Page 54 of Knave

But the beast cracked his wings, lifting higher into the thick clouds, and disappeared. He didn’t reemerge—not a single sound came from the Jabberwocky as though he wastoyingwith them, his prey.Oh shit. Ferris held his breath. This couldn’t be good.

His gaze scoured overhead for any sign of the Jabberwocky. A shadow, the dip of his tail. But there was no hint of the sneaky fucker. Not before he tore from behind a cloud, teeth bared, wings pressed against his body, diving down from the sky—straight toward him and Mouse.Bloody hell!This wasn’t the plan. The fae were the bait. Ferris lunged for Mouse, knocking her down and rolling them both out of the way just as the Jabberwocky crashed to where they’d been standing. The ground shook, trees rustling, chain clanking. A roar vibrated the air around them and the fae shouted. Ferris leapt up, dragging Mouse to her feet beside him.

The Jabberwocky’s cry turned to a whine. Ferris tightened his grip on the chain and turned to find gray stone slipping over the beast’s body. It oozed down the quills, sliding over dark fur, around his abdomen and neck. He stomped his taloned feet, but then the stone was there, too, holding him in place. And, finally, silence, as the last of his snout hardened.

“Damn it,” Tin muttered. “How are you going to get him chained up now, fucker?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you wantthemto become a snack?” Tik-Tok adjusted his rolled sleeves, exposing more of his golden arm, and peered around the Jabberwocky to smile at Ferris and Mouse. “You’re welcome.”

“Cut the shit, pirate. The cure takes time to work. Unless he’s flesh and bone, he can’t ingest anything and if he’s not tied down, he’s going to use our bones as toothpicks.” Tin let the head of his axe thud to the ground and squeezed his eyes shut.

“It’s fine. This might work better than expected. Fangs”—Tik-Tok pointed at Ferris—“wrap him up nice and tight.”

Mouse snorted in disbelief, scanning the fae up and down.

“I wonder how much we could sell their blood for if we bottled it,” Ferris said. “With the Jabberwocky turned to stone like this, they can’t release him so our problem seems to be solved.”

“Oh, feisty! I like it.” Tik-Tok laughed, seeming to be completely unfazed by the threat. “Unfortunately, if I get too far away, he’ll turn back into a beastie. So, get wrapping.”

Ferris rolled his eyes. He’d like to wrap the chain around Tik-Tok’s throat instead. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Dragging the chain between them, Ferris approached the stone Jabberwocky. The beast remained crouched like he was still about to attack, lips pulled back slightly, exposing the tips of his sharp teeth. But there was something else in his expression. Shock, fear. His furry brows were slightly lifted in surprise. If this worked, he would be able to go home after all this time.

“Hopefully he still remembers how to speak.” Tik-Tok rapped his fingers against his golden arm. “If he’s not rational after the cure, you can knock him out.”

“May I?” Tin drawled.

“Just don’t hit him too hard and kill the poor male.” His red gaze landed on Mouse. “Chop, chop, my pink little confection.”

A low snarl left Ferris. He would love to attack Tik-Tok just once if it weren’t for the unknown magic shit he’d retaliate with—somehow, he doubted Tin would help until the very last moment too. But there were more important things at play, so he wrapped a loop of chain around the Jabberwocky’s left leg, ensuring it was nice and tight, before dragging more toward his back one.

Mouse mirrored his movements, throwing the chain to each other over the beast’s back and beneath his stomach, until they were out of links. Tangled as he was, it would take forever for him to escape and, given that the chain was made of iron, Ferris was confident they would have enough time to cure the cursed fae.

Or get the fuck out of there if Tik-Tok’s concoction failed.

“Now what?” Ferris asked, wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers.

Tin reached into his tunic and produced a gold vial. “We get him to drink this.”

Mouse blinked, her lips set in a thin line. “I suppose we’ll find out if this final act becomes a tragedy.”

There was no way they were going to get close enough to the Jabberwocky’s mouth to feed it jack-shit. Not unless they were also determined to lose a hand in the process. But, hey, as long as the Jabberwocky got the cure, it made no difference to him if one of the fae lost a limb. Maybe Tik-Tok wanted a matching set.

Tin turned to the cocky fae and grabbed him by the shirt. “If you fuck this up and I get eaten, remember that you have to face my very expectant, bed-ridden daughter.”

“If you get eaten, I won’t be facing another fae for averylong time, will I?” Tik-Tok brushed him off. “You’re my ticket home, so fear not.”

Tin let out a string of low curses as he approached the Jabberwocky and popped open the vial. “Stand back,” he told Ferris and Mouse. Then he took a deep breath. “Fucking do it.”

The magic faded from the Jabberwocky, lightening dark stone to his gray hide. His growl rumbled lower than before, his lips pulling back into a sneer, and his eyes narrowed as he waited for the moment he could move again. Attack. Devour.

But then the iron links touched his hide instead of stone and his jaw fell open on a high-pitched whine. Tin shoved his hand into the beast’s mouth, pouring bright purple liquid onto his red tongue, before flinging himself backward just before the Jabberwocky snapped his mouth shut and released a blood-curdling howl.

Mouse grabbed Ferris’s wrist and drew him out of the Jabberwocky’s range of attack. If this failed, they’d just royally pissed off the most dangerous creature in Wonderland.

“Is it working?” Ferris shouted over the wail.

“Fuck if I know,” Tin grunted.

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