Late as a Rabbit (Sons of Wonderland Book 2)

by Kendra Moreno

  The Beezles thicken around us, attempting to bite at our skin. Clara warns that their bite is poisonous which sets me into a fit of slapping the weird insects away. They make loud smacking sounds when they hit the stones beneath our feet. Clara pulls out a small bottle from her waist and sprays it on each of us. Suddenly, the Beezles slip away, and we’re left alone. I don’t know what she sprays, but it smells sweet and drives away the swarm, so I don’t even ask.

  Then, the forest turns into a grotesque art gallery, and the contents of my stomach roll as we stumble upon the first scene. It seems Alice uses the trees around the castle to display her handiwork.

  The first body we come across is nailed to a tree, the skin long since decayed and hanging from the corpse in strips. I cover my nose and mouth and fight the tears in my eyes. Behind this unrecognizable corpse, there are more bodies nailed to the trees, some only skeletons, others fresh enough that I recognize a horse and man hybrid.

  Some bodies litter the forest floor where flowers happily munch. Their tongues flick out to taste the air as we pass before they return to their meal.

  Above us, corpses hang from the trees, swinging on a phantom wind. Clara covers her mouth on a gasp when one body swings in front of us, low enough that we’re able to see the details. The body wears a military style outfit, white fur molting from the skin. The skull is decidedly wolf-like, I note as we pass. Clara turns away and vomits onto the stone. Cheshire doesn’t comment. He just rubs her back and looks at the corpse solemnly. As soon as she stops, he ushers us forward. We don’t linger.

  The wind carries the smell of rot, coating my tongue like fur and making it hard to breathe. My eyes water at the scenes that only grow worse. So many innocents slaughtered, so many lost. Bodies are propped up like scarecrows around us, swinging from trees, mutilated.

  The heads start far away from the castle. They line the pathway like a direction marker, warning that we’re heading towards our deaths. At first, the heads on stakes are only skulls, their bone old and weathered. They slowly turn into newer skulls, whiter bone. When they turn to different levels of decay, I fight my rolling stomach again. Even Cheshire covers his nose as we draw closer. Some of the heads have their mouths open in a scream, their eyes white with death, the terror still there. Some look as if they’re only sleeping. I try not to focus too hard on them, afraid I’ll see someone that looks familiar.

  When we reach the end of the path, the blood isn’t even congealed yet on those displayed, and though the air isn’t as thick with rot here, it’s dripping with the metallic aroma of blood. There’s no escaping it. The castle comes into view as both Clara and I cover our noses to block the smell. Cheshire’s ears lay flat on his head as he stares up at the black spires above us.

  Alice’s castle is all black and sharp points, threatening those that dare to come within its walls with nothing but destruction. If you go in, you don’t come out. Those that do are just displayed like art forever around its walls. Hedges surround the castle where it sits on a hill. The heart motif is everywhere. The spires look almost like melted candle sticks, or like they’re leaking blood. We’re shielded at the moment where we stand by the hedges, but we can see Cards–Faceless soldiers–and Bandersnatch patrolling around the gates.

  “What’s the plan?” Clara whispers, eyeing the Cards. I don’t want to know what they do that incites the unease displayed on her face.

  I pull the tiny vial from my side and hold it up. The liquid inside is already blue from where we started the enchantment.

  “I have to add the feather then swirl it clockwise and contrariwise. Then I need to soak the cord and wrap it around the Red Queen’s neck or wrist.”

  Clara nods her head and moves on silent feet to my side. Cheshire keeps watch, his eyes taking in every position of the soldiers. I drop Doe’s feather inside the vial. The liquid inside changes from blue to gold and glows so brightly I worry for a moment the Cards will see, before it fades away. I swirl the liquid clockwise and then contrariwise. The glow flickers once before turning back into normal liquid. I push the cord inside, making sure to coat it before pulling it out and holding it up for them to see. That slight glow spreads along the cord, barely detectable unless you look at it very closely.

  “Now what?” Cheshire asks.

  I frown and meet his eyes.

  “Now,” I whisper, “I get caught.”

  “Jupiter! Stop running! You know I can’t catch you,” Neptune huffs. She doubles over and braces her hands on her knees.

  “Maybe if you bothered showing up to practice, you could keep up with me,” I tease, tugging my hair back.

  “You know I hate softball.” Neptune straightens and shoves her matching hair from her face. I don’t bother mentioning that the other things she’d started doing with her boyfriend probably didn’t help. We’d argued about it too much lately. I just want to spend time with my sister.

  “Then you should join something else. Something to keep you busy.”

  Neptune gives me that look, the one like she knows what I’m getting at but doesn’t actually want to talk about it. I sigh. Nothing I say will get through to her. We are going to be eighteen in two weeks, and I’m already dreading it. Something is different, some kind of cloud hanging over us.

  “Let’s go on an adventure,” I say suddenly. “We can go backpacking across Europe, or apply as dancers on a cruise ship.” I have the insane urge to take Neptune away from it all, to remind her about the good things in life. After graduation, the world is our oyster.

  Neptune smiles sadly at me, and it tugs at my heartstrings. I never like to see my twin sad.

  “Oh, Jupiter. Only one of us will have adventures, and it won’t be me.”

  “That’s a stupid idea,” Cheshire says, frowning. “She’ll kill you right away.”

  “It’s a chance I’ll have to take. I need to get close enough to tie the cord. And I’m willing to bet she’ll let her pride get in the way and gloat.”

  “You won’t make it within ten feet of her before she sics her creatures on you.”

  “We have no choice,” I grind out. “Do you have a better idea?”

  “We wait for the Hatter,” Clara says.

  “To do what?” I spread my hands. “It’s my prophesy to fulfill. There’s a reason we’re here, Clara. We bring about the fall of the Red Queen. If it was anyone else, it would have been done already.”

  She frowns.

  “You can’t die in the process.”

  “If it means I save Wonderland, then it’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

  Clara studies me closely before nodding her head.

  “I don’t like it, but you’re right. We have to do this.”

  Cheshire scoffs. “You do realize you both can die, right?” he asks. “You won’t heal like we do.”

  Neither of us answer him. There’s really no need. We know the odds.

  “I have to go in,” I say, mostly to myself.

  “You’re not going in alone.” Clara wraps her fingers through mine. “Two parts of the triad. We’ll do this together.”

  I smile shakily. For all my words, I’m terrified of what exactly we’ll find on the other side of those walls. There’s a very strong chance we can die, and I could never get to see White again, but I can’t stand by while Alice destroys Wonderland. I won’t let any more people suffer. I won’t let anyone else struggle with the urge to kill themselves. If I could have stopped Neptune, I would have leapt at the chance. This is my moment to stop another person from going through the same thing.

  “You’re both going to die,” Cheshire growls. “You’re not going in there.”

  Clara turns to Cheshire, letting go of my hand to grab his face between her palms. Cheshire surprisingly lets her. He doesn’t flinch, doesn’t pull away. He just looks into her eyes.

  “Cheshire,” she says, making sure he’s entirely focused on her. “You have a job to do in Wonderland, and so do we.”

  “A job I can’t compl
ete,” he whispers. Clara nods her head.

  “If we fail, your mate never comes to Wonderland. If we fail, Wonderland dies. If we fail, it will have all been for nothing. Danica, Alexander, the Old King and Queen, everyone who has died at the hands of Alice. It’s time to step up, Chesh.” Her eyes shine as she urges him to listen. “Wonderland needs you on the side of good,” she whispers. “I need you.”

  Cheshire’s face twitches, emotion springing to his eyes for a split second before he quickly hides behind his mask again. I watch in fascination as Clara releases his face and squeezes his shoulder.

  He grins suddenly, his tail moving double time behind him as he looks towards the castle in front of us.

  “Then, let’s go cause some madness.”

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Clara slides a sword from her back, the metallic sound echoing in the silent trees. In the distance, a Bandersnatch shrieks softly in answer, but it doesn’t move our way.

  “Do you know how to use that?” I ask, eying the intricate sword.

  Clara smiles and adjusts her grip.

  “Hatter’s been training me. I don’t want to rely on the Heart Breaker alone.”

  “Good decision,” Cheshire comments, his fingers morphing into claws. “This is the moment you’ve been training for.”

  “I know.”

  Cheshire has his own sword strapped beneath his leather jacket, but he doesn’t pull it out, not yet. It’s clear he prefers to use his claws first. I have no doubt that he’s a master of both weapons. I draw one of the daggers from my waist and weigh it in my hand.

  “Are we ready?” Cheshire asks. He holds out his palms to Clara and I.

  Gently, I slip my fingers into his, and Clara does the same on his other side. The plan is to reappear as close to the gates as possible. We need to be caught, but we don’t want to look like that’s our plan. Alice can’t know of the cord I’m holding between my fingers.

  Cheshire fades us away, the trip shorter than any other we’ve taken. We reappear seconds later right at the Castle gates in the midst of Cards and Bandersnatch.

  “Knock, knock, motherfuckers!” Cheshire shouts, just before he releases my hand and rips out the throat of the closest Card. Blood splatters across my chest, and I try my best not to focus on it.

  You wanted an epic adventure, I tell myself as I swipe my dagger across the face of another Card. Unlike Cheshire, my dagger doesn’t do much besides piss off the creature. It opens a gaping mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and descends on me. My training kicks in, and I duck and jam my shoulder into its stomach, using all of my strength to push it back. At the same moment, I jab my dagger up and twist. The Card screeches and falls lifeless to the ground.

  I hazard a glance at Clara who’s dancing around with her sword like an expert. Hatter obviously trained her well. She swipes her sword across stomachs and throats, her face vicious as she draws blood. Wonderland changes us all, just as war changes soldiers. I’m not looking forward to seeing what I become in this twisted world.

  A Bandersnatch joins the fray and leaps towards Cheshire. Clara yells for him, giving him just enough time to dive out of the way. Finally, he draws his sword and swipes at the beast. It howls in agony as the blade drives deep. When another Bandersnatch joins the fray, we move in, our backs together as we hold our weapons aloft and face the Red Queen’s creatures. They don’t attack like I expect them to. Instead, they stand their ground, and hold us in their center.

  The gates open, and with my position, I’m able to see the exact moment that Alice steps from them, obvious glee written across her face. Today, she’s wearing a dress so large, I wonder how she’s able to walk. Does she ever wear another color besides red? This one isn’t as bright as the others, more burgundy than blood. It’s gorgeous and deadly all at once. Rubies sit at her throat, glinting with whatever light comes from the plant life.

  “How nice of you to come to me,” she says, her lips curled up in a wicked smile. “You saved me the trouble of coming to find you.”

  “Where’s White?” I demand, glaring at the woman in front of me. I need her to come closer, but she stands infuriatingly apart from us, leaving a Bandersnatch between.

  Her smile turns into a full-on grin at my question.

  “He’s in the courtyard,” she coos. “Would you like to see him?”

  And I know, whatever she’s done to him, it’s going to be bad. Just by the look on her face, I know. White has suffered at the hands of the woman in front of me, and I’m angry. That same anger fills my body again, that same hurricane. It’s not as strong as before, not yet, but I don’t stop to think before I flip one of the throwing knives from my belt and lob it towards Alice’s face.

  She hardly moves, tilting her head to the side the slightest bit. The knife flies right past her cheek, not even grazing her skin, before it embeds in the face of a Card behind her. It screeches and collapses to the ground. She doesn’t spare it a glance.

  “You need to work on your aim.” That stupid grin stays on her face. At that moment, she realizes she’s missed something and studies me closer.

  “Who are you?” she asks. I raise my chin but don’t answer her. “Ah, you must be the second then.” Her eyes flick to Clara who’s watching the exchange with sharp eyes. “Right behind Clara Bee.” Alice says Clara’s name in disgust, as if she can’t bear to speak it. I suppose she’s angry about the Knave. “And Cheshire,” she hisses, turning her attention to him. “You were never one to join forces with anyone. I’m honored that you finally found your backbone when it comes to me.” Cheshire grinds his teeth together so hard that I hear it, but none of us move or respond to her jibes. It’s the reaction she’s looking for, and I’m proud that she doesn’t get it. “I see.” She looks at each of us. “To the Courtyard then. I have a surprise for you three.”

  The Bandersnatch and Cards close in, herding us towards the Castle gates. They push their weapons forward, threatening to use them. I don’t doubt that Alice will hurt us along the way. She wants to kill us, but she’ll want to make us hurt first. This is all a power play, one I will win.

  The first thing I notice is the oddity of the walls. They shimmer like black diamonds and yet they constantly drip blood down them to pool on the floor, as if a stream of it flows behind the stone. There are horrifying creatures patrolling the halls, some I recognize from the Dark Lands, other things I’ve never seen before. One looks exactly how I imagine Satan would, complete with a goat head and legs. It cowers before the Red Queen as she passes. She doesn’t spare the terrified creature a look and leads the way deeper inside.

  The walls are covered with macabre art. We pass a wall completely covered in bones, the center a heart made up of skulls. There are many paintings hanging on the walls, all of Alice, all with her covered in blood in some way. A particularly large one we pass has Alice standing nude while blood drips from a corpse above her, bathing her in the red gore. I shiver at the sight and look away, focusing on the Red Queen in front of me, trying to figure out how to get close enough to tie the cord. Right now, I won’t make it two steps before I’m taken down.

  We exit the stone hallway suddenly and step into a courtyard. Cards stand guard around the open walls, keeping watch on the circle of creatures in the center. They’re staring down at something, throwing things inside. I realize it’s a pit at the same moment that Clara does. She makes a small sound of distress, knowing that whatever is inside won’t be pretty.

  “I can make us disappear,” Cheshire whispers, so quietly I barely hear him. “Just give me your hands.”

  “We have to be caught,” I whisper back, certain. This is how we have to do it. “I have to be caught. You two, go.”

  And then we see exactly who’s in the pit. Clara and I gasp at the same time, and clamber to the edge. White paces at the bottom of the stone hole, a manacle on his ankle that clanks as he paces. He isn’t alone. The Hatter is in there with him, chained, out cold, slumped against the wall. There’s a metal gra
te on one side of the pit where something growls and pushes against it, seeking freedom. Whatever it is, it can’t be good.

  Cheshire snarls at the sight, and Clara spins and meets his eyes.

  “You need to go, Chesh,” she whispers urgently. “Leave us here.”

  “I’m not leaving you here alone,” he hisses, his eyes on Alice as she climbs a small dais to take her throne.

  Cards keep their clubs and weapons pointed at us, and the Bandersnatch snarl, great globs of saliva dripping from their mouths.

  “You have to,” Clara urges. “If she gets all three of you, no one can retrieve the third. You have to go!”

  His eyes are severe when they meet hers. I keep my gaze trained on the creatures around us, the pit, and their exchange. Cheshire’s eyes are slit like a cat’s, and his ears lay flat on his head. There’s actual pain on his face as he grabs Clara’s hand gently, before releasing her.

  “Don’t you dare die,” he snarls a moment before he fades away. I know it’s killing him to leave us to the fight, but Clara is right. Alice can’t have all three Sons. We lose if she does.

  Behind us, Alice laughs and claps her hands.

  “I knew Cheshire hadn’t changed. Never one to stay for a fight he didn’t care about, that one.”

  Inside the pit, Hatter jerks upright, his eyes rapidly searching around before he looks up and meets Clara’s worried eyes. I see the alarm spread across his face as he takes in the scene right before they narrow into hard points of anger.

  “Put Clara Bee in the pit,” Alice commands, her voice sounding bored at the turn of events.

  Someone shoves Clara before I can react, and she stumbles towards the edge. I reach out to catch her, but I’m too slow. She tumbles over into the hole. The Hatter springs to his feet and leaps forward, catching Clara in his arms before she can slam into the dark stone.