My throat closed up. If Chester was crying, if Grin himself had lost hope...
No. I refused to accept that.
My heart clenched so tight I could barely breathe. Darius was in that throne room. The man who had sacrificed everything to save me. The man who had let me believe he'd betrayed me so I could live.
And I'd almost let him go. Almost believed the lie.
"Music..." Chester's voice wavered—broken, nothing like his usual playful purr. "Funeral or wedding? Hard to tell. It plays ahead."
My stomach dropped. The ceremony was happening. Right now.
We were running out of time.
But I wasn't too late. I couldn't be too late.
I wouldn't let love die. Not today.
Chapter Forty-Two
Alice
Six impossible things.
The words pounded through my mind in rhythm with my footsteps.
There is a place called the Elder Dimension. A hat can force you to tell the truth. Weapons pick you. Harpies can be tamed. I can freeze time. Love can survive madness.
I burst out running as fast as I could, my legs and arms pumping. The bow bounced against my back. Somewhere behind me, Grump, Caterpillar, and Chester followed.
But I couldn't wait for them.
Love can survive madness.
Hang on, Hatter. I'm coming.
The sun was bleeding through the windows—red and gold, sinking fast. Sunset. The wedding was happening now.
It was as if my feet had wings. I reached the throne room before the others. Two guards stood outside the massive double doors.
I held out my palm. "Freeze."
They stopped, statues in armor.
I grabbed the handle and pulled.
Locked. The door didn't budge.
No. No, no, no. I yanked again. Threw my shoulder against it. Nothing. The wood was thick, reinforced—built to keep people out.
Darius was on the other side of this door. About to bind himself to that monster forever. And I couldn't get to him.
Grump reached me first, his chest heaving. He tried the handle and scowled. "It's locked by magic."
"I can open it."
"Are you sure?"
I met my father's eyes. Doubt. He didn't think we could get through—not in time, maybe not at all. "Believe in the impossible, Grump. And stand away from the door.”
