13. Chapter Twelve #2
I rose in one fluid motion, my form solidifying fully as I stepped closer to him. "My 'attention,' as you so delicately put it, has saved her life once already. Or have you forgotten who found her in the forest before the shadows could claim her when she first arrived?"
Varik had the grace to look slightly abashed. "I haven't forgotten."
"Good." I circled him once more, my movements deliberately predatory. "Because you may have shown yourself to her first…but I was the one who protected her before you had the chance.”
Varik's expression softened slightly. "And I remain grateful for that, Chi. But my question stands."
I tilted my head, considering how much truth to offer. The garden around us seemed to lean in, flowers turning their faces toward our conversation like eager eavesdroppers.
"She challenges me," I admitted finally, my voice dropping to something almost vulnerable. "Not just with her power, but with her... perspective. She sees Wonderland as I once did, before centuries of games dulled the wonder of it."
Varik's eyebrows rose slightly. "I haven't heard you speak this way in a very long time." Narrowing his eye,"She is not a plaything though," Varik warned, his voice taking on that subtle edge I'd heard him use only during our most serious disagreements.
"Of course not," I agreed, rising with fluid grace. "She's far more valuable than that. To Wonderland. To your cause." I paused, my smile sharpening. "Perhaps even to me."
Varik studied me with the kind of careful assessment that came from centuries of friendship—the look that said he could see through my deflections to the truth beneath.
"Just be careful," he said finally, his voice softening. "She's not like us, Chi. She hasn't had centuries to build defenses against heartbreak."
I laughed, though it came out less convincing than I intended. "You assume my interest could lead to heartbreak. How pessimistic of you."
"I assume nothing," Varik replied, adjusting his gloves with precise movements. "I merely observe. And what I observe is that you're circling her like she's the most fascinating puzzle you've encountered in decades."
"Isn't she?" I countered, unable to keep the genuine curiosity from my voice.
Varik sighed, the sound carrying centuries of experience. "That's what concerns me. You love puzzles, Chi. Until you solve them. Then you grow bored."
I materialized directly in front of him, my form more solid than usual, my expression uncharacteristically serious. "Some puzzles are worth solving slowly."
Varik held my gaze for a long moment before nodding once, a gesture of reluctant acceptance. "Just don't interfere with her training. She needs to focus on survival, not on whatever game you might be playing."
"Who says I'm playing a game?" I asked, my tail flicking behind me with genuine irritation.
"You're always playing a game," Varik replied, though there was no malice in his words. "It's your nature."
I shrugged, conceding the point with a fluid roll of my shoulders. "Perhaps. But even games have stakes worth winning."
The garden rustled around us, a sudden wind carrying the scent of approaching rain. The flowers turned their faces skyward, petals opening wider as if eager to drink from the coming storm. I inhaled deeply, tasting electricity on the air—not just weather, but a shift in Wonderland itself.
"Speaking of stakes," I murmured, my form becoming more translucent as my senses stretched outward, "we have visitors approaching the boundary."
Varik stiffened, his hand automatically moving to an inner pocket where I knew he kept a small arsenal of mechanical curiosities—weapons disguised as harmless trinkets. "Who?"
"Not the Queens' people," I assured him, my consciousness expanding like ripples through water, touching the edges of our territory.
"Something... smaller. Familiar." I smiled as recognition dawned.
"Our furry friend with the pocket watch has finally worked up the courage to approach.
He's at the western boundary, pacing back and forth. "
Varik frowned, adjusting his hat with a precise motion. "The White Rabbit rarely ventures this far from court without direct orders."
"Precisely what makes his visit so intriguing," I purred, my form already beginning to fade as I prepared to investigate. "Shall I greet him, or would you prefer to make him wait? He does so hate to be late."
"Don't torment him," Varik warned, though a hint of amusement crossed his features. "Find out what he wants without revealing Alice's presence if possible."
"Such little faith in my discretion," I chided, now barely more than a suggestion of a smile hanging in the air. "I'll return shortly. Do check on our precious dreamer—the first touch of real magic can leave... interesting aftereffects."
Before Varik could respond, I vanished completely, my consciousness streaming through the garden like mist through tree branches.
I flowed past the protective boundaries of Varik's territory, following the unmistakable magical signature of anxiety and obsessive punctuality that always marked the White Rabbit.
I found him exactly where I'd sensed him—pacing a small clearing at the western boundary, his tall humanoid form dressed in an immaculate waistcoat despite the wilderness surrounding him.
His long white hair pulled back into a low ponytail at the base of his neck, as his long ears twitched nervously as he consulted his pocket watch for what must have been the hundredth time.
Rather than materializing fully, I gathered myself into a partial manifestation—just enough presence to speak, but not enough to be easily detected by any watching eyes. The Queens had spies everywhere, after all, "You seem troubled, Nasir.”
The White Rabbit—Nasir—nearly jumped out of his pristine waistcoat, his red eyes darting wildly around the clearing. His pocket watch clattered against the chain as he fumbled it in surprise.
"Ch-Cheshire," he stammered, straightening his lapels with trembling hands. "Must you always appear so... abruptly?"
I let my smile materialize first, hanging in the air like a crescent moon. "Would you prefer I announce myself with trumpets and a formal procession? How dreadfully dull."
Nasir's nose twitched with irritation, but the fear in his eyes betrayed his attempt at composure. "I need to speak with the Hatter. It's a matter of some urgency."
"The Hatter is occupied," I replied, allowing more of my form to coalesce—just enough to unsettle him.
His white ears flattened against his head. "This isn't a social call, Chi. The Courts are in upheaval."
I circled him, still mostly transparent, watching how he shifted nervously from foot to foot. "The Courts are always in upheaval. It's their natural state."
"Not like this," Nasir insisted, checking his watch again with a compulsive flick of his wrist. "Both Queens have recalled their scouts from the outer territories.
The King of Diamonds has locked down his borders entirely.
And the King of Spades..." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "He's mobilizing his shadow network."
This caught my attention. I materialized more fully, my tail curling with interest. "All four monarchs active at once? How fascinating."
"Fascinating isn't the word I'd use," Nasir muttered, glancing nervously over his shoulder. "Terrifying, perhaps. Worrying, even."
I flicked my tail dismissively. "You always did have a flair for the dramatic, Nasir. Why come to us with this information? Your loyalty has been to the courts for centuries."
The White Rabbit straightened, a flash of dignity momentarily overriding his perpetual anxiety.
"My loyalty is to Wonderland first. Always has been.
" He hesitated, ears twitching nervously.
"And there are... rumors. Whispers that something has disturbed the balance.
Something powerful. Something that might be in the Hatter's territory. "
I kept my expression neutral, though inwardly I cursed. News traveled too quickly in Wonderland, even when carried by nothing but wind and whispers.
"Rumors are like toadstools after rain," I said dismissively. "Abundant and often poisonous.”
Nasir's ears flattened against his skull. "Don't play games with me, Chi. Not about this." He glanced at his watch again, a nervous tic that had persisted through centuries. "The Red Queen has promised a duchy to whoever brings her information about... a returned dreamer."
I kept my expression carefully neutral, though I allowed my form to solidify further—a subtle show of strength. "Dreamers come and go. Hardly worth upsetting the balance of power."
"This one is different," Nasir insisted, his voice dropping to a whisper so faint even my enhanced hearing barely caught it. "A female. An Omega. The magic... responds to her."
I circled him slowly, my movements deliberately predatory. "And how would the Red Queen know such specific details about a dreamer who may or may not exist?"
Nasir's whiskers twitched nervously. "The Card Guards captured a forest sprite who claimed to have witnessed her arrival. The sprite... didn't survive the questioning."
I felt a cold anger settle in my chest. The forest sprites were ancient, peaceful beings who tended the wild magic of Wonderland. To destroy one for information was an abomination even by the Red Queen's standards.
"I see," I said, my voice losing its usual playful edge. "And now you've come to warn us? How uncharacteristically brave of you, Nasir."
The White Rabbit straightened his waistcoat, a flash of genuine offense crossing his features. "I have always been a friend to balance, Chi. Whatever you and the Hatter might think of my... employment choices."
"Friend to balance, courier to tyrants," I mused, materializing fully now. "An interesting tightrope you walk." I studied him more carefully, noting the shadows beneath his red eyes, the slight dishevelment of his usually immaculate fur. "You're taking a significant risk coming here. Why?"
Nasir's ears drooped slightly. "Because the last time the monarchs mobilized like this, we lost the Western Reaches entirely. The fabric between worlds tore. Dreamers were consumed by the void." He clutched his pocket watch like a talisman. "I don't want to see that happen again."
I considered him silently for a moment, weighing possibilities and risks. The White Rabbit had always been a creature of self-preservation, but he wasn't without principles. His warning carried the ring of genuine concern.
"What exactly are you offering, Nasir?" I asked, my voice uncharacteristically direct.
He glanced around nervously before leaning closer. "Information," Nasir whispered, his nose twitching with anxiety. "Court schedules. Guard rotations. The Queens' movements. And..." he hesitated, lowering his voice further, "safe passage through certain territories, should it become necessary."
I raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised by the extent of his offer. "That's quite the risk you're willing to take. What do you want in exchange?"
Nasir straightened, a flicker of determination hardening his usually timid demeanor. "Assurance that whatever—or whoever—has disturbed the balance won't be used to favor any of the Hearts or the Club kingdoms. Wonderland can't survive another war because of them again."
"And if this disturbance represents something else entirely?" I asked, studying his reaction carefully. "A third path, perhaps?"
The White Rabbit's ears twitched with interest. "A third path would be... unprecedented. But potentially stabilizing, if managed correctly." His red eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Is that what you're suggesting? That this Omega dreamer represents an alternative to the current powers?"
I circled him once more, keeping my expression deliberately enigmatic. "I suggest nothing, dear Nasir. I merely explore possibilities."
"Always the riddler," he muttered, checking his watch again with nervous fingers.
"I don't have time for games, Chi. The Queen of Hearts has doubled her Card Guard patrols.
The Queen of Clubs has summoned her Knight captains from the northern territories.
They're preparing for something significant. "
"And the Kings?" I asked, genuinely curious now.
"The King of Diamonds watches and waits, as always.
The King of Spades..." Nasir hesitated, lowering his voice to barely a whisper.
"The King of Spades hasn't been seen in his court for three days.
His advisors claim he's in meditation, but rumors suggest he's personally investigating these. .. disturbances."
This news sent a chill through me. The King of Spades rarely left his fortified palace. If he was moving personally, the situation was even more volatile than I'd anticipated.
"I see," I said, allowing my form to solidify completely. "Your information is valuable, Nasir. More than you know."
The White Rabbit straightened his waistcoat again, a nervous habit that centuries hadn't broken. "Then we have an arrangement?"
"We have the beginning of one," I replied carefully. “I shall have Hatter come have a chat with you….stay here and be patient. He shall be here soon.” I then disappeared back to Varik’s house…it seemed things were already moving, way quicker than we anticipated.