Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
HOOK
I slip into the circle with ease, throwing the Queen a roguish grin as I join her little parade of masked prisoners.
Her attempt to make me dance like one of her puppets?
Adorable. She should know better—I’ve been playing these games long before she perched that crown on her head.
Her sense of control is nothing more than a fleeting illusion, one I’ll shatter when the time is right. When I have my amulet.
Alice’s gaze is practically burning a hole through me, her cheeks flushed, eyes ablaze, hating me with every fibre of her being.
I’m not sorry for holding her back. I’d do it again without hesitation.
That doll was going to die, no matter what Alice said or did.
The Queen had already made her choice, and I’m no fool to die a hero.
Sacrifice is for fools. Besides, Alice doesn’t see it yet, but she’s more than some bleeding heart. She’s the key.
She keeps scowling at me, lips pressed tight, a million unspoken curses simmering in her gaze. Keep fuming, love. I did you a favour, even if you’ll never admit it.
The music starts, and I roll my shoulders, flexing my fingers as I take in the scene.
The masks, the gowns, the guards lurking in every shadow.
It’s all for show. The Queen’s particular brand of cruelty might be grand, but it’s predictable.
Every move carefully designed to entertain her twisted desires.
My first round ends quickly. Some poor bastard misses his chair, and the guards waste no time dragging him off.
The Queen can’t resist delivering her favourite line, either.
“Off with his head.” The wet thud of the blade follows, accompanied by her satisfied smile.
But Alice? She looks away, squeezing her eyes shut, a grimace twisting her mouth as the sound fills the room.
She’s not the only one, either. A few of the others are red-eyed and wet-faced, their tears pooling on the marble as they shuffle around.
But it’s the shadows that catch my eye. They’re moving differently now, swirling across the floor with purpose. And I’m not the only one who’s noticed. Oh, Alice can hate me all she wants, but I see her eyes tracking the darkness as it creeps along the floor towards the Queen.
She has Neverland’s amulet—my amulet. So why is she still harvesting magic from these poor souls? Has the amulet’s power faded? Is that why I can’t feel it? And Smee... where is he in all of this?
But more than that, there’s Alice—because I can feel the power radiating from her.
Despite the way she loathes me, something pulls me toward her, like a tide I can’t resist. It’s not just magic—though there’s plenty of that, starlight practically bleeding through her skin.
It’s something else, something deeper. Something I need to understand.
Is that what the mirror meant? Does she somehow hold Neverland’s power now?
I manoeuvre through the rounds with calculated precision, edging closer to her. While the others stumble about, she moves with defiant grace, each step a challenge to the Queen’s authority. Foolish, yes. But I get it—she’s furious, and rightfully so.
I close the space behind her, just enough that she’s got no choice but to feel me there. “Quite the performance you put on before. Feel better for it?”
She doesn’t answer, but the look she shoots over her shoulder is pure venom, her jaw set tight.
“Nothing to say?” I prod, voice just loud enough for her to hear.
Her shoulders are rigid, fists clenched at her sides. “Nothing to say to the man who let a young girl die. No.”
I lean in, matching her pace. “I saved your life. She was going to die anyway.”
“I could have helped her.”
“No, love. You couldn’t. She was dead the moment the Queen decided it so.”
She grinds her jaw, refusing to look at me. “Don’t talk to me.” She turns away, every muscle tense, but her silence speaks louder than words.
The music quickens, and we move faster around the chairs. Another round, another victim. The Queen’s glee rings out as another loses their head. The circle grows smaller, fewer chairs, and soon enough we’re nearly face-to-face.
When the music stops again, we dive for the chairs, Alice landing just before me. “It’s taken.”
I drop into the one beside her. The poor bloke behind me isn’t so lucky, dragged to the block.
His protests are cut short by the Queen’s bored command.
“Off with his head.” Another chair gone, another life snuffed out.
The Queen feeds on it, and Alice’s eyes are fixed on her, watching. She sees it now.
“You see that?” I murmur.
She doesn’t answer right away, not until we stop again and another life is taken. Her gaze drifts to the shadows. “She’s feeding off them.”
“Clever girl.”
She shoots me a look, eyes narrowing.
The next time the music stops, I make sure to claim my chair, and I keep it right beside hers. The Queen’s gaze narrows, but I just give her my most charming smile. Let her think whatever she likes.
"What does she want?" Alice asks, though I doubt it’s really meant for me.
"Besides everyone’s head on a pike? Power. It’s always about power with her type."
"Her type?" she asks as we rise again, fewer chairs, fewer players.
"Rulers who’ve forgotten what real power feels like. They’ll grab at anything that might make them feel it again."
"And what do you know about real power?" she challenges, and damn if that fire in her voice doesn’t do things to me.
I catch her arm as we circle, spinning her so she’s facing me. Even with her mask still in place, her eyes say everything her mouth doesn’t. "More than you might think," I murmur.
The Queen claps her hands, and the music shifts—darker, faster. "Let’s make this interesting," she calls out, voice dripping with wicked glee. "The shadows want to play too."
Black tendrils coil around our feet, making each step treacherous. Two more players stumble, consumed by the darkness, their screams swallowed as they’re dragged away.
Four left.
"Careful now," I warn Alice as a shadow nearly trips her. Without thinking, I steady her with a hand on her waist. She’s warm, alive, that strange magic humming beneath her skin.
"I don’t need your help," she snaps, but she doesn’t pull away.
"Of course you don’t, love."
The music stops; we both dive for chairs. The man next to Alice isn’t fast enough—the shadows wrap around his ankles, pulling him down.
Three left.
Just me, Alice, and some trembling fool who looks ready to collapse.
The Queen leans forward on her throne, eyes glittering with malice. "Oh, this is delightful," she purrs. "Our dear Alice, our charming Captain, and..." she waves her hand dismissively at the third player. "Well, we won’t have to worry about him much longer."
She’s right. The next round, the shadows claim him before he even has a chance to move.
And then there were two.