Page 46 of Knot My Wonderland: Part Two
And me?" I asked quietly. "What does this mean for me?"
Vee stepped closer, his silver eyes gentle. "It means you have a choice, Alice. The pattern shows the possibility, but it cannot—will not—force it upon you."
"The bonds must be freely given and received," Chi added, his tail curling thoughtfully. "Magical necessity doesn't override personal desire."
Heart reached for my hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "Whatever you choose, we stand with you. Whether as mates or simply as allies."
I looked at each of them, feeling the connections that already bound us together—connections that had saved me from the Queen, that had helped me understand the pattern's true nature. These weren't strangers; they were already integral parts of my life in Wonderland.
"I need time to process this," I said finally, watching the pattern shift beneath my skin.
"Of course," Vee nodded, his silver eyes understanding. "Time is something we can provide, at least within the pocket."
Heart squeezed my hand once before releasing it. "We should continue your training regardless. The Queen won't wait for personal revelations to be processed."
I was grateful for his practical shift in focus. The weight of destiny—five mates, healing Wonderland itself—feltoverwhelming when considered all at once. But the pattern beneath my skin pulsed with gentle reassurance, reminding me that some choices unfold naturally rather than requiring immediate decisions.
"The temporal mirror showed me something else," I said, turning back toward the crystalline archway which now stood dormant. "Techniques for channeling the pattern that I hadn't considered before. Ways to create rather than just defend."
Chi's ears perked up with interest. "Creation magic is rare, even among pattern-bearers.”
“The First Queen specialized in it," Vee said, his silver eyes gleaming with interest. "The ability to manifest entirely new constructs rather than simply manipulating existing reality."
I flexed my fingers, watching silver and gold light dance between them in configurations I hadn't consciously designed. The pattern seemed eager to demonstrate what it had shown me in the temporal mirror—not just defensive shields or simple manipulations, but true creation.
"May I try when we start training again?" I asked, feeling the energy building beneath my skin, waiting for release.
The Tweedles exchanged a quick glance before nodding. "The pocket is the safest place to experiment," Dee confirmed, lips twitching in a small smile.
I nodded, “Thank you. I just need to clear my head a bit then I will be ready to train again.” I then turned heel and walked away, my mind a jumbled mess.
Chapter
Eighteen
DEE
Iwatched Alice walk away, her slender figure gradually disappearing among the silver trees at the meadow's edge. The pattern's light still lingered in the air where she’d stood, silver and gold particles suspended like dust motes in sunlight.
"Well," Vee said beside me, his silver eyes calculating temporal probabilities with the same intensity he'd displayed since we entered the pocket. "That went about as expected."
Heart made a sound that might have been agreement or frustration—perhaps both. His ruby eyes remained fixed on Alice's retreating form, golden patterns pulsing beneath his skin with protective concern.
"She needs space," I reminded him gently, adjusting my temporal devices to monitor the pocket's stability. The recent revelations had created ripples through the accelerated time-stream—nothing dangerous, but noticeable to those of us sensitive to such fluctuations. "The temporal mirror showed her more than we realized. The integration process requires solitude to fully process."
Chi flickered into partial solidity, his teal eyes following Alice's path through the crystalline trees. "The Void bond's proximity to completion is affecting her more than she realizes. Seth's influence grows stronger with each passing day, even without formal binding."
"As it should," Vee observed, his fingers dancing across temporal calculations visible only to us. "The pattern recognizes the necessity of balance. Four bonds without the fifth creates instability—like a chair missing a leg."
Heart's jaw tightened, though his golden patterns remained steady. "She's overwhelmed. First the Queen's kidnapping of her, then the temporal bonding, now this revelation about mates and healing Wonderland itself. Any normal person would have shattered under that pressure."
"But Alice isn't normal," I said quietly, watching the last traces of her silver and gold light fade among the trees. "The pattern chose her specifically because she bends without breaking."
"True," Chi acknowledged, his tail lashing thoughtfully. "She adapts faster than any human I've encountered. The communion with the pattern is proof enough of that."
I glanced at my temporal devices, noting the subtle shift in energy patterns as Alice's distance from us increased. The pocket remained stable, but her emotional state created ripples through the accelerated time-flow—nothing dangerous, but fascinating to observe from a theoretical perspective.
"She saw herself as the Queen's puppet," Heart said suddenly, his ruby eyes darkening with protective fury. "A blood golem wearing her face. That's what disturbed her most."
