Queens of Wonderland, page 17
“Because once it’s finished, the Cat can mold this world to its desires, and meld it with others so it can escape. It can even make Hook a body then. It can make one for us all. That was the price we demanded.”
“That’s not how it works. Maybe the rulers of a realm could do that, at least if they had any idea how, but you don’t have one, do you? That’s why your army doesn’t have any cards. Living cards, anyway. The Queen of Hearts has abandoned you, hasn’t she? I doubt the other queens will help you.” Michael’s eyes went wide, and he turned to the card queens. “Wait, unless the Cheshire Cat has some sort of authority over this world, too?”
“No,” the Queen of Diamonds said. “There are only four realms. Most denizens of Wonderland owe their allegiance to one of the four queens, to one extent or another. The Cheshire Cat, though, has never sworn fealty to anyone.”
Michael turned to Vanessa. “Would that be enough? Someone who isn’t beholden to one of the rulers but who is an independent power?”
“I wouldn’t think so normally.” She gazed out into the sea. Even the smell of salt water was muted. “This world is changing, though. Who knows what it could mean as far as control over this realm? It might be possible.”
The ghost took a slow step backward. “I’ve told you everything I know. Please, let me go.”
The pirate screamed as a black blade erupted from its chest. It looked down at the weapon that had skewered it. All at once, the ghost collapsed into motes of light. The Queen of Spades stood there, weapon in hand. She glared at Michael.
“Why did you do that?” he asked.
“Look what it helped do to our lands. You may be mighty, Michael Darling, but you do not have the authority to pardon or condemn anyone here. It got what it deserved.”
Michael opened his mouth to speak, but Vanessa put a hand on his shoulder. “Leave it alone. She does have a point, after all. At least, we have managed to take out one of Hook’s lieutenants.”
“Will he know?” Will asked. “I mean he probably only has a few of the stronger ghosts.”
“He might,” Michael admitted.
“He knew we were coming anyway, if they managed to sense us coming through the portal,” the Queen of Spades said. “If anything, this is just a reason to move faster.”
Vanessa didn’t think that logic made sense, but the other card queens nodded. She had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to convince them otherwise, but she had to try. Before she could respond, however, the cards were marching, leaving the three humans behind.
“They sure make their decisions quickly, don’t they?” Vanessa said as the cards disappeared behind a sand dune.
Will started to say something, but before he could get a whole word out, the Queen of Spades came running back toward them with the other cards trailing right behind. She had inverted herself and looked more frightened than Vanessa would have thought possible for the warlike queen.
“Run!”
What they had faced a few minutes before had been a horde of ghosts. What came after them now was a sea. There were so many ghosts that Vanessa couldn’t even see the land they were walking on. More than that, another horde marched in the air just above the first. They outnumbered the cards at least a hundred to one, and Vanessa did the only thing she could think of. She ran.
29
Vanessa, Michael, and Will quickly outpaced the cards, not that it would do any good. With that many ghosts, it was only a matter of time before they would all be overcome. A wisp flew out of the air and flew right through Michael. He brought his hand to his chest and gasped. They should have expected that. Wherever there were ghosts, there were always wisps. Vanessa glared.
“I told you not to antagonize the wisps!”
“Is this really the best time to be talking about that?”
“Well, we’re probably about to die, so it’s not like I’ll get another chance.”
“Can you get us home?” Will asked between gasping breaths.
“I don’t have the watch anymore.”
“You didn’t have the watch the first time you tried to get us here. That almost worked.”
He had a point. It probably wouldn’t work, but she didn’t have any better ideas. She tried to concentrate but her heart beat too fast, and she couldn’t slow her breath or close her eyes in an effort to calm herself, not with the ghosts swiftly gaining on them.
“It’s no use.”
A wall of red light appeared behind them, and the cold that had been slowly seeping into her flesh vanished as the ghosts slammed into it. The ones in the front screamed as the barrier incinerated them, not even leaving the blue motes. Vanessa and the others stopped in their tracks. They looked around. Not far away, a man wearing a red robe stood with his hands held forward. They glowed red; he had obviously formed the wall.
It took Vanessa a few seconds to recognize him. “That’s a red bishop.”
Will nodded and looked toward the ghosts. “Men of faith do often have power over the dead.”
“But a Looking Glass soldier?” Vanessa asked.
Will took a few seconds to catch his breath. “It makes as much sense as anything else in this land.”
The bishop lowered his hands, and the wall extended behind him and disappeared over the horizon. He walked over to them. His hair was as red as flame, and though he had a smooth face, he seemed to walk with a great weight on his shoulders. “Please, come with me.”
He scurried down the beach without waiting for them to answer. After a few seconds, he apparently realized they weren’t following and turned to beckon them over.
“Are you serious?” Vanessa asked. “You’re our enemy. Why should we trust you?”
“I just saved your life, for one thing.”
“From your allies.”
“No.” He spoke so firmly that the barrier holding back the ghosts pulsed. “Those things are not our allies. We were betrayed. Now, my lady wishes to speak to you.”
“So she can betray us,” Vanessa said. “I don’t think so.”
The bishop lifted his hands. Red lightning ran up his fingers. Vanessa had no idea what god this bishop worshiped, but it apparently granted its servant a measure of power. Vanessa raised her hand, though she doubted she’d be able to counter anything he did.
“Wait! Why does she want to see us?”
“Because you’re the enemy of the pirate, and now so is she. She wants to help you defeat him.”
“We can’t trust them,” the Queen of Spades said.
Vanessa looked back. Cracks had formed on the wall and wisps of ghostly light leaked through. It wouldn’t last for long.
“We don’t exactly have a lot of choices.”
The Queen of Diamonds nodded, but the other two didn’t look too sure. Then, the wall shattered with the sound of breaking glass and a wave of cold washed over them. The bishop uttered a string of curses that Vanessa had never thought to hear from the mouth of a holy man.
“Go. A hundred yards down the beach, there’s a rock formation. There, you’ll find a cave. My queen is there along with what forces she could salvage.”
“What do you mean?” Vanessa asked. “Aren’t you coming with us?”
The ghosts howled as they neared. Red lightning ran through the bishop’s entire body, filling the air with the smell of ozone. His eyes glowed, and his voice had an odd crackle to it. “I will hold them back.”
A bolt of lightning shot from his hands, destroying at least a dozen of the spirits, but even that much was barely a drop in a very large sea.
The bishop looked back at them. “Go!”
The card queens were already running with their respective cards right behind them, though anything below five had trouble keeping up. Vanessa and her companions followed. Flashes of red light illuminated the sky as they ran. The ground shook, and Vanessa’s skin tingled with the electricity in the air. A wisp shot through Michael, and he stumbled, but he managed to keep his footing. Rosebud flew behind Michael, and when another wisp approached, she stabbed it with a ghostly blade, causing it to wink out of existence.
Vanessa saw the rock formation ahead. Desperately, she hoped the cave wouldn’t be hard to find, though she had no idea how a cave wall would protect them from hundreds of ghosts and wisps.
“Here!” a short stubby man in red called out as soon as they reached the formation.
Vanessa altered her path and headed in his direction. The cards were disappearing into a hole in the ground. A ghostly ace of hearts rushed forward, passing through two of the clubs. The cards withered, which only encouraged the rest of the cards to go faster. Another ghost passed through Vanessa, and she felt like all the warmth had been taken from her. She didn’t even realize she had slowed until Michael took her hand and practically dragged her into the cave. One of the ghosts tried to come in, but there was a red flash and it was driven away. Curious, Vanessa extended her hands and tried to sense the nature of the shield.
“It’s similar to the wards the Knights put around their safe houses, but those took months to put up. Unless the Looking Glass soldiers were planning to retreat here, this can’t have been here more than a few hours.”
“Yes,” the Red Queen said from behind her, “my bishop put it up just before he went to find you. Given that there are so many ghosts out there that I can’t even see more than a few feet outside the cave, I take it he won’t be returning.”
Vanessa turned and gave her a slight bow. The Red Queen’s robes were in tatters, but they still looked finer than most things Vanessa had ever worn. “Yes, he sacrificed himself to save us.”
“That is regrettable. His loss is a great one.”
“You have others, don’t you?”
“Some,” the Red Queen admitted, “but none as skilled.” She looked Vanessa and her companions up and down. “I hope you are worth it.”
“He said you wanted to talk to us.”
The Red Queen deflated. “Yes. The Cheshire Cat took control after the pirate raised the army of ghosts. They attacked the card queens and took back the White Queen. Then they turned against us.”
Vanessa looked over her shoulder at the horde of ghosts pressing against the cave mouth. She gave the Red Queen a level look. “That much is obvious. What we don’t know is how he was able to do this to Wonderland.”
“It was the pirate’s plan all along. Once the other three queens had left, he instructed the Queen of Hearts what to do.” She looked at the three card queens. “We just needed to get you out of Wonderland. That was why I left the watch in my quarters.”
“I wondered why that was so easy.” Vanessa brushed the leather-bound hilt with the tip of her fingers. “Out of curiosity, why did you leave the Vorpal Sword there, too?”
“To be honest, I thought it would destroy you. No one else has been able to wield it without eventually turning against their friends. That’s beside the point, though. I just want to go home.”
“Home?” Vanessa asked. “You helped to unleash the ghosts of everyone who has ever died in Wonderland, and you expect me to help you leave this world?”
“You must! My people are dying.”
“As are ours,” the Queen of Spades said, drawing her sword.
There was murder in the card’s eyes, and she moved to strike. Vanessa put a hand on the hilt of the Vorpal Sword. She could feel heat through the leather. The Red Queen hissed and backed up. The Queen of Spades backed up as well. Vanessa simply shook her head.
“She deserves it,” the Queen of Spades said.
“Probably, but she’s not your prisoner. In fact, she’s the one who just saved us.” Vanessa glared at the Red Queen. “If you want our help, you’re going to have to return the favor. Where is James Hook?”
If possible, she looked even more frightened than she had been when Vanessa had touched the Vorpal Sword. “No, you don’t want to go there. Hook is the most terrifying person I have ever seen. I think even the Cat fears him.”
“He’s the key to all of this,” Vanessa said. “Tell us where to find him, or I will give you to the Queen of Spades.” Once again, she looked at the cave mouth. “Or better yet, I throw you out into that.”
“You don’t understand. He’ll know you’re coming. I was able to escape when we were betrayed. The Queen of Hearts didn’t. Neither did the White Queen. Hook probably interrogated her.”
“I know a little about questioning that one,” the Queen of Spades said. “He will not find it so easy to get information from her that she doesn’t wish to give.”
The Red Queen scoffed. “I am just as strong as she is, and trust me, the pirate would have no trouble breaking me. In fact, the White Queen would know that. She would know that her fall was inevitable and might well have cooperated to avoid the torture.”
“Unless she also knows that we will rescue her before she breaks,” Michael said. “That might actually give her the strength to hold out even longer.”
The Red Queen stared at him before bringing her hand to her forehead. “I hate this ability of hers. It always gives me a headache.”
“Where are they?”
“They are in the Queen of Hearts’ throne room.”
“We know how to get there,” the Queen of Spades said.
The Red Queen shook her head. “We found the passages you used and sealed them off. There is another way, though.” She looked at Vanessa. “You know the path down the cliff that you used to get to the palace before?”
“Yes.”
“Near the bottom of the path, there is a group of rosebushes.”
“There are a lot of those around the Queen of Hearts’ palace.”
“Well, these are white roses that were painted red.” Vanessa rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. The Red Queen sighed and kept speaking. “Beneath them, there is the entrance to an underground path. That leads directly to the Queen of Hearts’ chambers. From there, it’s not far to the throne room.”
“What about defenses?” Vanessa asked. “If that’s a path that leads into the castle, they won’t have left it unguarded.”
“The Queen of Hearts would never want anyone to know about her secret escape route, and without telling them that, she can’t have it guarded.”
“How do you know about it, then?”
The Red Queen raised her eyebrow. “I was an ally to the White Queen, and she has access to more information than you would believe.” She waved to the cave mouth, which was still flooded with ghosts. “Getting through that will be a greater challenge.”
“We still have the wisp dust,” Michael said.
Vanessa shivered. Whatever magic the bishop had used to block out the spirits apparently didn’t prevent their cold from seeping into the cave. She shook her head. “That’s like trying to dry yourself with a towel in the middle of a thunderstorm.”
Michael considered for a second before his eyes wandered down to the Vorpal Sword. His hand twitched, and Vanessa thought he would ask for it again. Instead, he met her gaze. “You can do it.”
“What?”
“You can get through them with that.”
“I’m not sure I can protect any of you if I do. The sword might go after you, too.”
“Then go alone.”
She ran her fingers along the hilt and shivered. “Michael, I can’t use the Vorpal Sword like that. If I hold it for more than a few seconds, I’ll lose control.”
“That’s an easy problem to get around.”
She blinked. “It is?”
“Yes. Just don’t lose control.”
She gave him a level look, but her expression softened after a second. She looked to the horde of ghosts and then to the card queens. Even the Queen of Spades looked frightened.
Vanessa sighed. “I’m not sure I can make it.”
“I wasn’t sure I could fight off the wraith with a broken arm, remember?”
“You remember how that ended with us trapped in Neverland, right?”
“We got out, though.” Michael gave her a smile that only lasted a second. “Vanessa, there’s no other way. We’ll come after you as soon as we can, but in case we can’t, you have to go save the White Queen.”
Vanessa looked out of the cave. The ghosts were as thick as ever. They weren’t trying to come in anymore. They were just moving past the cave mouth. Could there really be so many, or were they just circling around? She had no way to be sure. The sword at her side quivered. It seemed eager to be used. She walked to the cave mouth and took a deep breath. Ice crystals had formed on the stone, and her breath steamed as she exhaled. She drew the Vorpal Sword.
The ghosts outside suddenly didn’t seem like so great a threat. She had been treated by wisp dust, but somehow, she knew she would have been fine even without it. She lifted the sword, and it practically hummed with power. She cried out and ran forward. As soon as she cut into the first one, the sword made that distinctive snicker-snack sound. After the first half dozen had been cut down, some of them tried to flee, but her blade found them before they got out of range. The spirits wailed as they melted away before her assault. There were so many, but she didn’t care. The Vorpal Sword was hungry, and she charged forward, intending to feed it its fill.
30
Vanessa was a whirlwind of death. The ghosts came at her from all sides. She had studied enough battle doctrine to know that only in stories did one person fight so many and live. Of course, in places like Wonderland, stories were the stuff of reality, and the craziest plans were the ones that often worked. The Vorpal Sword seemed to move of its own accord, dragging her arm along with it. Its magic spread to the rest of her body, too, as her legs moved in maneuvers she had never learned, giving her a grace that was far beyond what any human could possess.
She wasn’t sure how long she walked, nor was she entirely certain she was going in the right direction. At one point, she noticed the ground beneath her feet had changed from grainy sand to the packed dirt of a road. She still couldn’t see the landscape around her through all the ghosts. A slight weight landed on her shoulder, though she had no idea how it had gotten through the attacking spirits.
