Page 68 of Knot My Wonderland

Vee consulted the humming device, which projected a shimmering map of Wonderland in miniature above their palm. "Seventeen fighters remain at the Crimson Valley outpost."

"Of the original Twenty-eight"" Dee added softly, compassion tempering their dreamy demeanor.

Heart's jaw tightened, ruby eyes flashing with determination. "Can your paths take us there directly? Or at least close enough to mount a rescue?"

The Tweedles exchanged one of their characteristic glances—a silent communication that seemed to span multiple realities at once.

"We can create a temporary corridor," Vee stated, his silver monocle gleaming as they assessed probabilities.

"Though the Red Queen's blood magic makes direct insertion impossible," Dee cautioned, his opalescent robes rippling with concern. "We could place you three miles from the outpost, but no closer without triggering her detection wards."

Heart nodded grimly. "Three miles we can cover on foot." He turned to his remaining fighters, selecting five with quick, decisive gestures. "Martha, take Finn, Garrett, Lucia, and Thomas. Move fast, extract who you can, and fall back to the secondary rally point."

Martha clasped Heart's shoulder, her scarred face etched with gratitude and determination. "What about you, Prince? You can't stay in the Forgotten Lands indefinitely."

"I'll catch up," Heart replied, though through our connection I felt his uncertainty. "Alice needs to reach the Sanctuary of Hours—the temporal currents here are affecting her more strongly than anticipated."

As if summoned by his words, another wave of visions crashed through my consciousness, making me stagger. The silver patterns beneath my skin flared brightly, responding to the Forgotten Lands' increasingly insistent attention. I felt the ward consciousness struggling to organize the flood of temporal information, its structure bending under the strain.

"Alice?" Chi was at my side instantly, his form solidifying as he steadied me. "What's happening?"

"Too much," I gasped, pressing my palms against my temples where pressure built like a gathering storm. "The visions are coming faster now. I can't... I can't sort them all."

Varik moved swiftly to my other side, his wild green eyes assessing my condition with practiced precision. "The Forgotten Lands are accelerating the pattern's development. We need to reach the Sanctuary sooner than I thought."

The Tweedles observed me with their starlight eyes, their expressions revealing a rare moment of concern. "The pattern grows unstable," Vee observed, hissilver monocle reflecting the chaotic light emanating from my skin.

"Like a melody played too quickly," Dee added, hisvoice carrying genuine worry beneath its dreamy cadence.

Heart stepped closer, the Heart Stone flaring against my chest as our connection intensified. Through the crystal, I felt his alarm mixing with my own disorientation. "How long before she loses control completely?"

"Hours," Varik replied grimly, studying the increasingly erratic patterns spreading across my arms. "Maybe less if the temporal currents continue to strengthen."

Martha cleared her throat, drawing our attention back to the urgent rescue mission. "Prince, we need to move now if we're going to save anyone. Every minute we delay—"

"Go," I interrupted, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the chaos building in my head. "Heart, go with them. Your people need you.”

I gave a low hiss as more visions flickered to life, images of fire consuming villages, blood-red soldiers marching through neutral territories, all punctuated by flashes of possibilities where those same territories stood united in resistance. Thecontradictions tore at my consciousness, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from potential.

"I'm not leaving you," Heart said firmly, ruby eyes fixed on mine despite the distraction of imminent battle elsewhere. Through our connection, I felt his conflict—duty to his resistance fighters warring with a deeper, more personal concern for my safety.

"The Prince must choose," Vee stated with detachment.

"Between what is needed and what is wanted," Dee finished, hisopalescent robes rippling with sympathetic understanding.

Chi's form solidified further as he positioned himself protectively at my side. "Alice needs to reach the Sanctuary," he said, his usual playfulness entirely absent, a low growl leaving him as he stepped closer to me. "I'll ensure she gets there."

Heart's ruby eyes flashed with something primal at Chi's possessive growl, the Heart Stone pulsing against my chest as territorial instincts flared through our connection. "And leave her protection to a creature who's barely corporeal half the time?"

"Better than abandoning her for political obligations," Chi shot back, his tail whipping as his form grew more solid, more threatening.

"Enough," I said sharply, another wave of visions making my voice crack with strain. Through the temporal chaos, I could see flashes of Heart's fighters dying in the Crimson Valley, their screams echoing across timelines. "People are going to die while you two argue about who gets to babysit me."

The harsh truth cut through their posturing. Heart's jaw tightened, duty and desire warring visibly across his aristocratic features. Through our bond, I felt his anguish—the impossible choice between protecting me and saving his people tearing at him like physical pain.

"There's another option," Varik said quietly, his wild green eyes studying the Tweedles with calculating intensity. "The twins can create two paths—one to the Crimson Valley for the rescue mission, and one directly to the Sanctuary for Alice."

Vee and Dee exchanged their characteristic synchronized glance, the silver monocle and opalescent robes catching the temporal light that swirled around us.

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