Chester clasped my arm. “Steady, witch. Your power has been hiding.”
I nodded, gasping. “You don’t have to tell me.”
It was like waking up after being underwater. Like taking a breath after nearly drowning. My magic hummed beneath my skin, restless. Eager.
He unlocked the second bracelet.
The power didn’t just return—it exploded. It roared through me like wildfire, filling every vein, every nerve, every corner of my being. Too much. Too fast.
Black dots swarmed my vision. My back arched, my mouth open in a silent scream. The gold bracelet on my wrist flared hot, the medallion pulsing against my skin.
Then, as quickly as it came, the storm passed.
Tinker Bell’s voice echoed in my mind—something she’d told me a thousand times when I was a little girl too afraid to believe in myself.
Believe in the impossible, Alice. That’s where the magic lives.
I’d never understood. Not until now.
In my mind, I recited six impossible things I’d done before breakfast.
One—there is a place called the Elder Dimension.
Two—a hat can force you to tell the truth and remember things.
Three—weapons pick you.
Four—harpies can be tamed.
Five—I can freeze time.
Six—love can survive madness.
The weakness that had plagued me vanished. Fresh energy rolled through my veins—strong, fierce, alive.
My magic was back. All of it.
And I was ready to do the impossible one more time.
I straightened, flexing my fingers. Power hummed beneath my skin, eager and ready. The time-stopping witch wasn’t broken anymore.
And for the first time since I’d been dragged into this dungeon, I was ready to fight.
I glanced at the empty cells. “Chester, Flint, Steel, Bunny, and the children are at the Shadowsteel mines. I can’t leave them.”
Chester walked over to the cell and ran his hand down a bar. “First Hatter. Then the mines.” He leaned closer, conspiratorial.“Or is it the mines, then Hatter? Time is funny that way. Especially for you.”
I managed a smile. There was only one choice. “Chester, what time is it? When’s the wedding?”
“Soon. Very, very soon.”
I glanced down at my dress. Soiled. Stained with blood and dirt and dungeon filth. There was no way I could go through the halls like this. Guards would seize me in seconds.
Frustration clawed at my chest, replacing hope with despair. I pressed my palm against my slick forehead.
So close. I was so close to freedom, to saving Darius, and I couldn’t even get out of the damned dungeon without being caught.
“Chester, I’ll never get to the throne room. Not like this.”
