Chapter 42
Chapter Forty-Two
Alice
Six impossible things.
The words pounded through my mind in rhythm with my footsteps.
There is a place called the Elder Dimension. A hat can force you to tell the truth. Weapons pick you. Harpies can be tamed. I can freeze time. Love can survive madness.
I burst out running as fast as I could, my legs and arms pumping. The bow bounced against my back. Somewhere behind me, Grump, Caterpillar, and Chester followed.
But I couldn't wait for them.
Love can survive madness.
Hang on, Hatter. I'm coming.
The sun was bleeding through the windows—red and gold, sinking fast. Sunset. The wedding was happening now.
It was as if my feet had wings. I reached the throne room before the others. Two guards stood outside the massive double doors.
I held out my palm. "Freeze."
They stopped, statues in armor.
I grabbed the handle and pulled.
Locked. The door didn't budge.
No. No, no, no. I yanked again. Threw my shoulder against it. Nothing. The wood was thick, reinforced—built to keep people out.
Darius was on the other side of this door. About to bind himself to that monster forever. And I couldn't get to him.
Grump reached me first, his chest heaving. He tried the handle and scowled. "It's locked by magic."
"I can open it."
"Are you sure?"
I met my father's eyes. Doubt. He didn't think we could get through—not in time, maybe not at all. "Believe in the impossible, Grump. And stand away from the door.”
Grump stepped back. Chester and Caterpillar reached us just as I nocked my first arrow.
I drew the string back, feeling the bow hum beneath my fingers. Power surged through me—ancient, impossible power.
"Six impossible things before breakfast. One—there is a place called the Elder Dimension."
I released.
The arrow sang through the air and embedded itself between the double doors. A ripple of golden light shimmered across the wood.
I nocked a second arrow.
"Two—a hat can force you to tell the truth."
The arrow flew, lodging below the first. Another ripple—stronger this time.
"The witch becomes the weapon,” Chester said. “How delightful."
Caterpillar exhaled a curl of blue smoke. "Impossible... only means... not yet done."
I nocked a third arrow, their words fueling my fire.
"Three—weapons pick you."
The arrow struck. The doors groaned.
"Four—harpies can be tamed."
The fourth arrow hit. Cracks of light spiderwebbed across the surface.
"Five—I can freeze time."
The fifth arrow struck. The doors shuddered, magic fighting magic.
I nocked my final arrow. Drew the string to my cheek. This was for Darius. For us.
"Six—love can survive madness.”
I released.
The arrow blazed with golden light as it struck.
The doors exploded inward with a deafening crack.
Smoke billowed into the throne room, swallowing the pink decorations, the glittering stars, the sea of gasping courtiers. Screams of terror rang in my ears. Glass shattered somewhere.
I stepped through the ruined doorway, another arrow already nocked in my bow.
The smoke began to dissipate, curling away like a curtain being drawn back.
And there I stood.
Not the broken prisoner they'd dragged from the dungeon. Not the sobbing girl they'd left hanging in chains.
A warrior. A witch. One of the Uncrowned.
Grump flanked my right, Darius' sword gleaming in his massive fist. Chester materialized on my left, his golden eyes blazing, his grin sharp as a blade. The sweet scent of Caterpillar's smoke curled around me from behind—he was there. Ready.
The throne room fell silent. Hundreds of faces stared at us—nobles frozen in terror, servants cowering behind pillars.
My eyes found the altar.
Darius.
My breath caught. My chest tightened. There you are.
He stood beside Alanna in a suit so pink it looked like he'd been dipped in Pepto-Bismol. Ridiculous. Humiliating.
But god, he was handsome. Even dressed like a flamingo, even with shadows under his eyes and defeat carved into his face, he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen.
“Alice?” His silver eyes found mine. Widened. Filled with something between horror and hope.
He was mine. He belonged to me. He had sacrificed everything to protect me.
And I was here to claim him back.
"The wedding is over," I called out.
Alanna's face twisted—beauty crumbling into pure, venomous rage.
"No." She stepped forward, her pink wedding gown billowing around her like a storm cloud. "Guards! Seize them!" Alanna shrieked. "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!"
Guards rushed toward us from every direction—a wave of crimson armor and drawn swords.
I lowered my bow.
Grump tensed beside me. "Alice—"
I held up my palm. My heart hammered. I'd frozen people before. Frozen time itself. But this—choosing who moved and who didn't—I'd never tried anything like this.
Believe in the impossible.
The web bracelet pulsed against my wrist—a cold reminder. Ari. I had to keep him unfrozen. The binding oath demanded it. If I froze him, I'd be breaking our deal.
And I'd die.
But Darius—I needed him free. And Rabbit—his family was in those mines. He deserved to see this.
Six people. Out of hundreds. Could I even do this?
Six impossible things before breakfast.
The gold bracelet flared hot, fighting against the cold of the web bracelet. Light and dark. My magic and Ari's binding. The medallion burned against my skin.
Pain lanced through my skull. My vision blurred. Warmth dripped down my upper lip. I tasted copper.
"Alice!" Grump grabbed my arm.
"Don't." I shook him off. "I can do this."
Love can survive madness.
I pushed harder. Dug deeper. Found something inside me I didn't know existed.
"FREEZE!" The word tore from my throat. "Everyone but Darius, Ari, my father, Chester, Caterpillar, and Rabbit!"
Power exploded out of me like a wave of golden light.
The guards stopped mid-stride—swords raised, frozen in place. Courtiers turned to statues, mouths open in silent screams. Servants. Musicians. Everyone.
Alanna's face was twisted in rage, her finger pointed at me, her pink gown swirling around her like she'd been caught in a storm. Frozen. Helpless.
Silence crashed down like a hammer.
I swayed on my feet. Black dots danced at the edges of my vision. Grump caught me before I fell.
"I'm fine," I gasped. "I'm fine."
But when I looked up, only six other people moved in a room of hundreds.
Darius—staring at me like I was the sun rising after an endless night.
Ari—his red eyes wide, his mouth hanging open.
Rabbit—collapsed against the wall, sobbing with relief.
And Chester, Caterpillar, and Grump behind me.
I'd done it.
The impossible.
"Alice." Darius' voice cracked on my name.
He grabbed me and pulled me into his arms, crushing me against his ridiculous pink suit. His whole body trembled. His heart pounded against my chest.
"What have you done?" He pulled back just enough to look at me, his silver eyes wet. "The magic—the doors—how did you—"
I dragged my fingers through his hair—his beautiful, dark hair that I thought I'd never touch again.
"The impossible." I smiled up at him. "I believed in six impossible things before breakfast."
Then I kissed him. Hard. Fierce. Claiming him back from the queen who thought she'd won.
He groaned against my mouth, his hands cupping my face like I was something precious. Something he'd almost lost.
When I finally pulled back, we were both breathless.
"Don't ever go mad and run off with any queens again," I whispered against his lips.
A broken laugh escaped him. "Never. I'm yours, Fate. Only yours."
"You need to get out of here while you still can."
I looked up. Rabbit stood apart from us, his pale face streaked with tears. The saddest expression I'd ever seen.
Darius frowned. "You say that as if you aren't coming with us."
Grump scanned the frozen crowd. "Brynn isn't here."
"The queen has hidden her somewhere," Rabbit said. "I don't know where. But I must stay and find her." He met Grump's eyes. "Brynn is the princess. I will protect her until you can return for her."
"Rabbit, Alanna will kill you," Grump growled.
Rabbit turned to me. I saw it in his eyes—guilt, yes, but something fiercer beneath it. Determination. A desperate need to make things right for everything he’d done.
"She won't,” he said. “Not if you freeze me with the others."
I stared at him. "Are you sure?"
He nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.” He braced his shoulders and held his chin high. “Just protect my family.”
He'd betrayed us once. Now he was making it right—the only way he knew how.
“I promise we will.”
I wished it was Ari volunteering to stay behind. But he stood by the broken doors, pacing back and forth, bound to me by that cursed web bracelet.
"I have much to make up for," Rabbit said quietly. "For betraying the Hatter. For betraying you."
Darius crossed to him and gripped his shoulder. "She had your family. You're forgiven."
Rabbit's eyes filled with fresh tears. "Thank you. All I ask is that you free them."
"Already done," Grump said. "My brothers and the harpies—if you can believe it—subdued the guards transferring Flint, Steel, and your family to the Shadowsteel mines. They're waiting in the Forgotten Forest.”
Rabbit's knees buckled. He caught himself against a pillar, sobbing openly now. "Thank you. Thank you."
He straightened, wiping his face. "I swear I'll find Brynn. I'll help her escape. Whatever it takes."
I held out my palm toward him. “Freeze.”
"How long can this little reunion last?" Ari called from over my shoulder, his voice dripping with impatience. "We need to get out. Now."
Darius glared over my head, his silver eyes flashing with hatred. "Why didn't you freeze him?"
I swallowed hard. "He used the web bracelet on me. I promised to get him out."
The color drained from Darius' face. He grabbed my shoulders. "You didn't. Alice, tell me you didn't bind yourself to him."
"I had no choice." I clutched his hand, pressing it to my heart. "He promised to get the keys. It was the only way to escape." I met his anguished eyes. "All is not lost. Trust me."
For a long moment, he just stared at me—fury and fear and love warring across his face. Then something shifted. Softened.
Without a word, Darius scooped me up into his arms, cradling me against his chest.
I cocked an eyebrow. "I can walk, you know."
"I know." His silver eyes burned into mine. "But it's my turn to save you. I'm not letting you spend one more second in this place."
He pressed a kiss to my forehead—fierce, protective.
Then he ran.
Not human running. Supernatural speed. The world blurred around us—corridors, torches, frozen guards, all smearing into streaks of color. Wind whipped my hair. My stomach lurched. I buried my face in his chest and held on.
We passed Grump, Chester, Caterpillar, and even Ari in a heartbeat. They were still figures in our wake.
Darius didn't slow. Didn't stop. He tore through the castle like a demon fleeing hell, and I clung to him, my heart pounding against his.
In seconds—impossible, breathless seconds—we burst through the castle gates and into the fading light of sunset.
Fresh air filled my lungs. Freedom.
We were out.