Page 14 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
"The pattern chose her because she embodies its original purpose," Vee added, checking the final calibrations on his wrist device. "Free will, genuine connection, choice over coercion. Even weakened, those qualities remain part of who Alice is."
I moved toward the chamber's exit, my shadows flowing ahead to scout the corridors. "Then we move now, while she still has enough strength to choose freedom over surrender."
The twins fell into step behind me, their equipment humming with barely contained temporal energy. As we navigated the crystalline passages toward the rendezvous point, I felt the Void Court's restless hunger pressing against me from across dimensional barriers. My personal connection to Alice—that Void bond she'd unknowingly accepted—flickered like a distant star, nearly obscured by the Red Queen's corrupting influence but not yet extinguished.
"Your Majesty," Vee said quietly as we approached the chamber where Heart and Chi were finalizing their assault plans. "There's something we haven't discussed."
I paused, shadows coiling expectantly. "And that is?"
"The possibility that Alice may choose to sacrifice herself rather than surrender the pattern," Dee finished, his expression uncharacteristically grave. "Her temporal signatures show multiple branches where self-sacrifice becomes her preferred option."
The implications sent a chill through me that even my shadows couldn't conceal. "You believe she would die rather than let the Queen claim the pattern."
"We believe," Vee said carefully, "that Alice understands the pattern cannot fall into the Red Queen's hands—even if the price is her own life."
I absorbed this information, my shadows growing darker as I contemplated the implications. It wasn't merely Alice's life at stake, but the very fabric of Wonderland itself. The pattern in the Queen's possession would twist reality beyond recognition, corrupting the remaining balance between courts.
"Then we must reach her before that choice becomes necessary," I said finally, my decision crystallizing like frost on glass. "No more delays."
The twins nodded in synchronization, their expressions shifting from grave to determined in perfect harmony. We continued toward the chamber where Heart and Chi waited, the Void's hunger a constant pressure against my consciousness. I could feel its ancient awareness stirring, drawn by the pattern's distress.
As we entered, Heart looked up, his ruby eyes blazing with barely contained fury. The wound in his chest had been treated but could still see he wasn’t in the best form.
Chi stood beside him, his form flickering between solid and translucent as he monitored their weakening bond with Alice. The silver patterns beneath his skin pulsed erratically, betraying his growing anxiety despite his outwardly calm demeanor.
"We're ready," Heart said, straightening as we approached. His golden blood had stopped seeping through the bandages, but his movements still carried the stiffness of someone fighting through significant pain.
"The Tweedles have confirmed what we suspected," I announced without preamble. "The Queen's ritual is designed to create conditions where Alice will surrender the pattern willingly—or at least, where her will is so broken that resistance becomes impossible."
Chi's tail lashed once, his form solidifying with protective rage. "How much time do we have?"
"She needs the blood moon to complete it, we are on the same timeline as before," Vee replied, activating a temporal display that hovered between us, “Though it doesn’t stop from the Red Queen doing things to make Alice more….suggestive to the bond transfer.”
"Suggestive to the bond transfer?" Heart's voice was dangerously soft, his ruby eyes flashing with barely contained fury. "Explain."
The Tweedles exchanged one of their silent communications before Dee spoke. "The Queen is systematically breaking down Alice's resistance through a combination of blood magic, Alpha dominance, and psychological manipulation. She's using a specialized tonic that weakens the bonds while making Alice more susceptible to suggestion."
"Each dose pushes her closer to a state where surrender feels like the only option," Vee added, his fingers adjusting the temporal display to show a pulsing red line that grew increasingly unstable. "The bonds are still there, but being... muffled.”
I watched as Heart's expression darkened, the patterns beneath his skin flaring with protective rage. His hand moved unconsciously to his hand moved unconsciously to his chest where the golden bond pulsed weakly, barely detectable beneath the lingering effects of his wound.
"She's making Alice compliant," he growled, the words tasting like poison on his tongue. "Breaking her down piece by piece until she can't remember why she wanted to resist in the first place."
Chi's form flickered violently, his teal eyes blazing with fury that made the air around him shimmer with barely contained energy. "The psychological manipulation is the worst part. It'snot just weakening her bonds—it's making her doubt herself, doubt us, doubt everything she believes in."
"We move now," Heart declared, his voice carrying the authority of centuries despite his wounded state. "Every moment we delay gives her more time to break Alice down."
Chi's form flickered with agreement, his tail lashing as he felt another tremor through their silver connection. "I can sense her growing weaker. The bond feels...weak,like she's being pulled underwater."
I nodded, shadows coiling around my feet as the Void Court's hunger pressed against my consciousness with increasing urgency. "The frontal assault team is ready?"
"Martha has assembled our strongest fighters," Heart confirmed, reaching for his weapons despite the obvious pain the movement caused. "They believe it's a desperate rescue attempt—which is exactly what we want the Queen to think."
"All the better for our actual plan," Dee said, adjusting his temporal anchors with practiced precision. "The Queen expects emotion to drive this rescue—not calculation."
I studied Heart carefully, noting the tension in his jaw, the barely contained fury radiating from him in waves. Despite our planning, there was genuine desperation in his eyes that couldn't be fabricated. The golden thread connecting him to Alice was more than just magic—it was part of his identity now.
"You need to maintain the illusion of recklessness," I reminded him, my shadows stretching toward him in warning. "The Queen knows you too well. If she senses strategy beneath the chaos, she'll realize it's a diversion."
