With a cry, Xelon flung herself at the beast’s back, driving her sword home. It roared, the flames in its eyes bursting back to life. It clawed at its shoulders, flapping those massive wings, trying to get at Xelon.
It was all beast and fury now, but Alice had seen it. Chess was in there. Somehow.
Xelon shouted. The monster had her by the leg, dangling her upside down. She yanked a dagger from her boot and plunged it into the Nightmare’s hand. It released her with a roar. She hit the ground in an armored heap, rolling onto her side.
The beast howled with rage, spewing fire into the air from its nose and mouth. It gripped at something stuck in its side and yanked it free, flinging it aside. It landed several yards away. The Vorpal Blade. A blade so black.
Alice’s eyes went back to the battle. Addison was still down. Xelon had regained her feet, but didn’t look like she would be on them for long. The Nightmare was busy trying to dislodge Xelon’s sword from its back.
Alice’s chest tightened. Tears streamed hot against her face. She’d let this happen. She let the Black Knight play her at every step, and now Chess was trapped in a Nightmare, with no way out. Except one.
The Vorpal Blade went snicker-snack.
The words played over in Alice’s mind.
She shook her head even as the thought bounced around inside. A sob forced its way from behind her clenched teeth. She was too late to save him, but that didn’t mean she had to leave him like this. She could free him.
Do it. Alice took off running. Do it now, before you can’t. Her body ached, her lungs burned, but she didn’t stop. She dropped to slide, snatched up the Vorpal Blade, and kept going.
The beast tugged Xelon’s sword loose, flapping its great wings as it faced the unarmed knight. It laughed, a low, rolling boom as it tromped toward her.
“Hey!” Alice shouted as she came to a stop, gripping the Vorpal Blade with both hands. The monster paused, spinning to face her.
“Alice!” Xelon shouted. “No! Run!”
Alice’s heart clenched, fear trying to work its way inside, but she refused to be taken by it. Not this time. Instead, she embraced it. She was afraid, terrified, but not of the monster, not anymore. Even as it bore down on her.
What scared her was her friends being in danger.
What terrified her was the thought of losing anyone else.
That fear rooted itself in her center, along with the anger and determination from before.
You can’t have them.
The Nightmare swiped at her. She darted to the side, slicing into its thigh. It stumbled as it tried to come after her. She took the chance to stab into its calf. Another roar. She thought she heard someone call her name before the back of a huge hand collided with her. She flew, pain rocketing through her. The ground rushed upward. She braced for impact.
Light exploded across her vision. It swept around her, cocooning her in its radiance. She hovered midair, stunned as the glow wrapped around her, flowing outward from the sword.
“How…”
As the light lowered her to stand, a roar from the creature pulled her attention back to the battle.
The monster stood maybe fifty feet away but didn’t approach. Staring down the beast, Alice held the glowing blade in front of her and started forward. The Nightmare bellowed threateningly but drew back. It lifted its arm to shield itself before suddenly planting its feet and rearing up. Red welled between its lips. Its wings unfurled, and with a howl it released a wall of flame that ate up the ground between them, galloping toward her.
Alice dropped to the ground, hands over her head. A rush of light enveloped her, red warring with white, a radiant firestorm. She curled on her side, tucked into herself as the sword’s power wavered visibly around her. Another roar, more fire. Then it all stopped with a yowl.
She lifted her head. Hatta gripped the hilt of Xelon’s sword where it disappeared into the monster’s side. The beast flailed, trying to get at him as he yanked the sword free. Yellow poured from the wound, slopping onto the ground. The Nightmare released a shriek and twisted, grabbing Hatta around his neck, its claws tearing into his back. He cried out.
“Addison!” Alice scrambled to her feet.
Warmth burst outward from her center, hot with her resolve. It shot along her arms and legs, clear to the soles of her feet and the palms of her hands, tingling. She gripped the sword, yelping at the burn. Her fingers tightened when she felt she might drop it. Her body acted before her mind could catch up, and she swung. Light arced from the blade and shot through the air. It slammed full force into the Nightmare and sent it reeling.
“You give him back!” She swung again, and again, sending light hurtling into the beast until it dropped Hatta in order to defend itself. “Do you hear me? You give him back!”
She left it dead … More words whispered against her mind. Another voice joined hers, the same but different.
The warmth surged. She didn’t try to pull it up, or force it out; it was just there. The energy spread through her fingers. It flared brighter than when she fought the Fiends. Her body sang with the power pumping through it and into the sword, which brightened until she could barely make out the blade itself.
The monster roared.
And with its head …
“You can’t have anyone else.” Alice stepped into a spin that brought the sword all the way around, then pushed everything rushing through her into the blade and hurled it outward. “I won’t let you!”
She went galumphing back.
A massive arc exploded from the sword with so much force it knocked her over as it shot straight for the beast. This light hammered home, and the monster’s entire body ruptured. It shrieked in pain as some invisible force tore it open from the inside. The combination sent it into wicked throes, wings spasming, arms thrashing, until it exploded.
No! She hadn’t meant—Chess was still in there!
Liquid black filled the area in a rush, a massive wave sweeping outward. Alice, her strength waning, sank to the ground as the dark waters overtook her. She tumbled end over end, unable to see or hear. She bounced against the ground, then angled herself around to push off it. Her head broke the surface. She gasped for air, arms flailing, legs kicking as she spun, out of control. A short ways off, Chess bobbed into view. He floated along the inky surface for a second before disappearing beneath the black.
Alice kicked off toward him, pushing with everything she had, but the current was too strong. It pulled at her, yanked her toward some unseen vortex at the center of the liquid darkness.
She tried to fight, tried to swim, but the fatigue settling through her limbs and over her mind made it hard.
“You won’t get in my way again,” a voice snarled. Pressure clamped on Alice’s ankles, dragging her down. She choked and coughed, her chest aching, stretching. She was going to burst.
“Begone!” a different voice shouted, and light filled the void, driving back the darkness. Alice’s body went limp, and with it the pain that threatened to tear her open. All that remained was a soothing tingle cascading through her limbs.
Reflection-Alice suddenly appeared in the murky waters, her dress flowing around her as it had before. “Rest now.” She pulled Alice into her arms, and together they tumbled through the deep.
I did it.
“You did.” Reflection-Alice smiled, but she still looked sad.
I did it …
It was over. She could stop fighting.
That thought settled warm inside her as she and Reflection-Alice sank into the dark.
Thirty
NOT OVER
Alice stood on the ridge of a chasm and gazed out into the abyss. Black sand shifted beneath her feet, the skies darkened by rolling clouds of pitch. Every now and then purple lightning scorched the air. The land around her was void and desolate, all rock and stone, barren.
She felt she should be afraid, but she wasn’t. This wasn’t real; it couldn’t be.
But a part of her k
new it was, or … it would be? She didn’t understand.
“Alice.”
The sound of her name swept up in echoes from below, rising out of the chasm. She peered into it. Shadows waited at the bottom, concealing whatever rested on the floor.
“Alice.” Again.
She thought she recognized the voice but couldn’t put a name to it.
“Alice!” More insistent this time. “—back, please! Come back…”
Come back? But she hadn’t gone anywhere.
She lifted her bare foot. The hem of her skirt wafted in the breeze, stark white against her dark skin. Arms out, she stepped over the edge.
The darkness swallowed her, and spit her out with a jolt. Her eyes flew open wide, and a sudden heaviness slammed into her. She twisted onto her side, coughing.
“Oh, thank god.” Arms curled around her, shaking as Courtney sobbed, her face pressed against Alice’s cheek. “Y-you’re okay! You’re okay.”
Alice twisted against Courtney, her head pounding. “Where—” She tried to speak, but her throat seized around the words with the feeling of swallowing sand. She coughed to clear it, breath catching. “W-where am I?”
Court finally drew back, swiping at her nose with a sniff, then wiping her puffy eyes. “The pub. You’re at the pub—oh my god, you’re okay.” She started crying again, weeping into her hands, smeared with makeup. “I thought … I—I thought…”
Alice wanted to reach for her, but her limbs felt like they’d been filled with hot metal. Her muscles burned; every inch of her throbbed. Her mind danced with flashes of faces and light as the pounding intensified.
The door behind Courtney opened, and Maddi hurried in with a tray of vials and glasses full of various swirling and glowing fluids. “You’re awake. Good.” She set it down on the bedside table and took up one of the vials, popping the cork and handing it over.
Alice had some trouble gripping the vial, but with Court’s help, drank it down without question. It slid along her throat, coating it in a layer of cold, easing the hurt.
“Better?” Maddi searched her face.
She nodded. “Better.” Though it didn’t help the migraine, the churning in her stomach, or the images dancing against the back of her eyes. “Augh.” Faces flickered in and out of her vision. Some she recognized, some she didn’t. There were voices as well, screaming. It all tried to come together but vanished like so much smoke through her fingers. “My head.”
“What’s wrong?” Maddi asked.
“It hurts. I keep seeing flashes. Faces.” She blinked rapidly, but that didn’t help. “Feels like my brains are gonna leak out of my ears.”
“An effect of taking in so much of that sludge.” Hatta stood in the doorway, watching her. He sported a few cuts and bruises, some bandages here and there, but looked to be in one piece.
“It’s rude to lurk in doorways,” Alice murmured.
Hatta smirked, but there was no joy behind it. As he approached, Maddi drew back, leaving him to take her space. He settled on the edge of the bed and, his touch gentle, reached to gather Alice into his arms.
She went, eagerly, sinking into him with a soft sound. Her eyes drifted shut as his arms wound around her, warm and safe. She tried to return the embrace, but her arms refused to obey. Instead she buried her face in his chest, breathing him in. His hand went to the back of her head.
“I’m so, so sorry, Alice.”
What? That didn’t make sense. Neither did his tone. He sounded like somebody die—
The images flashed against Alice’s vision again. This time they held, solid, familiar.
Chess.
Chess laughing with her. Chess asking her out, or making a face when someone used his full name. Chess with his bright violet eyes and wide grin.
Chess lying on the grass as blood poured out of him. Chess struggling to take in air. Chess …
Someone screamed. It wasn’t until the images faded that Alice realized it was her. She clutched at Hatta and wailed into his chest as something inside her cracked apart and hung open. Ice coated her insides, the cold twisting within her like a living thing. Hatta held tight to her, muttering something she couldn’t hear over her sobs.
Warmth pressed against her back. Courtney’s voice joined Hatta’s, shaky and just as broken as Alice’s. They held her, together, as she fell apart.
* * *
Alice curled on her side in the dark, staring at the bare wall across from her. She didn’t know how much time had passed, and she didn’t care. Maddi had come and gone a couple of times, offering her food she couldn’t eat. After holding her through the worst of her crying, Hatta had slipped out and hadn’t been back. Alice asked where he’d gone.
“To take care of your friend,” Maddi explained quietly. They’d brought Chess back. Alice wasn’t sure if she was grateful they didn’t just leave him lying out there or angry for … she wasn’t sure. Just angry.
Her fault. All of it was her fault.
Courtney had lain with her, cried with her more. Then she left, saying she would take care of Alice’s mom who, on waking to find an empty house, had called Court immediately. She had no idea how that went or what was said. She couldn’t bring herself to care.
Her mom was angry, but at least her daughter was alive.
When Alice couldn’t take being alone with her thoughts anymore, she picked herself up and made her way out into the bar. The main area was empty, the sign on the door still flipped to CLOSED. Maddi stood behind the bar, speaking softly with the Duchess. Both of them glanced up when Alice walked in. The cat clock above their heads read 6:37, but the tail had stopped wagging, so that couldn’t be right.
Her lips pursed, the Duchess came out from behind the bar, grabbing a glass of water from the counter in passing. “How are you feeling?” She offered the glass.
Alice didn’t take it. “I don’t know.”
The Duchess sighed softly. “I am sorry, Alice.”
Sorry. People were always sorry, weren’t they? Her father was sorry when he said she’d have to find a way to make it without him. The doctors were sorry they didn’t know what happened and couldn’t stop it. Her mother was sorry after she checked out after he was gone, leaving her all alone. Everyone at school and church was sorry for her loss. She’d gotten so damn sick of the sorries. Now they would start again.
“Where is everyone?” Alice asked, glancing around again as if they’d all pop out of hiding.
“Your friend went to get something from her vehicle.” The Duchess moved to place the glass on the counter, then stepped behind it to start mixing potions again. “The princess is with Xelon, who’s resting. The twins are making sure the Nightmare essence from your battle is subdued until you can get to it. Hatta is in the back but asked not to be disturbed.”
The bell over the door rang, and Courtney tapped down the stairs. “There’s my girl.” She hurried over and pulled Alice into a hug she only half returned. Drawing back, Court flashed a smile that was all teeth but little joy. That’s when Alice realized she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Not even lip gloss.
“Hey,” Alice murmured.
“Your mom is livid.” Court’s voice broke a bit, and she forced another smile, sniffing. “I told her you were with me and you were okay. There was a lot of cussing, but I got the gist of what she was trying to say, which is, I think we’re forbidden to hang out now.”
Alice half-hiccuped, half-laughed. It wasn’t funny, but she couldn’t help it.
“I’ll take you home, if you want. Or to my place. Wherever. Your stuff is already in the car, so just meet me in the parking lot when you’re ready, okay?”
“Okay.”
Court squeezed Alice’s hands, hugged her again, and then went for the door, wiping at her eyes.
“Heading out?” Hatta came up behind Alice, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable.
She nodded, releasing a slow breath. She looked to the hall, then back to Hatta. “What’d you do with him?”
/>
“We’re taking good care of him, milady, I promise.”
Alice wanted to know more, but at the same time didn’t. She couldn’t go back there, couldn’t see him. Not right now. “What do we say h-happened?” Her voice broke and her eyes burned, but the tears wouldn’t come.
“One of a few things, but you don’t worry about that right now.” He drew his hands free and placed them on the sides of her face. “Go with Courtney. Get some sleep.” Hatta took her hand and led her through the bar and out to the sidewalk. Court’s Camaro waited at the curb. Hatta opened the door so Alice could climb in.
“What now? We just give up?”
He gave her a look before sighing. “Now, we regroup, which is not the same as giving up. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.” Hatta leaned into the window and pressed a kiss to the top of Alice’s head. “Rest well, milady.”
She watched Hatta in the side mirror, who was watching them as they rode away.
Court put on a jazz station to fill the silence. Alice didn’t ask where they were going.
As they drove, the croon of a saxophone filled the car along with the hum of the engine. It should’ve been a relaxing mix, but Alice’s thoughts were far from calm. They kept tumbling over everything, from the night the Black Knight attacked her to Chess lying on the ground, his eyes …
He did this.
The anger from the field returned. It swallowed the hurt peeling away her insides. It burned, hot and heavy in her blood. She shook with it, gripping the bottom of the window so tight it buckled under her fingers. She let the anger swallow her and pushed back the image of Chess in her mind, replacing it with the Black Knight.
I’m coming for you.
And she hoped he knew it, like he knew on the field. She hoped he could sense her fury from wherever he’d crawled off to and realized it was for him. Hoped he understood just how little time he had before she found him and made him suffer the way he’d made her friends suffer. Hoped he searched the darkness for signs of her, glancing over his shoulder at every unknown sound or slightest movement. Hoped he was afraid, like she had been afraid, but wasn’t anymore. Because Hatta was right.