Chapter 22

                                    

                                          
"Hey! Hands off!" I said angrily as I was dragged into a room and thrown on the floor. I tried to scramble to my feet, but a couple guards held me firmly on my knees.
                          
"You may leave him with me," a voice said.
                          
Upon hearing it, I looked up and my eyes met those of a man. He was very tall, and his way of looking at me made me feel like a mouse under the eyes of a cat. There was something devilish in the gleam of his eye. "Who are you?" I asked as the guards left and I got to my feet.
                          
The man took a deep breath from the pipe he held and blew it into my face as he said, "Who I am does not matter," blowing each syllable like one long sigh.
                          
I coughed and waved my hand in front of my face to clear away the smoke, feeling my head throb from the smell of it. This intrigued the man and he stepped towards me, circling my much smaller form almost without appearing to walk. It was then that I noticed the thousands of legs attached to the body lying haphazardly around the room. "You're a monster..." I said, stumbling away from him.
                          
His expression contorted into anger. "No," he blew smoke in my face again, "I am a centipede," he corrected. One of his many legs brushed my ankle and I flinched, moving my foot away. This made the man chuckle deviously. "I understand now," he said.
                          
"Understand what?" I asked.
                          
The stranger moved away, taking up a place near a covered window. "I understand why the queen is so fascinated with you." He cleaned his pipe slowly, almost like it was a sort of ritual for him, before refilling it and lighting it once more. "I am her advisor. I tell her what is smart... and what is not," he looked at me with keen eyes. "She wishes to keep you locked up here, and I tell her it is better to kill you and save herself the trouble."
                          
Though I had been unsure of his intentions from the start, it was clear now that this guy was not a friend to me. Warily, I glanced at the door, wondering if I could make a run for it. However, before my very eyes, it was covered by thick smoke. My vision clouded and I realized the room was nothing but smoke now. "What? What are you doing?" I asked, searching for anything I could use to ground myself in reality. 
                          
The voice of the man floated about around me. "You're interesting to play with. No wonder the queen does not wish you harm you. The queen will have such fun with you." I tried to pinpoint the voice, but then the centipede's whispered words were right next to my ear. "Even if you are her nephew."
                          
I whipped around, but the creature had already disappeared into the smoke again, leaving me to the haze alone. "Why is she doing this? If you're her advisor, can't you tell me?" I asked.
                          
"Who needs a reason to rule a world? What a silly thought," the centipede said, chuckling.
                          
The smoke began to disappear and I saw the centipede standing near the window again. He looked almost sad as he stared out at the brick wall surrounding the castle. I frowned. "Why do you help her? She's only making things worse for Wonderland," I said. "This is your home too."
                          
Sighing deeply, the man pulled the curtain on the window back just enough to see out. "Wonderland was ugly before the queen took control. So many flowers, so much blue in the sky. Nothing but laughter and happiness," he said. His expression was cold.
                          
"How is that ugly?" I asked.
                          
He looked at me, irritated yet bored. "For someone who lives in the dirt, making their home among the roots of trees and the swamps of the depths, it truly is a sickening sight," he told me. "So, I help her. In return, she helps me.
                          
He blew out more smoke, shapes and pictures leaving his lips as he did so. Horrible pictures, moving scenes of rapidly decaying flowers, and fires raging through forests; homes were being burnt to the ground. As the scenes played, I watched the smoke fall to the ground and make twists and turns around his feet, chasing the dust around like phantoms. 
                          
Suddenly, the door burst open and guards rushed in. I backed up, but they grabbed my arms and began pulling me out the door. Just as the door began closing behind me, I heard the centipede murmur. "It's dangerous here, boy. Don't lose your head..."
                          
*******
                          
"Where are you taking me?" I asked. The guards didn't say a word as they lead down some halls and then towards a wood door with metal bolts.
                          
As we stepped through the door, I realized we were in a courtyard, the courtyard from before where Cheshire and I had rescued the twins. I didn't get to take in very much though, as my eyes soon landed on the people kneeling on the ground. My feet slowed. "Rab..."
                          
His ears perked at the name and Rab looked up, turning to look back at me. His eye was swollen and he had a busted lip, blood smearing his chin. I broke away from the guards and ran to him. "What happened? Where's Chesh?" I asked, glancing around at the others.
                          
He didn't get a chance to reply as a familiar, booming voice cut through the courtyard. "Welcome! I've waited an eternity to finally get a civil conversation with my nephew." The red queen stood from her chair and walked towards me. "Were my soldiers kind to you?"
                          
I merely glared at her.
                          
She laughed brightly. "You have me dear sister's looks. It's almost like looking at a photo." As she drew near to me, she lifted my chin so I was looking her in the eye. "I always hated my sister's beauty..." she said.
                          
I barely saw the knife before it sliced my cheek, drawing blood with it. I gasped and stumbled back, holding a hand to my face as red trickled between my fingers.
                          
She chuckled at my reaction. "Pain is so cute," she said as if cooing over a kitten.
                          
She turned away and began towards her throne again. While her back was turned, I felt around at my waist for the dagger Cheshire had given me on our way to the castle. He had told me to hide in in my clothes so that it wouldn't be immediately visible. Quietly, I pulled it out of its sheath.
                          
"My sister always hated blood," the queen was saying. "She wouldn't look at a paper cut. It was so weak." 
                          
Though I had wanted to do this without harming anyone, I steeled my nerve. Then I ran at her, dagger in hand. Just as I got closed enough, however, she called out a name that gave me pause. "Cheshire."
                          
In my moment of confusion, the dagger was knocked from my hands and I found myself being pushed to the ground with my arm pinned painfully behind my back as my face was shoved into the dirt. I winced as the dirt stung my cut, struggling to see who was holding me down.
                          
"What a foolish child," the queen said, sounding falsely remorseful. "Did you think I wouldn't be prepared for every eventuality?"
                          
The hands holding me loosened and then let go. I sat up slowly, not wanting to face the person as they walked around me to stand with the queen. "Why...?" I asked, voice broken. I lifted my eyes to the cat-like ones above me. For an instant, they looked regretful. Then they turned cold. "Tell me this is a lie..." I said.
                          
Cheshire didn't reply and the queen smiled sweetly. "Did you really think he loved you? How pitiful."

                          
My eyes didn't leave Cheshire's. He barely spared me a glance. "May I go now? I have things to do," he asked the queen.
                          
She rubbed his head gently. "Yes, my pet. Go and do as you please. You did good," she said.
                          
This was good enough for him and he turned to walk away. I scrambled to my feet, racing after him. "Wait! Tell me why!" I said as I grabbed his arm and tried to stop him.
                          
He yanked his arm away and shoved me back with a glare. I stared at him, my chest tightening with fear at the chilled expression on his face. "Because it was fun," he said. I felt my heart shatter at the words. "You were simply my toy."
                          
I had thought that the worse that could happen was we'd fail. I had told myself that even if I did have to kill the queen, I was doing it for a just cause. I had prepared myself for all of it. What I had not prepared myself for was this. With the last of my willpower fading, I dropped to my knees and watched as he turned on his heel and walked out of the courtyard, disappearing back into the castle with my broken heart in hand. 

                          
*******
                          
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