Follow the White Rabbit (Beautiful Madness, #1) (7 page)

Marc had pushed her and now everything
was
wrong
.

“Lucky, I swear. I didn’t know this
would happen!” Marc reached out and tried to grab Lucky’s hand. “Please, just
come back to Tildoor with me. Gwen will know what’s going on. I promise. We’ll
fix this.”

Marc’s voice had a forced calm about it
even though he still had to yell to be heard over the storm. Lucky knew that
tone anywhere. He was trying to placate her. To convince her everything was
okay.

“No!” Lucky swung her left fist out,
bracing her shoulder just before she made contact with Marc’s jaw. He staggered
backwards as his head snapped to the side, releasing Lucky’s shoulder in the
process.

Without looking back, she sprinted off
into the darkness of the forest, the ground still shaking beneath her feet. She
could hear Marc calling after her but had no interest in going back, except
maybe to punch him again.

Whoever this new Alice was, she couldn’t
be good news for Wonderland. And now she was
here
in Neverwood Forest.
All thanks to Lucky.

Rose
had been pouring over history books and ancient scrolls for almost a full day,
only stopping to eat and take the occasional cat nap. She didn’t know how much
time would pass before Gwen’s theories would come to pass, if they did at all,
but she would be ready. When the Red Queen fell, Rose would be there to take
her place.

She would sit on a throne of glass,
surrounded by beautiful people and beautiful music, and ease Wonderland in to a
new era. One that balanced the majesty of Wonderland’s legends with a promise
for the future.

“Your highness,” a young voice beckoned.

Rose gasped and flung herself up from
her chair. At first she’d been merely startled—she hadn’t heard anyone come
into the library—but at seeing the child standing in front of her, anxiety
turned to a sickening twist of fear, for she was seeing a ghost.

Her mouth slightly agape, Rose remained
silent as a memory strode towards her. She wondered if she had fallen asleep.
She pinched the back of her hand, but the apparition continued its walk to her
desk, giving Rose a moment to study it, to try and understand. The boy looked
exactly like her childhood best friend.
Exactly
.

She hadn’t seen Alec since they were
both children of eight, saying their final goodbyes when Rose and her father
moved away from the forest. He’d been a scrawny child who was usually adorned
in smears of mud, and the two of them had been inseparable. At least until
they’d been permanently separated by the end of Rose’s parent’s marriage.

It had been nearly fifteen years since
she’d last seen the strange child who had been her neighbor in Neverwood
Forest, but here he was, completely unchanged, as though he’d been plucked from
the corners of Rose’s mind.

Even after all this time, Alec still
stood at just over four feet, and his face held the round shape of a child. The
overalls and grass-stained shirt could have belonged to anyone, but the face
was all Alec. He was grinning at her, apparently more thrilled with this
reunion than Rose. It was only when their eyes met that Rose saw any difference
from the boy she had known. His silver eyes that had once held only kindness
and a dash of mischief now glinted with danger and a dark kind of magic.

When she was younger, Rose had thought
Alec’s eyes were mysterious, even beautiful. Liquid silver pooled around coal,
unlike anything she had ever seen. Now, his gaze left her uneasy.

“It’s good to see you again, Rose,” Alec
said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. The timbre of his voice was young,
but the tone suggested that he had seen a great many things during their time
apart.

“Alec. Is that really you?” Rose
whispered. “How is this possible?”

“You’ve done well for yourself.” Alec’s
small head turned to take in the luxurious surroundings of the royal library.

“Thank you,” Rose said, though it
sounded more like a question. “It’s been so long. I don’t understand.”

The boy smiled once more, and a shiver
shot up Rose’s spine. “I’ve heard whispers, Rose. You’re planning something,
and I’m not sure it’s wise.”

“I’m Queen,” Rose said simply, though
she shouldn’t have to explain herself. Even if she had never risen to take the
White Throne, her caste alone gave her the right to interfere with Wonderland.
Queens were born to shape the land, as Daliah had said, and now she was in a
position to do so much more. Who was he to tell her otherwise?
What
was
he? He had yet to offer any explanation for his form or his visit.

Rose’s mind pulled at various threads,
desperate to uncover how this strange encounter could be related to her visions
or the things she had learned in Marc’s strange little home. Was this
Wonderland’s way of helping her?

Growing up, Alec had always had a way of
knowing more than he should. He told stories of places others swore no longer
existed and knew secrets that he shouldn’t have had access to. Rose had never
understood how he did it, but perhaps she’d be able to use it. They had been
friends once. Maybe they could be again.

“Why are you here?” Rose finally asked
before mustering the courage to ask for the answer she was actually seeking. “
What
are you?”

“I’m a Wonderlander, your majesty,” he
said. His face remained neutral and patient, but his eyes held a challenge.
“The question is, what are you?”

“I’m Queen,” Rose said again, this time
with a tone of arrogance even she could hear. She may have been momentarily
awed by Alec’s presence, but they weren’t in Neverwood Forest anymore. Whether
he was truly the child she remembered or simply a trick of Wonderland didn’t
matter. Rose ruled here, and if it was in Alec’s power to assist her, he was
duty-bound to do so. “I’m thrilled to see you, Alec, truly. Our reunion could not
have been better timed. Do you remember the stories you used to tell me?”

Now Alec studied Rose. “Of course.”

“You knew so many magnificent things.
Whenever I’d ask where you learned them, you’d say that Wonderland told you.
Was that true?”

Rose was surprised when the boy shook
his head. “No, Rose. Only a Queen can talk directly to Wonderland. I was just
sneaky. Well, sneaky and clever.”

“Sneaky and clever is exactly what I
need.” Fueled by excitement, Rose continued on. “You could find Alice for me
and bring her here. We can ensure Wonderland’s survival all on our own. Set her
on a path that could change the structure of Wonderland forever.”

Rose expected her friend to at least ask
about Alice or where all these ideas were coming from. Instead Alec shook his
head sadly, unmoved by Rose’s speech. “You’re a Queen of
Wonderland
,
Rose. You serve
her
—it doesn’t work any other way. There is nothing to
be gained by trying to force her to bend to your will.”

Who was he to come in to her home and
tell Rose how to rule? Who was to say that what she was doing now wasn’t
exactly what Wonderland had intended for her?

Indignation scratched at the back of
Rose’s mind, but she was far too annoyed to word a retort. It turned out she
didn’t need to because Alec wasn’t quite finished.

“Play at your games of power, Rose. It
is Alice who decides what is to come, not us. Not yet. A time will come to take
your place and you’ll find your schemes mean little.”

Alec stepped back from Rose’s desk and
walked to the large bay window that made up the eastern wall of the library.
“When it does, you may come to regret the decisions you’re making now. I came
here tonight to help you see the larger picture. You’re playing with forces you
don’t understand. Wonderland has a plan, and it’s not for you to interfere.”

Dumbfounded, Rose averted her eyes,
briefly chastised. “You don’t understand,” she offered weakly.

Alec placed a small hand on the glass as
his eyes scanned the distance.

Not knowing what else to do or say, Rose
joined him at the window. She peered out at her Queendom and at the expanse of
Wonderland that stretched before them. Villages and farms dotted the landscape
for acres. She imagined the way it would look after she began to implement the
ideas of the East, but for now there was nothing out of the ordinary besides
the distant edge of Neverwood.

Rose looked down at the boy, prepared to
tell him he should leave her castle if he was unwilling to assist her, but his
silver eyes were still glued to the scene before him, and her resolve softened.
She knew, in that moment, that Alec was seeing so much more than she ever
could. It was a trait that had drawn her to him all those years ago, back when
he would have done
anything
to help her.

“So you won’t find her then?”

At last, Alec turned to face Rose. “I
didn’t say that,” he stated, but Rose’s mind didn’t register the words until
much later, for she was too busy trying to untangle what her eyes were seeing.
A smile once again crept onto Alec’s face as his body faded away.

At first, Rose could simply see through
the boy to the rows of bookshelves behind him, but as she stared on, her mouth
falling slack once more, parts of his body began to disappear entirely. Rose
wanted to call out, to demand that he stay, but it was only a moment before all
that remained was a set of silver eyes and a bone-chilling grin.

––––––––

“A
nd
you’re sure?” Daliah scrutinized the son she hadn’t seen in over a year,
searching for any sign of a lie. He looked much the same as the day he’d been
banished from her castle, but decidedly more confident. His unusual height that
had once looked awkward was now quite impressive. This was a son she could be
proud of, if only he hadn’t returned with such abysmal news.

“Yes, Mother.” Nathanial’s head remained
bowed as he rested on one knee in front of her. “I’ve been tracking the girl
for some time. She was wary, but she seems confident that Alice is on her way.”

“That’s not possible,” the Red Queen
spat, though she could no longer ignore the signs. Daliah had long thought her
son a fool for spending time filling his head with knowledge and lore when he
was such a proficient warrior. She’d dismissed his books of prophecy as being
full of lies and pandering, but she couldn’t ignore them any longer. He had
come to her, evidence in hand, ready to prove every point he’d ever struggled
to make.

Nathanial lifted his head. “We’re at a
precipice, Mother. And we’re prepared. The last time a girl named Alice slipped
into our world, she ushered in a time of change and growth for Wonderland—”

“Yes, and who paid the price for that
change?” she demanded, cutting off what was sure to be a lackluster speech. “We
did! Queen Patrice’s rule crumbled after Alice fled back to her home. Do you
want to see that happen to me?”

“Of course not.” Nathanial shook his
head once more.

“Stand up, you idiot. There’s no time
for this nonsense now. We need a plan, damnit!” Daliah’s long, red fingernails
dug into her palm as she formed a tight fist in her lap. “Can we stop it from
happening? Prevent Alice from making it through to our world?”

“A psychic storm is raging over
Neverwood. I suspect it may already be too late for that.” He paused to wipe
sweat from his brow, and Daliah felt the comforting presence of triumph. He may
have returned victorious, but both mother and son knew who ruled. “She’s
coming.”

“Then bring me her head!” Daliah roared.
Nathanial blanched and took a step backwards. His lips pressed into a tight
line as his Queen struggled to control her temper. “What is it?” she snapped.

“What if—Alice doesn’t have to mean the
end of our house...I think we could work this to our advantage.”

“I’m listening,” she said, giving her
son the one thing he’d always wanted. “What do you suggest?”

“Find her, bring her here. Push her in
the direction you want her to go. I can’t begin to guess at more without
meeting the girl, but she could be your greatest tool.”

“And if you’re wrong?” Slowly, the Red
Queen stood from her throne of glass. “Everything I’ve been working for is
within reach, Nathanial. Our cities push farther into the forest every day, the
new White Queen is as pliable as the last, and the tribes in the South are
falling to my armies. I will not be undone by one
girl
.”

Nathanial’s handsome face took on a
bleak grimace. “Then I will take care of her.” Daliah heard his knuckles crack
as he too balled his hands into fists. “Personally.”

––––––––

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