Page 54 of Wondrous

It was a silly question. Maria might know more about healing than I did, but she didn’t know jabberwocks. Still, she didn’t chide me.

“We’ll do what we can,” she said kindly. “Can you pass me my bag?”

I did, and she pulled out another blanket, which she tore into strips longer than mine. She wrapped these around Jack’s wounds, pulling them taut. I got the fire going—it was weak and smoky, because the wood along the streambank was wet, but it was better than nothing. Finally Alex returned with pockets full of acorns. I fed them to Jack along with the remaining ginger biscuits—Maria and Alex were too afraid of Jack’s teeth to help me.

“He’s not waking up,” I fretted.

Maria pressed her hand against one of the bandages. “He’s still bleeding,” she said, her voice puzzled.

I gently touched my thumb to the base of his throat, where he’d touched me before. He made a low rumbling sound, and his ear twitched, but that was all.

“What about your teacups, Alice?” Maria said. “Can they help him?”

“I only have two left,” I said. “The more-dangerous teacup and the wisdom teacup. It seems the more-dangerous enchantment doesn’t work on him anymore, and the wisdom one is useless in this situation. Anyway, it didn’t seem to work on me—I don’t think I had any wise thoughts after I captured Jack.”

“Maybe you did, and you ignored them,” Alex muttered.

Maria shot her a look. “Try the wisdom teacup, Alice,” she said. “You never know. Jack should be healing, but he’s not. Sometimes when that happens, it’s because there’s too much going on in someone’s head.”

“What do you mean?”

“His pulse is racing,” Maria said. “And he feels almost feverish. It’s like he’s all—all tangled up inside. I think whatever he’s struggling with is stopping him from healing. Nobody can heal without rest.”

I wasn’t certain I understood, but I would try anything to help Jack. I unstrapped the teapot from my back and said, “I’ll put the kettle on.”

Chapter 28

I made Jack’s favorite, golden oolong, and after cooling it a little in the wisdom teacup, I carefully spooned it into his mouth. It seemed to have little effect at first, and I rose to pour him a second cup. If wisdom was truly what Jack needed, I would make him the wisest jabberwock in all of Wonderland.

But just as I was returning, he began to twitch. His head snapped back, and his tail thrashed wildly. It walloped my arm, and I dropped the teacup onto the soft sand of the streambank.

“Get back,” Alex said, pulling me from Jack’s side. His whole body was thrashing now, long tail darting from side to side like a whip. My knapsack was knocked sideways, my few belongings tumbling toward the stream, and he churned up so much sand and leaves that we had to crouch down with our arms over our heads or else get a face full of grit.

And then at last, he gave a rumbling groan and lay still.

I rushed to his side. “Jack!”

But his head only lolled to the side when I shook him, and he didn’t open his eyes.

“He seems calmer,” Maria confirmed, after pressing her hand to Jack’s neck. “I think he’s sleeping peacefully now.”

I nodded. I gave Jack the remainder of the acorns Alex had gathered, and then I went to sit on a rock by the side of the stream, my head spinning. Jack had been protecting me from the mock dragon—that was why he’d ended up like this. What if he died?

I leaned down to wash the blood from my hands, sniffling. After a few moments, I was aware that Alex and Maria had come to sit on the rocks beside me. The stream swept past, its dark waters streaked with silver as the sky began to lighten.

How is it already dawn? I thought numbly. I waited for one of them to speak—no doubt Maria would find something comforting to say.

“So,” Alex said at last, “you would rather trust a jabberwock than us?”

I looked up and realized they were both watching me—Alex with irritation, Maria with hurt.

“I…” My voice trailed off. I felt worn and thin, like a handkerchief laundered too many times. And I was also, now that Jack had been tended to, becoming aware of the fact that I hadn’t thanked Alex and Maria for helping me, nor even considered it. Heat spread across my face.

“I’m not asking you to apologize,” Alex said. “I just don’t understand. What do you have against us?”

I had interpreted Alex’s expression as irritated, but now I realized that underneath it was the same hurt I saw in Maria’s eyes. My guilt surged, but resentment rose with it.

“It’s not—it’s not about you and Maria,” I said. “I don’t want anything to do with anyone from my world.”