Page 45 of Knot My Wonderland

Chi's eyes narrowed, but he didn't contradict me. The King watched our interaction with evident interest, those ice-blue eyes missing nothing.

"Your ward is beginning to register multiple intrusions," the King observed suddenly, his attention shifting to the distant boundaries. "Not my own. The Queens' scouts are growing bolder."

I felt it too—distant pressure points against my ward, like fingers testing a fabric for weak spots. Unlike the King's methodical examination, these touches felt aggressive, probing with intent to breach.

"I should take my leave," the King of Spades said, shadows flowing around him like a living garment. "But consider my offer, Alice. Unlike the Queens, I seek balance, not dominance." His ice-blue eyes held mine for a moment longer. "Wonderland has been fractured too long."

"I'll consider it," I replied carefully, neither accepting nor rejecting his proposal.

The King nodded, seemingly satisfied with this response. "Until we meet again." He turned to Chi with a slight bow that held a hint of mockery. "Always a pleasure, Cheshire."

"Likewise, Your Majesty," Chi replied, his voice honey-sweet with insincerity.

The King's form began to dissolve, shadows spreading outward like ink in water. "A word of advice, Alice," he said, his voice already growing distant. "Trust is rare in Wonderland, but when offered genuinely, it may be your greatest asset." With that, he melted completely into shadow, disappearing into the night as if he'd never been there.

Chapter Sixteen

Alice

"Well," I exhaled, watching the spot where the King had vanished, "that was intense."

Chi's form shimmered with barely contained agitation, his tail lashing behind him. "The King of Spades doesn't make social calls, Alice. His appearance here is... concerning."

I turned to face Chi fully, noting how solid he appeared—more present than I'd seen him before. "He seemed genuinely interested in an alliance."

"The King of Spades is genuinely interested in power," Chi corrected, his teal eyes scanning the perimeter where other presences still tested my ward. "And you, my dear, are currently the most interesting source of power in Wonderland."

I shivered, not entirely from the night's chill. "He knew about my connection to Wonderland. He compared me to the First Queen."

Chi stilled completely, his perpetual motion ceasing so abruptly it was as if time itself had frozen around him. Even his tail hung suspended in mid-twitch.

"Did he now?" Chi's voice had lost its usual playful lilt, replaced by something older and more dangerous. "Those are not comparisons made lightly, even by monarchs."

I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly aware of the silver light pulsing beneath my skin in agitated patterns. "Is it true? Am I somehow connected to her?"

Chi's form flickered, transparency spreading from his edges inward as if parts of him were retreating from the conversation. "The First Queen is more legend than history now. Even those of us who remember her disagree on what she truly was." His eyes gleamed in the darkness. "But the King of Spades wouldn't invoke her memory without purpose."

"Which is?" I pressed.

Chi circled me slowly, his form solidifying again as he collected his thoughts. "To plant seeds of destiny in your mind. To make you question your role here." His tail flicked pensively. "The King of Spades deals in shadows and suggestions—letting others draw conclusions that serve his purposes while never quite stating his intentions outright."

I glanced toward the boundaries where the pressure against my ward continued, faint but persistent. "And what about these other intrusions? The Queens' scouts?"

"Testing your defenses, measuring your strength," Chi confirmed, following my gaze. "Your ward creation has not gone unnoticed. Magic of that magnitude sends ripples throughout Wonderland."

"I didn't think about that," I admitted, feeling a flash of guilt. "I've made things worse, haven't I?"

Chi's expression softened unexpectedly. "You've made things clearer, perhaps.”

His hand reached out, surprisingly solid as it brushed a strand of hair from my face. "Clarity can be valuable, even when uncomfortable. The monarchs would have found you eventually—at least now they know you're not defenseless."

I leaned into his touch without meaning to, drawn by the warmth that seemed to radiate from him despite his semi-solid nature. "What would you have done? If you were me?"

Chi's smile turned enigmatic. "I am perhaps the worst person to ask about making sensible choices, sweet Alice." His fingers lingered near my cheek, not quite touching but close enough that I could feel the strange energy that comprised his being. "I've spent centuries doing precisely what I shouldn't."

"That's not an answer," I pointed out, trying to ignore how my pulse quickened at his proximity.

"Isn't it?" Chi countered, his tail curling in thought. His eyes darkened to a deeper teal as they studied me. "I would choose freedom above all else—even safety. The Kings offer protection at the price of your presence in their courts. The Queens demand submission in exchange for power. But there are other paths in Wonderland, paths that don't lead to thrones or crowns."

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