Tarrant -

We pushed the horses almost to the end of their endurance, stopping every now and then to let them rest and to allow Henry to teach me how to use the guns. It was just past Noon when we arrived in Salt Lake City. We stopped at a General Store and sold the fur and then proceeded to a house just outside of town.

Henry informed us that a friend of his owned the house and would allow us to rest there for a while. The old lady who answered the door kindly agreed to let us stay for the night.

I'm now sitting on my bed contemplating our next move. Where was Alice? I do pray she's safe. With a friend perhaps? I sit and stare at the full length mirror across from me. Maybe I should call for help. I'm sure Mally, Bayard, Thackery, and Chess would be willing to help. Oh, how I wish I knew what to do!

"You never do, do you? You didn't know what to do after the Horvendush Day, so you became a coward and sat at those blasted tea tables! Then the Red Queen forced you to sing at her ridiculous concert and accused you of murdering Time! Then Time stopped working for you and you were stuck at those damn tea tables! Time was only angry with you, but then your friends decided to join you! Then Alice came and Time forgave you. Then you had to go and screw it up by asking him to move faster so Alice would be back sooner, you slurvish cur! Now Alice has been kidnapped and it's all thanks to you! You pilgerikling shukum brackening formes guddler's scut!"

My mind always knew just how to torment me!

"He's right!" I found myself crying out. "My mind is right, and I'm going madder by the day because of it! There's only one thing to do!" I jumped up and ran to the mirror. "I need to call for help! But who?"

Alice -

"How much further, Absolem?" I nearly whined.

Absolem chuckled, "We're almost there, Alice! Just a little longer!" He chuckled again, "And when we get there, your hair might want cutting."

"And your wings might want clipping," I mumbled, but this only seemed to fuel his laughter. So, quite un-merrily I continued to trudge along while the butterfly perched comfortably on my shoulder. We walked for what seemed like hours before we came across a small camp. I rushed to it and to our surprise it was empty. Absolem fluttered off my shoulder.

"I'm going to take a look around," he said and flew off. The fire had been put out recently but nothing was packed. I stepped around boxes, some of which had been smashed to smithereens. Tin plates, cups, and utensils had been strewn about randomly.

"Absolem, where are you?" Nothing. "Absolem?" I turned the corner around one of the tents and gasped in surprise as a cold metallic hand clasped around my mouth silencing me.

"Hello, Champion Alice!" It hissed before I felt a stabbing pain in the back of my head and no matter how hard I fought it, the blackness overtook me.

AN: Hey guys! Sorry for late update! I've been pretty busy lately. I've been sick and the doctor has me on some kind of medicine that I'm only supposed to take for five days, this is day two as I write this. A fair warning, because it's a Wednesday Night the next update will be late. I'll try to have it up maybe Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Thank you all! Fairfarren!