Page 77 of Knot My Wonderland

"Her power relies on division," Dee finished with a dreamy nod.

I stood shakily, the silver patterns beneath my skin responding to my anxiety with swirling designs that seemed to reach toward the Tweedles. "How bad is it? How many people are in danger?"

The twins exchanged one of their synchronized looks, a silent communication that spoke volumes.

"The Observatory will show you," Vee said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle.

"Better to see than to hear," Dee added, extending a hand toward the door.

I followed them through the crystalline corridors of the Sanctuary, Chi a solid presence at my side. Through our bond, I felt his concern—not just for the situation, but for how I would react to it. The silver patterns beneath my skin pulsed with each heartbeat, responding to the tension in the air.

The main hall was already occupied when we arrived. Heart stood before the Observatory's living map, his ruby eyes tracking the movement of crimson forces across the miniature landscape. Varik paced nearby, hat askew as he muttered calculations under his breath. Martha and several other resistance fighters clustered at the edges of the map, their faces grim as they watched their hideouts and safe houses being systematically destroyed.

Heart looked up as we entered, his ruby eyes finding mine immediately. Through our connection, I felt his concern mingled with something more complex—recognition of the bond I'd formed with Chi, acceptance tinged with territorial frustration.

"Alice," he said, his voice carrying warmth despite the tension evident in his posture. "You should see this."

I approached the Observatory, gasping at the devastation displayed across the miniature landscape. The Red Queen's forces had spread like a crimson flood, villages burning in their wake as refugees fled toward borders that offered no real sanctuary. At the heart of the destruction, seven figures in flowing robes moved with terrible purpose—the Blood Mages, each surrounded by an aura of crimson energy that seemed to pulse with stolen life force.

"She's gone mad," Martha whispered, her scarred face pale as she watched her home village disappear beneath a tide of red-armored soldiers. "This isn't strategic—it's vindictive."

"It's both," Heart replied grimly, his ruby eyes tracking the Blood Mages' methodical progress. "My mother believes that by destroying everything Alice might value, she'll force her to surrender rather than watch innocent people suffer."

I pressed my hand against the Observatory's edge, feeling sick as I watched tiny figures fleeing before the advancing army. "This is psychological warfare," I whispered. "She's trying to break me by making me responsible for their suffering."

"A classic Red Queen tactic," Varik confirmed, his wild eyes narrowing as he studied the map. "She employed similar strategies during the last rebellion—targeted civilian populations to demoralize resistance fighters."

Through our bond, I felt Chi's protective fury surging like a storm. As he moved to stand beside me, teal eyes blazing with barely contained violence. "She miscalculates," he growled, his voice carrying harmonics that made the air itself vibrate. "Aliceisn't the type to break under pressure—she's the type to fight back."

"Fighting back is exactly what she wants," Heart said, his ruby eyes meeting mine across the Observatory. "The moment you leave the Sanctuary to help those people, you'll be vulnerable. The Blood Mages can track magical signatures across vast distances."

I watched the tiny crimson figures methodically destroying everything in their path, each burning village sending smoke that obscured other territories on the living map. "So I'm supposed to hide here while people die because of me?"

"You're supposed to think strategically," Varik interrupted, his hat tilting as he leaned over the map. "The Red Queen wants you reactive, desperate. She's counting on your humanity to override tactical judgment."

I felt the silver patterns beneath my skin flare with frustration, the ward consciousness responding to my emotional state. "There has to be something we can do."

Heart studied the Observatory with a general's calculating gaze. "If we strike at the Blood Mages directly, we might disrupt the advance enough for civilians to escape. My fighters are experienced with guerrilla tactics."

"A suicide mission," Chi scoffed, his tail lashing. "Blood Mages can drain life force from a hundred paces. Your fighters wouldn't get within striking distance."

Varik gave a sigh as he looked to Chi, “It seems we may end up coming out of retirement on fighting…” He let a unhinged smile take over his face, “I am sure some of my inventions could used a little work out. What do you say?”

Chi sighed, eyes glancing to me, “And who will stay with Alice?”

"I will," a familiar voice said from the shadows near the entrance. The King of Spades materialized as if stepping througha curtain of darkness, his presence immediately commanding the attention of everyone in the hall. "The Sanctuary's protections are formidable, but they require... reinforcement against what the Red Queen is preparing."

Heart's hand moved instinctively to his sword hilt, ruby eyes blazing with territorial instinct. "Your assistance isn't requested or required."

"Isn't it?" The King's dark gaze swept over the Observatory, where the Blood Mages continued their systematic destruction. "Tell me, Prince of Hearts, how many of your fighters survived the last encounter with just one Blood Knight? Now there are seven Blood Mages, each capable of draining an entire village to fuel their magic."

I felt the silver patterns beneath my skin respond to the King's presence, not with alarm but with welcome. The ward consciousness stirred within me, reaching toward the shadowy monarch with what felt like recognition. Through our bond, I sensed Chi's immediate wariness, his protective instincts flaring as the King approached.

"You knew this would happen," I said, watching as the King of Spades moved with liquid grace around the Observatory. "You intervened at the Crimson Valley because you wanted us to gather here."

The King's lips curved into what might have been a smile on anyone else. On him, it looked like a predator acknowledging a worthy opponent. "Perceptive, Alice. The pattern grows stronger within you by the hour."

Heart stepped forward, positioning himself between me and the shadowy monarch. "Whatever game you're playing, we're not pieces on your board."

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