The monster was stalking her.
It glared at her with red eyes, blinking slowly on a black face.
"Your time's almost up," it intoned.
"No, it's not," Mallymkun snapped. "I can make it. I have to, for Tarrant."
"Don't you feel it?" the monster hissed. "Can't you feel death in your limbs? I'm coming for you, Mallymkun."
"Tarrant will get here first," she insisted.
"What difference does it make?" it laughed darkly. "Either way, you're gone."
All went dark.
Awake, asleep, dream, reality…she couldn't tell the difference anymore
So what if death got to her first?
She couldn't move or say anything to stop it.
Oh, the pain…
Alice's scent was a lot easier to track than the Between scent, so Bayard found her in Iplam quickly. He came upon her just outside the village, calling her name as he approached.
"Bayard!" Alice exclaimed when she saw him. She got down on her knees to speak with him. "Where's Mallymkun? Did you find out anything?"
"I found out too much," the bloodhound replied. "And I don't know if there's enough time to tell you all of it. You're being lead into a trap! Mallymkun's the bait, and the Lord of Between wants you killed so that he can take over."
"The Lord of what?"
"The Between," Bayard said. "Between Underland and Overland—it's where people of both worlds go when they die. We're up against an army of the undead, Alice!"
Alice reflected on the badger, and how it had seemed to go back and forth between life and death.
"I sent a friend to Marmoreal—Cotie, she's a Betweenling, but she was an Underlander when she was alive, so she'll bring help—"
"What's this about bringing help?"
Aldric came up behind Alice, followed closely by the Ace, Rook, Hatter, and the rest of the military escort. The Rook seemed shaken—the Bishop had been one of his best men—and Hatter was calm, although looking at Bayard intensely.
"Aldric, this is Bayard," Alice said. "The bloodhound I mentioned earlier."
Bayard's eyes narrowed as he inhaled. This man absolutely reeked of the odd Between scent.
"Who are you again?" the bloodhound asked. Aldric didn't answer. Both were eyeing each other suspiciously.
"Aldric was the one who told us about an attack on his village," Alice explained. "He brought us here."
"Then he's lead you into a trap," Bayard snarled. "He's a Betweenling, Alice. I can smell it."
"What? Aldric…" Alice looked up at the man.
"That's ridiculous!" Aldric exclaimed. "You can't possibly believe this dog! Maybe he's the one leading you into a trap!"
"Alice, trust me," Bayard insisted. "It's not just the smell. I recognize that voice—I heard it in his fortress. This man is the Lord of Between. He has Stayne and an army of Betweenlings ready to kill you, and he's been torturing Mallymkun mercilessly."
Tarrant's eyes widened, and he glanced sharply at Aldric.
"He's trying to make us fight amongst ourselves," Aldric pleaded. "Alice, please believe me, I would never hurt you or your friends. I love you."
Alice stood up, ignoring the soldiers' confused gasps at this announcement and Bayard's snarl of "Don't." She looked at Aldric right in the eyes.
"That woman back in the village," she said. "The doctor's wife. She didn't recognize your name. You haven't been around to speak to any of the villagers. Is it because you don't really know them? Who are you, Aldric Tussen? Tell me the truth!"
There was a pause in which the only sound was her upset breathing. The soldiers glanced at each other, not sure what to do. Bayard and Tarrant both were tense and looked ready to pounce.
Then, Aldric began to laugh.
"It looks like the game is over," he chuckled. "Sorry, sweetheart. It's been a lot more fun than I expected."
And then he was behind Alice, having moved faster than she could see.
"We're just not compatible, darling. At the moment, I only partially exist in this word. I work on a different time and—oh, look, my shadow's gone. The Underland sun just won't recognize me."
"You lied to me," Alice whispered.
"Of course I lied! I thought you'd all come running when I borrowed your little dormouse friend—but you kept this one on a very tight leash. So, I had to improvise."
He pointed a thumb at the Hatter as he spoke, who took a threatening step forward.
"Where is she?" Tarrant demanded.
"I really don't see why I should tell you," said the Lord of Between as he turned and ran off.
"After him," Alice ordered, without much enthusiasm. Her heart was sore. She felt like she'd been crumpled up and thrown out the window with the garbage. For a moment, just for a moment, she'd thought that she'd had that elusive thing called love…
The soldiers started to chase the Lord, but then stopped. Many people and animals suddenly had appeared—out of nowhere, it seemed—in a large ring around the Lord. Now, the ring also surrounded the small group of cardsmen and chessmen, as well as Hatter, Bayard, and Alice.
"Perfect timing, Stayne," the Lord said, glancing behind him, where the Knave was dismounting Malloran.
"Thank you, my Lord," Stayne replied in a flat voice.
"Now don't you forget your…assignment."
"Of course not, my Lord." Stayne drew his sword, glaring at Alice.
The Ace raised his spear.
"I'd bet that you're the one thing holding your army in our world," he said. Then he charged.
Just before the spear impaled the Lord's throat, Aldric drew his sword—except now it wasn't a sword, but a metal rod with pointed ends that crackled with electricity—and rammed it into the cardsman's chest.
The Ace fell to his knees, dropping his spear as he brought both hands over the hole over his heart.
"Attack," the Lord of Between calmly ordered.
We're doomed, Alice thought as she watched the circle of Betweenling start to close in. This will be a massacre.
Suddenly, she heard the Bandersnatch's familiar roar, and the area began to fill with the rest of the two Underland armies, lead by Chessur and—
"Cotie!" Bayard exclaimed. She paused a moment to smile at him, then lunged at a Betweenling wolf.
"What's up?" Chessur said to Tarrant, but he was ignored.
"Bayard," Tarrant urgently said. "Where's Mally?"
"This way."
Bloodhound, man, and Cheshire Cat all hurried through the trees and the nonexistent rock. Luckily, Bayard remembered which hallway to go down and they reached the window quickly.
Mallymkun was in an even worse state than before. What wasn't bloody was bruised, and her clothes were little more than rags stuck to her body by the blood. Her breathing was too shallow to be detectable.
Hatter took one look and rammed his fist through the glass with incredible adrenal strength. The window shattered, the shards cutting his hand, but he didn't seem to feel it. He picked her up gently and held her up to his face.
"Is she—?" Chessur's question was cut off by a sharp look from Bayard.
"Mally?" Tarrant whispered. For a few horrible moments, there was nothing. Then the Dormouse stirred slightly.
"…Tarrant…" Her voice was barely audible.
"I'm here, Mally, I'm here."
"…knew you…here first…"
"I'll always come for you." Tarrant's voice cracked. "Oh, Mally…"
"Tarrant…love you…remember…"
"Why would I need to remember? You're going to be all right. We're going to go home now, together."
Mallymkun's voice came out in a sigh, with one final word on it.
"…Fairfarren…"
The Dormouse neither moved nor breathed anymore.
"Mally!" Tarrant cried. "Mally!"
There was no answer. And all three present knew that there would never be an answer.
Aboveground, the battle raged. The Bandersnatch was sparring with Malloran. The Rook struggled to protect the wounded Ace. Alice found herself dueling for her life against Stayne.
But none of this registered in Tarrant's mind as he slowly lowered Mallymkun's body to the floor, staring down at it with blank, golden eyes.
No—Dead—Mally—Gone—Never—Gone—Too late—Again—Again—Mally—Dead!—
"Tarrant?" Chessur placed a paw on the man's shoulder, only to have it shoved off.
"ALDRIC!" the Hatter yelled, turning and racing back up the passageway, Bayard in quick pursuit. Chessur went to follow them, but stopped to wrap the Dormouse's corpse in a piece of blue silk to carry her respectfully to the surface.