Page 49 of Wondrous

Jack had slipped away as skillfully as—well, a jabberwock.

Maria stepped forward and waved her hand in front of the mock dragon’s eye sockets. “Yes, but—why isn’t she moving?”

The mock dragon still wore a peaceful, dazed smile. How I could tell a skull was smiling, I didn’t know.

“My theory was right,” I said, trying to focus on the monster instead of my worry for Jack. “When you pour tea into the teacups, the tea absorbs some of the enchantment in the clay. So when I poured the tea into the more-dangerous teacup, the tea absorbed some of that enchantment, and when it was poured into the happy-memories teacup, the more-dangerous enchantment mixed with the enchantment in that cup. In other words, it made the happy-memory enchantment more powerful. So powerful that it’s all she can see.”

They both stared at me.

My face flushed. “I—do you understand? Shall I explain it again?”

Alex gave a quiet laugh. “I’m not sure that would help.”

“How I love Wonderland,” Maria said with heartfelt sincerity that seemed unlikely given that we’d all been nearly burnt alive by a dragon. “You seem to have this place figured out, Alice.”

“I don’t know about that, but it’s kind of you to say,” I said, my politeness taking the reins automatically. I couldn’t help returning her smile, which was warm and open, and I found myself even admiring her a little. If our positions were reversed, I was certain I would have been alight with jealousy.

We gazed at the mock dragon, and the mock dragon gazed vacantly into the forest.

“What memory is she seeing, do you think?” Maria said.

“Probably devouring a village,” Alex said with a snort, and then frowned. “I swear I just saw her move.”

“Maybe it’s not just one memory but a whole host of them,” I said. “It was only an experiment, and not one I’ll be able to repeat.”

“Too bad,” Alex said. “It sounds like an enchantment I’d like to experience myself. Provided I’d come out of it.”

“Will she come out of it?” Maria said.

“All the teacup enchantments wear off eventually,” I told her. “Although the more-dangerous and less-dangerous ones last a long time. Possibly forever, if you don’t take the antidote. The happy-memory enchantment only lasts a few moments, usually. But because I mixed the two of them together, I don’t know which—”

The mock dragon groaned, and she shook her head slightly.

“All right, that time she definitely moved,” Alex said. “I think the enchantment is wearing off, Alice.”

“Should we—” Maria paused, biting her lip. “Should we keep looking for Jack? I’d feel better if he was here when we talked to her.”

“You’d feel better if a jabberwock was here?” Alex said incredulously. She paused. “Actually, that makes sense.”

Hurt tightened my throat, and I couldn’t reply for a moment. “I don’t think he wants us to find him,” I said quietly.

And why would he? Jack had worked out a way to shed his human form and the enchantment that had trapped him in it. He didn’t need to help me anymore.

He was never your friend, I reminded myself. He was barely your ally. What did you expect?

I wasn’t surprised he was gone. I just wished he hadn’t left so abruptly, without letting me know he was all right, or giving me a chance to—

“You enchanted Jack the same way, didn’t you?” said Maria. I was surprised to see sympathy in her face, as if she knew what I’d been thinking. “Why did his enchantment wear off? You just said it didn’t, without the antidote.”

“I don’t know.” I turned away. “Probably because he’s a sorcerer. The magic in the enchantment was fighting with the magic in Jack. Or maybe it’s because jabberwocks are un-enchantable and magic can’t stick to them.”

“I hope he’s all right,” Maria said. “No matter what he is, he was protecting us. Maybe he just—”

“Get down!” Alex yelled.

“What—” I began, but Maria didn’t hesitate. She threw herself on top of me, and we struck the ground hard. The air above us ignited, and a nearby bush burst into flame.

I lifted my head. The mock dragon was free of the enchantment, fire blazing at the back of her throat. She’d created another hollow where Maria and I had been standing, which gaped like a toothless mouth. The mock dragon was clearly trying to blast us again, but she seemed unable to turn her head to direct her flame toward us.