Page 35 of Knot My Wonderland

"They suspect," Chi corrected, materializing a cup of tea for himself that steamed with an unnatural purple vapor. "They don't know where, exactly, but they're searching. The Red Queen has offered a duchy to whoever brings information about a 'returned dreamer'—an Omega who the magic responds to."

I set my teacup down with shaking hands. "So we're running out of time."

"Rapidly," Chi confirmed, his tail swishing in agitation. "But our rabbit friend is offering assistance—information about court movements, guard rotations, and potentially safe passage through certain territories."

"In exchange for what?" Varik asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Assurance that we won't use Alice to give either Queen an advantage," Chi replied, sipping his strange purple tea. "He fears another war between the monarchies."

"With good reason," Varik muttered, rising to pace the kitchen. The floorboards creaked beneath his feet, adjusting to his movements. "The last conflict tore holes in reality itself. We lost entire regions of Wonderland to the void.”

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly chilled despite the warm tea. "And they think I could cause that kind of destruction?"

"Not cause," Chi corrected, his teal eyes studying me over the rim of his cup. "Catalyze. Your connection to Wonderland's magic represents power—power that could tip the balance in favor of whoever... claims you."

The way he said "claims" made my skin crawl. I pushed my teacup away, no longer finding comfort in its warmth.

"So what do we do?" I asked, looking between them. "Hide me away forever?"

"Impossible," Varik said, shaking his head. "Even if we could shield your presence completely—which we can't—hiding solves nothing. The monarchs would simply tear Wonderland apart searching for you.”

Varik gave a sigh glancing to Chi, “I shall go talk to the rabbit and see what else I can learn or get out of him.” There was a low growl that came from his chest, making the hairs on my arm stand on end.

"Just don't scare him too much," Chi advised, his tail flicking lazily. "Nasir is jumpy enough without you going all Alpha on him."

"I'll be civil," Varik promised, already reaching for his hat. "Keep Alice safe while I'm gone."

Something in his tone made me sit up straighter. "I can take care of myself," I said, though the tremor in my voice betrayed my uncertainty.

Varik paused, his wild green eyes softening as they met mine. "Of course you can. But Wonderland is on high alert now. The forest itself will be watching." He settled his hat with a precise movement. "I won't be long."

After he left, silence settled between Chi and me like dust after a storm. I traced the rim of my teacup, watching the liquid inside shift colors with each rotation of my finger.

"So," I said, breaking the silence, "you and the Hatter—Varik—have known each other for centuries?"

Chi's smile widened, revealing those sharp teeth that reminded me he wasn't human, despite his mostly humanoid appearance. "Curious about us, are you? How delightful."

"Just trying to understand the world I'm stuck in," I replied, aiming for casual but hearing the edge in my own voice.

Chi materialized closer, his chair somehow now directly beside mine without him having visibly moved. "We've known each other through several reigns, several wars, and countless smaller conflicts." His tail curled thoughtfully behind him. "Varik was quite different when we first met. More... revolutionary."

"Revolutionary?" I couldn't imagine the careful, measured Hatter as any kind of rebel.

"Oh yes," Chi purred, eyes gleaming with old memories, "The Hatter led one of the greatest uprisings Wonderland has ever seen. Before he was the Hatter, he was known as the Clockwork Rebel." Chi's voice dropped to a theatrical whisper. "He created magnificent devices that disrupted the Red Queen's magic, allowed common folk to slip past her Card Guards unseen."

I stared at Chi, trying to reconcile this image with the cautious, protective man I'd come to know. "What happened?"

"What always happens to revolutionaries who get too close to victory," Chi said, his playfulness momentarily eclipsed by something darker. "Betrayal. Sacrifice. Loss." His tail swished pensively. "He lost someone very dear to him. After that, he retreated to the Tulgey Wood, became the Hatter, and focused on smaller magics—hats and clockwork and teapots."

I couldn't help but wonder if that someone had been an Omega like me. The way Varik was so protective, so careful with me—it suggested old wounds, deep ones.

"And you?" I asked, turning the conversation away from Varik's past. "What's your story? Were you always..." I gestured vaguely at his form, which seemed to shimmer slightly at the edges even when mostly solid.

Chi's smile widened, a Cheshire grin in the truest sense. "Always changing? Always between states?" He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a silky murmur. "I was once as solid as you, little Alice. A courtier in the earliest days of Wonderland, when the first Queen still ruled."

"The first Queen?" I repeated, fascinated despite myself.

"Long before the current monarchies divided the realm," Chi nodded, his eyes growing distant with memory. "She was neither Red nor White, neither Hearts nor Clubs nor Spades nor Diamonds. She was simply the Queen of Wonderland, and the magic bent to her will like flowers following the sun."

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