She started down the first one she found, staring at the grass that had seemed like trees to her just a little while ago, and kicked at the pebbles that she'd had to either climb over or go around. As she progressed, the air grew steadily warmer until she finally came alongside a river of lava. The pungent smell surrounded her, and her eyes were completely watered after only a few minutes. After a about a mile of the seemingly endless river, she took to tossing a rock in every twenty steps, just to pass the time. It was rather a shock when the river sent a fireball back at her the third time, and she dived to avoid it. Slowly she backed up, watching the spot warily.
BAM! A huge fist shot towards her, narrowly missing and pummelling a huge boulder behind her. instead. Faith jumped back and grabbed the ice wand, ready for whatever would come next. The lava man rose from the magma slowly, and again sent a flying fist at her. She dodged again and leapt onto what remained of the boulder, using chunks of rock left over from the hole its fist had made. She fired a few blasts from the ice wand and jumped down when it spit a huge glob of lava at her. She heard a hissing sound and turned in time to see the boulder melting. Once again it punched at her, but this time its fist was slower and much more solid. She realised that it was slowly cooling and hardening. Well, she'd have to help it a little.
When its fist came at her again she fired the wand at it, and again dodged the incoming blow, ducking under the fist as it returned. It bellowed in frustration and spit at her again as she started firing. BOOM, BOOM. The icy jets ripped through the magma man's shoulder, making small ripples that penetrated deep and rapidly spread, coating the entire area in a thick layer of ice.
It tried to howl in fury and pain, but by then it had solidified to the point where it could not move its mouth. She froze it once again, and this time it did not retaliate. She sighed in relief and continued on her way. This time, she did not throw any rocks into the stream.
Eventually she reached a large, open area. The stream spiralled and twisted with the land, the end point being a huge rock formation that jutted out imposingly from the rocky bar that led to it. Several tiny red men ran along the path, but they couldn't reach her - the river separated them from her. Down a path to her right, there was a rusty iron gate, and she had no clue as to the destination. A small tributary of lava caught her eye, and she followed it with her gaze until she was facing the way she had come. Just beside her path was a huge brick archway, adorned with small, twisted iron spires. A huge blackened gate separated her from whatever was inside.
Turning, she noticed a few wooden signs, and approached. "Pale Realm!" one sign trumpeted loudly. "Fungiferous Flora!" bellowed the other.
"Shut up, both of you!" she yelled. They didn't stop, but lessened their cries somewhat. "Now, your road leads to the Pale Realm?"
"Where the White King and Queen rule!" the sign replied, blasting her back with the sheer force of its yell. "...But not for long!!"
"And you apparently lead somewhere I don't want to go," she surmised, ignoring the last part and bending down. Now that she was standing still, it occurred to her that her boots were uncomfortably wet, so she wanted to get them off her feet for a while.
"Now why wouldn't you?! Lush, green foliage, tall trees, unspoilt land!" That sounded rather like an embellished version of the place she had just left.
"No thanks, I'm perfectly happy going to the Pale Realm," she said, scooting towards the less tourist-y sign.
"You don't want to go where there's war!" it advised her. "You'll surely die!"
"No I won't," she returned. "Else I wouldn't have come this far."
"But doesn't a nice, peaceful day in the green woods sound much better?" the FF sign wheedled. "Instead of back to all the nasty fighting. It's a perfect place to rejuvenate!"
"Shut up!" she snapped. "The only rejuvenation in this land will come from the Red Queen's death!"
"Traitor!" it shrieked. She rolled her eyes.
"I've heard that more than enough," she muttered, but it made no difference. Both signs were shrieking loud enough to wake the dead, so she hurried past the sign that said "Pale Realm," and into the new land that she would enter.
"Traitor to the Queen of Hearts!" was the last echo that she heard before she stepped into a completely new, soundless realm.
And it was soundless, and stark as well. White and black chequers covered the ground, and she noticed a grey town in the distance. The sky, and the clouds were chequered as well. As she stepped before the board, walls shot up from the ground, surrounding her. Through the doorway nearest her, she saw some mad children playing double dutch, and stepped out for a moment to watch.
"Chess is a fun game except when You're playing for blood then your hands get all dirty Damn bunny won't save you from silence The noises they're making are coming much closer the Catch Rip Slash!"
They glanced at her, hardly pausing.
She stared at them, trying to make sense of what they were saying. The chant rang in her head, and it dawned on her that they were starting again, still with a fairly relaxed, slow beat. Two mad children in line began clapping to the chanter's beat.
"Chess is a fun game except when You're playing for blood then your hands get all dirty Damn bunny won't save you from silence The noises they're making are coming much closer the Catch Rip Slash!"
Had they started speeding up? Yes, she was sure of it. They were clapping harder and chanting louder, almost yelling.
"CHESS is a FUN game exCEPT when You're PLAYing for BLOOD then your HANDS get all DIRty Damn BUNny won't SAVE you from SILence The NOISes they're MAKing are COMing much CLOSer the CATCH RIP SLASH!"
Faster still, and louder, too. Perversely, everything around her and in her head started to slow and spin only them and their rhyme kept going faster and louder until it was in her head taking over her mind until all she could hear was CATCHRIPSLASH! she fell to her knees but still it pounded through her skull but it was still going faster and louder and louder and faster until
The children stopped. She looked up, and they were gone.
She shuddered and felt the hairs on her head stand up, as though an icy hand had grabbed the back of her neck from behind. She shook herself several times to get rid of the feeling, and stepped up to the doorway. One step inside. Two. She was completely inside now.
"She doesn't know," Cat said to Rabbit. They had just arrived, and could only sit outside the room and watch. And hope she'd survive.
"No, she doesn't," he agreed.
"There is nothing we can do?" Cat asked quietly.
"No." Rabbit shook his head. "We don't have the time. She is inside."
She looked around the room. There wasn't much there; just the chessboard pattern and the walls. She took another step, and abruptly a rhyme appeared at her feet on the floor.
This room is meant for friend and foe If you are friendly then you'll know The secret of this little room And hence, you shall avoid your doom.
She couldn't figure out what it meant. "If you are friendly then you'll know the secret, and won't die," it meant, she figured. What secret? Great. There was a trick to the room now. She read it again. Well, she had THOUGHT that she was a friend to the white pieces. It didn't seem to imbue her with some secret knowledge, though. And she still had the damned chant in her head. She started walking again, holding her boots to her chest, although she now felt distinctly uncomfortable.
"Chess is a fun game except when you're playing for blood."
Too true, she thought.
"Then your hands get all dirty."
Again, true.
"Damn bunny won't save you from silence."
What did that mean?
"The noises they're making are coming much closer."
The noises WHO made, though?
"The catch, rip, slash!"
Apparently nothing good. She puzzled over it. It was a riddle within the rhyme. But did it apply to the room? Or was it just something to needlessly distract her? Because if it was, it was very good at it. She reached midway, and abruptly stopped. Another rhyme had appeared at her feet.
The halfway mark can mean a lot But this means but a little You seem to know our tiny plot But forgive the lack of an acquittal
So even if they thought she was a friend, she was still in trouble. This is working out splendidly, she thought, grimacing. The first rhyme re-entered her head. Damn bunny won't save you from silence... silence... After another few feet, it dawned on her. Silence! Damn bunny won't save you from silence! Silence was the key; it had to be! But what about the next two lines? She shook her head and continued, now very relieved that she had taken off her boots beforehand.
Doom, doom, doom.
About ten feet to go... did she hear something?
No - just her imagination making trouble for her.
Doom, doom, doom.
There was no way that it could have been real... or something would happen, wouldn't it? Eight feet left.
"Steady!" Damn - it was real. Something was going to happen soon, she knew it.
"There she is!" No... six feet left... "King-side castle! Get her!"
Four feet left! She turned, saw a red rook coming quickly towards the room.
Only three feet!
The rook entered.
The sound of stone scraping stone and its malicious laughter played through the room, amplified by the close confines of the walls.
A moment of absolute silence, when the rook saw that it wasn't him that she was afraid of.
Sharp silver spikes shot out of the walls, and Faith lunged out the door with something between a strangled yell and a terrified shriek.
She felt a sharp breeze pass just millimetres behind her heel as she landed hard on the ground outside and shoved herself away from the doorway.
She turned back. Within the room, thousands of sharp, cold silver spikes protruded from the walls - coming from the floor, the ceiling, the walls. Through the maze of silver, she saw the castle, or what was left of him. The spikes withdrew almost as quickly as they had come out, and the castle collapsed. The floor absorbed the blood, leaving nothing but the body and cold black and white tiles inside. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood, turning from the cube.
Then she saw Cat and Rabbit. Rabbit had covered his eyes, and was fidgeting wildly. Cat appeared distinctly unsettled. "Wonderland's heroine was almost lost in there," he said quietly. "We did not warn you of this godforsaken room."
She shrugged. "I think I would've made it okay," she said, her voice breaking with nerves and her anger. "If the castle hadn't run in, anyway."
Rabbit pulled his paws away from his eyes when he heard her speak. Upon seeing her, he breathed a sigh louder and more emotional than hers had been. "You're all right!" he gasped. "We were too late to try and help you and we thought that you wouldn't make it and that we'd-"
"All right, Rabbit!" she said pointedly. "I'm fine."
He sank to the ground in relief. "Tired, Rabbit?" Cat asked. Rabbit glared at him, then returned his attention to Faith.
"Faith, you must find the Pale Royals, and you must hurry! The Queen's forces are gathering, and the Pale Realm may fall if you do not go quickly! The White King and Queen shall give you instructions when you reach them! Put your shoes on! Hurry!"
"I'm not to follow you this time?" she asked.
"No - I have things that I must do, regrettably. But if you are in need of assistance, call Cat! I must go!"
And he ran off.
"That was unusual," Cat said thoughtfully.
"You don't know what he's up to?" Faith asked, unbelieving.
"Oh, I do. But he usually puts you before his other duties." She felt very touched by this.
"And he hasn't died yet," she said, partially awed, but mostly relieved.
"No, he hasn't," Cat agreed. "Impressed?"
BAM! A huge fist shot towards her, narrowly missing and pummelling a huge boulder behind her. instead. Faith jumped back and grabbed the ice wand, ready for whatever would come next. The lava man rose from the magma slowly, and again sent a flying fist at her. She dodged again and leapt onto what remained of the boulder, using chunks of rock left over from the hole its fist had made. She fired a few blasts from the ice wand and jumped down when it spit a huge glob of lava at her. She heard a hissing sound and turned in time to see the boulder melting. Once again it punched at her, but this time its fist was slower and much more solid. She realised that it was slowly cooling and hardening. Well, she'd have to help it a little.
When its fist came at her again she fired the wand at it, and again dodged the incoming blow, ducking under the fist as it returned. It bellowed in frustration and spit at her again as she started firing. BOOM, BOOM. The icy jets ripped through the magma man's shoulder, making small ripples that penetrated deep and rapidly spread, coating the entire area in a thick layer of ice.
It tried to howl in fury and pain, but by then it had solidified to the point where it could not move its mouth. She froze it once again, and this time it did not retaliate. She sighed in relief and continued on her way. This time, she did not throw any rocks into the stream.
Eventually she reached a large, open area. The stream spiralled and twisted with the land, the end point being a huge rock formation that jutted out imposingly from the rocky bar that led to it. Several tiny red men ran along the path, but they couldn't reach her - the river separated them from her. Down a path to her right, there was a rusty iron gate, and she had no clue as to the destination. A small tributary of lava caught her eye, and she followed it with her gaze until she was facing the way she had come. Just beside her path was a huge brick archway, adorned with small, twisted iron spires. A huge blackened gate separated her from whatever was inside.
Turning, she noticed a few wooden signs, and approached. "Pale Realm!" one sign trumpeted loudly. "Fungiferous Flora!" bellowed the other.
"Shut up, both of you!" she yelled. They didn't stop, but lessened their cries somewhat. "Now, your road leads to the Pale Realm?"
"Where the White King and Queen rule!" the sign replied, blasting her back with the sheer force of its yell. "...But not for long!!"
"And you apparently lead somewhere I don't want to go," she surmised, ignoring the last part and bending down. Now that she was standing still, it occurred to her that her boots were uncomfortably wet, so she wanted to get them off her feet for a while.
"Now why wouldn't you?! Lush, green foliage, tall trees, unspoilt land!" That sounded rather like an embellished version of the place she had just left.
"No thanks, I'm perfectly happy going to the Pale Realm," she said, scooting towards the less tourist-y sign.
"You don't want to go where there's war!" it advised her. "You'll surely die!"
"No I won't," she returned. "Else I wouldn't have come this far."
"But doesn't a nice, peaceful day in the green woods sound much better?" the FF sign wheedled. "Instead of back to all the nasty fighting. It's a perfect place to rejuvenate!"
"Shut up!" she snapped. "The only rejuvenation in this land will come from the Red Queen's death!"
"Traitor!" it shrieked. She rolled her eyes.
"I've heard that more than enough," she muttered, but it made no difference. Both signs were shrieking loud enough to wake the dead, so she hurried past the sign that said "Pale Realm," and into the new land that she would enter.
"Traitor to the Queen of Hearts!" was the last echo that she heard before she stepped into a completely new, soundless realm.
And it was soundless, and stark as well. White and black chequers covered the ground, and she noticed a grey town in the distance. The sky, and the clouds were chequered as well. As she stepped before the board, walls shot up from the ground, surrounding her. Through the doorway nearest her, she saw some mad children playing double dutch, and stepped out for a moment to watch.
"Chess is a fun game except when You're playing for blood then your hands get all dirty Damn bunny won't save you from silence The noises they're making are coming much closer the Catch Rip Slash!"
They glanced at her, hardly pausing.
She stared at them, trying to make sense of what they were saying. The chant rang in her head, and it dawned on her that they were starting again, still with a fairly relaxed, slow beat. Two mad children in line began clapping to the chanter's beat.
"Chess is a fun game except when You're playing for blood then your hands get all dirty Damn bunny won't save you from silence The noises they're making are coming much closer the Catch Rip Slash!"
Had they started speeding up? Yes, she was sure of it. They were clapping harder and chanting louder, almost yelling.
"CHESS is a FUN game exCEPT when You're PLAYing for BLOOD then your HANDS get all DIRty Damn BUNny won't SAVE you from SILence The NOISes they're MAKing are COMing much CLOSer the CATCH RIP SLASH!"
Faster still, and louder, too. Perversely, everything around her and in her head started to slow and spin only them and their rhyme kept going faster and louder until it was in her head taking over her mind until all she could hear was CATCHRIPSLASH! she fell to her knees but still it pounded through her skull but it was still going faster and louder and louder and faster until
The children stopped. She looked up, and they were gone.
She shuddered and felt the hairs on her head stand up, as though an icy hand had grabbed the back of her neck from behind. She shook herself several times to get rid of the feeling, and stepped up to the doorway. One step inside. Two. She was completely inside now.
"She doesn't know," Cat said to Rabbit. They had just arrived, and could only sit outside the room and watch. And hope she'd survive.
"No, she doesn't," he agreed.
"There is nothing we can do?" Cat asked quietly.
"No." Rabbit shook his head. "We don't have the time. She is inside."
She looked around the room. There wasn't much there; just the chessboard pattern and the walls. She took another step, and abruptly a rhyme appeared at her feet on the floor.
This room is meant for friend and foe If you are friendly then you'll know The secret of this little room And hence, you shall avoid your doom.
She couldn't figure out what it meant. "If you are friendly then you'll know the secret, and won't die," it meant, she figured. What secret? Great. There was a trick to the room now. She read it again. Well, she had THOUGHT that she was a friend to the white pieces. It didn't seem to imbue her with some secret knowledge, though. And she still had the damned chant in her head. She started walking again, holding her boots to her chest, although she now felt distinctly uncomfortable.
"Chess is a fun game except when you're playing for blood."
Too true, she thought.
"Then your hands get all dirty."
Again, true.
"Damn bunny won't save you from silence."
What did that mean?
"The noises they're making are coming much closer."
The noises WHO made, though?
"The catch, rip, slash!"
Apparently nothing good. She puzzled over it. It was a riddle within the rhyme. But did it apply to the room? Or was it just something to needlessly distract her? Because if it was, it was very good at it. She reached midway, and abruptly stopped. Another rhyme had appeared at her feet.
The halfway mark can mean a lot But this means but a little You seem to know our tiny plot But forgive the lack of an acquittal
So even if they thought she was a friend, she was still in trouble. This is working out splendidly, she thought, grimacing. The first rhyme re-entered her head. Damn bunny won't save you from silence... silence... After another few feet, it dawned on her. Silence! Damn bunny won't save you from silence! Silence was the key; it had to be! But what about the next two lines? She shook her head and continued, now very relieved that she had taken off her boots beforehand.
Doom, doom, doom.
About ten feet to go... did she hear something?
No - just her imagination making trouble for her.
Doom, doom, doom.
There was no way that it could have been real... or something would happen, wouldn't it? Eight feet left.
"Steady!" Damn - it was real. Something was going to happen soon, she knew it.
"There she is!" No... six feet left... "King-side castle! Get her!"
Four feet left! She turned, saw a red rook coming quickly towards the room.
Only three feet!
The rook entered.
The sound of stone scraping stone and its malicious laughter played through the room, amplified by the close confines of the walls.
A moment of absolute silence, when the rook saw that it wasn't him that she was afraid of.
Sharp silver spikes shot out of the walls, and Faith lunged out the door with something between a strangled yell and a terrified shriek.
She felt a sharp breeze pass just millimetres behind her heel as she landed hard on the ground outside and shoved herself away from the doorway.
She turned back. Within the room, thousands of sharp, cold silver spikes protruded from the walls - coming from the floor, the ceiling, the walls. Through the maze of silver, she saw the castle, or what was left of him. The spikes withdrew almost as quickly as they had come out, and the castle collapsed. The floor absorbed the blood, leaving nothing but the body and cold black and white tiles inside. She breathed a sigh of relief and stood, turning from the cube.
Then she saw Cat and Rabbit. Rabbit had covered his eyes, and was fidgeting wildly. Cat appeared distinctly unsettled. "Wonderland's heroine was almost lost in there," he said quietly. "We did not warn you of this godforsaken room."
She shrugged. "I think I would've made it okay," she said, her voice breaking with nerves and her anger. "If the castle hadn't run in, anyway."
Rabbit pulled his paws away from his eyes when he heard her speak. Upon seeing her, he breathed a sigh louder and more emotional than hers had been. "You're all right!" he gasped. "We were too late to try and help you and we thought that you wouldn't make it and that we'd-"
"All right, Rabbit!" she said pointedly. "I'm fine."
He sank to the ground in relief. "Tired, Rabbit?" Cat asked. Rabbit glared at him, then returned his attention to Faith.
"Faith, you must find the Pale Royals, and you must hurry! The Queen's forces are gathering, and the Pale Realm may fall if you do not go quickly! The White King and Queen shall give you instructions when you reach them! Put your shoes on! Hurry!"
"I'm not to follow you this time?" she asked.
"No - I have things that I must do, regrettably. But if you are in need of assistance, call Cat! I must go!"
And he ran off.
"That was unusual," Cat said thoughtfully.
"You don't know what he's up to?" Faith asked, unbelieving.
"Oh, I do. But he usually puts you before his other duties." She felt very touched by this.
"And he hasn't died yet," she said, partially awed, but mostly relieved.
"No, he hasn't," Cat agreed. "Impressed?"