Into the Woods

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The bed creaked indignantly when its occupant awoke with a sharp jolt. Alice’s chest heaved, and a damp sheen of perspiration covered her flushed cheeks and forehead. The last remnants of a horrifying dream filled with soulless people with swords wandering the forest, chasing after her and Tarrant flashed before her mind’s eye. For some reason this information felt like it should be significant, but with each passing second, the memory of it faded to obscurity. And then there was that headache.

Gingerly, she massaged her temples and grimaced at the sunlight filtering in through a small curtained window. She lay motionless in the warm bed, under soft sheets, and stared up at the cobwebs daintily fluttering between heavy wooden beams in the ceiling. She knew she should be feeling happy about sleeping in this bed, but instead her heart felt troubled.

Slowly the events of the previous evening came flitting up to attention, and Alice covered her face with a pillow to muffle a horrified groan. Something moved on the floor by her bed. She stilled.

In the pale light, she strained her ears to hear the unseen thing and wondered for a moment if it were a mouse. Or even a dormouse. Ignoring the stab of pain the rush of blood sitting up in bed caused, she quietly crawled to the foot of the bed to peek over the edge. She idly wondered where she’d placed her dagger.

Tarrant was lying on the hard wooden floor asleep under his filthy morning coat. His shirt, boots and various accoutrements lay neatly placed on a chair by the door. A beam of light fell upon a less-pale-than-expected, bare shoulder. The jacket didn’t quite fall long enough to cover his entire back, thus a stretch of toned, creamy skin captured Alice’s fascination, and she unabashedly stared.

Several different feelings swirled around inside of Alice as she faintly remembered what had happened the previous evening. He had been frightened away. ‘Or,’ she bit her lip, ‘I frightened him away..’

He had advanced on Alice like a man possessed – and she had been nearly embarrassed with how excited that had made her. One minute they had been, erm, intimate, and all anger at him had disappeared. The next he’d run off leaving her feeling more than a little frustrated and entirely Small.

Alice settled onto her stomach and rested her head upon her forearms in contemplation. Minutes ticked by as she silently watched the gentle rise and fall of his body as he slept, and she felt a wistful tug of happiness pull her heart at the peace he seemed to find in sleep.

He really was beautiful.

Unbidden, Lilas’ face swam to the surface and she frowned. There was something odd there, she was sure. Certainly the other woman had feelings for him if her possession of him the previous night were any indication. Jealousy flared up in her chest. Jealousy and perhaps a tinge of fear.

A loud series of knocks thundered against the door and Alice and Tarrant both jumped.

“Hightopp’, yeh frumious slalladrag, climb ow’v bed, an’ bring tha’blonde lass wi’yeh!” To the objection of Alice’s aching cranium, the thunderous sound of Allander Longbow’s footsteps echoed through the hall and down the stairs.

On the floor, Tarrant had startled awake and glared at the doorway, softly cursing in Outlandish.

Alice rose to her knees.

She watched as he turned towards the sound of the creaking bed and glanced up at her. His wild, fiery hair was in a tangled mess with one side stuck to his forehead. She dropped her head to her shoulder. It was utterly charming, really.

Incredibly, he blushed and looked away. Climbing to his feet, he slipped the jacket on over his bare chest. Emerald green eyes snuck a quick glance at Alice in her nightshirt (which she made no attempt to cover and hang modesty) before shuffling towards the basin.

No words were exchanged while he poured fresh water into the bowl, and in the silence Alice really did try not to stare at his back, or chest, or the intriguing line of hair disappearing beneath—

“Alice?”

She shook her head. “Yes?”

He cleared his throat. “I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast. We can’t stay long.” He hastily slipped his shirt on and left without her response.

She was alone again.

With a stab of frustration she buried her faintly bruised ego and slipped out of bed. The reality of the looming day’s responsibilities took precedence and she needed to be ready for whatever the Hatter needed of her. Their peculiar situation could be dealt with at a later time.

She also got herself ready as quickly as her pounding headache allowed and made her way down the stairs for breakfast. She was the last to arrive, and when she spotted dark chestnut curls amongst the heads of those gathered at a table she stifled an audible groan.

The Hatter pulled out a chair for her without looking up. Alice pursed her lips and sat.

Mae arrived at her side and handed her a tiny bottle of something and simply said, “Drink.”

Alice didn’t question the mystery solution and swallowed it in one gulp. Lilas sniffed sardonically and looked away. No doubt, to her, swallowing any substance without a cursory inspection was considered negligent.

A cool sensation trickled down Alice’s throat and almost instantly the headache was gone. She looked up to Mae, who winked, and then disappeared into another room.

Allander was sitting in a chair opposite her, grinning from ear to ear, arms crossed over his chest.

“G’mornin’, my blonde lass. I trus’ yeh slept well?”

To her frustration Alice blushed, and he and Arris both chuckled, though Arris at least attempted to hide it.

The elder brother dramatically switched dispositions. “I was a wee bit disappointed no’ ta hear a knock on my door last nigh’.”

Alice crooked a brow and took the bowl Mae handed her from a tray.

“Eat nauw, you lot,” she said. “Yeh’ve only go’ an hour before yeh need ta leave.” She turned to her sister. “How is tha boy?”

Alice started; she had nearly forgotten about the boy in the forest. Lilas set down her bowl.

“He’ll be fine. He’s healin’ well.”

Alice sighed with relief and snuck a glance at Tarrant. His face was devoid of any recognizable emotion.

Around the table everyone set to the porridge Mae had prepared, and they quickly went over the plans for each member.

The Longbow brothers were going to split up and go to their various Clan members and neighbours, Lilas had agreed to visit the various acquaintances of hers that most others would typically deem “unsavoury” and who were involved in the magical arts, while Mae would set off to visit her family and persuade them to branch out to their surrounding neighbours.

“I’ll need you ta visit Aunt Merhli, ‘Li. She’s ou’ yehr way.”

Lilas nodded. “Give my best, won’t yeh?”

Mae smirked. The ghost of a grin may have appeared on the Healer’s lips, but as soon as it had appeared, it quickly disappeared.

“Good,” Tarrant said, looking up from his breakfast. They had as many people as they could cover accounted for. If they could each persuade them to help, they would have a definite advantage over Stayne.

Beside Mae, the Cheshire Cat materialised, and she let out a shriek. Their group was complete.

“Confound’ yeh, Cat, is there no other way ta enter?” she grumbled.

His wide, toothy smile was her only answer. He nodded to the assembled crowd and greeted Alice.

Breakfast was then quick and quiet, and when they had finished eating, Mae stood to gather the dishes. Lilas reached into a bag at her feet and produced that increasingly questionable phial, whose contents were now seriously distressing Alice.

The Healer dropped the clear liquid into the Hatter’s drink, which he promptly ingested. Alice narrowed her eyes.

“I’ve been meaning to ask about something you mentioned last night,” she said.

Tarrant watched her warily and nodded.

“You mentioned a draught of some sort. The Walking Death, I think you called it?”

The table went still. Lilas trained her dark eyes on the Champion.

“What is it?” she asked further.

The Hatter opened his mouth to answer, but Lilas beat him to it.

“It’s a potion of legend tha’ mothers an’ fathers tell ta their children at night.”

The Longbow brothers elbowed each other.

“Arris was convinced it was real when we were lads.”

Alice’s brows furrowed. “So, it doesn’t exist?”

Lilas tossed her chestnut curls over her shoulder and shrugged. “Some say it does.”

Mae hissed at her side. “Don’ say it. It’s too horrible.”

“Why?” Alice asked intrigued.

Lilas’ gaze was still trained on her. “It steals yehr soul. The Walkin’ Death, once ingested, seeps into one’s very bein’ an’ replaces all emotion, all thought, all free will, an’ makes yeh slave t’tha one who gave it to yeh.”

The Hatter’s eyes had darkened as she spoke and he stared straight ahead into nothing. “You’re a living ghost.” He blinked. “The Walking Death.”

Alice felt a chill rippled down her spine at the thought. She turned to Arris who had been the one to bring it up last night.

“You say this happened to someone you know?”

Lilas also turned to the younger brother with interest.

He ducked his head and shrugged. “So says a traumatised old man.”

Allander added, “An old man what isn’ prone ta tell tales, mind.”

Her eyebrows furrowed further as an idea creeped into Alice’s thoughts. Something the Hatter had told her the other day echoed through her memory about how the first instances of unrest seemed unconnected and accidental. She opened her lips to mention this, but a quick jerk of his head and a warning look in his eyes stilled the words on her tongue.

He looked away and stood up.

“We’d best get started.”

The group rose from the table and began to gather their affects in order to leave. Mae began packing bundles of food for each to take on their journeys and handing them out.

The Champion approached the Hatter who had whispered something to Lilas as she was about to leave. The woman laid a hand on his arm and kissed his cheek before going to say goodbye to her sister.

Alice ignored a sudden fluttering of jealousy in her stomach.

“What is it she gives you?” she asked quietly.

He turned in surprise and cocked his head.

Alice arched an eyebrow. “That won’t work with me. I know very well that she has been slipping something into your drink. She gave me those phials to give you when we first met in the forest. What is she giving you?”

Dark Hatter rose again to the surface and calmly blinked back at her.

She exhaled through her nose and shook her head. “Does it have to do with this supposed potion?”

He stepped towards her, and Alice felt a shiver at the base of her neck. “I would’nae worry abou’ tha. Are there any more questions? I’ve a long way ta go before we meet tonigh’.”

“Meet? Am I not going with you?”

He shook his head and strode towards Mae to get his bundle. Alice gaped after him, her temper rising at her dismissal.

“And what am I supposed to do?”

“Yehr ta wait here for news from Chess on Mirana’s whereabouts. We’ll meet later a’ tha clearing we left las’ nigh’.”

“I’m simply to wait in a tavern while everyone else risks their lives in the forest until help arrives?”

The Hatter spun around to face her with an expression that held absolutely no compromise. “Aye. You are the Queen’s official emissary—”

“Champion.” she corrected.

“Be tha’ as it may, yehr role has been fulfilled. You were to find me and deliver her news, which you have successfully completed,” he ended in his courtly lisp.

Alice angrily glanced over to Cheshire who vanished into a stream of powdery smoke and reappeared by Mae, much to her astonishment.

Tarrant unexpectedly grasped her hands and looked into her eyes with his yellow ones. “You were not asked to fight, Alice. And if I can help it, you will not.”

She opened her lips to argue, but he swiftly covered them with his own. Resentment warred with her deep affection for him, but she eagerly returned the kiss. In the background, Allander swore lightly.

“Wait here until an hour after dark. Then go into the forest with the bandersnatch and meet us with news from Mirana.”

The urge to glare at him nearly overshadowed the urge to wrap her arms around him and ask him to let her go with.

“I’ll no’ compromise, Champion.” His tone had slipped back to the wild brogue, and he looked at her one last time before saying a quick goodbye and leaving the tavern.

One by one, Mae Tavley’s inn was vacated, and when Mae herself was about ready to leave, she called the girl over to her and led her to a room hidden from her patrons.

“I’ll be closed up today. Yeh’ll probably hear grumblin’ from ou’side as a result. Jus’ ignore it.” She walked over to a large, iron stove beside an even larger, impressive stone hearth. “I’ve go’ a nice stew for yeh. There’s bread on tha counter. Feel free ta help yerself ta whatever yeh’d like.”

The older woman smiled kindly at her and patted her on the arm.

“He’s very fond of yeh.”

Alice briefly considered if their definition of that term were the same.

“And we’re fond of him.”

“Will you be all right?” Alice asked.

Mae fastened a cloak around her shoulders and attached a thick leather belt at her hips. “Oh aye. I know these woods like tha back o’me hands. There’s no’ many who’ll dare mess wi’me.”

She left Alice and headed towards a back door and lifted the catch. “’Sides,” she added playfully, “there’s a witch in tha family. Who would dare tangle wi’tha?”

Alice nodded politely and wondered at the truth of those words.

“See yeh before ya know it.” She left and closed the door, leaving Alice and Chess to themselves.

“Alright, love?” he called silkily from the next room.

“You mean aside from feeling useless and slightly abandoned?”

The Cheshire Cat purred and allowed Alice to quickly scratch his ear.

“All that galumphing through trees and muck; really, you’re much better off in a nice, dry, comfortable building, relaxing.”

Alice snorted and shook her head.

“What do we do now?”

Chess stretched his large arms and kneaded his impressive claws on a rug. “I will go and let the Queen know that Tarrant and his reluctant followers have set out and will meet back this evening.”

Alice slumped down in a nearby chair.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back from time to time to check on you and let you know how he’s doing.”

Alice peered up at him through her eyelashes. His big, grinning smile stretched nearly to his ears while he swam circles around her playfully. “By the way, I’d watch that Allander fellow. It seems he has some very serious Eyes for you. Tarrant doesn’t share well.”

Alice waved away the smoky shroud he vanished through and was once again alone.

Around her, the tavern suddenly seemed much larger than before and eerily quiet. She hugged her knees to her chest and already wondered how long it would take before Chess returned.

For a few moments, Alice pondered what she could do with herself to occupy the time.

For a while she contented herself with roaming about the tavern and investigating the spare rooms upstairs. She familiarised herself with the kinds of liquors and ales Mae kept stocked behind the counter. At lunch she ate the delicious stew Mae had prepared.

True to his word, Chess had stopped by twice with news from both Mirana and Tarrant. The White Queen had arrived with her small army, and they were camped in a well-hidden location a few miles away. Her scouts had so far reported no alarming activity and it had appeared as if they’d arrived unnoticed. The Longbows had been successful with their family’s clans, and Mae had convinced her family to join as well. Nothing had been heard or seen yet of Lilas, and Tarrant had only managed to convince three or four families that had once been close to the Hightopp Clan to fight alongside him.

At dinner, Alice ate more stew and crusty bread.

When the sun was finally about to set, Alice had taken to reading an old book of folk remedies she’d found on a shelf near Mae’s personal rooms, and she’d just lit a lamp in order to continue reading. The alternative had been pacing nervously.

She was engrossed in an interesting entry from a woman who’d claimed that her great-great-great grandmother had created a draught whose properties mimicked exactly those she’d been told of The Walking Death’s. This was the third entry that had made such a claim, but what made this one stand out was that not only had the woman created a draught, she had also created an antidote. Alice was intensely focused on this bit of information when a frantic knocking on the back door caused her to drop the book in surprise.

Throughout the day there had been several frustrated knocks by sober regulars on the front door, and a couple on the side windows, but as directed, Alice had ignored them. None of them, however, had been this persistent.

With a slight groan, she picked the book up off the floor, and quietly went to investigate. She peeked out a window to see who her intruder was, but saw only the top of a very small person’s head that had continued to pound the door with great enthusiasm.

Alice relented, thinking this very odd, and hesitantly opened the back door.

“May I help you?” she asked.

A small boy, who was pulling in great lungfuls of air, fairly danced on the spot. “Are you… the... Alice?” he gasped.

Alice stared down at him, feeling a sense of foreboding. “Who asks?”

The boy wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and struggled to catch his breath, having just run a mile to find her. “The Hatter… he’s… yehr ta come quickly. Ta tha woods.”

A chill swept down Alice’s spine and she looked up to the fading light in the sky. Tarrant had said to wait until an hour after dark. “Has something happened?”

The boy nodded and his next words caused Alice to leap into action, forgetting her previous instruction.

“Poison,” he breathed. “There’s a poison.”

Alice’s dream from the previous night instantly flashed before her eyes, and she dashed away to grab her belt, satchel and dagger. Rushing outside, nearly forgetting to even close the door to the tavern behind her, she whistled for Bandy, who appeared moments later.

He whined impatiently, the coarse fur on his neck spiked with worry, and attempted to give Alice’s cheek a lick.

“Quickly, Bandy,” she said while pulling herself up onto his back, “we have to get back to the clearing from last night. Hatta is in trouble.”

The bandersnatch raced off into the fading light, and Alice held on for dear life, hoping there was something, anything that she could do to help him. And desperately hoping she wouldn’t enter the woods to find that her dream of soulless bodies wandering aimlessly had become reality.




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