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In between wet slurps and licks, Ransom moaned, catching my attention with his demonic gaze once more.
Do it! Now!
With a surge of adrenaline, my hand slipped under the pillow and wrapped around the hilt of the Vorpal Sword. It didn’t make a sound as I pulled the blade out from between the silk pillowcases and sheets. I took it in both hands and raised my arms, channeling all my strength into the blow that would end the Red Queen's reign of terror once and for all.
I lunged forward and brought the sword down as hard as I could, slicing through the air with near perfect precision. The blade came down hard on Roxanne’s neck...
But it was just the tip.
Her eyes flew open as a handful of red beads rolled off her neck and onto the black silk beneath her. A razor-thin line appeared on her neck, then started to bleed.
She sat upright and stared at me, my sword in hand, and for a moment we all froze. Rubies from her broken necklace went flying all over the floor, their sounds making sharp, distinct, crystalline notes in the air. They were so small, so delicate, and yet their innocent chimes filled the room until the last one fell.
“Finish her, Alice!” Ransom hissed as he grabbed the Red Queen’s arms and shifted into his demon form.
Roxanne’s face broke out in absolute fury as she realized who I was, and what I was holding.
Then she let out a bloodcurdling scream, and all hell broke loose.
* * *
ChapterFourteen
ALICE
“GUARDS! SEIZE THEM!”
Trembling and terrified of failure, I swung for the Red Queen’s neck one more time as Chess, Hatter, and Callister blocked the two guards from intervening. At the last second, Roxanne dodged behind Ransom’s thick, muscular arm and my blade only sank into her shoulder.
The room erupted into chaos as over a dozen soldiers pushed through the door, armed to the teeth. Steel met steel and magic clashed against magic, filling the air with sparks and metallic clangs.
With my entire body shaking, I swung the Vorpal Sword at Roxanne a third time, slicing a shallow cut down her back as she thrashed beneath Ransom. I just didn’t have the strength, the aim, the focus.
Streams of color shot past me as spells and arrows were hurled in my direction. Ransom shoved Roxanne to the floor and grabbed me around the waist, shielding me from harm with his massive wings.
“I’ve got you,” he growled as an arrow tore through one of his wings. “Nobody’s going to hurt you. Not while I’m alive.”
"Ransom, what do we do?" I yelled, desperately trying to maintain my grip on the sword as the world around us became a whirlwind of violence.
“Follow me! Stay close!" he shouted back, summoning a wall of shadows to shield us from oncoming attacks.
Roxanne lunged for me, her eyes inane with rage. I kicked her in the leg as hard as I could, sinking my stiletto heel into her flesh. Ransom turned and threw her to the floor like a rag doll, only for a soldier to take her place.
I caught a glimpse of Chess towering above the fray in his giant beast form, each swing of his massive paws shredding soldiers like they were made of paper. His body shimmered with every swipe, constantly vanishing and reappearing in a different spot, making it impossible for the guards to anticipate his moves.
Hatter cackled maniacally as he conjured a blinding torrent of electric blue lightning that sent a group of soldiers flying backward. Their swords and crossbows clattered to the floor and their bones audible cracked on impact as they landed in broken, twisted heaps.
"Nice one, Hatter!" Callister shouted, slamming his fist into a soldier's face with such brutal force that both eyeballs shot out of their sockets. The caterpillar’s tattoos came alive, insects stinging and snakes biting soldiers as if drawing power from the violence surrounding them.
The floor was carpeted with corpses, their blood mixing with brain matter and intestines until it was impossible to tell one from the other. Blood pooled on the slick tile floor into thick red puddles. One soldier slipped in the blood and impaled himself on his own sword. So many bodies littered the floor that they were starting to pile up and block the door.
Yet more soldiers came pushing through.
"Where the hell are they all coming from?" I gasped in disbelief, my mind racing as more and more soldiers poured into the room. There were just too many. We were outnumbered and surrounded, hopelessly trapped. All my senses went numb with overwhelm at the shrieks of battle and the smell of blood and sweat hanging heavy in the air.
"Doesn't matter," Ransom gritted out, taking another arrow that was aimed at me. "We need to get out of here!"
"Agreed," Chess growled, his voice strained as he continued to fend off the attackers. "This isn't going to end well if we stay."
