<< Go Back

Madness in Wonderland

By Tabitha Bouldin

Order Now!

Chapter One (Alice)
There should be a law that says no arrests before tea.
The ship gave a violent roll, dumping Alice from her bunk before she had a chance to gather her wits. What should have been a short drop seemed to last forever as the Wonder continued her starboard tip. Alice finally landed on the worn boards with a hearty thud, sending a jolt of pain through her shoulder.
She twitched one eyelid open, bringing Rabbit’s white hair and human face into focus as he bounced around her tiny cabin and tapped the pocket watch that never left the gold chain tucked deep into his waistband. “Wake up, Alice! Doc says we’re nearly there.” His oversized front teeth caused a whistle to cut between some of the words.
Wind whipped through the open porthole—she’d forgotten to close it last night—and a deep grinding sounded from the engine’s gears. The crew’s steps thundered against the boards that made up her ceiling as they scrambled to turn Wonder into the wind. Puffs of steam rolled across the sky, the jets of white competing against the clouds for dominance.
What she wouldn’t give to have an airship. Much as she loved the Wonder, adventures across Wonderland would be ever so much quicker floating among the clouds.
Rabbit bounced and tapped again, causing the goggles dangling around his neck to crack against his sharp chin. Clean-shaven, he resembled a young boy filled with vim and vigor. Rabbit was nothing if not meticulous.
“Settle down. I’ll be up before the teapot whistles.” Rubbing her eyes and yawning, Alice reached for her gun belt and managed to strap it around her waist while rolling from the floor and onto her feet. A trio of gears on her corset snagged and pulled in protest until she tugged her bunched muslin shirt from the small of her back and smoothed the ruffles over her chest. “It’s not as though we’re in a rush. We’ve all the time in Wonderland.”
Gathering her gold cabin key into her left palm, she clenched a miniature bottle in her right. The letters had worn away from the frosted blue glass long ago, leaving behind an obscene “drink me” in what used to say “First I took a drink. Then the drink took me.” Her father’s talisman warmed her palm. Too bad the warning hadn’t been enough. A sharp whistle cut the air. “Teatime. I hope Hatter made cake.”
“It’s not your birthday. And Hatter doesn’t make cake. Honestly, Alice, you’re acting rather unusual this morning.”
“I’m rather unusual every morning.”
Curling his nose, Rabbit rocked on the heels of his knee-high boots while tucking his thumbs into the red sash wrapped around his waist. “You should check in with Dr. Stein before tea. He’s counting on you to track down the monster.”
“He’s not a monster. Doc says he’s our age, and he’s human. For pities sake, we’ll probably find him hiding in a cave eating berries.” She sat long enough to yank her boots on, pulling them over the powder blue trousers, before she clapped her hands onto her waist and rubbed her thumbs over the wood and copper gun grips. “He can’t possibly be as bad as all that.”
“I dunno, Alice. A man can do a lot of damage in ten years. Look at all we’ve done. Doc’s man could do even more if he’s having the rages from that experiment. Doc says—”
Alice swiped a hand through the air. “Doc says. Doc says. It’s all about what Doc says these days. I, for one, will wait until we get this monster on board where we can get straight answers before I pass judgement. We are not knaves. We’re pirates in opposition to the crown, not dim-witted automatons.”
“You’re gonna get us in trouble again, ain’t you?” Rabbit shook his head and backed out of the cabin. “Dr. Frank N. Stein is world-renowned for his experimental medicine. If he says this one went bad, I’m of a mind to believe him. But I don’t have time to argue. Queen Hart sent another ship. They caught up at sunrise. We’re to capture Doc’s monster and return him to the Red Rose without delay.”
“And why was Doc putting weird chemicals into him in the first place?” Imagine, being experimented on like some sort of beast. No doubt at Hart’s orders. Alice twisted the gold key into the door’s lock before she stomped down the corridor, passing locked door after locked door. They might be a tight crew, but no one really believed their favorite boots wouldn’t disappear if the chance arose.
Her hand tightened around the bottle she’d shoved into her pocket. “It’s not right. Don’t care if she is the queen. Stuff and nonsense. They could at least tell us why they want him. What good is one man?” Her indignation stoked, Alice warmed to the subject. She strapped her goggles over her head and stomped. “I’ve been known to believe more than six impossible things before breakfast, but this one is beyond me.”
“No one dares to go against her.” Rabbit snagged Alice’s arm, pulling her back before her boot landed on the first step leading up to the deck. “You’re angry at her, but there’s nothing you can do. Even you have to admit there are things you can’t control. Queen Hart rules Wonderland. We must obey.”
“I’ll do no such thing. Once upon a time, you believed as I do. Doc’s been filling your head with science and mystery. I’ll have none of it. What have we been doing all these years if not opposing the queen?” Alice yanked her arm free and whirled away. “I’m allowed to have my own opinion. What will Hart do? Cut off my head?”
She glanced back. Rabbit blanched whiter than the snow. Even whiter than his prematurely white curls sticking up in honor of his nickname.
“Don’t say that. Don’t even joke about it. You remember what happened.” Rabbit lowered his head and pressed his lips near her ear. “We’re not the only ones on board anymore. Doc’s not one of us. Anything you say to him, you better be ready to stand trial for. Hart already hates you.”
“There’s my friend. I’d thought I lost you.” She patted Rabbit’s arm.
Rabbit’s puffed chest and quick breaths made the metal gears of the telescope dangling around his neck clink against his goggles. “I’m no Dormouse, falling asleep in Cook’s stew, and I won’t blare my contempt for the queen while uncertain of the crew’s true allegiance.”
Before she could respond, Hatter burst down the steps with his coat tails flapping. “Alice! Where in Queen’s country have you been? We’ve been waiting ages. Cook’s having fits over a new recipe. You better hustle if you want any.” He turned on his heel and waved her upward. His purple top hat tilted sideways, nearly getting ripped off in a sudden gust of wind.
Alice grinned at the whimsical picture he created in his purple and black ensemble. Black leather duster over a purple silk shirt. Black vest with a matching purple sash around his waist. He looked ready to waltz his way across a ballroom floor instead of fighting tooth and nail on the deck of a pirate ship. Despite his open expression and childlike curiosity, there was a coldness in his eyes most people missed. They saw his youth and expected inexperience. And it cost them their lives. Alice had seen him battle against the best Hart had to offer. Hatter won. Always. What his cutlasses couldn’t cut down, his pistols would.
None of them enjoyed this battle. This war Queen Hart had waged on the realm had cost countless lives. Alice wanted it over. Rabbit refused to see it, choosing to believe the temporary peace would hold. At the end of every battle, he proclaimed this would be the last one. That he’d never fight another. Yet he never left.
The three of them trotted across the deck, their sea legs keeping them steady despite the pitch and roll of the ship. A storm brewed on the horizon, clouds nearly the color of Hatter’s shirt building into a mass that promised chaos.
They burst into the galley as the wind slammed into the hull and rocked Wonder sideways. Alice’s cat, Dinah, shot across the floor, chasing one of the many mice that would have overrun the ship without her great huntress.
Alice snagged a teacup as it slid by, grateful for the raised table edges that kept dishes from flying to the deck in times like this. The jovial mood dimmed as Captain Robert stepped inside and motioned for them to quiet. “We’re heading into the River of Tyrs. I need everyone to finish here in the next five minutes, then head to the deck. It’s going to take all hands to get through this storm without sinking. Tyrs is no ordinary river, and she’s sunk many a ship on cloudless days.”
Those who could, hurried behind the captain as he left. Alice remained with Hatter and Rabbit. Hatter tossed his top hat onto the table and raked both palms over his face before jamming the hat back onto his black curls.
Alice sipped her tea, reciting between swallows.
How doth the little crocodile
Improve its shining tail,
And pour the waters of the Nile
On every golden scale!
How cheerfully it seems to grin!
How neatly spreads its claws!
And welcomes little fishes in
With gently-smiling jaws!
“Alice, please.” Rabbit hopped from foot to foot, his curls bouncing while he tapped the pocket watch. “Finish your tea so we can go. Time’s almost up.”
“Go on without me.” Alice nodded her head at the two men who thought she needed protection even while on the ship. “I need to see Cook.”
“He’s already on deck.” Hatter reached for the door, tugging his hat brim at the same time. “Rabbit’s right. We should go. Captain’ll need our help. Once we hit Tyrs, the snow will make it near impossible to see your hand in front of your face. We’ll need to keep a lookout.”
“Since when do you know so much?” With her teacup back on the table, Alice found herself sandwiched between Rabbit and Hatter. Above her head, gears whirred and clicked as the ship’s clock chugged through the minutes. Steam trickled out in tiny bursts, like the steam-powered locomotive she’d ridden as a child.
“Since I grew up here.” Hatter shrugged. His aristocratic nose and full lips offered a haughty expression that fell flat when he released a drawn-out sigh. “Have you forgotten already? Tyrs was my home, before Hart took it from me.” Despite the tone that said losing his home had been no big deal, Hatter’s knuckles cracked beneath the pressure of his fists. He rolled his shoulders and gave a cocky grin before twisting the dials on his goggles and pulling them over his eyes. Built for Hatter, the goggles allowed him to see no matter the amount—or lack of—light. “Better batten down the hatches. Tyrs doesn’t appreciate strangers.”
Panic flashed through Rabbit’s eyes, and he scrambled out the door.
Hatter’s rapid breaths alternated with the screech of teacups sliding across the scarred table.
White-hot fury rose from the empty pit in Alice’s stomach, fueled by vengeance and a healthy dose of despair. “What are we doing here? Why are we working for Queen Hart? We swore we’d never help her. Now, here we are, chasing after her monster with her right-hand man on board the only home we have left.”
Hatter reached for her arm before she could whirl away. For one brief flash, the real Hatter shone from the depths of his violet eyes. “We’re doing this, not for her, but so we can learn what she’s up to. What’s really going on in the realm. Instead of accepting what she says, we’re finding out for ourselves.” Hatter jerked her against his chest in a rare show of affection and patted her back. “Now, buck up. We’ve work to do.”
He pushed her away before she could truly grasp what happened. The press of his coat against her cheek had ignited a new fire, something strange and wonderful. Alice trailed one finger down her cheek as Hatter dashed out.
She followed with heavy steps and a confused heart. Between one step and the next, the chaos in her blood bled out onto the deck. Pandemonium filled every space. Hatter flashed by with a rope trailing over his shoulder. Rabbit scurried up the rigging and into the crow’s nest. The Tweedle twins locked arms and cowered behind barrels stacked in a corner. Typical Tweedles.
At someone’s heavy gasp, Alice tore her gaze away from the panic and toward the bow, where a solid wall of white greeted them. If not for the subtle movement within the depths, she would swear the fog was impenetrable. Captain Robert shouted from the captain’s wheel, but a gust of wind snatched the words away. Snow billowed from the clouds, washing over the deck in sheets.
Tiny pellets stung her cheeks. Wrapping her hands over her head, Alice raced for the rail as the bow disappeared into the River of Tyrs. Boards groaned as though in agony against an unseen enemy. Howls emanated from the snow, and the sound of a woman crying sent shivers down Alice’s back. With a great groan and creaking, Wonder slammed into something stronger and more solid than she.
Alice shot overboard, launched over the rail as though from a cannon. She landed in the water with a splash, and the frigid sting sucked every sliver of air from her lungs. Beneath the waves, the great howling and mourning disappeared, replaced by absolute silence. Was her heart even beating? This is it, then. This is the end of the journey for Alice of Wonder. She closed her eyes, absorbing what death might bring. As her heavy pistols and boots pulled her deeper, unfathomable anger forced her eyes open and her arms into motion. I will not lose. Not now. Not after all we’ve suffered. If you want me dead, you’ll have to drag me down with your own hands!
Speaking of hands…Alice squinted into the gloomy water. Something glimmered. In a world that should have been dark as Cerberus’s den, a weak light beckoned. Alice swam for it. With the Tyrs water trying to suck her down, and her lungs begging to return to the surface even if she froze to death, that small hand-shaped glow became her salvation.
The hand reached for her, fingers extended wide enough to cover her entire face. Alice blinked away the vision of monstrous claws as a perfectly human-shaped hand grasped her shoulder and hauled her out of the dark and into blinding white light.
The pelting snow disappeared, leaving behind a warm glow over the white landscape. “Breathe.” A harsh voice commanded, leaving her no choice but to haul in a piercing shot of air that scalded icy cold from the tip of her tongue to her lungs.
Something heavy settled over her chest and sent a waft of cinnamon into her nose. Her limbs trembled, hands grasping handfuls of snow as her back prickled against the cold. Whoever saved her and commanded her to breathe remained nearby. Muffled steps near her head, followed by the creaking of branches and the sudden smell of pine revealed his location.
Her eyes shuttered open and closed in rapid succession, giving her blips of images. Snow-laden trees. A warm sun, bathing the world in yellow light. The flash of a fur-covered boot big enough to cave in her chest. Monstrous. Her heart lurched, forcing her eyes wide open.
Gray fur tickled her chin. A heavy, green material weighed heavy on her chest. Alice turned her head into the fur, letting it brush her cheek. Water burbled over rocks, a far cry from the keening of the ship.
Footsteps approached, heavy crunching footfalls that sent Alice’s heart racing and her breath panting. Black spots appeared before her eyes as the monster stepped into view. Doc’s monster. The very one they were sent to capture had pulled her from the water and given her his coat. She knew it with absolute certainty, but to satisfy her curiosity, she plundered a look.
Fur boots, wrapped in strips of leather, ran halfway up his calves. Black trousers. Alice’s gaze traveled up and up. She’d bet her collection of teacups the man reached seven feet in height. Large hands grasped armfuls of pine branches. With puffs of air obscuring her vision as she fell into full-blown hyperventilating, she caught only a glimpse of pale skin, white-blond hair, and ice-blue eyes. Human. As she’d told Rabbit. Still. She’d had doubts after all the stories told of Frank N. Stein’s monster.
His voice rumbled as deep as a mountain avalanche. “You’re breathing too fast. You’ll pass out if you don’t control yourself.” When he turned away and dropped to one knee, her eyes landed on the deep scar puckering against the skin of his neck. The queen’s mark, given to those under her control as a reminder of her power. Rumor said she made the mark using an iron spike.
“Who are you?”
“I’m taking you back to your friends. Easier to take you there than to bring them here.” Looking at her over his shoulder, he tilted his head as though curious. “The question is, who are you?”

Order Now!

<< Go Back