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"Answer me!" she demanded, her fists curled and blood-red nails digging into her palms.
Callister said nothing, his jaw clenched tight as beads of sweat trickled down his face. But it was enough; the Red Queen now had a lead, and it wouldn't be long before she followed it straight to Alice.
The Red Queen's fury was palpable as she stared Callister down. “Fine. Have it your way, you patheticworm,” she hissed, her fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest of her throne. "Dinah, pack my things. We're paying a visit to an old friend of mine.”
Dinah nodded obediently, her eyes betraying no emotion as she turned to leave. The Red Queen stalked out of the throne room, her gown trailing behind her like a river of blood.
The guards began to escort Callister away, and I knew this was my moment to act.
Still invisible, I focused all of my energy, then leapt up and pounced on the nearest banner hanging from the ceiling. I pulled it down, then jumped to the next one, and the next, until the heavy, moldy banners covered in rotting hearts had buried a third of the queen’s courtiers.
With all my power, I flipped the giant basins of decaying limbs, showering the people with festering, putrid, worm-infested flesh.
And I made sure all of it was purple.
To my relief, Hatter seized the opportunity in the midst of the chaos and commotion, grabbing Callister by his chains and leading him away from the other guards.
“Follow us,” I whispered in Callister’s ear. He blinked in surprise, but he didn't hesitate to walk with Hatter. While chaos played out in the Red Queen’s absence, we slipped away effortlessly from the throne room and into the dark corridors of the castle.
I led us to the best exit that I knew of, a root cellar in the kitchens. I knew there was a set of doors that led to the Wickedwood Forest, and the three of us soon found ourselves standing in dark shade of the moldy trees.
“I’m actually quite impressed with you,” Callister huffed as Hatter let go of him.
“I had help,” he said as I reappeared by his side. “Seems like we got away clean.”
I was so concerned with freeing Callister from his chains that it took me a moment to register his injuries. Every last inch of his body was cut or bruised, and all of it covered in his purple blood. Even his tattoos were impossible to decipher, they were so mangled and torn.
"Callister, are you alright?" Hatter asked softly from behind his armor.
"I'm fine," he replied with a smirk, although it didn't quite reach his eyes.
“You’re a mess,” I argued.
"I've been in tighter spots before."
I couldn't shake off a nagging feeling that we hadn't gotten away as cleanly as it seemed. Hatter, on the other hand, appeared confident in our escape.
"Piece of cake," he muttered under his breath, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
A low growl resonated in my chest. "Don't be so certain, Hatter. We're not out of the woods yet."
Hatter snapped his fingers and the armor disappeared, replaced by his tattered clothes and top hat.
“Have you looked around?” he asked, gesturing to the rotting trees that surrounded us. “We’re in the woods, and yet we’re out of it!”
“Don’t jinx us,” I hissed, but it was too late.
As if to confirm my suspicions, a chorus of howls from abyssal hounds spilled out of the castle. I could sense the bloodthirsty creatures closing in on us, drawn by the scent of our trail.
“Ah,nowwe’re fucked,” Hatter said with a maniacal laugh.
"Stay focused, Chess," Callister advised, seeing my thoughts drift towards darker paths. "We'll find a way out of this. We always do."
Judging by the howls, there were at least half a dozen abyssal hounds coming for us.
We were in no shape to fight them together.
Hatter was in no state of mind to defend himself, and thanks to the Red Queen, Callister was already beaten to a pulp.
