Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
ALICE
Why do I feel guilty when I’ve got absolutely nothing to feel guilty about?
It’s not like this is the first time someone’s told me everything here is my fault, like Wonderland’s gone to hell because I left.
And, alright, there’s a small part of me—a very quiet, very nagging part—that feels like maybe I should apologise for that.
But the rest of me? The louder, sharper part?
It’s screaming, What did they expect me to do?
I mean, seriously, I was a child. A child in a world that defied all logic. In my own world, I wasn’t old enough to do anything properly for myself, so why, oh why, was the responsibility of an entire bloody realm dumped on me?
I think about saying something. Maybe to Hook.
Maybe to Sophia. But then I don’t. What’s the point?
They’re already chatting anyway, their voices low and clipped like they’re sharing some grand secret I don’t get to know.
I trail behind them, silent, feeling Sophia’s irritation wafting back at me like a wall.
She’s not even trying to hide it. It's pressing against me, making it crystal clear I’m not welcome here.
Not part of their little duo or whatever they’ve decided this is.
Hook glances over his shoulder at me, those dark, sharp eyes of his narrowing slightly like he’s trying to read my mind.
I quickly look away, focusing on the weird, shifting sky above. One second, it’s black as midnight, the next, a muted sort of morning light spills over us. Wonderland doesn’t do proper daylight, apparently. Figures. Even the sky can’t commit to being normal here.
I don’t even know where we’re going, and, honestly, I don’t care. It’s already obvious Sophia doesn’t like me, and that’s fine. She can join the list. My mum’s at the top, so what’s one more?
And yet… I do care. Which is stupid. Why the hell do I care what some stranger thinks of me?
The thought claws at me, poking at something raw.
I hug my arms around myself, trying to shove the feeling away, to bury it under all the other rubbish piling up in my head since I got here. But it doesn’t go. It just lingers.
“You alright back there, love?” Hook calls, his voice casual, but there’s an edge to it. Like he’s testing me. Or teasing me. Probably both.
“Fine,” I say, shrugging.
He raises an eyebrow, and there it is—the smirk. That smirk. The one that makes me want to slap it clean off his face. “You sure about that?”
“I’m great,” I deadpan. “Never better.”
“You two are—” Sophia starts, but she doesn’t finish. She stops walking instead, her head tilting, her whole body going stiff.
I catch up, stepping beside Hook, frowning. “What is it?”
And then I feel it. A ripple. Subtle at first, just a faint tremor underfoot, enough to make the pebbles on the path jump and jitter.
Then it grows. A deep rumble rolls through the ground, alive and unsettling.
The hedges around us shiver, their leaves trembling, some breaking free and scattering like startled birds.
It’s like we’re in the middle of a storm—only the air is perfectly still.
“What now?” Hook says, his boots planted wide like he’s trying to steady himself, but I can hear it in his voice. He’s uneasy.
Before anyone can answer, the ground heaves, a violent jolt that sends me stumbling forward. Instinctively, I reach out, gripping Hook’s arm for balance. His hand clamps onto mine, firm and steady, though he doesn’t say a word.
“Is this normal?” I ask, glancing at Sophia. She’s trying to keep her balance too, her movements quick as she scans the area. Her green eyes are sharp and focused, like she’s trying to figure out what the hell is happening.
She doesn’t answer straight away. The ripple builds, undulating like the dirt path itself is breathing. The quaking grows louder, stronger, and then—boom.
It’s not a sharp sound, not sudden. It’s deep and resonant, like the beating of some massive unseen heart. The sound vibrates through the air, pressing against my chest and stealing the breath right out of my lungs. Everything feels heavy, alive, like the world itself is holding its breath.
“What in bloody hell was that?” Hook mutters, his voice low, his hand already at the hilt of his dagger like that’s going to do anything against… whatever this is.
Sophia pulls the strange contraption she carries from her coat.
Her hands are trembling as she holds it, her eyes fixed on the swirling gears inside.
The hourglass in its centre spins wildly, the sand inside pouring out too fast, almost violently.
“This is not good,” she mutters, more to herself than us.
“Well, no kidding,” I say. “What’s not good?”
She doesn’t answer, her gaze darting to the sky. A low, guttural screech cuts through the air, unearthly and sharp, like nails dragged over metal. The sound makes my skin crawl, and I instinctively move closer to Hook.
“What the hell is that?” I whisper.
Sophia’s expression darkens, and for the first time since we met her, she looks genuinely rattled. “The Queen’s minions,” she says. “But not the bats. Something worse.”
The screeching grows louder, closer, and I glance up. Dark shadows zip across the hazy sky, their shapes twisting and fluttering unnaturally.
“Move,” Sophia snaps, grabbing my arm and yanking me forward. “Right now.”
There’s no time to argue. She pushes Hook and me off the path, driving us toward a wall of twisted, gnarled trees. The shadows overhead grow thicker, darker, the screeches slicing through the air. Against my better judgement, I glance up, and immediately wish I hadn’t.
The creatures are enormous, their leathery wings spanning wide enough to blot out the sky. Their glowing eyes burn faintly, like dying embers, as they swoop and circle, hunting.
“Keep moving,” Sophia hisses, her urgency snapping me back to reality. She herds us beneath the canopy of trees, the shadows thickening until we’re shrouded in near darkness. She leads us to a cluster of massive roots and shoves us down into a hollow beneath them.
“Stay low,” she orders, her tone sharp and leaving no room for argument.
I crouch beside Hook, my heart pounding so loudly I’m sure it’ll give us away. The air is thick and damp, pressing against me.
As we crouch in the shadows, Sohpia pulls out the timepiece again, her fingers trembling as she studies it. The contraption spins wildly, the gears clanking like they’re about to break.
“The Queen watches with eyes everywhere,” she mutters, tucking it back into her coat. Then she looks at us, her expression grim. “I can’t go any further with you.”
“What?” The word bursts out of me before I can stop it, sharp with surprise. “Why not?”
Her expression hardens. “You both need to go on your own. If I come with you, I’m putting everyone else in danger. I can’t do that.”
I blink at her, trying to process her words. “I don’t even know where we’re going,” I say, panic slipping into my voice. “You’re the one who’s been leading us.”
“You have the map,” she says simply, her gaze flicking to Hook.
Hook scowls, his jaw tightening. “The map that’s been about as useful as well … something not very useful,” he says.
Sophia steps forward, holding out her hand. “Show it to me.”
He hesitates, his sharp gaze darting between her and me, then back again. “It’s fine how it is.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” I snap, exasperated. “Just give her the damn map.”
Hook lets out an audible huff before yanking the map from his coat pocket. He shoves it into Sophia’s waiting hand, his movements stiff with irritation.
Sophia unfolds it carefully, her lips curling into a faint, humourless smile as she studies it. “No wonder you got yourself stuck in that bloody maze,” she mutters. “You’re looking at it all wrong.”