“It is simply tea, not poison,” the hatter declares.
“Tea can still be deadly,” Nash points out.
The hatter shakes his head as the teapot rattles in front of him. “He doesn’t mean it. They are new, she is old, but has lost her memories.”
I’ve lost many things, but my memories are not one of them.
The teapot spins in a circle.
“Apologize,” the hatter says to Nash.
Nash folds his arms and leans back in his chair. “I will not apologize for protecting Daphne.”
The hatter mutters something under his breath about fools and idiots. I let out an annoyed breath, snatch the cup from in front of the hatter, and down the entire contents. Everyone stares at me with their mouths agape. I smile and wave my hand. “Delicious,” I declare. “See? Nothing happened.”
Nash scowls. “Most poisons don’t react immediately.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s done, so what will be will be. Do you know what will kill us? Dehydration and starvation.”
“I hate it when she makes sense,” Hart grumbles as he lifts a cup and takes a careful sip.
“We are trying to find the Grimm brothers,” Malachi says, bringing us back on track. “Can you help us?”
“Grimm? What an odd name,” Hatter muses. “I don’t believe I can. I’ve met most of the creatures that roam Wonderland, but not them.”
“They are Idols,” I explain.
“Idle?” The hare titters.
“No, Idols,” Malachi corrects. “Beings who created your world.”
“Like a god?” Hatter checks.
“What is a god?” Gwyneth questions.
“The creator.”
“We have multiple,” Nash informs him as he selects a finger sandwich.
“That must be very confusing,” the dormouse says.
“Not really,” I tell him. “You are true to the Idol of the narrative you are in.”
“And what if you are in none or multiple?” the hatter asks.
I tilt my head, because that best describes me. “I guess those are free to write their own destiny.”
“We are free,” the hatter says as the teapot refills my cup.
“Thank you,” I say to the pot. “Don’t you have storylines you are committed to?”
The hatter jerks back in horror. “We are not beholden to mysterious beings for no other purpose than fulfilling their inflated egos. We have enough issues with royalty.”
“I resent that comment,” Charming chimes in.
Gwyneth shoots him a glare. “Only because it’s true. Most of our issues are also caused by people bearing crowns.”
Charming points at Hart. “He is about to be crowned. I don’t hear you complaining about him.”
