Page 48 of Knot My Wonderland

"A name not spoken lightly," Dee whispered, drifting closer like a cloud pushed by gentle wind.

Varik's expression had gone rigid, his wild eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made me take a small step back. "What exactly did the King say about the First Queen?"

I swallowed, suddenly feeling like I'd stumbled into territory far more dangerous than I'd realized. "He said my connection to Wonderland reminded him of hers—that she didn't command magic but communed with it. That Wonderland recognized her as its voice."

The Tweedles exchanged a look loaded with meaning, a silent conversation passing between them in the space of a heartbeat.

"Prophecies stir," Vee whispered.

"Possibilities awaken," Dee responded.

"And what else?" Varik pressed.

I looked at Varik, not sure how much detail to share. "He seemed to know about my abilities before he arrived. Hetalked about restoring balance to Wonderland, about the fabric growing thin in places."

"Of course he did," Chi muttered, tail lashing behind him. "The King of Spades has always positioned himself as Wonderland's great protector while expanding his territory through shadow and suggestion."

The Tweedles circled me, their movements perfectly synchronized despite their contrasting styles.

"The King speaks half-truths," Vee said, silver monocle gleaming in the moonlight.

"Half-truths are more dangerous than lies," Dee added, their opalescent robes rippling like water.

"But he wasn't wrong about the First Queen comparison," Chi said quietly, his form solidifying as all eyes turned to him. "I've felt it since you have arrived.”

"You've sensed it too?" Varik asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. The garden around us seemed to hold its breath, flowers turning their faces toward our conversation as if eavesdropping.

Chi's form flickered, the edges of him becoming more transparent. "I was there, Varik. I served in her court. I know the resonance of her magic." His teal eyes held mine with unusual solemnity. "Alice's connection has the same... quality. Different, but harmonically related."

The Tweedles moved in perfect unison, creating a circle around me that wasn't quite threatening but certainly felt containing.

"The pattern repeats," Vee stated, their analytical gaze cataloging my every reaction.

"But never exactly," Dee countered, their dreamy voice somehow sharpening. "Echoes change with distance."

I looked between them all from on my face, "Felt what exactly?" I asked, turning to Chi with sudden intensity. If he'd been keeping information from me all this time...

Chi's form flickered slightly, transparency creeping from his edges inward as if parts of him were retreating from the conversation. "A resonance," he admitted finally. "The magic responds to you in ways I've only witnessed once before, centuries ago."

Varik's expression had grown thunderous. "This isn't a conversation for open air," he said, glancing at the distant boundaries where my ward still registered periodic probing. "Let's continue inside."

The Tweedles nodded in perfect unison, their starlight eyes never leaving me.

"The walls have fewer ears," Vee noted clinically.

"Though some ears need no walls," Dee added dreamily, casting a meaningful glance toward the forest beyond my ward.

As we made our way back to the house, I couldn’t help but feel like things were just getting started and I was going to learn things I wasn’t ready for.

Chapter Seventeen

Alice

Inside, the house had once again transformed, the main room expanding to accommodate our enlarged group. The walls seemed to pulse with subtle silver light, mirroring the ward outside. Five chairs arranged themselves around the hearth where a fire kindled without anyone touching it.

"The house has become more responsive," Varik observed, removing his hat and placing it carefully on a side table that slid into position just as he reached for it.

"A side effect of Alice's ward," Chi explained, materializing in one of the chairs, his form more solid than usual. "The consciousness she created has awakened dormant aspects of your home."

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