19. Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Hatter
I watched Alice disappear up the stairs, her silver-touched form leaving faint luminous traces on the banister as she climbed. The house responded to her passage, walls brightening and settling into a protective hum that resonated through the floorboards.
"She's handling this better than expected," Chi observed, materializing fully in his chair now that Alice was gone. His usual mischievous demeanor faded, replaced by something more contemplative.
I settled back into my own chair, removing my gloves to study the silver scars that traced across my palms—remnants of the last time I'd tried to change Wonderland's fate. "She's stronger than she realizes. But strength alone won't be enough if the monarchs decide to move against her directly."
"The King of Spades' visit troubles you," Chi noted, his tail curling thoughtfully around the chair leg.
"Yes. Especially since he visited and we didn’t ask him to be an ally yet.
He is showing interest in Alice on his own, and for that…
it could mean many things.” I told him, frown gracing my face as I tried to figure out what the King could actually want in all this.
"The King of Spades rarely shows personal interest in anything beyond his shadow networks," I said, replacing my gloves with methodical precision.
"For him to appear at our boundary without his guards, without ceremony. .."
"It suggests he sees something in Alice worth the risk of exposure," Chi finished, his form solidifying further as he leaned toward me. "The question is whether his interest stems from the pattern she represents, or something more... personal."
I raised an eyebrow at that. "You noticed it too, then."
Chi's tail flicked with irritation. "His scent is very much everywhere and hard to miss right now." His teal eyes narrowed. "The King of Spades developing an Alpha interest in our Omega dreamer complicates matters considerably."
"As does your own interest," I countered, watching Chi's form flicker slightly at my directness.
"My interest is protective," Chi replied, though his form rippled with something that suggested the words weren't entirely truthful. "Alice represents change, possibility—things I've fought to preserve for centuries."
"And the magical resonance between you?" I pressed, having witnessed their connection earlier. "The way your forms stabilized when she touched you?"
Chi's perpetual grin faltered slightly. "That was.
.. unexpected." He materialized closer to the fire, shadows playing across his features.
"I've existed in this liminal state for so long, I'd forgotten what it felt like to be truly solid.
When Alice touches me, grounds me..." He trailed off, his tail swishing with agitation.
"You become more real," I observed. "More present in this reality."
"More vulnerable," Chi corrected, his voice dropping to something almost bitter.
"The Queens tried to erase me, Varik. They pushed me into this in-between state thinking it would destroy me.
But it became my strength—I can move through realities the monarchs can't reach, see things they can't perceive.
" His form shimmered with restrained emotion. "Alice's touch threatens that freedom."
I studied my old friend, noting the conflict evident in his shifting form. "Yet you seek it anyway."
Chi turned away, his tail lashing with uncharacteristic agitation. "I find myself... drawn to her. Not just as an Alpha to an Omega, though there's that primal pull as well." His voice softened. "She sees Wonderland as I once did, before centuries of games dulled the wonder of it."
"Be careful, Chi," I warned, leaning forward in my chair. "Alice isn't just any dreamer. If the pattern holds true—"
"I know what's at stake," Chi interrupted, his form flickering with irritation. "I've witnessed three dreamers come and go, Varik. I know the cost of attachment."
I sighed, the weight of centuries settling on my shoulders. "And yet you still created a magical bond with her. I saw the aftermath when I returned—the residual energy between you was unmistakable."
"It wasn't intentional," Chi admitted, materializing beside the window where moonlight cast his form in silvery relief. "She touched me, and something... responded. As if Wonderland itself recognized a connection between us."
I removed my hat, placing it carefully on the side table. "The King of Spades will have sensed it too. He wouldn't have mentioned the First Queen otherwise."
"He's trying to plant ideas in her mind," Chi agreed, his tail curling pensively. "Suggesting a destiny that serves his interests."
"The King of Spades has always played the long game," I noted, adjusting my cuffs with practiced precision. "Unlike the Queens with their brute force or the King of Diamonds with his endless calculations, he shapes perception itself."
Chi's form rippled with vexation, "He compared her to the First Queen, Varik. That's not manipulation—it's recognition."
I fell silent, considering the implications. The First Queen was more than history to me—she was memory, flesh and blood and magic that had once walked these very halls. Before the division, before the wars that tore Wonderland into competing courts.
"If Alice truly carries the pattern," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper, "if she could reunify what was broken..."
"Then every monarch will seek to either control or destroy her," Chi finished, his eyes darkening to midnight teal. "The Queens have already proven they'll burn Wonderland to ash before allowing anyone to challenge their authority."
I nodded grimly, memories of past conflicts weighing heavy in my chest. "The Red Queen's forces are mobilizing.
The Queen of Clubs has recalled her ambassadors from neutral territories.
" I stood, moving to the window where Chi's form cast strange shadows.
"They sense the change coming, even if they don't understand its nature. "
"And Alice sleeps upstairs, as half of Wonderland's nobility is plotting her capture or put her to death," Chi murmured, his tail flicking with restless energy. "We need more than the Tweedles' paths and the Caterpillar's wisdom. We need a real sanctuary."
"The old places," I said quietly, the words carrying weight neither of us wanted to acknowledge. "The territories that existed before the courts divided the realm."
Chi's form stilled completely. "You're suggesting we take her to the Forgotten Lands."
"I'm suggesting we consider all options," I replied, though the very thought made my chest construct with old pain. "The Forgotten Lands exist outside the monarchs' influence. They remember the old ways, when magic flowed freely without political constraint."
Chi form seemed to solidify, his expression uncharacteristically grave. "The Forgotten Lands are called that for a reason, Varik. Most who enter are lost to time itself—their memories scattered across centuries until they forget who they were entirely."
"Not all," I countered, though my voice carried little conviction. "Some adapt. Some find peace in the timeless places."
"And others become echoes," Chi said sharply, his tail lashing behind him. "Fragments of consciousness trapped between moments, neither alive nor dead." His teal eyes fixed on me with unusual intensity. "Is that what you want for Alice? To risk her becoming another ghost in the borderlands?"
I turned away, unable to meet his gaze. The fire crackled in the hearth, shadows dancing across the walls like memories I couldn't quite grasp.
"Of course not," I said quietly. "But if the monarchs unite against her—if they decide she's too dangerous to exist—where else could she go? The Forgotten Lands are the only territories that remain truly sovereign unto it’s self."
Chi's form rippled with agitation, transparency spreading from his edges inward. "There are other options. The White Rabbit offered safe passage. The Tweedles control the hidden paths."
"Temporary measures," I countered, pulling my pocket watch from my vest to check the time—a habit from centuries of careful planning.
"The White Rabbit serves the courts, whatever his personal sympathies.
The Tweedles may control the paths, but they're neutral observers, not protectors.
If all four monarchs united against Alice.
.." I trailed off, the implication hanging heavy between us.
Chi materialized closer, his form solidifying as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "The Forgotten Lands should be our last resort, Varik. You know better than most what happens to those who venture there unprepared."
I closed my eyes briefly, memories washing over me like dark fog—a woman's laugh, the scent of wildflowers, a promise broken by time itself. "I do."
"Then let's explore other options first," Chi urged, his voice gentler than usual. "The Caterpillar may have insights we haven't considered. And there's still the March Hare to consult—his networks extend even beyond the Queens' reach."
I nodded, forcing myself back to the present.
"You're right. We shouldn't rush to the Forgotten Lands unless absolutely necessary.
" I adjusted my gloves, a nervous habit from centuries past. "The Caterpillar first, then the March Hare.
Perhaps between them, we can find a path that doesn't lead into timelessness. "
Chi's form relaxed slightly, transparency reclaiming his edges. "The Caterpillar sees all possibilities at once. If anyone can identify a safer route for Alice, it would be him."
"And if he can't?" I asked, voicing the fear that had haunted me since Alice arrived.
Chi's smile returned, though it lacked his usual mischief. "Then we adapt, as we've always done." His tail curled thoughtfully. "Wonderland hasn't survived this long by being predictable."
I gave him a glance, a bitter smile crossing my face, “That is true. For now let's prepare for meeting the caterpillar.” Then with one last glance at Chi, not bothering to stay for his response before I headed outside to clear my head for a few minutes.
The memoirs of the past were close to the forefront and I needed a minute to gather myself before I could focus on the task at hand.