Page 85 of Down from the Tower

“I haven't been to Wonderland in a long time, but when we first stumbled here she had a large home that stemmed from the base of this big tree. She saw us walking past and tried to warn us away. that's when we got caught.”

Sadness falls over us. Zarev wouldn't exist in my world If Wonderland hadn't tormented him, yet some sick part of me is thankful he's here now. “Do you think that shadow man you mentioned is still here?”

“Who knows. I spent enough time searching. I don't know if I'll ever find him or what I would do if I did. He made the four of us into the hands of Death, and in turn we have no answers from the living or dead about what’s happened to us.”

I point to his hands as we walk, curiosity getting the best of me. He’s in a chatty mood. “Why carve spades into your hands?”

“Oh.” He rubs his hands together, like the question makes him uncomfortable. I’ve heard the explanation before, but not about his friends. “The Queen was once the Queen of Hearts. She loved cards and games and was kind until darkness corroded her heart. When she first started changing, people would joke and taunt that the men and women she kidnapped and killed were going to build her a deck of cards, a living, or dead, army to do her bidding. There were four of us who were there that day, one for each suit, and one of the ridiculous men in her court made the suggestion.”

My eyes widen. “So, Raymundo-”

“He has clovers on his palms,” he explains. “Lucius was a bit of a beast, a man who had a family but lost his way. He egged her on, so she stabbed through his eyes. He’s blind now. There was a heart she cut into his cheek, just on one side. His tortured screams caused her to stop.”

A sick feeling rolls through my stomach as we walk. There’s more noise in the Red Woods then there was in Sherwood, but he seems oddly calmer on this side. It makes me feel less bad about asking my next question. “And, the fourth?”

“Ban?” Zarev chuckles, shaking his head. “Diamonds, cut into his forearms. He got a lot of hits on the court and nearly struck the Queen. She wanted him to bleed out and be unable to do much of anything before the end. His scars look the worst.”

I wince. She didn’t treat any of them right, but at least Zarev’s are on the back of his hands and not marring his cheeks.

We walk in silence for several long minutes, my eyes drinking in vines that twist and curve up and down the trees. I see a few rabbits and other small animals, but nothing big or dangerous. I’m starting to think Legs’ garden is a completely separate place from the rest of Wonderland.

“It should be up here,” Zarev says, drawing my attention from the scenery. “I haven’t seen Legs in a while, but Ban visits her from time to time. She should remember me-”

Something flies through the air, and I’m too slow to react. Thankfully Zarev has good reflexes, and the shadows fly up in front of us to block the weapon.

It slams into the wall of inky blackness before falling to the ground. When Zarev scatters the shadows, I can see that it’s a small dart. Could be deadly, but it looks more like a warning than a threat.

“Legs,” Zarev calls, and I jump at his voice. It’s the loudest he’s been since the tavern. “Stop throwing pollen bombs!”

There’s movement nearby, and I look down the path, anxious to see this friend of Zarev’s.

But the person doesn’t come down the path. Instead the vines of a tree twist, and massive leafy hands reach from the shadows of a canopy to grab them, descending downward.

There appear to be two flowers coming towards the ground. I cry out, needing him to hear me. “Zarev! Flowerborne!”

He grabs his scythe, but holds me back as the flowers continue to twist out of their hiding place. They’re large and as the flowers open, I realize it’s two massive roses with dainty faces at the center, the leaf-like limbs long enough to reach the ground without letting go of the vines from halfway up the tree.

The two flowers each carry something between them as they descend to the ground. It takes me a moment to realize it’s a woman, with a cape of black and red flowing from her back. When she reaches the ground, I see another creature forming. I start to think I’ve hit my head as pollen that makes me sneeze lifts from the grass, leaves twisting around to form a -

“Oh, that’s rich, Legs,” Zarev says, propping the scythe on his shoulder. “You’ve gone and made yourself a horse.”

The woman smiles, her dark hair slicked to her head. The two roses set her on the horse’s back, and the creature trots towards us.

This is definitely the strangest thing I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot after traveling through Mystica.

“Zarev,” she says, the horse guiding her over. “Death looks good on you. You haven’t aged at all.”

He snorts. “You know I won’t.”

She grins at him, her teeth perfectly straight and white. The horse comes to a stop in front of us, pivoting a little at her command, and my eyes widen.

Her legs end at the knee, deep black trousers covering the skin and rolling where her legs end. I suddenly understand the animated plant that walked her over here.

“You have some balls coming back to the Red Woods,” she tells him, and rolls her eyes when he scoffs. “And you brought a girl? What is this, a morbid honeymoon?”

I cough, taken aback by how blunt she is. Her eyes swivel to me, so green they almost match the grass in this place. “Now, you-”

She cuts herself off, jaw falling open as she stares at me. I force a smile, feeling awkward, and the silence settles between us. After a few moments, I clear my throat. “I’m…” I look at Zarev, wondering if she’s someone to trust. He nods, and I start again. “I’m Rapunzel.”

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