Page 10 of Knot My Wonderland, Part Two (Fairytale Omegaverse #2)

I absorbed this information, my shadows growing darker as I contemplated the implications. It wasn't merely Alice's life at stake, but the very fabric of Wonderland itself. The pattern in the Queen's possession would twist reality beyond recognition, corrupting the remaining balance between courts.

"Then we must reach her before that choice becomes necessary," I said finally, my decision crystallizing like frost on glass. "No more delays."

The twins nodded in synchronization, their expressions shifting from grave to determined in perfect harmony.

We continued toward the chamber where Heart and Chi waited, the Void's hunger a constant pressure against my consciousness.

I could feel its ancient awareness stirring, drawn by the pattern's distress.

As we entered, Heart looked up, his ruby eyes blazing with barely contained fury. The wound in his chest had been treated but could still see he wasn’t in the best form.

Chi stood beside him, his form flickering between solid and translucent as he monitored their weakening bond with Alice. The silver patterns beneath his skin pulsed erratically, betraying his growing anxiety despite his outwardly calm demeanor.

"We're ready," Heart said, straightening as we approached. His golden blood had stopped seeping through the bandages, but his movements still carried the stiffness of someone fighting through significant pain.

"The Tweedles have confirmed what we suspected," I announced without preamble. "The Queen's ritual is designed to create conditions where Alice will surrender the pattern willingly—or at least, where her will is so broken that resistance becomes impossible."

Chi's tail lashed once, his form solidifying with protective rage. "How much time do we have?"

"She needs the blood moon to complete it, we are on the same timeline as before," Vee replied, activating a temporal display that hovered between us, “Though it doesn’t stop from the Red Queen doing things to make Alice more….suggestive to the bond transfer.”

"Suggestive to the bond transfer?" Heart's voice was dangerously soft, his ruby eyes flashing with barely contained fury. "Explain."

The Tweedles exchanged one of their silent communications before Dee spoke.

"The Queen is systematically breaking down Alice's resistance through a combination of blood magic, Alpha dominance, and psychological manipulation.

She's using a specialized tonic that weakens the bonds while making Alice more susceptible to suggestion. "

"Each dose pushes her closer to a state where surrender feels like the only option," Vee added, his fingers adjusting the temporal display to show a pulsing red line that grew increasingly unstable. "The bonds are still there, but being... muffled.”

I watched as Heart's expression darkened, the patterns beneath his skin flaring with protective rage. His hand moved unconsciously to his hand moved unconsciously to his chest where the golden bond pulsed weakly, barely detectable beneath the lingering effects of his wound.

"She's making Alice compliant," he growled, the words tasting like poison on his tongue. "Breaking her down piece by piece until she can't remember why she wanted to resist in the first place."

Chi's form flickered violently, his teal eyes blazing with fury that made the air around him shimmer with barely contained energy. "The psychological manipulation is the worst part. It's not just weakening her bonds—it's making her doubt herself, doubt us, doubt everything she believes in."

"We move now," Heart declared, his voice carrying the authority of centuries despite his wounded state. "Every moment we delay gives her more time to break Alice down."

Chi's form flickered with agreement, his tail lashing as he felt another tremor through their silver connection. "I can sense her growing weaker. The bond feels... weak, like she's being pulled underwater."

I nodded, shadows coiling around my feet as the Void Court's hunger pressed against my consciousness with increasing urgency. "The frontal assault team is ready?"

"Martha has assembled our strongest fighters," Heart confirmed, reaching for his weapons despite the obvious pain the movement caused. "They believe it's a desperate rescue attempt—which is exactly what we want the Queen to think."

"All the better for our actual plan," Dee said, adjusting his temporal anchors with practiced precision. "The Queen expects emotion to drive this rescue—not calculation."

I studied Heart carefully, noting the tension in his jaw, the barely contained fury radiating from him in waves.

Despite our planning, there was genuine desperation in his eyes that couldn't be fabricated.

The golden thread connecting him to Alice was more than just magic—it was part of his identity now.

"You need to maintain the illusion of recklessness," I reminded him, my shadows stretching toward him in warning. "The Queen knows you too well. If she senses strategy beneath the chaos, she'll realize it's a diversion."

Heart's ruby eyes flashed dangerously. "Trust me, Spade King. My rage requires no performance."

Chi's form solidified briefly, his tail wrapping around Heart's wrist in a gesture of support. "But we need you focused, not blinded by fury. Alice needs both our hearts and our minds working together."

Heart nodded reluctantly, though I could see the effort it took him to rein in his protective instincts. The golden patterns beneath his skin pulsed with barely controlled energy, responding to his emotional state.

"The infiltration route is confirmed," Vee announced, his temporal display shifting to show a three-dimensional map of the Red Queen's domain. "We'll enter through the gardens while your assault draws attention to the main gates."

"The temporal distortions will be strongest near the center," Dee added, his fingers dancing across controls that existed in multiple realities simultaneously.

"But we've calculated the fluctuation patterns.

There's a window of stability every seventeen minutes—enough time to reach Alice if we time it precisely. "

I moved closer to study their calculations, my shadows flowing over the temporal display as I absorbed the complex mathematics involved. The Tweedles' understanding of time manipulation far exceeded even my centuries of experience with dimensional magic.

"What about extraction?" I asked, noting the intricate web of defenses surrounding the Red Queen's inner sanctum. "Reaching Alice is only half the mission."

"That's where it gets complicated," Vee admitted, his usual confidence flickering. "The collar creates a magical tether to the Red Queen's domain. Even if we free Alice, she won't be able to leave until it's removed."

"And removing it requires either the Queen's direct command or..." Dee paused, his temporal anchors fluctuating with uncertainty.

"Or what?" Heart demanded, his voice sharp with impatience.

"Or with blood magic.” Vee said already knowing the reaction that would happen from those words.

"Blood magic," Chi repeated, his form flickering with alarm. "That's exactly what we're trying to save her from."

I kept my expression neutral, though my shadows coiled tighter with suppressed tension. "Not all blood magic is corrupting. The original form—before the Red Queen twisted it—was based on willing sacrifice rather than coercion."

Heart's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "And you just happen to know this uncorrupted version?"

"The Void Court preserves knowledge others prefer to forget," I replied simply. My gaze met his, unflinching. "I can remove the collar without harming Alice, but it will require something from each of us. A willing sacrifice—blood freely given by those who share true bonds with her."

"Our blood," Heart said, understanding dawning in his ruby eyes. "The two of us who’ve formed a bond to her."

I nodded, my shadows rippling with acknowledgment.

"The collar recognizes magical signatures.

It was designed to suppress Alice's bonds with you and Chi specifically.

But if we reverse the process—use your willing sacrifice to strengthen rather than sever those connections—the enchantment will collapse on itself. "

Chi's form solidified completely, his teal eyes blazing with determination. "How much blood are we talking about?"

"Not much," I assured him, though my shadows betrayed a flicker of uncertainty. "A few drops from each of you, willingly given while maintaining your bond connections. The magic responds to intent, more than quantity."

Heart was already reaching for his blade, ignoring the way the movement pulled at his still-healing wound. "Then we do it. Whatever it takes to free her."

"Not yet," I said sharply, shadows lashing out to stop his hand. "The ritual must be performed in proximity to Alice herself. The collar's enchantments are too sophisticated to break from a distance."

Heart's jaw clenched, but he lowered the blade. "Another complication."

"Which is why timing becomes critical," Vee interjected, his temporal display shifting to show synchronized countdown markers. "We'll have approximately four minutes once we reach Alice before the Queen realizes her defenses have been breached."

"Four minutes to remove the collar, stabilize Alice's condition, and extract through hostile territory," Dee added, his expression grim. "The margin for error is... minimal."

Chi's tail lashed with agitation. "And if the Queen discovers the infiltration before we reach Alice?"

"Then the frontal assault becomes a real rescue attempt," I said grimly. "With all the chaos and casualties that implies."

The chamber fell silent as the weight of our plan settled over everyone. Through the Void bond, I sensed Alice's growing disorientation—the Red Queen's tonic working exactly as intended, each dose pulling her further from herself. Time was running out faster than any of us wanted to acknowledge.

"There's one more thing," I said, my shadows coiling with reluctance. "The Void Court won't wait indefinitely. If they sense the pattern is about to fall into the Queen's hands..." I let the implication hang unspoken.

Heart's ruby eyes flashed with understanding. "They'll intervene directly."

"Consuming everything within a significant radius," I confirmed. "Including Alice, the Queen, and anyone else unfortunate enough to be nearby. The Void doesn't discriminate when it feeds."

Chi's form flickered with barely controlled anxiety. "How long do we have before they act?" Chi asked, his voice tight with worry.

"Unknown," I admitted, feeling the Void's ancient hunger pressing against my consciousness like a tide against a crumbling seawall. "The pattern's distress calls to them across dimensional barriers. Every hour Alice grows weaker increases their restlessness exponentially."

Heart straightened despite his wound, decision crystallizing in his ruby eyes. "Then we stop talking and start moving. Alice has already endured too much while we plan contingencies."

The Tweedles nodded in unison, their temporal equipment humming to life with synchronized precision. "The window opens in twelve minutes," Vee announced, checking readings that flickered between multiple realities.

"All teams to positions," I commanded, my shadows flowing toward the exits. "Remember—this only works if the Queen believes Heart's assault is the real threat."

As we moved I could hope this went smoothly…but I knew with the Red Queen involved…nothing would go smoothly.