Page 41 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
"She's been trying to undo that mistake ever since," I whispered, silver and gold light spiraling around me as the pattern shared more of its accumulated sorrow. "Every person she's controlled, every connection she's severed...it's all been an attempt to find a way back to Rosalind."
Heart's ruby eyes flickered with an ancient pain. "My mother never accepted that some connections, once broken, cannot be forced back together. She believes if she controls enough of the pattern, she can rewrite reality itself."
The communion deepened, the pattern showing me not just the past but possible futures branching like crystalline fractals. I saw the Queen's endgame with terrible clarity—not just controlling me, but using me as a vessel to channel enough of the pattern's power to tear open the veil between life and death. She didn't just want a replacement daughter; she wanted to resurrect Rosalind regardless of the cost.
"The serums she's creating," I gasped, understanding their true purpose.
"They're not just for control. They're designed to sever people's natural connections to reality itself, creating enough raw power for her to manipulate the pattern's core function," Chi finished for me, his tail lashing with agitation. "If she severs enough connections while controlling you as the pattern-bearer..."
"She could potentially rewrite the boundaries between life and death," Vee confirmed, his silver eyes reflecting ancient knowledge. "But such an attempt would destabilize all of Wonderland. Perhaps beyond repair."
The communion with the pattern intensified, showing me the catastrophic consequences of the Queen's plan—reality itself fracturing like shattered glass, the delicate web of connectionsthat sustained Wonderland collapsing into chaos. Not just death for individuals, but the unraveling of existence itself.
"We can't let her succeed," I whispered, the pattern's urgency flowing through me like liquid fire. "The price is too high."
Through our shared consciousness, the pattern offered something new—not just understanding, making me take a deep breath. If I can learn and practice enough…maybe I could stop the Red Queen…but eleven days isn’t that much time….but it has to be. Or we were all doomed.
Chapter
Sixteen
ALICE
Isat under a tree, its silver and blue leaves keeping my attention as I wondered. I was told to take a break but I felt like I was wasting time. The pattern hummed beneath my skin, responding to my restless energy with gentle pulses of encouragement. Even during this enforced break, it was showing me things—fragments of technique, glimpses of how previous bearers had channeled its power in moments of crisis. But unlike the chaotic visions I'd experienced after the temporal bonding, these felt purposeful, educational.
"You're not wasting time," Heart's voice came from behind me, his footsteps soft on the silver grass as he approached. "Your mind needs space to process what you've learned."
I didn't turn around, still watching the crystalline leaves shift in the pocket's strange breeze. "People are suffering while I sit here. The Queen is spreading her poison through Wonderland, and I'm... resting."
Heart settled beside me and sighed, before pulling me into his lap, Through our bond, I felt his understanding mixed with concern. "Alice, you've been training non-stop for six days. Eventhe pattern needs time to integrate the new connections you're forming."
I leaned back against his chest, feeling the golden warmth of our bond pulsing between us. The past six days had been intense beyond anything I could have imagined—communion with the pattern for hours at a time, learning to channel its ancient knowledge into practical application. My progress had surprised everyone, including myself.
"I keep seeing them," I admitted quietly, watching silver and gold light trace delicate patterns across my fingers. "The people the Queen is hurting because of me. The scrying sphere shows me more each time I create it."
Heart's arms tightened around me, his chin resting on top of my head. "Not because of you, Alice. Because of her obsession, her refusal to accept loss."
"The distinction feels meaningless to those being dragged from their homes for questioning," I replied, silver and gold light flickering beneath my skin in response to my emotional turmoil. The pattern sensed my distress, offering wordless comfort like a friend placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.
"I know," Heart said softly, his golden patterns pulsing in harmony with mine. "The guilt is natural, but it's also misplaced. My mother has been building toward this moment for centuries. You're not the cause—you're the first real hope we've had to stop her."
Through our bond, I felt his absolute certainty in those words, his faith in me unwavering despite everything. It helped, but didn't completely banish the knot of responsibility coiled in my chest.
"The pattern is showing me things," I said, flexing my fingers to watch the light respond. "Possibilities that are... terrifying in their scope. I could reshape reality itself, Heart. I am scared.”
Heart's fingers traced gentle patterns on my arm, his touch warm against my skin. "Of course you're scared. That kind of power should be frightening. It's those who aren't afraid of it that we should worry about."
"Like your mother," I murmured, watching our combined light create intricate geometries in the air between us.
"Precisely." His voice was gentle against my hair. "She sees power as her right, control as her inheritance. You see it as responsibility—that's why the pattern chose you."
I closed my eyes, feeling the pattern's presence like a warm current flowing through my veins. Since our first true communion, it had become less a separate entity and more an extension of my own consciousness—not controlling, but enhancing, offering perspectives and memories that spanned millennia.
"What if I'm not ready when the time comes?" I whispered, my emotions everywhere as I talked, "What if I am not strong enough to face her when it matters?"
Heart's golden patterns flared with protective warmth. "Then we'll face her together. You're not meant to carry this burden alone, Alice." Through our bond, I felt his absolute resolve—not just to protect me, but to stand beside me when the moment came. The pattern responded to his certainty, silver and gold light weaving between us in configurations that spoke of unity rather than isolation.
"She will try to separate us," I said, the knowledge flowing from the pattern's accumulated wisdom. "It's her oldest strategy—divide and conquer, isolate and control."
