Page 60 of Descend into Madness

“I never realized how heavy you were,” Cash peeks down and smirks at me. I grunt, bearing my weight downwards to make myself heavier.

“I never realized how human you were,” I cock my brows right back.

“Nicely played.” Cash gently places me down, his smile never slipping despite the sheen of sweat covering his flushed cheeks. Unlike the sexy glisten he had at the club, this particular perspiration hasn’t been aided by the sheen of baby oil. This one is all physical excursion – something I doubt the twins have felt in an extremely long time.

Keeping my hold on his shoulder, I wobble and hiss at the pain on my right ankle. My boot is back in place and loosely tied, and it does little to support the swelling inside my sock.

“Do you think you can walk on it?” Cash asks. I assess the path laid before us. Rocky, uneven, winding through a forest that is identical to the Enchanted Wood. Long grass set between tree trunks offer no other route, a rustle coming from behind.

Looking over my shoulder, I note the shadow seeping back behind a trunk. On the edge of the path, two lengthy sticks with a V whittled into the tops have been laid on the ground. I narrow my eyes, wishing I was in a position to be stubborn. Following my eyeline, Cash rushes to retrieve the wooden crutches.

“Aha! Our luck is beginning to turn already,” he grins, passing them over. I grumble about this particular stroke of luck starting with T and ending in Dick and accept the aids anyway. Keeping my right leg elevated, it takes a few tries to get the hang of swinging my body through the middle before I can start to navigate the path without Cash’s assistance.

“Okay, explain. And this time, don’t leave anything out,” I growl. Talk about waking up on the wrong side of the bed. I woke up on the wrong twin in my opinion. Misery loves company and I’d feel a hell of a lot better if Cash’s smile wasn’t constantly in my face. He shrugs, pointing up the path which winds out of view.

“We complete the test, find the playing card, supposing it wasn’t in the first room you entered. I wasn’t privy to the creation of the Nightshade Trail so for once, I’m as clueless as you are.” Turning my face up to the sky, fluffy white clouds sit against a constructed blue backdrop. If I stare long enough, my vision warps and I can make out the curve of a dome concealing us inside.

“So it’s a game?”

“More like a treasure hunt,” Cash runs his tongue over his teeth, seeming to miss the presence of his fangs. “One that needs two beings to solve. Given Tweed’s allegiance to the Red Kingdom, Arabelle knew I wouldn’t be able to find an accomplice to join my quest, but she couldn’t have banked on you.” I pull up short, Cash gaining a few steps ahead before noticing.

“Is that all I am, then? An accomplice to return you to the one you really want?” Cash’s eyebrows touch his hairline, his rush to continue forgotten. A look of hurt passes over his features and as he retraces his steps to me, his hand slides around my nape tentatively.

“Where did that come from?” he breathes, searching my face. Another rustle comes from the bushes behind, and I swallow thickly. Coming to some unknown answer, Cash sighs and lowers his mouth to my ear in the way that makes every nerve ending in my body come to life.

“I understand. Your world has trained you to hunt for betrayal. Taught you that there’s always a hidden agenda. True, I want to free Lillianna and yes, I need you to do it. But only because she is the true ruler of Wonderlust, Arabelle stole her kingdom, enslaved her people and cursed all men that became infatuated with you. Isn’t it interesting she doesn’t paint Tweed with the same blood-coated brush?”

Confusion flitters around my mind on butterfly wings. Amongst it all, a riddle Hatter once told me slithers through, although it doesn’t seem much of a riddle now at all.

‘There are always three sides of the story. Theirs, yours, and the truth.’

Looking back without the mind of a seven-year-old, I reckon that was the most sane, solid piece of advice he ever gave me. Cash moves his mouth towards my neck, the place he so recently savaged with his teeth, only to place a soft kiss over the sealed wound.

“Wanting to free this realm and return it to what it is supposed to be is my only motive. Whatever happened between us, that was an unexpected turn of events I refuse to regret.” My body moulds into his, my hyperawareness of being watched withering away. Let Tweed see how it looks to truly care for someone. Cash’s arms wrap around my back, slipping beneath my military jacket to touch my skin.

“I’m…sorry Cash. Nonsense I can understand. I’ve drove myself insane in the real world, desperate to fit in this time. But…I still fit out. I’m still not enough,” I choke on my words. The truth slams into me like a battering ram, stealing my breath and knocking tears into my eyes. I hold them back by sheer will, the tiny girl crying inside for acceptance closer to the surface than ever before.

“You’re everything we need you to be, and more. You’re much enough.” Cash nudges my chin up with his nose, refusing to release his hold wrapped around me. Willing me to agree with his steady green eyes, I relent.

“I’m much enough,” I smile weakly. Placing a faint kiss on my lips, Cash wraps his hand over my arm and aids my next step of the crutch.

“No more tainted thoughts. Let’s find our treasure before nightfall and be home in time for tea.” Now that’s a plan I can get behind.

* * *

Nightfall came and went.I turn on my side, followed by Cash who insists on spooning me. His warmth is welcome, even with the humidity circling us. I’ve heard no other evidence of Tweed nearby, although I’ve lost enough sleep listening out for it. Rays of reddish orange peek through the trees, another long day in this apparent jungle dawning.

We found nothing yesterday. No life. No food. Only a pathway cutting through long grass and the continuous pattern of trunks. As I lay in the nest of leaves Cash fashioned, I sigh over the rumble of my stomach. Quests aren’t nearly as exciting as the movies depict.

“Okay! I’m done!” I shout, jerking Cash awake. His eyes are wide, his hair is wild. Wriggling out of his hold, I grab my crutches to stand and stamp them for good measure. “What kind of treasure hunt has no clues?! We can’t just keep walking and walking and…” my eyes snag on a lamppost that definitely wasn’t there last night. Two arrows point in different directions, helpfully labelled in sketchy charcoal.

Cash joins my side,sharing a shrug with me. We don’t want to return the way we came, so we’re left with one option. The start to the back. Typically, this way turns away from the path and is laid with dense grass that I struggle to maneuver, but it’s better than walking blind. Somehow, my ankle seems more tender than yesterday, each movement making me wince.

“Here,” Cash comes up behind me. “Jump on.” Rounding to my front, he bends for me to hop onto his back, the crutches hanging loose over his shoulders.

“You really have no idea what we should be looking for? Aside from a playing card and a cell, in that order. No riddle to solve, no clues?” I purse my lips.

“Sorry, Crazy One, that’s all I’ve got. Risked my life to infiltrate Red Castle just to get that much. Tweed has never come so close to killing me for real. Too bad for him, I’m not so easy to get rid of,” Cash chuckles and I look around the foliage. No shadows to be seen.

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