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The army of white went after white, and black descended on black in a frenzy of activity. They battled each other ferociously as I forced them into capturing each other in a twisted dance of carnage.
Dust and metal filled the air, clinking and clanking as they collided with each other. Swords and shields clashed against metal and stone as they fought for dominance. The sound was deafening, but I didn't flinch. I had control over them now.
I continued to manipulate the pieces with my mind, moving them in a way that I had never thought possible. The knights leapt over the other pieces, the bishops diagonally sliced through their enemies, and the pawns pushed forward with newfound vigor.
It was as if my imagination had breathed life into the chess pieces, and they were now fighting for me.
The battle raged on for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only a few minutes. It wasn't long before the once-imposing army began to fall apart, each piece exploding or breaking apart blow by blow.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.
The last piece fell to the ground with a resounding thud, and the once-deadly army was now nothing more than a heap of shredded metal and shattered stone.
I stood there, panting and shaking, but also exhilarated. I had never felt so alive. In that moment, I realized that I had tapped into something inside of me that I never knew existed before.
I was Alice, the woman who had conquered the impossible with nothing more than her imagination. And I knew that no matter what other terrors awaited me in Wonderland, I would face them with the same courage and determination.
"Checkmate, bitches," I panted, smirking at the dusty piles of carnage that lay crumbled on the board.
My legs trembled beneath my body, but I refused to give in to my exhaustion as the adrenaline wore off.
I couldn’t give in.
I still didn’t have the Vorpal Sword.
* * *
ChapterEleven
ALICE
Bloodied and breathing heavily, I staggered forward until I’d reached the other side of the weathered and worn chessboard. My long blonde hair was full of blood and my blue cocktail dress was torn and stained, clinging to me with my blood and sweat.
Every step felt like an eternity until I finally reached an enormous stone door. Its surface was etched with intricate symbols that seemed to shift and change when viewed from different angles.
Then the door opened with a slow creak to reveal a monster with a gaping mouth in the center, its jagged teeth bared in a sinister grin.
Luckily it was made of stone.
And unlike the chess pieces, it wasn’t alive.
Thank fuck for that.
Inside the monster’s huge mouth was a long, red velvet pillow where a tongue might’ve been. On that pillow sat a gleaming silver sword with a gold inlay and a fine golden cord woven around a black hilt. My heart thumped as I took it in.
“The Vorpal Sword,” Chess purred as he sidled up to my right side.
“That’s it?” I asked in disbelief. “We’ve finally found it?”
Yes. Very impressive, Alice,” he nodded. "You're proving yourself to be quite the resourceful champion.”
“You’re more than simply resourceful. You are remarkable," Hatter breathed on my left, his brilliant blue eye shining down at me with admiration. "Truly, you are a force to be reckoned with."
“Thanks, guys,” I replied, feeling a thrill of satisfaction course through me even as I winced at the pain in my battered body. I was bloody and sweating, covered in flakes of plant mud, but I was alive.
More importantly, I was growing stronger with every challenge I faced.
"Are you ready to take your prize?" Hatter asked. "You've certainly earned it."
