Mara had no shelter, so she relied on her climbing skills to manoeuvre herself to a spot where she could see her attackers better. Nervously she drew out her cards and let them fly at the ants, who had not yet seen her.
It was a spectacular show. The cards attacked from every direction, and the ants couldn't find where they had come from. She took out her mallet, wedged the head inside a groove in the rocks, and pulled herself up to where she could take out her jack-in-the-box, wind it, and hurl it at them. It landed in their midst, cranking out its discordant tune. The ants drew around it, captivated. They didn't notice when the song ended, but they did notice the flames that suddenly engulfed them.
She hauled herself up, taking the mallet. But there was no need for it, as the flames had killed those that had survived.
Rabbit pulled himself up. "Good work," he said, and gestured for her to hurry. "We still have some distance to go, and very little time to do it in." She nodded, and followed.
"It's very cold," she said as they entered another tunnel. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure that there wasn't another marble to make her life miserable again.
"That's a good sign," he said, glancing around quickly. "We're on the right track."
They made their way through, and as they progressed it grew steadily colder. Soon, the damp dirt walls of the tunnel were coated with ice, and the two slipped and occasionally fell in a few icy patches that lay on the ground. Not long after, she was shivering through her sweater, and Rabbit's breath came out in rapid clouds.
Soon, the ground had turned completely to ice like a glacier's: pale blue and so cold it was steaming. Frozen in the ice were several ants, and a ladybug, long dried out, lay on its back on the ice, wings frozen over.
Mara's head felt heavy, and she picked up a strand of hair, confused. It was stiff with a thin layer of frost. She shook her head a few times, and icicles spilled out of her hair in tiny shards. Rabbit glared at her, and she stopped, a little discomfited.
"Rabbit?"
"What?" His tone was a little sharp.
"Never mind," she muttered.
"All right," he replied.
"Rabbit?"
"What?" Maybe a little sharper this time. She decided that it was probably the cold that was making him cranky, and pressed on.
"How much longer will we be in here?"
"What, have you a dentist appointment?" he asked mockingly.
"No, but you're certainly reminding me of his assistant right now."
He stopped and turned, glaring as he had never done before. "Come, you're wasting too much time, with all of your petty insults."
He took off at a run, and she followed, muttering that he'd started it. But still, running felt much more refreshing than walking.
They ran for a while, but Cat appeared in the middle of their path, and Rabbit stopped short. But Mara slid and crashed into him, and Rabbit went flying.
"This is vaguely familiar," Cat murmured, very close to her ear. She stopped, face burning with exertion and embarrassment.
"Both times were accidents," she whispered back. He raised an eyebrow. Rabbit hopped up to them, very disgruntled.
"Yes, Cheshire?"
"We need you at the council - he struck again. And Caterpillar and I think that he's not working alone."
"Again?!" Rabbit exclaimed, hopping back in his alarm. "How? When? Not alone?"
"While you were playing with the marble. The usual way. That will be explained."
Rabbit winced, and she decided that "the usual way" was not a good thing. But she would ask Caterpillar when she found him, however she managed that.
She had been lost in the ice caves for about an hour. When Rabbit had gone, he was in such a frustrated state that he had left her with no instructions, no guidance to find her way. So she had kept going straight, but she only found more dead bugs and a few degrees' drop in temperature. She thought of an old rule: "You don't know you're going the wrong way until you're about an half-hour's worth into it." She felt that way now, except this time she didn't even know what the right way was.
A small crack in the cavern wall caught her eye, and she stepped up to it. It was apparently part of a cave-in, and it led to an even bigger cavern than the one she was in. It was wide and deep and there was only a small, twisted bridge formation in the rocks. She hesitated, but quickly decided that anything was better than where she was already.
It took some manoeuvring, but she was soon on her back and sliding herself through the very small hole. Instead of rock though, her feet felt air, and she let herself slide only a little, until she could see where she was going. If she missed, it was a very long way down.
Slowly, she let herself down until she felt a small ledge underneath her feet. She slid down all the way, searching for the bridge. It was about a foot below, and it was a rather tough climb. She liked climbing up.. but climbing down, where she couldn't always see where she was going, worried her.
The bridge was narrow, crooked and slippery; she almost couldn't get her balance the first time she stepped on. She took it at a walk.
It ended abruptly, where it had apparently shattered. She stopped on a ledge perched in the middle of a long, dark chasm, and probably any drop over a foot and a half could kill her. The bottom of the chasm, however, was a VERY long way down. Mara craned her neck, looking for more of the bridge, finding the other side to be about ten feet away. Hopefully, she could make it. She closed her eyes and jumped.
She was slowed by a huge burst of cold air. Slowly, she opened one eye. Then the other. She was floating.
Cautiously she held out a hand, feeling for where the vent ended. When it didn't at a full arm's length, she edged herself forwards a little. Still a gust of air. She went farther forward.
Suddenly, inexplicably, the flow stopped, and she started falling, falling faster than she'd ever gone. She saw ground approaching, and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the final impact.
None came. Instead, a hole opened and air shot out in a gust of foggy air that smelled vaguely of sulphur. She was propelled upwards and grabbed onto an overhanging ledge, and stayed there for a moment, breathing deeply. Then the flow of air stopped, and she felt a strong pulling feeling, that was headed downwards, and she held on tightly, though she still felt her arms slipping.
When it stopped and blew air out again, it was accompanied by a long, low snore. She stared at it, and suddenly realised that she was staring at a huge mouth - huge even by normal standards. Intrigued, she edged her way around the wall to get a better view. It was a man's face, made entirely of stone, and he was sleeping. She got the feeling that he had not been awakened in years. "H-hello?" she called, voice cracking. Her voice echoed through the silent cavern, and she looked up in surprise as her voice came showering back on her, accompanied by a few drops of water.
"Hello?" she called, a little louder. There was more water when her voice bounced back. The face snorted several times as water trickled down all over him, but did not wake up. Getting impatient, she took out the jackbomb, cranked it, and threw it. It landed on his nose and promptly exploded. The face snorted awake. It suddenly occurred to Mara that not only was that a very painful way to wake someone up, she wasn't even sure if he was a friend.
"Who's there?" he boomed. This time the water fell from the ceiling in torrents, and Mara was almost immediately drenched. And extremely cold.
"My name is Fai-Mar-, no..."
"Well, if you don't know who you are, why don't you say so?"
She was a little taken aback by the question. "I don't know that, either," she admitted.
"So, you're the one that the earth has been whispering about. Three inches tall," he laughed. "That'll have the Queen in a fit."
"Are you one of them?" she asked, drawing out the mallet. He chuckled again, probably at her: tiny as a slug with a croquet mallet, she realised in some chagrin.
"No, I give information to those who survive long enough to meet me... sometimes I give aid."
"Why do I get wet whenever someone talks?" she asked. The cold water did nothing for her spirits or her temper.
"Merely sound bouncing off the ceiling. It's quite moist up there, so the water is loosened enough to fall. Quite the strange question for the champion's heir."
She was a little embarrassed by that. "Who are you?" she asked quickly.
"I am the lord of Ice and Rock. I haven't been awakened in over 200 years."
"I'm sorry," she apologised.
"No, do not regret that. Very few can awaken me. Thank you."
"You're welcome... why are you thanking me?"
"Now that I am awake, I can awaken the rocks." She was puzzled. He saw her blank stare and continued. "I can summon my army of stone, which will easily penetrate the Queen's forces - and her castle is made of stone. I can destroy it with a word, with her in it."
It was a tempting offer. She wavered between options. It could be so easy... "What happens after they've finished?"
"They live until I sleep again," he replied calmly. "And frankly, I am not feeling terribly tired now."
She thought. What if he awakened them, with her consent, and turned out to be on the Queen's side, with no intention whatsoever of destroying her? "Whose side are you on? Mine or the Queen's?"
"I do not support that witch," he thundered. "She poisons this land and kills my brothers and sisters. I cannot support one who does that."
And what if he turned out to be a worse tyrant than the Queen? What if he summoned his army, destroyed the Queen, and took power himself? She didn't fancy her chances against monsters made of ice or rock. 'Besides,' a voice in the back of her head chimed in, 'what about you? What will you have accomplished? You'll have accomplished nothing, you might even make yourself weaker than you were before.' Mara made her decision. "I'll send someone for you if I need help," she said. "The Cheshire Cat, perhaps."
"Don't be so quick to trust your friends," he warned. "Even the Cheshire Cat." She frowned, startled.
"Why not?"
"I cannot say, but it is a warning even in my bones." She felt her stomach twist into tiny knots.
"I can't ask you for your aid," she finally said. "I'm sorry, your offer is very tempting..."
"But?"
"I have to do this on my own. Before and after my home was destroyed, someone else fought my battles for me. I have to do this myself."
He smiled widely. "Good girl," he said. "You have grown."
She smiled wryly. "I guess that I should find out how to get out of here," she said, looking up at the mountain of very tall rock that she would have to climb. "Growing would help."
"I shall take care of transportation," he said simply. "And I have something for you - a gift that will prove quite useful, I am hoping." She cocked her head questioningly. "This has not been seen since the days of Alice. Use it well."
He opened his mouth, and something floated out. It was a wand, exquisitely in beautiful. The handle was silver, with delicately carved figures. It led to a collar and guard that was shaped like the body of a butterfly, with the wand part being the wings, folded up. The wand itself was made of three pointed spires of gleaming ice, and it fairly radiated power. She took it and stared at it, awed.
"My god," she whispered. "Is this real?"
"Of course it is," he said. "You're holding it now. Will you accept it?" Wordlessly she nodded. "Jump over my mouth and I will send you up to that high ledge. Agreed?" She nodded again. He inhaled deeply, and just as he exhaled, she jumped.
She shot up amazingly fast, and was at the high ledge in less than a few seconds. Carefully she put the wand away and took out her knife. She didn't want to risk firing the wand at something benign by accident. It didn't seem the type of gift to use against ladybugs, either.
Once she was at the top, she found herself on the other side of the chasm, and smiled with relief, but that soon melted away into a frown. She was now doubting Cat and Rabbit - and Caterpillar. But then, she'd never really trusted the smushy layabout to begin with. Could she trust anybody now? She shook off those thoughts and trotted over to another cavern, but this one was widely open and much warmer. She basked in the warmth for a moment, and headed to the edge of the tunnel. Just beside it was another jackbomb, which she took.
When she entered the tunnel, the last thing she expected to see was a bridge made of some unfortunate animal's spine. She curled her lip in disgust, but shook it off and started across. It buckled underneath her once, but she hurried and made it over all right. Once again, there was a deep chasm, but it was narrow so she jumped across, down onto a grassy area where mushrooms thrived, and a Caterpillar and a Cheshire Cat sat waiting.
It was a spectacular show. The cards attacked from every direction, and the ants couldn't find where they had come from. She took out her mallet, wedged the head inside a groove in the rocks, and pulled herself up to where she could take out her jack-in-the-box, wind it, and hurl it at them. It landed in their midst, cranking out its discordant tune. The ants drew around it, captivated. They didn't notice when the song ended, but they did notice the flames that suddenly engulfed them.
She hauled herself up, taking the mallet. But there was no need for it, as the flames had killed those that had survived.
Rabbit pulled himself up. "Good work," he said, and gestured for her to hurry. "We still have some distance to go, and very little time to do it in." She nodded, and followed.
"It's very cold," she said as they entered another tunnel. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure that there wasn't another marble to make her life miserable again.
"That's a good sign," he said, glancing around quickly. "We're on the right track."
They made their way through, and as they progressed it grew steadily colder. Soon, the damp dirt walls of the tunnel were coated with ice, and the two slipped and occasionally fell in a few icy patches that lay on the ground. Not long after, she was shivering through her sweater, and Rabbit's breath came out in rapid clouds.
Soon, the ground had turned completely to ice like a glacier's: pale blue and so cold it was steaming. Frozen in the ice were several ants, and a ladybug, long dried out, lay on its back on the ice, wings frozen over.
Mara's head felt heavy, and she picked up a strand of hair, confused. It was stiff with a thin layer of frost. She shook her head a few times, and icicles spilled out of her hair in tiny shards. Rabbit glared at her, and she stopped, a little discomfited.
"Rabbit?"
"What?" His tone was a little sharp.
"Never mind," she muttered.
"All right," he replied.
"Rabbit?"
"What?" Maybe a little sharper this time. She decided that it was probably the cold that was making him cranky, and pressed on.
"How much longer will we be in here?"
"What, have you a dentist appointment?" he asked mockingly.
"No, but you're certainly reminding me of his assistant right now."
He stopped and turned, glaring as he had never done before. "Come, you're wasting too much time, with all of your petty insults."
He took off at a run, and she followed, muttering that he'd started it. But still, running felt much more refreshing than walking.
They ran for a while, but Cat appeared in the middle of their path, and Rabbit stopped short. But Mara slid and crashed into him, and Rabbit went flying.
"This is vaguely familiar," Cat murmured, very close to her ear. She stopped, face burning with exertion and embarrassment.
"Both times were accidents," she whispered back. He raised an eyebrow. Rabbit hopped up to them, very disgruntled.
"Yes, Cheshire?"
"We need you at the council - he struck again. And Caterpillar and I think that he's not working alone."
"Again?!" Rabbit exclaimed, hopping back in his alarm. "How? When? Not alone?"
"While you were playing with the marble. The usual way. That will be explained."
Rabbit winced, and she decided that "the usual way" was not a good thing. But she would ask Caterpillar when she found him, however she managed that.
She had been lost in the ice caves for about an hour. When Rabbit had gone, he was in such a frustrated state that he had left her with no instructions, no guidance to find her way. So she had kept going straight, but she only found more dead bugs and a few degrees' drop in temperature. She thought of an old rule: "You don't know you're going the wrong way until you're about an half-hour's worth into it." She felt that way now, except this time she didn't even know what the right way was.
A small crack in the cavern wall caught her eye, and she stepped up to it. It was apparently part of a cave-in, and it led to an even bigger cavern than the one she was in. It was wide and deep and there was only a small, twisted bridge formation in the rocks. She hesitated, but quickly decided that anything was better than where she was already.
It took some manoeuvring, but she was soon on her back and sliding herself through the very small hole. Instead of rock though, her feet felt air, and she let herself slide only a little, until she could see where she was going. If she missed, it was a very long way down.
Slowly, she let herself down until she felt a small ledge underneath her feet. She slid down all the way, searching for the bridge. It was about a foot below, and it was a rather tough climb. She liked climbing up.. but climbing down, where she couldn't always see where she was going, worried her.
The bridge was narrow, crooked and slippery; she almost couldn't get her balance the first time she stepped on. She took it at a walk.
It ended abruptly, where it had apparently shattered. She stopped on a ledge perched in the middle of a long, dark chasm, and probably any drop over a foot and a half could kill her. The bottom of the chasm, however, was a VERY long way down. Mara craned her neck, looking for more of the bridge, finding the other side to be about ten feet away. Hopefully, she could make it. She closed her eyes and jumped.
She was slowed by a huge burst of cold air. Slowly, she opened one eye. Then the other. She was floating.
Cautiously she held out a hand, feeling for where the vent ended. When it didn't at a full arm's length, she edged herself forwards a little. Still a gust of air. She went farther forward.
Suddenly, inexplicably, the flow stopped, and she started falling, falling faster than she'd ever gone. She saw ground approaching, and closed her eyes tightly, waiting for the final impact.
None came. Instead, a hole opened and air shot out in a gust of foggy air that smelled vaguely of sulphur. She was propelled upwards and grabbed onto an overhanging ledge, and stayed there for a moment, breathing deeply. Then the flow of air stopped, and she felt a strong pulling feeling, that was headed downwards, and she held on tightly, though she still felt her arms slipping.
When it stopped and blew air out again, it was accompanied by a long, low snore. She stared at it, and suddenly realised that she was staring at a huge mouth - huge even by normal standards. Intrigued, she edged her way around the wall to get a better view. It was a man's face, made entirely of stone, and he was sleeping. She got the feeling that he had not been awakened in years. "H-hello?" she called, voice cracking. Her voice echoed through the silent cavern, and she looked up in surprise as her voice came showering back on her, accompanied by a few drops of water.
"Hello?" she called, a little louder. There was more water when her voice bounced back. The face snorted several times as water trickled down all over him, but did not wake up. Getting impatient, she took out the jackbomb, cranked it, and threw it. It landed on his nose and promptly exploded. The face snorted awake. It suddenly occurred to Mara that not only was that a very painful way to wake someone up, she wasn't even sure if he was a friend.
"Who's there?" he boomed. This time the water fell from the ceiling in torrents, and Mara was almost immediately drenched. And extremely cold.
"My name is Fai-Mar-, no..."
"Well, if you don't know who you are, why don't you say so?"
She was a little taken aback by the question. "I don't know that, either," she admitted.
"So, you're the one that the earth has been whispering about. Three inches tall," he laughed. "That'll have the Queen in a fit."
"Are you one of them?" she asked, drawing out the mallet. He chuckled again, probably at her: tiny as a slug with a croquet mallet, she realised in some chagrin.
"No, I give information to those who survive long enough to meet me... sometimes I give aid."
"Why do I get wet whenever someone talks?" she asked. The cold water did nothing for her spirits or her temper.
"Merely sound bouncing off the ceiling. It's quite moist up there, so the water is loosened enough to fall. Quite the strange question for the champion's heir."
She was a little embarrassed by that. "Who are you?" she asked quickly.
"I am the lord of Ice and Rock. I haven't been awakened in over 200 years."
"I'm sorry," she apologised.
"No, do not regret that. Very few can awaken me. Thank you."
"You're welcome... why are you thanking me?"
"Now that I am awake, I can awaken the rocks." She was puzzled. He saw her blank stare and continued. "I can summon my army of stone, which will easily penetrate the Queen's forces - and her castle is made of stone. I can destroy it with a word, with her in it."
It was a tempting offer. She wavered between options. It could be so easy... "What happens after they've finished?"
"They live until I sleep again," he replied calmly. "And frankly, I am not feeling terribly tired now."
She thought. What if he awakened them, with her consent, and turned out to be on the Queen's side, with no intention whatsoever of destroying her? "Whose side are you on? Mine or the Queen's?"
"I do not support that witch," he thundered. "She poisons this land and kills my brothers and sisters. I cannot support one who does that."
And what if he turned out to be a worse tyrant than the Queen? What if he summoned his army, destroyed the Queen, and took power himself? She didn't fancy her chances against monsters made of ice or rock. 'Besides,' a voice in the back of her head chimed in, 'what about you? What will you have accomplished? You'll have accomplished nothing, you might even make yourself weaker than you were before.' Mara made her decision. "I'll send someone for you if I need help," she said. "The Cheshire Cat, perhaps."
"Don't be so quick to trust your friends," he warned. "Even the Cheshire Cat." She frowned, startled.
"Why not?"
"I cannot say, but it is a warning even in my bones." She felt her stomach twist into tiny knots.
"I can't ask you for your aid," she finally said. "I'm sorry, your offer is very tempting..."
"But?"
"I have to do this on my own. Before and after my home was destroyed, someone else fought my battles for me. I have to do this myself."
He smiled widely. "Good girl," he said. "You have grown."
She smiled wryly. "I guess that I should find out how to get out of here," she said, looking up at the mountain of very tall rock that she would have to climb. "Growing would help."
"I shall take care of transportation," he said simply. "And I have something for you - a gift that will prove quite useful, I am hoping." She cocked her head questioningly. "This has not been seen since the days of Alice. Use it well."
He opened his mouth, and something floated out. It was a wand, exquisitely in beautiful. The handle was silver, with delicately carved figures. It led to a collar and guard that was shaped like the body of a butterfly, with the wand part being the wings, folded up. The wand itself was made of three pointed spires of gleaming ice, and it fairly radiated power. She took it and stared at it, awed.
"My god," she whispered. "Is this real?"
"Of course it is," he said. "You're holding it now. Will you accept it?" Wordlessly she nodded. "Jump over my mouth and I will send you up to that high ledge. Agreed?" She nodded again. He inhaled deeply, and just as he exhaled, she jumped.
She shot up amazingly fast, and was at the high ledge in less than a few seconds. Carefully she put the wand away and took out her knife. She didn't want to risk firing the wand at something benign by accident. It didn't seem the type of gift to use against ladybugs, either.
Once she was at the top, she found herself on the other side of the chasm, and smiled with relief, but that soon melted away into a frown. She was now doubting Cat and Rabbit - and Caterpillar. But then, she'd never really trusted the smushy layabout to begin with. Could she trust anybody now? She shook off those thoughts and trotted over to another cavern, but this one was widely open and much warmer. She basked in the warmth for a moment, and headed to the edge of the tunnel. Just beside it was another jackbomb, which she took.
When she entered the tunnel, the last thing she expected to see was a bridge made of some unfortunate animal's spine. She curled her lip in disgust, but shook it off and started across. It buckled underneath her once, but she hurried and made it over all right. Once again, there was a deep chasm, but it was narrow so she jumped across, down onto a grassy area where mushrooms thrived, and a Caterpillar and a Cheshire Cat sat waiting.