Page 26

Chapter

Twenty-Four

T he courtiers shuffle to the edges of the room, holding their breath as they wait for the Red Queen’s decision.

She stands and points at the White Rabbit. “One hour,” she tells him. One what?

The hatter mutters a curse and giggles.

“I think it’s a turn,” Gwyneth says.

The queen struts to stand before me, her lips twisted into cruel amusement. “You have one hour to find me, Daphne Stone. We shall keep this inside the castle to make it fair.”

I stare her down. Show no weakness, I remind myself.

“Fine,” I agree. “One hour.”

“If I win, you will leave behind your beast,” she demands. We expected this, but that doesn’t make it easier to hear.

I glance at Theo. All the knights come closer and circle us. “I agree,” Theo says.

The Red Queen raises a brow. “Not you.” She points at Nash. “Him.”

Nash jerks his head and folds his arms. “Deal.”

Now I’m insanely curious, but it’s not the time to demand he spill his secrets, even if my heart squeezes with jealousy that she appears to know more about him than I do.

His eyes don’t leave mine, even though he’s addressing her, and a silent promise of secrets to be revealed passes between us.

“And if I win?” I push.

She snorts. “The point is moot. You won’t.”

“Humor me.”

“You can demand anything you like,” she declares. “You’ll never find me.”

Chess’s eyes appear above her head, and he winks at me.

“Deal, Seraphina.”

“The White Rabbit will keep time and ensure the trumpets are sounded when the hour is up.” Her gloved fingers run down my cheek. “If I can’t own your soul, I will take a piece of it, ensuring you are never whole and the love you cling to will become bitter and twisted.”

I fold my arms and slowly blink at her. “Tick, tock, Your Majesty. Unless you want to be found standing here?” She huffs and strides from the room with her chief guard hot on her heels.

“She has a five-minute head start,” the White Rabbit declares.

“What is a minute?” I wonder.

“A tempo,” Nash informs me.

The guards block the exit, and the partygoers visibly relax without the presence of their demented queen.

The hatter approaches, wearing a grin much like his feline companion. “Do you have a game plan?”

“I do.” It involves finding our way through this realm and getting closer to the Grimm brothers. The storm clouds above us thicken and thunder claps, making everyone gasp.

“It’s time,” the White Rabbit declares.

“I hope you know what you’re doing,” Charming grumbles. “I don’t want to be stuck here.” Nobody cares where he goes.

The guards shift to the side, opening up the doorway.

“This is where you leave me,” the hatter says as he wraps me in his arms. Oh wow, he’s a hugger.

I did not see that coming. “Beware of queens offering sweet smiles, and when you have found yourself, come find me once more. Then you’ll know who you are.

” He releases me before grabbing Gwyneth and offering her some whispered words.

She frowns as her eyes catch mine. I raise a brow. Yes, he’s next level crazy.

Sir Sweeps-A-Lot and the genie follow us as we stride out of the ballroom.

My gaze sweeps up the hallway we came down before settling on the stretch of corridor to the right.

We’re in the hands of a cat who enjoys riddles, but what choice do we have?

We could never search the entire castle in a turn.

“Any hints?” Malachi asks.

Chess twirls through the air. “Follow the thread of madness, and it will lead you to where the truth hides.” He turns right and floats down the hallway, and we rush to keep up with him, taking twists and turns in our stride.

“I thought you said you know where our exit is?” Hart growls.

“It moves,” Chess says with a sigh. “You are too slow.”

“Then predict where it will move to next and take us there,” Theo demands.

Chess rolls his eyes. “Nobody can determine that.”

Nash throws open a door and freezes. A salty breeze washes over us and blows his hair back from his face. He slams the door closed. “Impossible,” he whispers.

“Not impossible, improbable. I thought you were smart,” Chess says. “This way.”

Another door ahead lifts from the ground and slides up the wall.

Chess hovers there for a tempo. Malachi jumps and pushes the handle down and open.

Night sky greets us, but not like any I’ve seen.

It’s an expanse of stars with a blue and green globe in the center.

The door whispers closed, and we stand in silence for a moment.

I think we witnessed something monumental, but my brain can’t fathom what.

I shake my head. “We don’t have time to contemplate what exists beyond our realms right now.” Maybe later. Or never.

A clang of metal sounds behind us, and I spin to find a trio of guards stomping toward us. “What are they doing? It’s not been a turn. There were no trumpets.”

“You failed to set boundaries. They’re hunting the hunters,” Chess informs us.

“Shit,” Gwyneth grumbles.

We break into a run, following the damn cat. “In here,” he hisses over the top of a door. We spill into the room and close the door. A long table set with dozens of cups, cakes, and creepy crawlies sits in the middle of the room.

A frog in a suit looks up at me. “Tea?” he enquires.

I shake my head. He shrugs, and his froggy companions continue their feast. One of them faceplants into a cream cake. What a waste.

A cup goes flying over our heads as the hare appears from under the table. “It’s her, it’s she. Does she know who you are?” he rambles.

The genie floats above the table. “He speaks nonsense,” he says, as if it isn’t already obvious.

The hare lifts a plate and scowls at the contents. Oh my Idols, not the sausage. He throws the plate at the wall, making me gasp in horror.

“That’s a travesty,” I snap.

“Trust you to get incensed about sausage,” Hart mutters.

The scene freezes, and the plate lifts from the floor, the smashed cup reforms, and in a blink, the scene resets. The frog at the head of the table lifts his cup. “Tea?”

I shake my head, stride to the table, and snatch a slice of sausage from the plate. I’m not letting good sausage go to waste.

“This way,” Chess demands as he hovers over a doorway that formed out of nowhere. It’s not even against the wall, but floating next to the table in the middle of the room. “I’d be quick if I were you, because that sausage you swallowed won’t feel half as good coming up as it did going down.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Nash grumbles as he swings open the weird door and leads the way. I clutch my stomach. I am not giving up my sausage.

We dive through the doorway and tumble into the dark room. Charming is the last of us through before the door disappears.

Footsteps hammer outside of the room. “Are you leading us to our doom?” Theo whispers as we huddle in the small room. “Because I am happy to show that one can indeed swing a cat in a room this size.”

Chess’s grins widens. “You’d have to catch me first, beastie.”

“Focus,” Gwyneth says. “You’re supposed to lead us to the Grimm brothers.”

Chess blinks. “No, I am leading you out of Wonderland. You have miles to go yet, Stone sisters.”

“You have lost them, you infernal idiots,” the Red Queen shrieks from behind the door. “I will have their heads decorating my walls this sundown, and you will join them.”

“Yes, queen,” a chorus of guards shouts.

“Search every room, every nook and cranny.”

“It didn’t take long for her to realize our ruse,” Hart murmurs in my ear as his hand presses against my belly. He takes a few steps back, away from the door.

“What do we do?” Malachi asks. “Fight?”

“Hide. We are tempos away from being found,” Gwyneth says.

“Where?” I ask, glancing around the mostly empty room.

“Here,” Chess says as he materializes in the wall. No, wait. Not a wall, but a mirror. Idols save me. I’ve had enough of mirrors this annus.

“How will that hide us?” Gwyneth wonders as she peers around the edge of the huge mirror hanging on the wall.

“Stop thinking so literally. Step inside another world,” Chess coaxes.

“I don’t trust it,” Nash says. “We’ll fight our way out.”

The genie snorts before disappearing inside the mirror, making Chess spin in the air. A tempo passes, then the genie’s head reappears. “All seems okay, but I’d put these on.” He snaps his fingers, and a pile of heavy fur cloaks thud to the floor.

I slip on the smallest cloak, and my sister does the same before grabbing my hand and tugging me toward our reflection. The surface parts, allowing us through. Darkness engulfs us, and my heart pitter-patters in my chest. “Are you guys coming or what?” I whisper-yell. “Get your asses in here.”

Sir Sweeps-A-Lot streaks past me as Genie passes over our heads. I sense the guys piling in after us. “Keep going, Daphne,” Chess says, his voice a distant silky caress.

Someone touches my ass. “Hey,” I grumble.

Hart laughs low. “It’s just me.”

There’s a crash from behind us and shouts as the red guards search the room. “Anyone else feel that chill?” Charming asks.

Now that he mentions it, the temperature has plummeted a few degrees. My breath mists in front of my face, and a shiver runs down my spine.

“Oh my Idols,” Gwyneth whispers as the darkness gives way to a glistening world.

We file out and stand in awe at the world we’ve found ourselves in. “It’s snow,” Charming says. “I’ve never seen it before.”

None of us have. It’s in books and tales of wonder.

Chess appears beside us, curling his tail. “Until we meet again,” he says as he disappears back inside the mirror. Then, that too vanishes.

The frozen forest rustles like it’s waiting for us to make our move. Eyes shift in the darkness, and a sense of foreboding skitters along my nerves.

Nash points at a set of hoofprints in the snow. “Looks like we aren’t the only ones here.”

“Do we follow them?” I check. I can’t decide if going after a mysterious being in a strange land is clever or stupid. Possibly both.

Snow drifts down, filling the prints. I squeeze my eyes closed and search my heart, begging it to give me any sign of where we should go. What is the right path? I’m getting tired. When was the last time we slept? We need a night of sanctuary to gather our strength and make new plans.

“Daphne,” Gwyneth whispers. “Are you doing that?”

My eyes flick open. Fireflies dance in the air, creating a clear path.

Trust us.

Nothing bad can come from following a set of mysterious insects I have forged a connection with... right?