At the center stands the hare, eyes shining with mischief, while the rabbit keeps glancing nervously at his pocket watch. The dormouse, a small ball of fluff, snoozes away peacefully, blissfully unaware of the pandemonium surrounding him.
The hatter fusses with a flurry of mismatched fabrics, enchanted threads, and half-muttered rhymes, his fingersmoving with impossible speed as he puts the final touches on his creation. He lets out a happy sigh, tilting his head at the hat before him. It’s wearable chaos—a disaster and a masterpiece all at once. How apt.
He smiles as he lifts the towering, slightly crooked top hat, its wide brim wavering like it can’t decide what shape it wants to be. The fabric is midnight blue, speckled with shifting golden constellations that rearrange themselves every time he shifts, and a band of deep red silk wraps around the base, embroidered with delicate black threads.
“Come try it,” he implores. I stride forward, and he nestles it firmly on my head before pulling the fabric down over my face.
“It blurs her features enough to confuse the eye,” Gwyneth mutters as she inspects it.
“Precisely,” the hatter says with a clap.
I’m still confused about why I need a disguise at all for a queen I’ve never met.
The hatter taps a mechanical butterfly perched on the brim, and its delicate golden wings flutter, scattering a faint shimmer of magic. “This will ensure the illusion holds.” He stands back and tilts his head. “It’s missing something,” he murmurs.
My respect, maybe? I feel ridiculous. But he looks so proud I don’t have the heart to tell him.
He grabs a black ruby-tipped feather off the table and slides it into the band with a grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Perfect,” he declares. “Now you look just mad enough to blend in.”
If he says so.
I slide into my chair and try everything on offer. I can’t decide on my favorite. Possibly the cake, because it feels like a forbidden treat having it for morning meal. Why do we confine cake to the latter half of the diurnal? Who decreed that it shouldnot be eaten first thing? Really, it would set someone up for an eventful diurnal.
“You met Absolem?” the hatter asks as he settles into his chair.
“We did,” I confirm. The hare does a tiptoe dance along the table, managing to avoid standing in the pastries. I’m impressed until he kicks a pink cupcake into the rabbit’s face.
He scowls as he swipes the pink frosting from his cheek and sucks it into his mouth. I don’t blame him—cake should never be wasted.
“And you likely have more questions than answers,” the rabbit deduces.
“Indeed,” Nash says.
“I shall lead you to the Red Queen’s kingdom as soon as you finish stuffing your faces,” the rabbit says.
“You need to keep your heads,” the hatter notes.
“That’s the plan,” Theo says. “Without our heads, the rest will surely be difficult.”
The hatter titters. “Oh wait, your friend needs you,” he says as he shoves bundles of fabric onto the ground. “Where is he?” I glance at the broom and the capons who settle on the ground behind me. He, who?
The hatter shoves an ornate small mirror at me, revealing Eron. A smile breaks free on my face. “Fair Doris, I have found you in this vast land. Oh my, what a beautiful hat you have.”
“I missed you too.”
“Have you seen Malice?” he checks.
I frown as Theo and Malachi rise from their seats to stand behind me. “Why would I have seen her? Is she not still in the Land of Reflection?”
He sighs. “I do not know. We cannot locate her.”
“Malice?” the rabbit asks.
The hatter breaks the cup in his hand and hisses as the hot tea spills. “Tell me you have not let that creature return?” he snaps. “We are doomed if she has.”
Glad to know she’s hated no matter what world she exists in.
“I will double the efforts to find her,” Eron says. “Erik, reinforce our guard searches. We won’t rest until she is located.” He scowls at something Erik responds with. “Alive is preferable.”
