Page 82 of Knot My Wonderland

"Very well," I said, allowing my shadows to settle into passive observation. "I shall remain a model of transparency during your absence."

Varik snorted, adjusting his hat as he gathered additional equipment. "Transparency. From the King of Spades. There's an oxymoron for the ages."

Chi's form flickered once more before stabilizing, the case of devices solid in his grip. Through the bond he shared with Alice, I could sense his reluctance warring, and each separation causing genuine distress for both parties.

"The longer we delay, the stronger the Blood Mages become," Heart said, his voice cutting through the tension. "They're drawing power from every village they destroy. By nightfall, they'll be virtually unstoppable."

I nodded, shadows flowing around me like liquid night. "Then go. I'll ensure Alice understands what's happening."

Chi gave me one last warning look before phasing partially out of reality, his form becoming translucent as he prepared to depart. Heart moved toward the door, pausing to glance back at me with ruby eyes that promised retribution should anything happen to Alice in his absence.

"Remember, Your Majesty," he said quietly, "the Heart Stone connects us regardless of distance. I'll know instantly if she's in distress."

"As will I," Chi added, his voice echoing strangely as he hovered between realities. "The foundational bond doesn't recognize physical limitations."

I merely inclined my head, shadows shifting with what might have been amusement. "Your concern is noted. Again."

With a final distrustful glance, Chi phased completely out of reality, taking the case of devices with him into the spaces between worlds. Heart followed moments later, his footsteps echoing through the crystalline corridors as he went to gatherhis fighters. Varik lingered, wild eyes studying me with that unsettling intensity that had kept him alive through decades of political upheaval.

"You know she'll see right through you," he said quietly, adjusting his hat one final time. "Alice isn't some naive dreamer stumbling through Wonderland anymore. The pattern has awakened something in her—an awareness that cuts through deception like a blade through silk."

"I'm counting on it," I replied, allowing my shadows to coalesce into a more human-like form. "Manipulation only works on those who don't recognize it. Alice requires a different approach entirely."

Varik's laugh was sharp with disbelief. "Honesty? From you? The realm might actually end if you tried such a radical concept."

"Perhaps," I conceded, shadows rippling with something that might have been uncertainty. "But the alternative is losing her entirely. And that... is not acceptable."

Varik studied me for a long moment, his wild green eyes seeing more than I cared to reveal. "You're afraid," he said finally, wonder creeping into his voice. "After all these centuries, the great King of Spades is actually afraid."

I didn't deny it. Couldn't, when the truth sat like lead in my chest. "The pattern chooses its own bonds, Hatter. I can arrange circumstances, but I cannot force acceptance. If Alice rejects what I offer..."

"Then you'll have to live with the consequences of your choices," Varik finished. He then went to the follow Heart to where the others would be, leaving me alone with my shadows and my thoughts. For centuries, I had moved pieces across Wonderland's fractured landscape, orchestrating events with cold precision. Now, faced with the one variable I couldn't control, I found myself uncharacteristically uncertain.

Alice.

Chapter Thirty

Alice

It had only been ten minutes since everyone left. I glanced over to Vee and Dee, who were watching me with their characteristic synchronized attention, silver monocle and opalescent robes catching the Sanctuary's ethereal light. Though both seemed more subdued than usual.

"The patterns grow more complex," Vee observed, his silver monocle reflecting the Observatory's swirling energies.

"Multiple melodies weaving together," Dee added, his opalescent robes shimmering with concern. "Some harmonious, others..." he trailed off looking to his twin, exchanging one of their synchronized glances.

"Others what?" I asked, though through Chi's bond I could already sense his movement between realities, the devices safely secured as he approached the first anchor point.

"Discordant," they finished in unison, their voices carrying an unusual note of uncertainty.

I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the Sanctuary's crystalline atmosphere. "You mean the bonds? The pattern forming within me?"

"Not just the pattern," Vee replied, his monocle flickering with complex calculations.

"But the intentions surrounding it," Dee finished, dreamy voice weighted with rare gravity.

I frowned at the two, I didn’t know how to react around them. They seemed to see things so differently.

"What do you mean by intentions?" I pressed, watching as the Tweedles exchanged another of their knowing looks.

---