Page 21 of King of Clubs

For a long moment, nothing moved. Not even the insects dared to crawl through the sludge. Then the underbrush rustled and our attackers poured out—the Red Queen’s foot soldiers and her demonic abyssal hounds.

So many of them.

Too many.

We were completely surrounded.

Another blood-curdling howl bayed nearby. I whirled around to see half a dozen abyssal hounds emerging from the forest, their red eyes glowing and slavering jaws snapping.

The hounds stalked forward, flanking us on all sides. Callister and Hatter conjured swords into their hands while casting me a grim look. My magic was still drained from my encounter with Alice, leaving me at a huge disadvantage against the fearsome beasts.

This was it. Without my ability to shift into a massive beast, we were done for. Fear clawed icy fingers down my spine.

Hatter bared his teeth in a savage grin, his bright blue eye pulsing with excitement. “Ready to dance, my friends?”

The abyssal hounds struck first, lunging at us with fanged maws gaping. Unable to disappear at will, I dodged left, barely avoiding the snap of razor-sharp teeth. The hound’s hot, fetid breath washed over me as it sailed past.

Callister was there in an instant, his sword flashing. The hound’s head tumbled free in a spray of black blood. The body crumpled, already dissolving into acrid smoke.

"One down!" Callister yelled.

All around us the fight raged. Hatter wove and spun around me, his blade singing as it carved through one opponent after another. Body parts littered the forest floor. A foot here, a furry leg there.

But still, they kept coming.

A soldier’s sword caught me across the ribs and I gasped at the sudden blaze of pain. My shirt and jacket grew wet with blood. The soldier raised his sword for a powerful blow. I scrambled back, my boot heel catching on a root.

Then Hatter was there, his sword cleaving through my attacker’s torso in a single vicious swipe. Blood and gore splattered us both.

"Chess! Are you alright?" he cried.

I nodded weakly. Hatter whirled back to the fight, green coat flying. His eyes were feverish, teeth bared in a snarl. He had never looked more dangerous or deadly.

Callister lunged at the nearest abyssal hound, slicing his sword through the air. The hound dodged and snapped at his arm, ignoring the biting snakes as it ripped through fabric and flesh. Callister cursed, blood dripping down his arm, but he held his ground.

Two hounds rushed at Hatter, who swung his sword in a wide arc, beheading one in a spray of black blood. The other hound leapt onto his back, claws digging in as it snarled and snapped at his neck. Hatter staggered under the weight and fell to his hands and knees, struggling to reach the hound.

We were tiring.

The wounds were piling up.

But the Red Queen’s forces seemed endless.

The abyssal hound’s jaws closed around Hatter’s leg and he screamed as it shook him like a rag doll. I scrambled for a rock, anything to strike at the beast with, but my hands grasped only dirt.

Before I could react, a pair of gloved hands seized me, wrenching my arms behind my back. I thrashed wildly but the soldier held me fast. More hands grabbed at Callister and Hatter, dragging them down even as they fought against their captors.

It was over in seconds. We were captured.

We had survived, but only just. The Red Queen’s message was clear—she wanted us alive, but not without a little taste of her wrath first.

"The three of you are under arrest for harboring a fugitive of Wonderland," one of the soldiers announced. "The penalty for hiding an Alice is death by beheading.”

My first instinct was to argue against the charges and deny the accusations, but I’d brought Alice to Hatter’s tea party. Callister had dueled with her in front of all the other guests. Hatter had fucked her right on the table.

Someone from that tea party had betrayed us.

Perhaps more than one person.

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