Page 22 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
The Queen's perfect lips curved into a smile that held no warmth. "Resting, dear Heart. The transformation process requires intervals of recuperation." She traced a finger along hisjaw, her touch leaving a trail of frost despite the heat radiating from her presence. "She's fighting admirably, I must say. Much like my Rosalind would have. Such spirit."
I felt Heart tense at the comparison, fury rippling beneath his skin where golden patterns dimmed under the magical suppression. The Queen noticed too, her smile widening with satisfaction.
"Don't worry," she continued, circling us with predatory grace. "You'll see her soon enough. In fact, your presence will accelerate the final phase." She paused before me, studying my form with clinical interest. "The Cheshire Cat. Such an annoyance you are.”
I met her gaze steadily, refusing to show fear despite the crimson bonds cutting into my essence. "I've been called worse by better," I replied, my voice calm despite the pressure constricting my chest.
The Queen's eyes narrowed, something ancient and terrible flickering behind her perfect façade. "So defiant. Both of you. It's almost... admirable." She turned away, gesturing to the shadows where card soldiers waited silently. "Bring Alice. It's time our family was reunited properly."
Through our weakened bond, I felt Alice's consciousness surge with panic, then fierce determination and then relief. The silver connection between us strengthened momentarily—not from proximity, but from her sheer force of will pushing through whatever drugs clouded her system.
Heart caught my eye, a silent message passing between us. Keep her talking. Buy time. If Alice was feeling relief that means the other three made it to her.
"What exactly do you hope to accomplish?" Heart asked, his tone deliberately casual. "The pattern can't be forcibly transferred—it requires consent. Alice will never give that willingly."
The Queen's laughter rippled through the chamber like shattered glass, beautiful and dangerous. "Consent is merely a matter of perspective, my son. When one's will has been systematically dismantled, when every connection to one's former self has been severed..." She made a dismissive gesture, burgundy silk flowing like liquid shadow. "The line between coercion and choice becomes wonderfully blurred."
I felt a chill race through me at her words. Through our weakened bond, I sensed Alice fighting against whatever influence the Queen had established—a desperate struggle to maintain her sense of self as the drugs and magic worked to dissolve her identity.
"You underestimate her," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the crimson bonds tightening around my chest, as I felt Alice’s emotions flare, a flashes of pain then contentment. "Alice isn't like the others you've broken. The pattern chose her for a reason."
The Queen's ruby eyes flashed with something that might have been irritation. "The pattern chooses based on compatibility, nothing more. Raw potential waiting to be shaped." She moved closer, her presence radiating cold despite the warmth of the crystalline chamber. "My daughter possessed that same potential before the plague consumed her. Alice simply provides... a second opportunity."
The massive doors at the far end of the chamber groaned open, their obsidian surfaces reflecting distorted images of our bound forms. Captain Aldric entered a look of fear flashing on his face as he gave a bow to the Queen, “Alice is missing your highness.”
Then the sound of the Queen’s scream echoed through the room, followed by the sounds of Hearts laughter.
Chapter
Nine
ALICE
Isat in my room, my mind fighting through waves of the crimson fog that threatened to consume every clear thought. The silver and gold marks on my skin now tinged with red, making me feel sick. Through our weakened bonds, I could feel both Heart and Chi drawing closer—not just physically, but emotionally, their determination burning through the magical interference like distant beacons in a storm.
The collar at my throat pulsed with increasing urgency, as if sensing my renewed hope. Each beat sent waves of numbing cold through my consciousness, trying to sever the connections the Queen had worked so diligently to weaken. But I clung to the memories Aldric had advised me to protect—the first time Heart had smiled at me, genuinely smiled without calculation or manipulation. The protective way Chi's tail would wrap around my wrist when he sensed my mood shift. The look in Seth’s eyes when he talked to me….
Just thinking about Seth sent a cord of emotion through me, making me blink at the surge of a bond which flickered tolife before disappearing. I frowned not knowing how that was possible, before I heard a loud sound from outside somewhere.
A muffled explosion echoed from somewhere deep within the palace, followed by the distant clash of steel on steel. My heart leaped—Heart and Chi were here, fighting to reach me. Through our bonds, I felt their determination burning like twin flames against the crimson fog clouding my thoughts.
But something else stirred in the magical interference—a presence I hadn't expected. Cool and calculating, threading through shadows with practiced stealth. Seth. The Void bond flickered again, stronger this time, and I realized he wasn't just monitoring from afar. He was here, inside the Red Queen's domain. I shouldn’t be able to feel him….I shouldn’t have a bond with him yet. I bit my lip not knowing what was going on, but not caring as I felt the bond flicker again before disappearing completely.
The sounds of battle grew louder, echoing through the crystalline walls. I pressed my ear against the door, trying to gauge how close they were. The collar pulsed against my throat, its carved patterns warming as if responding to the proximity of my anchors.
Then another sound echoed through, the sound of a big crack, like shattering glass. I moved to the window, my palm against the window, peering through the crimson-tinted air toward the gardens where flashes of golden light erupted between the twisted trees. Heart was here. Fighting his way through the Queen's defenses with the desperate fury I could feel burning through our weakened bond.
A soft chime echoed through my chamber, and I turned to see the wall itself beginning to shift. The crystalline surface rippled like water, revealing three figures stepping through what had appeared to be solid matter moments before. My heart lurched with a mixture of relief and terror.
"Alice." Seth's voice was quiet but urgent as he materialized fully, his shadows coiling around the room to check for threats. Behind him came two figures I recognized but had never seen like this—Vee and Dee moved with synchronized precision, their usual playful demeanor replaced by something ancient and predatory. They wore matching armor that seemed to shift between solid and ethereal, covered with devices that pulsed with opalescent light.
"Seth," I whispered, relief washing through me so powerfully my knees nearly buckled. "How did you?—"
"No time," he interrupted, his shadows flowing toward the collar at my throat. "The Queen knows something's wrong. Heart and Chi are creating a diversion, but it won't last."
The Tweedles moved to opposite sides of the room, their hands manipulating devices that emitted soft humming sounds. The air around us shimmered, as if reality itself was being stabilized against outside influence.
“Temporal shield active," Vee announced, his voice lacking its usual playful lilt.
