Page 51 of Knot My Wonderland

"Desire directs them," Dee elaborated dreamily.

"Think of a destination while holding them," Chi translated, his normal mischief returning to his voice. "The keys respond to your will—they can unlock doorways to the hidden paths when you need them most."

"But be specific in your thoughts," Varik cautioned, eyeing the keys with respectful wariness. "The paths have a way of interpreting vague desires... creatively."

I closed my fingers around the keys, feeling them warm to my touch. The silver one remained cool and precise, while the opalescent one seemed to pulse with a heartbeat not quite synchronized with my own.

"Thank you," I said to the Tweedles, tucking the keys into my pocket where they settled against my hip like living things. "This means a lot."

"The pattern must be preserved," Vee stated with clinical detachment.

"The melody must continue," Dee affirmed with dreamy certainty. With those cryptic parting words, the Tweedles turned and walked toward the front door, which swung open of its own accord. As they crossed the threshold, their forms seemed to blur at the edges, becoming indistinct until they disappeared entirely, leaving only a faint shimmer in the air where they had stood.

The door closed behind them with a soft click.

"Well," I said into the suddenly quiet room, "they're certainly... unique."

Chi chuckled, his form relaxing now that the twins had departed. "The Tweedles exist partially in multiple realities at once. It makes conversation with them rather challenging."

"But they're powerful allies," Varik added, removing his hat to run a hand through his wild hair. "Few in Wonderland can travel as freely as they do." I fingered the keys in my pocket, feeling their subtle warmth against my skin.

"These keys, will be useful?" I asked, pulling them out again to examine them in the firelight. The silver one gleamed with precise angles, while the opalescent one shifted colors like living mother-of-pearl.

"Incredibly," Varik confirmed, his expression softening as he watched me study them. "The hidden paths can take you anywhere in Wonderland in a fraction of the time regular travel would require. And they're largely unknown to the Queens' forces."

"The Red Queen has spent centuries trying to map them," Chi added, materializing beside me to peer at the keys. "She's executed dozens of cartographers for failing at the impossible task."

I shuddered, tucking the keys carefully back into my pocket. "Charming."

"You should rest," Varik said, noting my exhaustion. "The meeting with the Caterpillar will be... demanding. His perception of reality shifts constantly, and keeping up with his conversation requires complete mental focus."

"How will we reach him by dawn?" I asked, suppressing another yawn. "You mentioned his library exists somewhere... different."

"I'll take you," Chi offered, his tail swishing behind him. "The Caterpillar's domain is adjacent to the in-between spaces I frequent. It's easier for me to find the way."

Varik nodded, though a flicker of concern crossed his features. "The path to the Caterpillar is... unusual. Chi can navigate it better than most."

I glanced between them, sensing some unspoken tension. "Is it dangerous?"

"Not dangerous," Chi clarified, his form shimmering slightly. "Just disorienting. The Caterpillar exists in multiple statessimultaneously—past, present, future all flowing together like tributaries into a river."

Varik shifted uncomfortably. "What Chi means is that time behaves... inconsistently in the Caterpillar's domain. You might experience moments from your past, glimpses of potential futures."

"Or both simultaneously," Chi added, his tail curling thoughtfully. "The Caterpillar sees all possibilities at once—it's why his counsel is so valuable, and why conversation with him can be so maddening."

I rubbed my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "So not only am I possibly some prophesied dreamer, but I also have to navigate a place where time doesn't work properly to meet with someone who exists in multiple realities at once."

"When you put it that way, it does sound rather daunting," Chi conceded with a grin that was somehow both sympathetic and amused.

"Welcome to Wonderland," Varik said with a wry smile on his face, "Where nothing is impossible, merely improbable."

"The funny thing is," I said with a tired laugh, "none of this even sounds all that strange to me anymore. A week ago, I would have thought this was all impossible."

Chi's smile widened. "That's how Wonderland works—it reshapes your understanding of possibility until the impossible seems merely inconvenient."

I rose from my chair, feeling the weight of exhaustion pulling at my limbs. The silver patterns beneath my skin had dimmed to a gentle glow, pulsing slowly like a heartbeat at rest.

"What time should I be ready?" I asked, already calculating how much sleep I could manage.

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