Cracked

Chapter One A Bad Egg

'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall/Humpty Dumpty had a great fall/All the King's horses and all the King's men/Couldn't put Humpty together again.'

Everyone knows that poem. But what few people know is that Humpty wasn't killed in the fall. The King's men managed to piece him together, but he was never the same afterwards. His pride would not allow him to accept that he had changed, and he became obsessed with the past-the time when he had been perfect. His appearance these days was horrible. Large cracks were all over his shell, his clothes were torn and soiled, and his eyes were red rimmed and insane. He had taken to talking to himself, and if anyone had been standing nearby, they would have heard the most vile oaths and curses against all of Underland.

After Humpty's fall, he had retreated to the Outlands, and spent his days and nights plotting and scheming his revenge-a revenge years in the making. He had watched as the man and the woman slew the Boojum, and cursed under his breath, as he had hoped to form an alliance with the deadly creature. He had vaguely recognized the man, but the woman was a complete stranger to him. But he had noticed the way they acted around each other, and had nearly thrown up. To him, love was the most horrid and unnecessary evil in the world. He had left before he was forced to witness any more vile displays.

He hadn't seen them again, and for that he counted himself lucky. The years rolled by, and finally he was ready to wreak his revenge. Everything was planned down to the finest detail. He was certain that nothing at all could go wrong.

He went to a small closet in his home, and pulled out a small black box. The box was vibrating steadily, as if charged with some vast energy. Humpty took the box outside, and opened it carefully. Nestled inside the box was a small animal. It looked like a cross between a Jabberwock, Bandersnatch, and JubJub. Humpty had hunted all over for the creature, known as the Jubbersnatch. It was said to have the intelligence of the Jabberwock, the loyalty of the Bandersnatch, and the fierceness of the JubJub.

Humpty upended the box, and the creature fell out. As it did, it began to grow, and grow, and grow until it was over twelve feet tall. It blinked its golden eyes, flapped its' wings, and looked at Humpty in clear contempt. "Why have you awoken me?" Its voice was rich and cultured.

Humpty stared at it. "I am your master, Jubbersnatch. You will treat me with respect. I have called you because I want revenge on the Underlanders. They are the cause of all my problems. If not for them, I might still be on that wall. And if that girl hadn't come along, I never would have fallen in the first place."

The Jubbersnatch frowned. "But you were put back together. You're in one piece-more or less."

Humpty laughed insanely. "Oh yes! I was put back together. Put back together in this hideous form! I was once one of the most handsome creatures in all of Underland. Now look at me. A cracked egg. So you'll pardon me if I'm not overjoyed about that! Now, no more arguing with your Master! Are you ready for your first order?"

The Jubbersnatch nodded. "I am, Master."

Humpty grinned insanely. "Burn Witzend to the ground. If anyone tries to stop you-kill them. Slowly."

The Jubbersnatch took off, and Humpty laughed in insane glee. His plot was going perfectly.

Stayne was woolgathering when he heard one of his soldiers give a shocked cry. They were currently three miles from Witzend, and Stayne had been looking forward to a stop in that town. There was a dress shop there, and he thought maybe Alannah would like a new dress-or perhaps a new shift.

The soldier galloped up to him, shock and dread stamped on his face. "Sir! Something is happening in Witzend! I can see smoke!"

Stayne jerked his head up to the sky, and gaped in shock. "Move! We need to get there now!" He dug his heels into Grey Star's flank, and the horse took off.

When they reached the town, Stayne felt as if he had stepped back in time. There was fire everywhere, and people running around in terror. Stayne felt the strangest impulse to look for the Jabberwock. He vaulted off Grey Star, and ran up to the nearest person he could find-a man of about thirty. He was standing in the middle of the road, muttering. Stayne grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.

"What happened?" The man continued to stare into the middle distance, and Stayne shook him again. "Look at me!" The man turned his gaze to Stayne. "What…happened?"

The man shook his head. "I….I don't know. It was a monster. There was fire. My…my…." The man wailed in agony. "My….wife…she tried to stop the monster from hurting any people. It…one second she was there, the next there's just…that." The man pointed at the ground. Stayne looked down, and gave a cry of horror at the blackened lump before him. He staggered back, hand to his mouth, and then noticed what his mind hadn't let him see-the twisted, blackened shapes strewn all over the place-shapes that could barely be recognized as human. He shrieked in horror and promptly threw up. He ran a shaking hand across his mouth, and turned to his soldiers. "Find some water. Use the saddlebags to carry it, and get the fires out as quickly as you can. Then…put these poor people to rest as best as you can. I need to get back to Marmoreal."

Stayne ran into the palace, heading for the throne room as fast as he could. Mirana stared at him in shock as he came barreling in. "Stayne! What in Time?"

"Majesty, I have some grave news. I have just come from Witzend."

Mirana listened in horror as Stayne told her what he had seen.

Stayne frowned in consternation. "Alice slew the Jabberwock, and that's the only creature that is capable of inflicting that type of damage." He looked at Mirana, who had a shocked look on her face. "Right?" he asked a hysterical note in his voice.

She stared at him. "There was rumor of a creature that lived in the Outlands called the Jubbersnatch. If captured, the creature is forced to do the bidding of whoever captures it."

"How do they control it?" Stayne asked.

"That I do not know. But if someone has this creature doing his bidding, then we may have to prepare for war."

Stayne cursed loudly.

The Jubbersnatch landed at his Master's home, and Humpty looked at him. "Witzend is burning, Master."

Humpty cackled in glee. "Excellent. Now, for the second command."

Author's Note-Don't you love cliffhangers? (Grins evilly) I do know what I'm doing, so I won't keep you in suspense for too long.