Page 33 of Knot My Wonderland

"I see," I said, my voice losing its usual playful edge. "And now you've come to warn us? How uncharacteristically brave of you, Nasir."

The White Rabbit straightened his waistcoat, a flash of genuine offense crossing his features. "I have always been a friend to balance, Chi. Whatever you and the Hatter might think of my... employment choices."

"Friend to balance, courier to tyrants," I mused, materializing fully now. "An interesting tightrope you walk." I studied him more carefully, noting the shadows beneath his red eyes, the slight dishevelment of his usually immaculate fur. "You're taking a significant risk coming here. Why?"

Nasir's ears drooped slightly. "Because the last time the monarchs mobilized like this, we lost the Western Reaches entirely. The fabric between worlds tore. Dreamers wereconsumed by the void." He clutched his pocket watch like a talisman. "I don't want to see that happen again."

I considered him silently for a moment, weighing possibilities and risks. The White Rabbit had always been a creature of self-preservation, but he wasn't without principles. His warning carried the ring of genuine concern.

"What exactly are you offering, Nasir?" I asked, my voice uncharacteristically direct.

He glanced around nervously before leaning closer. "Information," Nasir whispered, his nose twitching with anxiety. "Court schedules. Guard rotations. The Queens' movements. And..." he hesitated, lowering his voice further, "safe passage through certain territories, should it become necessary."

I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by the extent of his offer. "That's quite the risk you're willing to take. What do you want in exchange?"

Nasir straightened, a flicker of determination hardening his usually timid demeanor. "Assurance that whatever—or whoever—has disturbed the balance won't be used to favor any of the Hearts or the Club kingdoms. Wonderland can't survive another war because of them again."

"And if this disturbance represents something else entirely?" I asked, studying his reaction carefully. "A third path, perhaps?"

The White Rabbit's ears twitched with interest. "A third path would be... unprecedented. But potentially stabilizing, if managed correctly." His red eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Is that what you're suggesting? That this Omega dreamer represents an alternative to the current powers?"

I circled him once more, keeping my expression deliberately enigmatic. "I suggest nothing, dear Nasir. I merely explore possibilities."

"Always the riddler," he muttered, checking his watch again with nervous fingers. "I don't have time for games, Chi. TheQueen of Hearts has doubled her Card Guard patrols. The Queen of Clubs has summoned her Knight captains from the northern territories. They're preparing for something significant."

"And the Kings?" I asked, genuinely curious now.

"The King of Diamonds watches and waits, as always. The King of Spades..." Nasir hesitated, lowering his voice to barely a whisper. "The King of Spades hasn't been seen in his court for three days. His advisors claim he's in meditation, but rumors suggest he's personally investigating these... disturbances."

This news sent a chill through me. The King of Spades rarely left his fortified palace. If he was moving personally, the situation was even more volatile than I'd anticipated.

"I see," I said, allowing my form to solidify completely. "Your information is valuable, Nasir. More than you know."

The White Rabbit straightened his waistcoat again, a nervous habit that centuries hadn't broken. "Then we have an arrangement?"

"We have the beginning of one," I replied carefully. “I shall have Hatter come have a chat with you….stay here and be patient. He shall be here soon.” I then disappeared back to Varik’s house…it seemed things were already moving, way quicker than we anticipated.

Chapter Thirteen

Alice

The kitchen itself seemed to respond to my mood, the light filtering through the windows dimming slightly as if in sympathy. My fingers traced absent patterns on the wooden tabletop, leaving faint silver trails that faded seconds later. The bracelet Varik had given me hummed softly against my wrist, its crystals pulsing in time with my heartbeat.

I was exhausted, my body aching from resisting Chi's commands, but my mind refused to quiet. Everything was happening too fast—the magic, the training, the politics of a world I barely understood. Just days ago, I'd been a college student worried about finals and my future. Now I was apparently some kind of magical beacon, valuable enough to start a war.

"Ridiculous," I muttered to myself, rubbing my temples where a headache was beginning to form.

The kitchen responded to my voice, a cabinet opening gently to reveal a small jar of what looked like honey, though it shimmered with an inner light that no Earth honey possessed. I stared at it, torn between wariness and curiosity.

"It helps with the headache," Varik's voice came from the doorway. He stood there, hat in hands, looking more disheveled than usual. "Just a small spoonful in tea."

I reached for the jar hesitantly. "How did you know my head hurts?"

"The house told me," he replied simply, moving to the kettle that had begun whistling softly, as if it had been waiting for him. "It's quite attuned to you already."

"That's not creepy at all," I muttered, watching as he prepared two cups with practiced efficiency.

Varik's mouth quirked into a half-smile. "Wonderland has different ideas about privacy than your world.”

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