Seeing Redd

CHAPTER 24

D ODGE, NOT usually one to linger over tokens of the past, was in his guardsman’s quarters picking over the few items he had salvaged from the former palace: a portrait of his father he’d drawn when he was eight years old, a dented broach that had belonged to his long-dead mother, and a packet of letters he’d written during Redd’s reign but never sent.

He set the portrait prominently on the mantel and moved the dining table in front of the glowing hearth, laying out two place settings and a pitcher of winglefruit juice. There was nothing left to do but wait.

“No talent for waiting,” he said to himself.

He had volunteered to go after the Diamonds and Alyss had ignored him. In front of everybody. He thought it important for her to understand a couple of things. He surveyed the room again, hoping to find some final preparation that needed doing, but all was in order.

Bleep, bleep bleep bleep, bleep.

His crystal communicator sounded with the agreed-upon signal. Any moment Alyss would be passing down the hall to the sovereign suite. He pulled smooth the sleeves of his guardsman’s coat and squared his shoulders, to appear as official as possible. He stepped to the door and out into the hall.

“Queen Alyss, my guards have discovered something I think you should see.”

Her face had relaxed at the sight of him, but her brow at once contracted, her lips thinned with tension. “We’ve found evidence of suspicious activity in the palace,” he said.

“What sort of activity?”

“You might want to step this way and see for yourself. I apologize in advance for your having to set foot in a guardsman’s quarters.”

He led her into his rooms. The boyish portrait of Sir Justice, the fire crystals in the hearth, the elegantly arrayed table: Alyss blinked in puzzlement.

“What is all this?”

“My best guess, Your Majesty, is that it’s breakfast, but I can’t be sure until we taste it.” Which was when she realized. “Dodge,” she said quietly.

A guardsman entered carrying a pair of covered serving dishes, set them on the table and departed. Dodge pulled out a chair for Alyss and, once she was seated, assumed the role of gallant host.

“On platter number one,” he said, “we have what I believe is your favorite-Chef Blanchaud’s mysterious hash, which I agree is delicious even if we don’t know what’s in it.” He lifted the cover of the serving dish and steam escaped toward the ceiling. “On platter number two…” he removed the cover of the second dish with a flourish, “…we have half-baked cakes with choco-nibblies.”

“Mmm.”

He transferred one of the cakes to her plate, ladled out a spoonful of hash for her and filled her glass with winglefruit juice, then served himself and sat down.

“You did all of this?” Alyss asked.

“I wouldn’t even let the walrus help me. And he wanted very much to help.” “It’s all so lovely, Dodge. And delicious.”

He watched her cut a small piece of cake with the side of her fork and lift it to her mouth. There were lines under her eyes, silhouetted crescent moons cupping the underside of her eye sockets.

“Are you tired?”

“I’m almost always tired.”

He nodded. He had yet to touch his food. “Alyss, do you remember back when we were…I guess I was nine, so you must’ve been six, and we used to play Guardsmen and Maidens?”

“I remember everything.”

“We used to make up a lot of games, didn’t we?”

“I enjoyed them more than I do the real thing…until now.”

“Well…I think you’re old enough now to hear the truth, Alyss. I used to let you win.”

“Ha! You thought that whenever I did win, it was because I’d cheated, I’d used my imaginative powers.” “It was.”

She smiled. “If it pleases you to think so.”

Dodge shifted the hash around on his plate. “Besides bringing me close to you, the purpose of some of those games was to improve my combat skills so that I’d be able to protect you whenever the need arose, as befitted a palace guardsman. Funny then that now it’s you who are trying to protect me.”

He looked at her. She paused, her glass of winglefruit juice held at her lips. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“I survived for thirteen years in your absence with wrath and vengeance in my heart-it might even have been these that kept me alive. I’d rather not be governed by these passions, but you can’t hope to rid me of them by putting yourself between me and The Cat.”

Alyss said nothing and stared at the fire crystals in the hearth.

“You think I was too quick to blame Redd for the Glass Eyes’ attack?” Dodge asked. “Yes.”

“Well, it’s been confirmed that The Glass Eyes were manufactured in Boarderland. Maybe I did rush to judgment. If so, it was a mistake and I admit it. I’m trying my best not to let revenge dictate my actions, Alyss, but…I don’t know. I can’t promise what’s going to happen if I see The Cat again. I only know that if I am to conquer these vengeful feelings, I have to be the one to do it, not you or anybody else.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s just…everybody knows I was angry after our parents were murdered. But there was also…something else. I came to believe that I’d spend my life alone.”

“Dodge, I’m-”

“There was nothing to pity in this,” he said quickly. “It was just the way things were. But when I found out you were alive…” he shook his head, “…you have no idea what living under Redd’s rule can do to you, Alyss. It was unbearable.”

“We have all borne things we never imagined.”

“Most of life is unbearable. It’s unbearable but we bear it. That’s what I believe. But right now, Alyss, here with you, I don’t feel it.”

She’d been trying not to cry almost since she’d stepped into Dodge’s rooms, but she could no longer stop herself. “Maybe one day,” she said, “when Homburg Molly is safe and things are peaceful enough that the queendom can run itself, we’ll take a trip to together. Somewhere quiet. There’s no reason we can’t do that, is there?”

Dodge didn’t say what he knew to be true: The queendom would never run itself. There would always be some emergency that required the queen’s attention. There always had been. And he knew that Alyss knew it.

“You’re the queen and can do you as you wish,” he said. From his inside coat pocket, he removed his

packet of letters and handed it across the table. “These are for you.” “What are they?”

“Letters I wrote to you during Redd’s rule, when I believed you were dead. There aren’t many. I didn’t have much peace for writing.”

Alyss stared at the packet.

“I still think it’s possible that Redd is involved,” Dodge said. “It’d be just like her to do something we’d never expect her of doing, such as leaguing with Arch. What will you do about the Diamonds?”

“Have them taken into custody.”

Dodge rose from his chair and walked over to her. “That’s enough of unpleasant topics for now. Did you enjoy your breakfast?”

“I loved it,” she said, turning her face up to his.

“Good. I hope you’ll forgive me, being just an upstart guardsman and all, but…” He leaned down and kissed her lips.

“I could have you reported for that,” she smiled. “Yes, you could.”

He lifted her to him and kissed her again, was still pressing his lips against hers when Bibwit Harte, four

General Doppels, and an equal number of General Gangers stampeded into the room. Dodge stepped away from his queen, stood at attention.

“He’s gone!” the Doppels cried. “Hatter’s gone!” “What do you mean ‘gone’?” Alyss asked.

“We think he’s on his way to Boarderland-” started the Gangers. “-to rescue Homburg Molly!” finished the Doppels.

“He wouldn’t.”

“All card soldiers patrolling the demarcation barrier have been notified,” said Bibwit, “but I’m not sure how much good it’ll do.”

The more Alyss considered it, the more she believed it likely: Hatter had gone after his daughter in direct opposition to her commands. I was right not to send him. His emotions are already getting the better of him.

Bibwit, Dodge, and the generals were waiting for instructions. Alyss quickly scanned along the demarcation barrier with her imagination’s eye, seeking Hatter until-

There. He was stepping out from the trees of the Everlasting Forest and approaching the barrier with determined strides. Busy with their luggage and passports, the civilians waiting to cross the border didn’t notice him until he reached into his backpack with both hands and-fli-flink! fli-flink flink flink!-pinned the patrolling card soldiers to the ground like specimens on display for a curious giant, blades piercing

their uniforms but not their flesh. The Milliner passed his hand over the control box that was at every official checkpoint; a door-sized opening formed in the impassable weave of sound waves that separated Wonderland from Arch’s kingdom. Without slowing, Hatter M. stepped through it and crossed to the other side.