Page 12 of Cheshire’s Smile (The Crimes of Alice #3)

Every step through the Between echoed through the void. I didn’t know who created the Between. Or maybe it appeared when all the realms were created. A place to pass through them or to keep them from bleeding into the other.

Whatever the case may be, it didn’t keep the Between from being as creepy as the dungeon. In fact, the overwhelming whiteness of it all was worse than the dark of the Bandersnatch. At least, the darkness didn’t burn my eyes.

“How much further do you think?” My nails dug into Cheshire’s arm, reluctant to let him go for even a second.

The Between had a way of getting into your head. Cries of loved ones drawing you away from your path, forcing you to chase them into the abyss. I’d gone this long without losing my head to the creatures hiding there, I wouldn’t fail now.

“It’s hard to tell.” Cheshire lifted his head and sniffed the air. “I can’t smell the guards, so it could be minutes or hours or even days.”

I sagged. Despair at being so close and yet so far away from completing my goals clawed at me. There was very little doubt that Tick would make it to the reception on his own.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t let myself worry about him. I had to keep my wits about me. The creatures in the Between prayed on desperation. They would be waiting for me to get impatient and take off without a clear direction.

“Do we even know if we’re going the right direction?” I pointed out with a huff. “How do we aren’t going in circles?”

“We’re not.” Cheshire shook his head, his free hand stroking his tail over his shoulder. “I’ve been keeping track of our scent, making sure it stayed behind us in a straight line. If we veer too far off course, I’ll know.”

“Well, that’s comforting at least.”

I kept my eyes on our surroundings, waiting for any flicker of darkness in the white beyond.

My free hand flipped back and forth, changing the color of my gloves with each turn.

I didn’t have many nervous ticks but, since I’d gotten my fae abilities, I’d found using them to be a calming effect, even if it was for something so trivial as changing the color of my clothes.

If Cheshire noticed my nervous tick, he didn’t comment.

We proceeded through the Between slowly, each of us wary to our surroundings.

Occasionally, Cheshire would redirect us any time we strayed from our path.

Gratitude for his abilities soared through me.

I had heightened senses just like any other fae, but they weren’t on a par with Cheshire’s feline instincts.

Something flickered in the corner of my eye.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes,” Cheshire murmured, his voice low while his eyes searched the Between. “Be on your guard. We don’t know if it is friend or foe.”

I snorted. “With the way my luck is going, I can guess.”

“Still,” Cheshire continued, his body tensing as if ready to pounce at a moment’s notice, “it could simply be Tick running back to us.”

If only we were so lucky. As a precaution, I drew on my powers, feeling the rush of magic running through my veins and coalescing in my hands.

The shadow flickered in my peripherals. I held my stance, afraid to give off that we had seen it coming towards us.

“We should keep moving,” Cheshire instructed, leading me forward. “If it knows we’ve seen it, they may become more aggressive. It would be better to catch it with the element of surprise.”

I agreed and quietly followed him on the path we had been taking. All the while, my eyes kept searching for that flicker in the void.

It didn’t take long before the dark figure bounded toward us, faster than ever before. It wasn’t playing hide and seek anymore. A malicious intent overpowered any thoughts that it might have been Tick trying to find us again. This creature was hunting us.

“Do we run or fight?” Cheshire asked, his grip on me tightening.

With a nervous laugh, I glanced around the void. “Do we really have a choice? Where are we going to go? If we run, how do we keep from getting lost? For all we know, it wants us to run so it can chase us into the maws of one of its friends.”

“Then we fight.”

Cheshire released me and took a step away.

His hands tensed in a defensive pose, those claws of his even sharper than normal.

His facial features grew sharper, too, as his fangs lengthened.

His tail whipped around behind him, magic pouring off him in waves.

His vicious appearance was enough to make me glad that Cheshire was on my side.

My own power swelled up inside of me, my eyesight growing sharper as the creature came into view.

Long spindly legs with razor sharp points dug into the ground, making white fractures with each step it took. Black and green hair thinly covered its eight legs before they came up to a rounded body.

It would be easy to classify this fae as a lower fae, if not for the upper half of it. A dark green skinned female body sat on top of the arachnid body. Black hair covered her breasts to create the illusion of decency.

Two humanoid arms protruded from her body ending in pointed fingers that clacked together as it skittered toward us.

Black hair hung from her head in greasy strips down her angular face.

The large green almond shaped orbs that were her eyes zeroed in on us.

Her blood-red lips pulled back in a fang filled grin.

“What... is that?” I gaped at the creature.

I’d seen a lot of different kinds of fae in my life. This one completely eluded me. I’d never seen a spider-like fae before.

I honestly shouldn’t be surprised. There were a lot of different kinds of fae, and the worst of them tended to keep hidden until it was time to come out for a snack.

“It’s an arachoi,” Cheshire shot out, his voice coming out even gravely than before. “But they’re extinct.”

“Well, obviously, that’s a lie.” The fae was only feet from us now without any signs of slowing down. “Maybe we can reason with it.”

“Seelie trash,” the arachoi snarled, swiping its claws at us.

“I don’t think that’s going to work.” Cheshire dodged her attacks with all his feline grace. He rolled to the side out of the creature’s reach.

The arachoi spun on me, her sharp claw slashing at me.

I wasn’t proud of the squeal that left my mouth as I threw myself down. Its pointed spindles shot out. I rolled from one side to the other, avoiding her attacks as best as I could, until one of them stabbed into my dress, ripping a long strip down the skirt.

“Seriously?” I snarled. I kicked out.

My kick hit her in the middle her body half, launching her several feet away. I stood and brushed off my skirt, taking in the ruined material. Emotions welled up inside of me at the damage.

“How could you be so barbaric?”

The arachoi chittered and pushed back up onto its legs.

“Alice, are you alright?” Cheshire rushed to my side, his hands roaming me for injuries.

“I’m not hurt.” I brushed his hands off before jerking on the ruined fabric and stomping a foot. “I made it through a battle with the shadows, running all over the Underground, and a hundred years—A HUNDRED YEARS in the Hall of Mirrors—without ripping this dress!”

The chittering sound stopped abruptly.

My head jerked toward the arachoi. It had gotten back up on its eight legs, but it wasn’t running at us anymore. In fact, it was... staring at us.

“Uh... is the fight over?” I shot a look at Cheshire, reluctant to let hope fill my chest.

Cheshire watched the arachoi with a narrowed gaze. “I don’t know. Don’t drop your guard.”

The arachoi meandered toward us, more curious than vicious this time. Her head tilted to the side, taking me in. The moment it stepped into Cheshire’s aura, it reeled back covering its nose. “Ugh, sick—ness. You.”

The fae must not have noticed Cheshire’s scent before during her blood lust, but she was sure noticing it now. At least, it would keep her at safe distance.

“Maybe she can’t speak English well?” I blinked, an overwhelming need to study her coming over me. “Do. You. Understand. Me?”

Cheshire snorted. “I don’t think speaking like that will make her understand you any better.”

I scowled. My arms crossed over my chest. “Then you try to communicate with her. I don’t know any ancient fae languages. English is the only language I speak. I failed every Latin and French class my mother tried to put me in.”

Before Cheshire had a chance to talk to her, the arachoi spoke again.

“I understand.” She straightened, rubbing her nose. “It’s been... so long...” She cleared her throat and seemed to struggle to speak. “Hall of Mirrors.”

My mouth formed an o-shape. “Oh, you must be the one who escaped. Your struggle to talk is completely understandable now. With no one to, talk to using your voice just seemed like too much effort after a while. I only kept my voice because I spent a lot of time...” I trailed off, a flush covering my face.

Cheshire cocked his head in that cute cat-like way of his.

“Anyway,” I cleared my throat, “do you have a name?”

She shook her head. “No name. Memories. Gone.”

I nodded my head in complete understanding. “Yes, I have been there as well. The shadows liked to feed on all the prisoners. I’m not surprised you’re having memory loss. Why did you attack us though?”

Making that chittering sound again, she almost seemed to blush. “I thought you were her guards coming to take me back.”

Her? Oh!

“You mean, the queen, right?”

The arachoi inclined its head and then gnashed her sharp teeth together. “I will not go back there. Never. I will die first.”

“Woah, we aren’t here to take you anywhere.” I waved my hands in front of me. “We’re just trying to get to the reception desk. The queen blocked off all the portals when she evacuated her court.”

“Reception. Is that way.” She pointed a finger toward a spot in the distance. “Why?”

“Why?” My brows bunched together. “Why are we going there or...?”

“Why evacuate.”

I gestured with both hands up and down Cheshire. “The sickness, of course. It’s spreading across the Underground. Anyone who stays here is susceptible to catching it. You should think of leaving the Underground, too.”

She shook her head. “No. There is no place for me. Humans. Fear.”

I supposed she had a point. The humans were barely tolerant of the fae as it was. If a spider creature like her came out of the Underground, all hell would break loose. It would only give the naysayers more ammunition to attack us.

“Where will you go?” Cheshire asked, pulling his tail back over his shoulder. “You can’t stay here forever.”

The arachoi’s large eyes swept around the area. “Here. Better. No fae. No prison.”

I couldn’t fault her for that. Fae weren’t my favorite people to be around either. All my time with the humans has made them high up there as well. Also, the Between’s nothingness was much better than going back to the Hall of Mirrors.

“Alright, good luck to you then.” I grabbed Cheshire’s arm. “Let’s go. We’re wasting daylight.”

Cheshire arched a brow at me.

“It’s a human saying.” I waved at the arachoi, but she had already skittered away.

Oh well.