“Duke Theodore taught you well,” he whispered, his stare falling to my lips. “But I'm your ally, Alice. I swear to you; you're safe with me.”
“I know,” my voice had dropped to a low purr. “You just startled me.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty.” He smiled. “I only wanted to offer you some comfort.”
“I'm good.” I pushed out of his arms, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do, and his eyes betrayed his disappointment for just a second. “It's been a rough day. I simply needed a few seconds to process.”
“I understand,” he said crisply. “Are you ready to return now? We have much to discuss.”
“Sure.”
I took King Jaxon's arm and let him escort me back to the Mad Tea Party
Chapter Three
“How much do you know about what's happening in Wonderland?” King Jaxon asked me as he held a chair out for me.
“Very little,” I admitted. “Someone was rushing me.” I gave Warren a pointed look.
“We were late.” Warren sniffed.
“Late!” Hare shouted, waking up the mouse.
“Eh, now, stop with all the shouting,” Dormouse mumbled, then curled back up in her teacup.
“Dormouse is always tired,” Hatter whispered dramatically to me.
“Because you louts are exhausting,” Dormouse muttered.
“Wonderland is divided into four Card Kingdoms.” Jaxon ignored the banter and poured me a cup of tea. “Spades, Clubs, Diamonds, and Hearts,” he said the last scathingly. “But we were ruled over by one royal family; the Wild Cards. Your parents kept the peace between the kingdoms, directing our talents into their best employments, and making Wonderland into a safe and prosperous environment for everyone.”
“Until the Queen of Hearts set her eyes on your father,” Hatter growled, his eyes narrowing. “Pin your heart to the cat's tail and watch the kitty wail. Why is a cat like a chessboard?”
“Easy, George,” Jaxon said. “We have King Altair's daughter here, remember? We will right this wrong.”
“Yes, yes, I remember now.” Hatter focused on me intensely. “You're home, at last, Alice.”
“Am I?” I looked around the strange place and my even stranger dining companions. “Is this where I was born?”
“You were born in the Wilds,” Jaxon said.
“I was born in the wild?” I asked in horror. “I thought I was royal?”
“The Wilds is the name for the castle your family lived in.” Jaxon chuckled. “It's just there.”
Jaxon pointed above the trees, and I looked in the direction he indicated. There was a magnificent castle of black, red, and white stone perched on a cliff above the forest. Its sleek towers were topped with gold poles, but no banners flew from them. The castle was empty, I could tell that, even from this distance. It exuded an air of abandonment.
“Tell me more,” I looked back to the King of Spades. “What happened to my parents?”
“As George here said”–Jaxon sighed–“the Queen of Hearts developed an affection for your father. He did not return it. He was still mourning your mother, who died when you were only two.”
“My mother died before my father?” I asked. “Uncle Ted told me they were in an accident together. All three of us, but only I made it.”
“Well, it's obvious that your uncle didn't want you to know of your lineage until it was necessary,” Nick said as he balanced his chair back on two legs. “Smart man; Ted was not as flighty as the rest of us. Though he did take flight with you, so perhaps he wasmoreflighty than the rest of us.”
“Queen Julia, your mother,” Jaxon went on, “did have an accident. In a way. There was a dangerous beast who used to terrorize the villages and your mother tried to conquer it, using her Wild magic.”
“Wild magic?” I asked.
