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Still, I pushed again.
“If Callister has so much to gain by getting rid of the queen, then why would he stand by and let me struggle? He should be here with us, but instead he’s just puffing his life away.”
Sensing my frustration, Chess put a tender hand on my shoulder.
"Perhaps Callister has given up hope that anyone can truly change things here. But you, Alice, are different. You have shown us all that there is still hope, and that is something worth fighting for. That’s why I’m helping you.”
“Same here,” Hatter said with a twisted, loopy grin.
"Still," I insisted, "I've busted my ass to get this far. I just want Callister to believe in me."
“You don't need him to believe in you," Hatter said to me, suddenly serious, "You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Don’t give up, Alice.”
"I won't," I vowed, my resolve hardening as I clutched Hatter's hand tighter. "No matter what it takes, I'll do whatever I can to get rid of the Red Queen and make your world whole again."
“This is precisely what makes you so captivating,” Hatter nodded, his gaze meeting mine with surprising intensity. "We'll go to great lengths to help you take her down, Alice. But whatever we do, we mustn't sink to her level. We're better than that."
"Of course," I agreed, swallowing the bile that was starting to rise in my throat. "I won't become like her. I promise."
"Good. Now, enough talk of the Red Queen and Callister and everything else,” Chess murmured, green eyes glowing with approval. "We've arrived."
* * *
I’d been so distracted by the horror stories about the Red Queen and being pissy about Callister, only to find out the reason for his pain that I hadn’t paid much attention to where we were going.
I looked up, my eyes widening in awe at the sight before us.
A giant wall of dark green leaves shot up out of the ground at least thirty feet into the sky. I ran my fingers along the towering hedge walls as my boots crunched on the gravel path.
Thorny vines twisted in impossible patterns, their shadowy forms flickering across my skin. My heart pounded with equal parts fear and excitement as Hatter felt around the vines in search of the entrance.
“Not here,” he hummed, elbow deep in the hedge. Frowning in thought, he took off his top hat, scratched his head, and slapped it back on.
“Maybe over here?” he muttered to himself as he pushed aside vines and felt around some more.
Still nothing.
I glanced at Chess, realizing how far the wall stretched. It was at least the size of SoFi Stadium—maybe even bigger. If Hatter’s plan was to feel up a few miles of walls, the three of us were fucked.
And not in the way I was dreaming of.
“Getting closer,” Hatter said, pulling out his arm and taking a few more steps.
He carried on with his wall examination for a few more minutes. Just as I was starting to lose my patience, he let out a wild laugh.
“Oh yes...I remember now,” he snickered, shaking his head. “There is no door.”
“No door?” I repeated in disbelief.
“No door,” Hatter said with a shrug of his broad shoulders. “We’ll have to make one.”
“Dude...the wall is made ofstone,” I pointed out. “How are we going to get throughstoneif there’s no door?”
Hatter was unfazed.
“Imagine it, Alice. Imagine what sort of door this toxic topiary labyrinth would have.”
I wrinkled my nose and tried not to glare at him. The guy was a fantastic fuck, but he was also crazy as hell.
