“You what now?”
“You came through a stacking room to get to Wonderland,” Nick explained. “It's a circular room with five doors.”
“Right,” I agreed. “I remember. Each door had a different symbol on it.”
“There are similar stacking rooms in every kingdom,” Bevan said. “Several are sprinkled throughout the land, but every castle has its own. It's the easiest way to travel between kingdoms, and especially between castles.”
“So, the doors link the kingdoms?” I asked.
“They stack them,” Draven explained. “You step inside a stacking room, and Wonderland is layered before you. You chose the kingdom you wish to visit and step through the appropriate door. Then the land spreads out again.”
“When I came into Wonderland, I entered a tiny door.”
“The Wilds door.” Jaxon nodded. “Wilds is the most important kingdom in Wonderland, and as such, must be guarded more avidly. The stacking rooms which connect to Earth feature only little doors to Wilds. That way, only those with magic can come through.”
“Stacking rooms,” I said and shook my head. “Damn, I need a stiff drink.”
“Who are you?” A voice boomed around us.
I flinched and looked around the garden.
“It's us, Barnabus!” Bevan called out.
“Who is 'Us?'” The voice echoed around me.
“Does he have a sound system, or what?” I asked Nick.
“Tubes.” Nick waved a paw at a fluted tube set in a flower bed on our right. “Barney likes a bit of drama.”
“It's the god-damned Wizard of Oz,” I huffed. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”
“The Card Kings are here with the Queen of Wilds,” King Bevan called out as he took my hand. “Queen Alice, if you'll come with me, please?”
“Sure, why not?” I let Bevan lead me down a crushed shell path, amid fruit trees and waist-high flowers.
The rest of the men followed us up to a clearing with a circle of mushrooms in the center of it. The mushrooms were colored brightly; crimson, daffodil, and violet. In the center of this ring was one gigantic mushroom about the size of my head. It had a pure white stem and a golden cap. A blue caterpillar as big as my forearm was curled upon it. He had silk pillows beneath his head and a large hookah bubbling away beside him. The caterpillar took deep puffs on his hookah pipe and blew the smoke out in impossible shapes. He also wore a fez upon his head with a golden tassel hanging down the side of it. When he saw me, he undulated up, to peer at me curiously.
“Is this Princess Alice?” The caterpillar asked.
“Queen Julia is dead, remember, Barney?” Draven said. “Her daughter is nowqueen.”
“Queens need a queendom to rule and magic to rule it with.” The caterpillar crawled to the edge of his mushroom. “Come inside the circle, Princess Alice.”
“My uncle told me to never step into a fairy ring.” I eyed the garish mushrooms warily.
“Ah, your uncle was a wise man,” Barney, the caterpillar said. “But I am offering you my hospitality. As such, the ring will have no power over you.”
I looked at the kings, and they nodded. I stepped over the ring of mushrooms.
“Please, have a seat,” Barney waved several arms toward the grass.
I sat down, and it put me at eye-level with him. His eyes were bulbous and black, so glassy that I could see my reflection in them.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hello, Your Highness,” Barney replied. “Do you want to rule Wonderland?”
“I suppose.” I shrugged.
