Page 82 of Edge of Wonder

“Probably upset about the first one and pissed about the other.”

“Ding. Ding. Ding. You better go make things right, or I’ll make sure the third time you get stabbed will be the charm.”

I grinned. “Missed you too, Shire. But as much as I’d love to join your ghostly ranks, I’d rather go help, Alice. I think I’ll finally get the words right this time.”

Shire beamed. “Really? Then get going and quit lallygagging around in a forest. I swear, you always want to chit-chat when there’s important work to be done. Me? I’m a fan of brevity. I know when it’s time to buckle down and quit talking. It’s one of my many qualities, and likely the reason they chose me as an adviser. Chosen among many others, mind you. There’s a lesson for you here, Sebastian. It’s all about…”

I backed away, tucking the map inside my pocket. Shire was still talking while a guard brought me a horse, and I rode off toward the last challenge.

Chapter 28

Alice

It rained during the night, turning the trails into mud. My hands were frozen, and I tried to blow warm air into my palms to bring the feeling back into my fingers. Besides my rations, I’d subsisted on golden berries, afraid they might wear off and leave me vulnerable to the wild creature stalking the forest.

I had another day of food, maybe more, if I was careful. Then it would be just me and the berries. Unless I found the red rose and a way out. But that was looking less and less likely. I was horribly lost and had passed the same tree fifty times. I know because I’d started marking them, using my dagger to carve an X through the trunk.

I’d also started talking to myself. Not to me exactly—but to Sebastian. It helped pass the time, and it wasn’t nearly as embarrassing as it sounded when there was no one to hear you. I felt a little like a ghost again, drifting through the thorny paths, and I liked to imagine he was listening, haunting me the same way I’d haunted him. Eventually, I’d have to face the truth that he was gone forever, but for now, I was going to pretend.

I’d pretend this was going to have a happy ending. That my heart wasn’t broken, and that the life I’d imagined, even for a short while, was still attainable.

Alice, the Queen of Make-Believe.

The clouds were gathering again, growing stormy. Wind battered my cloak, sailing beneath the collar and sinking into my bones. I was almost out of berries and needed to collect more. Crawling on my hands and knees, I squirmed under a thorn bush. I winced as the spindles ripped my sleeves. What I wouldn’t give for a machete to slash my way through.Never take a dagger when a bigger blade will do.

“What has blonde hair, blue eyes, and needles sticking out?” A few seconds passed, then I answered, “You guessed right. An Alice-shaped pin cushion. At least that’s how I feel,” I grumbled, searching the ground for berry bushes. There weren’t any, but I discovered an alternative path. This one was wider, and I could see more of the sky. Which meant more light…and possibly roses!

Excitement hummed through my veins as I entered a clearing. Swaths of golden berries grew tangled among a huge rose bush. But gold was the only color. All the rose blooms were white as snow. I cried out in frustration, swatting the flowers with my hands, searching for the one I needed to find. It had to be here!

A prickly thorn embedded itself into my palm, and I cursed, sucking at my skin with my teeth. But it was lodged too deep. I couldn’t get it out. I sank to the ground, pounding my fist into the dirt.

This had to be a joke, or a hallucination, but the throbbing in my palm told me the roses were real. They just weren’t red.

“I’m going to die in a forest full of thorns, lost and alone, covered in gold berry dust like a Midas knockoff. The fates are cruel,” I mumbled, snatching a handful of berries and popping them in my mouth. Though, technically, this tomb was prettier than my last. At least there were flowers this time.

“What do you think my tombstone will say now, huh, Sebastian?”

“I’m going to go with, here lies Alice. She already died once. Better double-check.”

I snorted through my nose. “That’s a good one. Wait—”

My head snapped up. That one wasn’t me. The berries slipped from my fingers, spilling into the dirt. I was afraid to look. Terrified, I’d started hallucinating for real.

“Alice, look at me.”

“I want to. I really do. But talking to dead people is already a slippery slope. And I’ve been sliding for most of the morning.” I pushed to my feet, keeping my head down. “I’m just going to keep looking for more roses if you don’t mind. Gotta save a kingdom.”

Ghost Sebastian laughed softly. “And what are you going to do after you save the kingdom?”

“You know, the usual. Lock myself up in the tower. Grow my hair super long and make friends with the squirrels. There’s this whole lone wolf thing I’m going for. Sounds promising.”

“It sounds awful. What if someone tries to climb the tower?”

“They won’t. I forgot to mention the shark-infested moat. It’s a doozy.” My throat constricted as my gaze found his. Sebastian stepped closer. No longer a ghost. He gathered me into his arms, and my head tilted back as I took in every detail.

His lips twitched in amusement. “Sharks. How exciting. I’m always up for a challenge.”

“You don’t like strings. And this damsel’s got a whole bunch of them.”

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