Spades: The True Wonderland Awaits. (Of Wonderland Chronicles Book 1) (12 page)

Chapter 25:
The Capture

I jumped to my feet and stared at the card soldiers and Rabid Knight. Blayke followed, hiding me partway behind him.

"Hiding a fugitive you be!" Rabid Knight screeched, frothing at the mouth. "Let Bryony come out and speak for herself! She be the fugitive, not ye, Faerie of Spades!"

"Think about this, Rabid Knight," Blayke cautioned, his arm keeping me from stepping forward. "She'll find who killed your family and cursed you to this appearance if you only let her go free."

"Evil she be! If protect her you will, then capture you I will! Demands the Queen of Spades that the new Alice be brought to her court to be beheaded!" Rabid Knight shouted, and I winced.

"I'd rather not be beheaded," I mumbled under my breath, and Blayke nodded slightly at me.

"You won't get Bryony," he said, glaring at the card soldiers and Rabid Knight. "Not as long as I breathe. Bryony -" he turned to look at me, giving me a sad smile "- run. You'll be safe; I promise. That necklace you're wearing, it will protect you so long as you wish to save Wonderland. It was originally meant as a present to show you that I'll always be yours, but it turns out the spell my friend put on it will come in handy. I know you probably don't feel the same way, but -"

He was cut off by being taken into custody and dragged away by the card soldiers.

I fell to my knees and grabbed the grass where Blayke had stood. "Blayke," I sobbed, "I love you. I need you. Come back, please."

Rabid Knight regarded me with suspicious eyes and nodded.

"Leave ye now I will, but no second warning will ye receive. Come for your friend soon, all right?"

I blinked at the ending part of his speech but nodded. "I will. Just keep him from being executed, please. I love him."

"And he loves you. That's what he would have said if the card soldiers hadn't acted in that moment," Rabid Knight said, hopping forward. He touched my hand gently with his soft paw, and the necklace didn't protect me.

I touched the necklace, surprised that it wasn't doing what it was supposed to.

"So long as the one in question has no plans of harming the person wearing the necklace, the necklace will not shock or harm the one in question," Rabid Knight explained, and I nodded.

"But why don't you want to hurt me?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

Rabid Knight chuckled. "Because I see potential in you, potential for great things. I will protect you for now, but know that the next time we meet, we will be enemies once more." He bent down and kissed my hand, his whiskers and tiny, wet nose brushing against the back of my hand. "My name is Hades, Hades of the Court of Spades. It was nice to finally meet you, Bryony Hollander of the Wilds."

I blinked. "Is that what they're calling me now?" I asked, and Hades smiled at me.

"It is one of the things they are calling you now. The others I cannot tell you, because they would be spoiling your adventure. But I can tell you that they are calling you future royalty because of your excellent leadership.

"Everyone is so ready to have the Queen of Spades' rule over. She has done many evil things," he explained. "Now, I will try to postpone Blayke's execution as long as I can. You'll have to hurry and come with the Mad Man of Diamonds and the Dark Prince of Hearts. Only they will be able to help you free your love. Now go. Go back to the mansion and talk to the Faeries there. They will guide you to the next step of your journey. Good luck."

Hades began to walk away, and I called after him. "Wait!"

"Yes?" he asked, turning back to face me.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked, curious.

"Because, Bryony of the Wilds, you are the one to save my family," Hades said before he disappeared.

I sighed and began the journey back to the mansion.

Chapter 26:
The Mission

When I came back alone, Meadow's face fell, and a lot of Faeries and Pixies alike began to sob. I felt like giving up and giving in, but what Hades had told me motivated me. I straightened up and gave the Faeries and Pixies a serious look.

"Quiet down!" I boomed. "I can't hear myself think with all of your sobbing and crying!"

Immediately, they all went silent, turning to me.

"Now, we're going to rescue Blayke. But first, I need to go to free the guests of the Mad Tea Party," I said, and Meadow nodded, flying forward.

"I understand. Come with me, Milady. I will take you to the mirror that will lead you to where the Mad Tea Party guests are held," she said, bowing.

I followed her down the hallway, and she asked me for details on Blayke's capture.

"When the card soldiers and Rabid Knight came," I said, a voice inside of me telling me to keep quiet about the part about Rabid Knight becoming sane and introducing himself to me as Hades; the Faeries were sure to disbelieve me, "Blayke stood in front of me, his arms out in front of me. He refused to let the card soldiers and Rabid Knight take me away, instead saying that he would never let me be taken. He was about to tell me something when the card soldiers dragged him away. Rabid Knight hopped after them."

Meadow looked down and I bit my lip.

"But I'm going to rescue him, and I'm going to tell him that I love him," I said, determined, and Meadow smiled at me.

"Thank you, Milady. I know that you will bring Master back home with you," she said, and I smiled.

"I promise," I said, and Meadow nodded.

"Now, come this way," she said, gesturing to a hallway that I had never noticed before.

It was dark, but when I walked into it, the entire hallway was lit up with a bright light that bobbed down the hallway, leading us through the hallway's many doors to the right one.

"I knew that you were the one, Milady," Meadow said proudly, smiling at me, and I blinked at her.

"What?" I asked, my eyes widening.

"Only the Chosen One, chosen by the gods of Wonderland, will awaken the Wise One from his eternal slumber. That's what that light is; it's part of Master's spirit that has slept in this hallway for over 8000 years, waiting for the Chosen One to awaken it. This is Master's way of watching over you," Meadow explained. "Once you enter the right room, the part of Master's spirit trapped in this room will enter your necklace and reside there until you complete the Quest. Once you have completed the Quest, then the part of Master's spirit will enter his body and he will be complete once more. Once you have completed the Quest, we will have the rightful Queen of Wonderland."

My jaw dropped as Meadow and I followed the slowly bobbing light. "But I thought that there wasn't meant to be one Queen ruling Wonderland," I said, and Meadow smiled at me, shaking her head.

"No, that's wrong. In the Prophecy, it states that there is one rightful ruler of Wonderland, and she will be the one to save Wonderland from the evil that threatens it. That's what inspired the Queen of Spades to try to take over all of Wonderland; she thought she was the rightful ruler, and when no one agreed, she tried to take her 'kingdom' by force," she answered. "That is the evil the rightful Queen will stop."

"Wait, but I'm the one who's going to stop the Queen of Spades," I said, pointing at my own chest.

"But you aren't the Queen of Wonderland," Meadow finished. And I bit my lip, not listening to hear the rest of what she said: "Not yet anyway."

I followed the light into the dark room that it meant for us to go into, and it entered my necklace quickly, a light flashing once it had finished binding to my necklace, therefore strengthening my protection.

The room was dark, but once I walked in, all of the candles flared into light. The room was empty save a large mirror in the center of the room, leaning against the wall facing me. The walls were painted black, therefore accenting the silver frame of the mirror. But the surface of the mirror wasn't smooth; it was cracked with jagged edges poking out. Meadow gestured for me to step forward, and I did.

I examined the mirror and found that when I peeled a large piece of the broken glass away, it revealed a tiny keyhole. My fingers immediately found the key that Blayke insisted I always wear with everything. It sat underneath my dress, but it was easy to get to once I unbuttoned the first few buttons of my dress. I lifted the key over my head and followed my instincts, pushing the key into the hole and turning. The glass repaired itself, molding itself around the key.

I knew this magic; it was mirror magic. I just had to envision where I wanted to go, jump into the mirror, and it would take me there. So I thought of the Dark Mountains, of the purple, craggy peaks; blue waterfalls; dark green trees; trees with white blossoms; trees with black blossoms; the sky orange and gold, painting the tips of the mountains golden yellow. I envisioned this, somehow knowing exactly what the Dark Mountains look like. The image of the Dark Mountains at sunset appeared on the mirror. I looked back at Meadow, gave her a smile, and jumped into the mirror.

Chapter 27:
The Dark Mountains

I landed with a thump on the blue grass that covered the Dark Mountains, rolling to avoid being injured; I had no idea how high up I'd come from with the mirror magic, so I had to take precautions. I looked up at the purple mountains, their tips covered in pure white snow as they scraped the blue sky accented with stars. The Dark Mountains were beautiful and weren't razed to the ground like the rest of Wonderland was by the Queen of Spades. I guess it was because the Dark Mountains were hallowed ground. Only rightful rulers, champions, and card soldiers could step foot into the Dark Mountains. The Queen of Spades was not the rightful ruler of any kingdom. Therefore she couldn't step a single foot into the Dark Mountains.

You see, the current Queen of Spades was the youngest sibling. Her older sibling, Rosenetta, was to be the rightful Queen of Spades. But the current Queen of Spades grew jealous of her older sister's beauty and talent and ability to rule, so she murdered Rosenetta in her sleep. By default, the current Queen of Spades became the Queen of Spades, but by the gods of Wonderland, she was not meant to be Queen.

I climbed to my feet and brushed myself off, brushed myself clean of any dirt or grass that had clung to me. In jumping through the mirror, I had changed into an adventuring dress made of red fabric with a brown belt around my waist, right above my hips. I wore knee-high, brown boots and a brown leather top-hat. All in all, I was ready to find the Mad Tea Party guests.

"Remember me?"
came a familiar voice from inside of my head.

"Seth?" I asked, and the familiar Cockney accent chuckled.

"Yes, luv. It's been a while, hasn't it? Your darling Blayke's Faeries were blocking me from communicating with you,"
Seth said bitterly, and I blinked.

"Why?" I asked as I began to trek my way up through the mountain passes.

"Because he was afraid that I would steal you from him. Looks like the gods of Wonderland caught up with him, though. Being caught like that. Ha! It's pitiful,"
Seth said mockingly, and I scowled at his words.

"Shut up!" I snapped. "Blayke is amazing and sacrificed himself for me. I love him!"

Seth chuckled darkly.
"You say that now, but I guarantee by the time that the next leg of your Quest has begun, you will have forgotten all about him."

"How dare you!?" I exclaimed angrily, and Seth chuckled.

"I'm only warning you of what is to come. Call it a little gift, though for betraying me, you deserve no gift,"
he said, and I stopped in place.

"How have I betrayed you?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "All I have done is fallen in love. Do I not have the right to fall in love?"

Seth sounded as though he was scowling at that when he replied:
"You're supposed to only fall in love with one person. You are falling from your destiny."

"Who are you to decide my destiny?" I demanded, and Seth chuckled, though it was no doubt fake.

"I am your future lover, Seth of the Court of Hearts,"
he said, the smirk he was no doubt wearing bleeding through into his tone.

"You cannot decide that for me," I said, and Seth became bitter.

"It has already been decided; you and I have no choice. We are going to become lovers in the future,"
he said, and I smirked.

"You sound as though you aren't happy to be bound to me for all of eternity," I teased, and Seth chuckled.

"I am happy to be bound to you, little luv. I am just unhappy with the way that the gods of Wonderland are deciding this to play out. They're straying from the Prophecy in allowing you to fall in love. I only hope that they haven't decided that you and I are no longer to be bound together. I am rather fond of you, luv. We did grow up together,"
he said as way of explanation, and I blinked, biting my cheek and chewing on it as I began walking again.

"Do you have any way that you could help me get through the Dark Mountains faster?" I asked, looking down at my own feet warily.

"I do,"
Seth said, and I sighed deeply.

"Will you send it to me?" I asked, and he chuckled.

"It has already been sent to you, luv. It is on its way; it shall be by your side soon,"
Seth promised me, and I smiled despite myself.

"Thank you, Seth," I said softly, in hopes that he wouldn't hear me for I feared that if his ego became much larger his head would explode.

"My head won't explode because you said 'thank you' to me, luv,"
Seth said, chuckling, and I blushed.

"How do you do that?" I asked, and he no doubt blinked innocently.

"Do what, luv?"
he asked, and I deadpanned.

"Read my thoughts like they're a book sitting out in front of you," I finished, and Seth chuckled.

"Oh, that,"
he said dismissively, and I scowled.

"Yes, that," I said scathingly. "Now explain."

"As you wish, luv,"
Seth said, chuckling.
"You see, you and I grew up together. I know you better than you know yourself. Therefore I know when you're thinking things, because it's exactly in your character to think them."

I blinked. "Am I really that predictable?" I mumbled, and he chuckled again.

"Yes, you are,"
he said, and I scowled at nothing.

"Where is that thing to help me through the Dark Mountains?" I asked, leaning against a dead tree trunk.

"He's right above you,"
Seth said, and I looked up, my eyes widening.

A roar echoed through the air.