized, “by trying to remove me from the throne, the throne could at last be challenged, but it came from a most unexpected piece; check and mate,” her voice grew serious in tone, “and now you all are left with nothing.”
“So glad you can find the humor in this,” said Cheshire with droll sarcasm. “This next bit ought to be quite the punch line. Lily had help from a mutual acquaintance of ours,” Cheshire paused, then said, “Jack.”
“Jack is in Wonderland?” Alice gasped at the revelation.
“Fur and whiskers!” Rabbit shouted. “I know you are lying now, as I just had Jack captured, not more than an half hour ago, in this very camp,” said Rabbit, “Although he won’t be alive much longer when I’m done here.”
“Jack is here!” Alice said excitedly. “He must be trying to find me!”
“Alice, dear, please be quiet,” replied the Cheshire Cat with a bit of annoyance. “Or I’ll break your other leg,” he turned toward Rabbit. “Are we going to kill her or not, Rabbit? She has scorned your affections in the past; I doubt there’s much use in trying after today. I could do it for you if you are still too wishy-washy about the whole thing.”
“Alice isn’t going anywhere, and I’d rather discuss something you mentioned earlier,” said Rabbit, his tone cold and unemotional. “You were right about one thing, Cheshire,” he said as he waved the dwarven dagger menacingly in front of him, “that would be your expectations of survival.”
Cheshire gave a low, angry hiss that was ghostly and unnatural as Rabbit approached. Cheshire’s back was arched and his head was low and his saber teeth bared.
“The blood of the Cheshire Cat will spill today,” Rabbit proclaimed. “This was your plan! You dragged me into it. If it weren’t for your coercions, everything would have been left alone!” He shouted.
The Cheshire Cat let out another loud hiss in defiance. Rabbit sprung forth in a blinding speed, quickly slashing the deadly dagger at the hissing cat. Cheshire ducked the dagger and leapt up at Rabbit, pushing him backwards toward the ladder opening. Then Cheshire drove his long sharp teeth into the White Rabbit’s side. The cat’s sabred teeth dug deep into Rabbit’s ribs. Rabbit yelled with rage and brought the dagger down in rapid stabs into the thick neck of the Cheshire Cat.
***
Smoke started to waft through the seams in between the warm wood floorboards and Alice wasted little time. Using the planking she had pulled to her as a crutch she struggled to her feet. She watched as the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit clawed and fought, blocking the only escape downwards.
‘They are going to kill each other,” Alice whispered. As the two foes turned their focus against each other, Alice hobbled to her only other option to get away, the ladder that led back up to the top. Alice tossed her wooden plank up the opening and proceeded to hop up the rungs of the ladder, holding her broken leg outwards. With great effort, Alice made her way up the top of the tower.
***
“How do you like being tangible now?” Rabbit raged as he twisted the dagger deep into the flesh and fur of the Cheshire Cat’s neck. Answering with a roar, Cheshire brought his razor sharp claws to bare and painfully drove then into the side of the White Rabbit’s muscular thigh.
Claws secure, he wrapped the other forearm around in a tight hold and lift
ed the Rabbit upwards with great force, and then Cheshire slammed the White Rabbit back upon the wall of the siege tower. Rabbit’s fur was covered in red, wet blood. The giant cat’s great weight pinned Rabbit upright. With his wide front paw, he raked his deadly claws deeply down the side of Rabbit’s face. Rabbit cried out as his right pink eye was sliced in half like a cut grape and his nose and cheek were cut open. Four long bloody scratches made their way down deep along the right side of Rabbit’s face. Rabbit managed to get his metal foot up between him and the great cat and he kicked him off, but was only able to shove him back a short distance, just past the smoke-filled opening in the floor where Rabbit had come up.
“The next time, my real and tangible claws will disembowel you, Rabbit!” Cheshire shouted with a grotesque grin, his mouth ringed full with crimson blood and fur of the White Rabbit.
Rabbit held his side as blood from Cheshire’s first bite trailed through the fingers of his paw. Breathing heavy, he choked on the ash and smoke that had been filling up the inside of the siege tower. Half blinded, Rabbit slowly flipped his grip on the handle of the dagger holding the blade outwards. “We shall never gaze upon Wonderland again. For neither of us will let the other leave here alive, dear friend,” Rabbit spat blood from his whiskered mouth.
“With death the only acceptable resolution, my friend,” Cheshire wheezed, “I shall drag you with me into my end.” Cheshire leapt at Rabbit shouting, “For Wonderland!” He slammed hard against Rabbit, his large incisors locked deep about thick warm white fur of the Rabbit’s neck as the White Rabbit thrust the dagger forward, feeling the blade dig down to the hilt into the cat’s belly.
In a mortal embrace, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat intertwined and they fell, toppling backwards through the smoke covered ladder hole into the fiery levels below.
***
Alice quickly recovered her plank as she crawled clear of the opening. Rolling on her back, she fought off the pain of her leg as she drew a clean breath of air to clear her head. She lay upon the viewing platform at very top of the siege tower; taking in the blue sky above her. She watched the curl of brownish, black smoke shifting and rolling, tinging the sun. The smoke from the siege tower’s fire all but obscured her from the ground and the fire made it impossible for anyone to get to her. Her broken leg made any escape difficult even if she could avoid the flames. Alice resigned herself to the fact that she was trapped. As she did she heard someone shouting.
Shards Of The Glass Slipper: Queen Alice Page 32