Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
The next morning, I woke up bright and early and went straight to the kitchen. I hummed the song from the waltz I’d danced with the devil and baked a wide variety of delicacies as well as a fabulous happiness-invoking chocolate cake and a strawberry shortcake.
“Feeling better today?” my father asked as he came in. One of his arms was bandaged and he had a black eye.
I stared at him, tsked, then whisked together a goblin pudding that would help him heal even faster than he already naturally did. I plopped it in front of him, a few fish eyeballs floating in the dark chocolate sauce, then went back to work.
“Do I want to know?” I asked as I put the finishing touches on a set of vanilla macarons with a silver glazing like spun ice that reminded me of the fairy king and the crystal fairy enchantress.
“Just having a friendly conversation with a few goblins.”
“Of course you were. Did you learn anything interesting?”
“Not particularly, unless you’re interested in who owned the department store before your devil bought it.”
I stared at him. “Should I be interested in that?”
“Your great-uncle apparently owned it as an agent for the enchantress. You know her type: doesn’t like to come out and present a proper target for anyone.”
“She owned House Beur? So he told her about the devil buying it?”
“No. That would be your former boss Roald Fern. Draskri was apparently always secretly on your mother’s side.”
“And that’s why he helped me go to jail.”
“You were safe in jail.”
I made a face at him. “So Fern went over my great-uncle’s head after he was humiliated by my devil. That’s why he had a contract, because Draskri used it to ensure his silence about me.”
“Or Fern used his knowledge about you to blackmail Draskri into giving him the contract.”
I sighed heavily. “Well, that explains that. Sort of.” I touched my collar. This was okay to talk about? I guess since my dad was telling me and not vice versa.
“You getting a sore throat? Take some of this,” he said, handing me a small bottle of something golden and vile smelling.
“How many drops?”
“As many as you need,” he said, winking.
I tucked it into my pocket then went out to open the shop. The vial wasn’t for my sore throat, but for something else. I’d hopefully know when I saw it. Sigh. If only I could talk to him without it killing me.
I smiled as the first customer came into the shop, the woman who had tried to come the last time the devil was there.
“Welcome to The Rabbit Hole,” I said as warmly as I could while my heart were shards of pain. The devil was floating lifelessly in a pond, and I was at the mercy of the merciless fairy king and the fairy enchantress who made him look good-natured.
Her expression was ice. “I’ll take everything.”
I stared at her. “Everything…”
She gestured around at the entire store. “That’s right.” She pulled out her wallet and started tapping her toe on the floor.
“Um. Sorry, but you can’t buy everything. I have other customers who’ve been waiting for the shop to open.”
The door flew open and in stalked the Grand Sorcerer, who looked particularly cheerful as she studied the woman. “If you don’t know what you want, I’ll make my order first.”
The dark-haired woman in a fancy dark skirt suit glared at the Grand Sorcerer. “I know what I want, she just doesn’t want to give it to me.”
Anna shrugged and smiled at me, her scar reminding me of the fairy king. “Well, you can’t blame her for not wanting to give away stuff she can sell. I’ll take a dozen cake pops and a box of macarons. Half a dozen? One of each color, if you don’t mind.”
I smiled at her and got to work while the other woman sputtered.
“Excuse me! I was here first! I’ve been waiting for days!”
“Then you shouldn’t take so long to order,” Anna said, patting the woman’s shoulder.
The woman’s eyes flickered red and her nostrils flared. All of a sudden, my hair was full of static electricity. Was that from the other woman or Anna? Oh. Definitely the Grand Sorcerer. Apparently, her skills ran to the electrical. Were we about to have some kind of standoff in my shop?
“Hey, can you guys take it outside?” I asked then threw a macaron at Anna.
She caught it in her fingers and gave me a sweet smile. “Take what outside? I’m sure this person was just leaving. Wasn’t she?”
The woman huffed then spun on her heel and left me alone in the shop with the Grand Sorcerer.
“So,” she said, looking me over, eyes lingering on my throat like she could see invisible collars. “Seems there’s been a lot of excitement in Wonderland lately with an enchantress buying out the devil. How are you holding up with all of that?”
“Ah, it’s interesting.”
Her eyes were sharp as she took my boxes and handed me a card.
“My husband is concerned. I don’t like my husband being concerned about other women, but it’s so difficult to find an enchantress when you’re looking for her, and of course only an idiot would go into Wonderland without some way to keep from getting eternally lost. Like a white rabbit to lead you home.
Or wherever you needed to go. Anyway, thanks for the delights.
” She took back the card I’d run and turned, striding out after throwing breadcrumbs at me like I’d miss them if she wasn’t super blatant.
“Thank you,” I called after her.
She raised a hand without looking back.
Another customer came in, and after that, I was busy until two, when I was sold out of everything I wasn’t going to take to my dinner with the fairy king that evening.
After I’d locked up the shop, I took off my apron and went to pick up Divinity from the mushroom puff. I snuggled him close then raised him so I could look into his eyes. “What do you think?”
Did he know what I could think in my lower brain?
He wriggled, kicked his feet, then escaped my arms, landing on the floor and hopping toward the door to the kitchen.
I pushed open the door, and he hopped in, toward the stairs.
I followed, heart beating faster and faster until I got to the door at the top.
Did I have everything I’d need? I had a box of macarons, a pocket watch, a bottle of my dad’s tincture, and the devil’s soul.
What else could an impossibly magical creature like myself need?
Maybe deodorant. I was sweating at the thought of confronting the enchantress. But what else was I supposed to do?
I stared at Divinity, who looked up at me with big, luminous eyes. Everything was going to be okay. I smiled down at him then pushed the door open.
It led into the butterfly garden. I stared at the empty bench before I stepped through, following the rabbit into Wonderland.
The butterflies were leached of color, pale and sickly instead of the vibrant blue, and the mushrooms were the same, barely pulsing with a faint light instead of the bright glow. The glowing waterfall was dark now, the water thick like blood or oil.
The rabbit took off down the path, and I ran after him, branches tearing at my hair and dress, leaving scraps behind as I hurried to keep up with the dim white blur.
It leapt into a hole, and I tumbled after, rolling down a bumpy hill, over and over until I came to a sliding stop in a whoosh at the bottom of another hill, this one seemingly made of ashes.
Everything was a dull gray, from the scudding clouds overhead to the gray grass.
When I stood up, the grass crackled. Ashes indeed.
The rabbit looked at me, waiting impatiently, so I dusted myself off and started after him. “I’m coming.”
He raced up the hill, forcing me to run after him, fluttering my wings to speed up. I moved faster than usual, speeding through Wonderland like it was helping me make my way.
At the top of the hill was another door. The rabbit waited for me there, looking up at me while I reached for the knob. Frowning in concentration, I pushed it open. The door’s weight pressed against my arm, down to my shoulder, and then to my chest, heart, and soul as I struggled against it.
I sweated and shivered until I finally shoved it open wide enough that the rabbit and I could slip through.
The door thudded closed behind me, catching my skirt in its grasp.
I ripped the skirt free then turned and held very still as I stared at the clockwork heart in a glass case in the center of the casino, red felt-covered tables surrounded by people who were all staring at me.
For a moment, everything was still before, as one, they all went back to their gaming.
Before I could step toward the heart, I looked around, and there to my left was an enormous mushroom higher than all the tables formed in the shape of a lounge.
The enchantress was draped over it, watching me like a cat about to eat the canary.
“I found you!” I said, smiling and showing all the enthusiasm I could muster.
I started toward her, walking around the tables like I didn’t see the people or smell their desperation. Had the devil’s casino always been so depressing? The cages above the tables were full of dancers, but no one was dancing.
I raised my striped box and shook it gently. “I made you some macarons. Would you please consider having dinner with me instead of the fairy king?”
She raised a brow and smiled wickedly. “You’d rather have dinner with me? Surely you know how dangerous I am.”
“You’re not as bad as him.” I frowned, remembering the way he’d ruffled my hair after he told me how long he was going to try to keep me alive as he killed me.
I accidentally met the eyes of a man at a table, his expression blank and creepy, before I refocused on the gorgeous creature on her mushroom throne.
Her voice was delight and amusement. “Do you think so? He would disagree with you. I would also disagree with you. But you’re far too stupid to understand. I suppose it can’t be helped. You’re only a child, after all.” Her smile was vicious.
I held out the macarons and walked closer to her. “I don’t care if you are. At least you aren’t a siren.”
She leaned her chin on her fist as her eyes flickered with amusement. “Don’t tell me that the fairy king is seducing you. He’d never stoop to such a thing. He prefers souls to hearts.” She looked at the ticking heart in the glass box. “Do you want to know how I got it?”
I followed her glance then looked back at her. “How did it not kill him right away?”
“Magic. Also, I gave him half of my soul in exchange for his heart.” Her expression grew distant, almost fond. “He was so sweet and stupid, like you, but he had potential for so much power. I couldn’t resist that.”
“He loved you,” I said with a nod. “You’re very beautiful.”
She laughed, a sound like lilting violins and the keening dead. “I am, but it’s the sweetness he couldn’t resist. I pretended to be exactly what you are. He begged me to take his heart. He didn’t mind dying for me.”
“That’s awesome. So why did you give him half your soul instead of letting him die for you?”
She gave me a flat look. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“True. I’d never give up my soul for anything. Even half my soul. Even a pinch of my soul. That’s just a bad idea.”
She studied me with a terrifying lack of expression. “And yet it gives me complete power over him.”
“Does it? But wouldn’t you rather have your own power?” I shrugged. “It’s all over my head. I’d just like you to not make me eat with the fairy king again. He’s so…”
“Is it his scar that bothers you?” she asked, sitting up. “It is hideous, but you’re part goblin.”
“No, I think his scar is my favorite thing about him. It’s just…” I glanced around at the people who were playing, seeming to ignore me and the enchantress, but there was something about the way they didn’t look at her, like they were part of her, or something. Maybe she owned all their souls.
“Don’t tell me you’re concerned that you’ll fall in love with him,” she said, eyes glinting. “That would be hilarious!”
“Well, I don’t seem to have a lot of logic when it comes to men,” I said, shrugging. “I want to focus on my baking. And at least the devil didn’t ruffle my hair.”
“No, he only danced with you. Kissed you. Bought you department stores.” Her smile was sharp, like the daggers that I realized were growing out of the crystals hanging on the chandelier above me.
“Ah. Well, yes. I know it didn’t mean anything, because of course he’s a devil without a heart.” I gestured at the glass box. “But I’m a bit stupid.”
“And you’re worried the fairy king is going to woo you like the devil did and you’ll fall for him as easily?”
“At least he has a heart. I mean, it’s possible the fairy king could fall for me in return, right?”
She gave me a pitying look. “You’d have more luck with the devil.” She snapped her fingers and Rawley was at my elbow, grabbing my arm in a painful grasp.
“It’s time for you to leave now,” the cat-shifter literally growled.
I let my shoulders slump as I turned, but I dropped my macaron box and the beautiful little white cookies with pretty, delicate frosting rolled across the floor, one of them rolling in the direction of the enchantress’s mushroom and the others tumbling until one hit the pillar the glass box with his heart was resting on.
The enchantress stood and gestured at the heart, shattering the crystal and summoning the ticking heart to her hand.
It was out of the box. That split second was all I needed to hit the button on my pocket watch and shrink small enough to easily slip out of Rawley’s grasp. I flew, holding the devil’s soul, up toward the heart where it hovered, halfway to the enchantress, frozen between ticks.
I didn’t hesitate, flying as fast as I could, zooming through the space between me and the devil’s clockwork heart until I reached it then I slipped down the largest artery, and into the darkness.