Okay, I'm the first to admit, this is shorter than I wanted. But the whole thing would have been ridiculously long. Bear with me folks, the next chapter will be out soon!
Chapter 25
Dodo stalked down the hallway of the city hospital, pulling a large dolly filled with books and papers in one hand and a few thick, singed books in the other. His black leather trench coat billowed behind him as he walked. Nurses and Suits stared as he passed, his black glare making most of them to think twice about speaking to him. The Librarian was not in a good mood. He'd brought all the materials that Caterpillar had ordered to their meeting with Prince--no, King Jack, and had received a huge shock in that he had to give them all to Hatter. Hatter! The worthless reprobate, the betrayer, the low-life scum peddler of that foul Tea, was to be given the precious, priceless artifacts of the Court Magician.
Of course, he'd brought such points to the attention of his leader and sovereign king. But they had brought up other points of their own. Hatter had been raised by Griffon, a good friend of Dodo's. Griffon was the brother and only surviving member of the family that had taken in the adopted child, Malkie Turrel. And Malkie Turrel had been the fiance of the Court Magician, and had born that man a son.
And both Caterpillar and King Jack knew that Dodo had known, all along, who Hatter's real father was, what his mother was, and what his true heiritage was. Dodo had swallowed nervously. Now with the situation with the Spade Kingdom, they couldn't afford to keep Hatter ignorant of his history any longer. Dodo had been ordered to take all of Haigha's effects to Hatter and inform him of everything. And also to research any sort of aids that Hatter might need to access his innate magical skill.
Dodo was a very unhappy bird.
Just what we need. A bloody Tea-seller with the power of the Old Magic at his fingertips, he thought sarcastically. And he's Mad to boot. Yes, this will surely turn out just fine. He stomped into the room and stopped dead still at what he saw there. The corners of his mouth twitched in suppressed laughter, and a sardonic grin twisted his face. "Well, well, well. What have we here?"
Hatter was sitting on Alice's bed, the Cheshire nowhere in sight. But the five flowers that had been in the vase, the ones that had got up and crawled away in the face of the Cheshire's wrath, were sitting with him. Literally, sitting by him, on him, and with him. They had no faces or mouths, only petals bending and flexing for expression, and their leaves served as hands and feet. A royal blue iris with gold accents sat at his side, almost a foot and a half tall with long, dagger-like leaves. A deep red and yellow tiger lily sat on his shoulder, its dark green leaves twining about in his hair to hold on. The most curious looking one, or rather, several, was surely the chain of violets that had twisted themselves into a humanoid form, barely a foot high. It sat shyly on his hat, peering over the brim to observe things going on.
Sir Charles was sitting off to the side of the bed, two white daisies making odd chirping sounds as they sat on his shoulders. He would nod occasionally and insert a completely random comment, as if he was actually having a proper conversation with the little things.
Hatter glared at the man as the little creatures kept climbing up and around him, the flowers hanging off him like ornaments on a tree. "Not a word about this to anyone, you bloody bird, or I swear I'll"--
A loud sound like a roar sounded from the tiger lily that startled both men, and Dodo suddenly had the feeling that all the flowers were staring at him. And they were hostile. Both of the daisies' white petals turned down as they turned to face Dodo, the tips suddenly much sharper-looking. The iris's leaves dragged along the bed sheet, leaving a jagged tear where it had cut through. The tiger lily looked perfectly capable of tearing out his throat as two of its petals turned down like fangs. And the violet-chain creature had picked up Hatter's pocket knife, wielding it like a sword as it stood on his hat. Hatter kept very still as all this happened, but a small smile stretched over his face since none of the things seemed to be looking at him.
"Now, now, Harbinger, there is no need to upset the little darlings," Charlie said mildly as he gently touched the long stems of the angry-looking daisies.
"Call off your little pets, Hatter," Dodo said, never taking his eyes from the flowers.
Hatter's smile turned to a grin. "You know, I asked about these little things the last time I saw the Cheshire. Turns out that it made a whole new set of creatures when it got angry, and these little bits are the results. It said that they like me. And I don't like your tone, and I really don't like you." The violet-chain shifted its grip on the knife. "You know, I think they might get violent if you don't get a bit more polite."
"Indeed," Charlie said jovially, perfectly oblivious to the tension around him. "They do so love to attack things that don't like them. Or ourselves, actually. Er, I mean, things that attack us, not that they would attack us, no, these little ones are quite sweet to us. Those harridan nurses and a few bothersome Suits found that out in a rather...interesting way." He lifted his dreamy gaze to the Librarian. "You don't mean any insult or harm to us, do you?"
"Of. Course. Not. My sincerest apologies," Dodo said through clenched teeth. "I did not mean to sound rude or abrupt when I came in. Your master and I have had disagreements in the past, but I'm certain that we can put them behind us so that we might work together in harmony. May I come in?"
The flowers paused as if considering his words and then turned to Hatter. Hatter stared hard at Dodo, judging his sincerity before he shrugged. "Sure. But lets be sure to keep the politeness going, eh? No guns or swinging fists, and we'll be fine, savvy?" The plants relaxed their stances, and the violet creature put the blade away as it sat back on Hatter's hat.
"Much better!" Charlie said, smiling as the little creatures resumed their chirping on his shoulders. "What? Oh but of course, I'll take you two little dear yachting with me! I know a river passage in the Forest of Waif with the most dazzling views, oh, you'll love them."
Hatter didn't even blink at the oddness of that statement, far too used to it by now. Dodo shook his head at the bizarre situation as he came into the room. "Perhaps it would be better if we kept this conversation private, the Librarian said. Certain things I must tell you are--sensitive."
Hatter frowned, but glanced over at the Knight. "That alright with you, Charlie?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, of course, of course. Come, my compatriots!" He scooped up the daisies carefully, walking out of the room. "To the cafeteria!! Onward, to pudding!!"
Both Hatter and Dodo stared after the man as the door closed behind him. "And this is the man that helped you break into the Hearts Casino?" Dodo asked in stunned disbelief.
"Trust me, the fact that we survived that still amazes me to this day," Hatter said, shaking his head.
"Well, now that he's gone, we can get down to business. I have here the effects of the late Court Magician, as the Cheshire requested." He handed the books and the handle to the nearly over-flowing cart to Hatter, along with the Magician's file from the Resistance's archives. "The books are his many writings about his studies of the Old Magics of Wonderland, from the Mushrooms of Change to the Jolly Door, and even an in depth study of the magics of the Kingdom of the Knights. The knowledge contained in these books is beyond any price. And now I have to give them to you," he muttered.
At an angry hiss from the iris, he adjusted his tone. "I believe I have discovered what purpose the Cheshire has in wanting you to have the Court Magician's books. In these tomes are the secrets of the Old Magics, and the notes on how he banished it from Wonderland."
Hatter looked up from the file he was perusing to cock an eyebrow at Dodo. "Come again? Banished the Old Magic? Now, I might not be some fancy Magician, but even I know that nobody's got the power to do that. No one could tame the Old Magic."
"I'm never wrong. And when was the last time you saw a bit of the Old Magic around Wonderland, hmm? There's a reason none of them work anymore. And you would be surprised at just how powerful Haigha was," Dodo said, a distant look on his face as he remembered the Magician. "He was a brilliant man, a genius without parallel. His skill was so great that even though his power could have torn down the City with barely a thought, he could make the most delicate glass ornaments that could move on their own that were only an inch high. His potential was incredible! People trembled just being in the same room as he! And the Queen manages to execute such a man because of a woman," Dodo spat.
"I was wondering about that," Hatter said, his tone clearly saying that he thought Dodo was exaggerating the Magician's power.
Dodo glared at the man. "Does the name Malkie Turrel ring any bells?"
Hatter's brown eyes immediately narrowed. "What does my mother have to do with this?"
"Haigha Hatter, the Court Magician, was engaged to the adopted sister of Griffon Turrel, Malkie," Dodo said. He held up a hand to stop Hatter before he could speak, "I have checked the records and the certificates of death. Everything is very clear on this point. Before Haigha was killed, he filed to have Griffon Turrel as the guardian and godfather of his unborn child with Malkie Turrel. Haigha had worked with Caterpillar to create the Resistance to oppose the Queen, and with the Magician on their side, they were assured of victory. But Malkie was captured and taken hostage by the Queen in her first trimester of pregnancy, six months after she was engaged to Haigha, and it is recorded in her medical files that she was dosed to poisonous levels with Forgetfulness."
"Poisoned? You mean she was overdosed, not still using Tea?" Hatter said in shock. So that's what was wrong with her for all these years. She was still trying to get over the overdose. It was notoriously difficult to not only survive overdose on Tea, but to even function afterwards. If Malkie had been overdosed, she was basically like a mentally handicapped person running with scissors. A danger to not only herself, but everyone around her. For the first time in years, Hatter wondered where she was, and if she was even still alive. And he wondered how his uncle could have let her just run off with someone else.
"It was considered a medical miracle that her child survived," Dodo said blandly, ignoring his questions. "But the attempted poisoning was enough to force Haigha to obey the Queen. He used all of his power to bind the Old Magics on her order, so that no one could use such power against her. She was so afraid of Magic that she ordered all children that showed any sign of the talent to be killed, with no exceptions."
Hatter flinched at the very idea. He'd heard of the practice when he was young, but had never known what the killings were for. To think it was for some reason like this, that no parent could ever predict or protect their child from, just made it worse.
"Haigha died from the efforts of the binding. And Malkie Turrel disappeared from her prison cell, child not yet born, with Griffon dropping off the radar and bringing her to the Great Library to hide. Griffon was certain that her child would have Magic, and had vowed to fulfil his promise to his deceased friend to protect his only son. And indeed, the child did manifest some small bit of magical power. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about."