Page 68 of Escaping Wonderland

Shadow held Bokki’s hate-filled gaze. “The king. Where is he, what is he doing? I want every tidbit of information that’s passed through this place concerning him.”

“The king? Have we seen any kings lately?” Grithis asked.

“I can start with stabbing you if you think you’re clever, Grithis,” Shadow said. “There’s only one king in Wonderland.”

Some of the color drained from Grithis’s face. “Oh, y-you must mean theRedKing, the King of Hearts!” Grithis looked at Bokki. “Have we seenthatking lately?”

“He was here not long ago,” Bokki said, “asking aboutyou, Ghost. And your dolly.”

“But he didn’t hurt you,” Alice said. “He came here to cull the city, but you’re unharmed.”

“Everyone has some sort of use,” Bokki replied, looking past Shadow to meet her gaze. “And some of those uses are more valuable than others. Me and Grithis, we’re useful, because we keep people entertained and we keep information flowing. You’re useful because you’re pretty and you have a tight slit between your legs.”

Alice scowled and lowered her hands to tug her skirt down farther. Without pants, she was back to feeling utterly exposed.

“The Grinning Ghost, though…” Bokki continued, “he’s a liability. A problem. And now there’s a permanent solution.”

Shadow’s posture stiffened as he bowed his head. He released his hold on the knife embedded in the table and settled his hand on Bokki’s leg. Despite all his bravado, a glint of fear flashed in Bokki’s eyes. He looked miniscule with Shadow’s hand for comparison.

“I find that my patience has been worn quite thin, Bokki,” Shadow said quietly, “so I will allow you one—andonlyone—chance to apologize to Alice for the way you just spoke about her. She’s not a dolly, not anobject, and deserves the same respect you would afford any of your peers.”

Now it was Bokki’s skin that paled. His nostrils flared with his suddenly ragged breaths. “Sorry,” he murmured.

“Toher,” Shadow growled.

Bokki’s little tongue slipped out for a moment, and his nose twitched. He looked at Alice. “I’m sorry.”

“Respect, respect,” Grithis muttered, then smiled big, his attention focused solely on Alice. “Of course! Would you like a drink? Perhaps a cake?” He waved a hand toward the platter on the table. “You’re welcome to join us.”

“No, thank you,” Alice replied.

Grithis deflated, sagging in his seat as his face fell. Alicealmostfelt bad for refusing, but she wasn’t going to touch so much as a drop or a crumb of whatever they had.

“We’re here for answers, not refreshments,” Shadow said. He patted Bokki’s leg but did not remove his hand. “What did the king say? What is he doing? What’s the word ’round the party?”

Bokki shook his head, and when he spoke, the prior courage in his voice had been replaced by something closer to fear. “He’s going to kill you, Ghost. Kill you forever. Just like we all wished we could.”

“He w-wanted to know where you w-were,” said Grithis. “Asked if any word had come through. He said you’re n-not an easy person to hunt.”

Alice cocked her head, brows falling low, and frowned. Something seemedoff. It was quieter now than it had been when she first entered the room. It took her a moment to realize that there was no longer music or thumping bass coming from beyond the hall.

“He came to Rosecourt to hunt us, but he also planned to cull the population. Why hasn’t he?” Shadow asked.

“Why would he tell us that?” Grithis replied, lifting his palms and sinking farther back into his chair. “He d-doesn’t tell his plans to the likes of us.”

Shadow sighed heavily and finally removed his hand from Bokki’s leg to grasp the knife stuck in the table and wrench it free. “I’m finding myself quite disappointed in the answers you’re providing. I can’t help but feel like you’re withholding information.”

Where’s the music?

Alice could’ve sworn she’d still heard it when they’d come in here, that it had remained a muted ambience, like the heartbeat of this strange building. Or maybe she’d justthoughtshe’d heard it?

No, I really was hearing it…

The unease that had lingered in Alice since they’d started their journey to Rosecourt swelled, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Somethingreallydidn’t feel right here.

Since when hasanythingfelt right in Wonderland?

Things changed in this world in the blink of an eye. Why did this seem different?

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