ALiCE in WoNDeRLaND
-29-
Zione looked terrified. "No way. The mark of one of her thugs, on Caol? Never. He wouldn't sell out, or sell us, for that matter."
"Maybe it wasn't voluntary," Miyka'el imagined. "Think about it. What could possibly happen to make Fiore run away like that, with Caol left totally clueless? Those two practically share the same brain. But if the army came, captured Caol, put a mark on him, and Fiore got away..."
"That would explain why he hasn't contacted us. He knows that Caol has access to all our communication devices," Aurick realized.
"It would explain Caol's mood swings, if some one was controlling him from the castle," Zale realized.
Nam stared at the ground. "How'd they know where to find them?"
I lifted my head from my hands. "What?"
"The guys live in the Forest, remember? You can't go two feet in there without losing your mind, not to mention your memory," Nam said with a shrug.
My eyes grew wide as images of the forest with no name flew through my mind. "The forest."
Nam went on, assuming the amnesia was still in effect for that section of my memory. "You know, you go in, you lose your memory until you come out again. Makes it near impossible to find anything in there, right?"
"Well, I suppose you could make a map or something, but I would assume you'd forget about that too, while you wandered," Zione rambled on.
I reached for Nam's shirt, violently pulling at it and bringing him closer. "Hey!" he protested as I dug into his shirt pockets and pulled out the map that Caol had thrown at him. "Hey, the map," he said, just now remembering he had had it in his possession.
I stared at it. "Why'd he give this to us, if he was trying to stop us?"
"Trying to get us lost?" Miyka'el guessed.
Nam stared at it. "It looks accurate to me, but then again, I haven't seen a map of WoNDeRLaND in a long time."
Zale jumped. "WoNDeRLaND? Not here?" He moved over to look at it.
I looked at the map, staring at the unnamed forest, ignoring the rest. In the center sat Caol and Fiore's place, marked with a bright red 'X.'
"What's that for?" Zione asked. I hadn't realized he was looking at it. Aurick, as well.
"I don't understand," I admitted angrily. "Who made this?"
Miyka'el was the last one to join us. "That's..." He paused. "That's from another one of our associates."
"Did they make it for Caol, or was this something they sold to the enemy?" I asked.
Miyka'el was suddenly angry. "Our associates don't sell out."
"No, they just try to kill us, right?" I replied sweetly.
Miyka'el grumbled, knowing I was right. "The point is, this was made by one of ours. Why Caol had it, and why he gave it to Nam, I don't know."
I paused. "I say we ask the associate."
Zione made a face. He knew Miyka'el wouldn't be happy with that idea.
"I don't think so," Miyka'el began.
"You have a better idea?" I asked. No one responded.
I stared at the map. Everyone's name was on it, and some others that I didn't recognize. I assumed those were other associates. I saw the Queen's castle, the King's castle, their new separate kingdoms, and the other various landmarks in between, until you reached the desert, of course. That was the reason a lot of people didn't chance the forest. If you got lost in the desert, you were a goner, even more so than if you got lost in the forest.
Somehow I figured the forest had something to do with my recurrent amnesia. True, they said that the amnesia was supposed to wear off when you left the forest, but maybe something went wrong. You never know. What I was doing in that forest, I didn't know, and if the guys knew, they weren't in the mood to talk about it right then.
We had to see the associate. I just hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of Caol's total breakdown.
* * *
-29-
Zione looked terrified. "No way. The mark of one of her thugs, on Caol? Never. He wouldn't sell out, or sell us, for that matter."
"Maybe it wasn't voluntary," Miyka'el imagined. "Think about it. What could possibly happen to make Fiore run away like that, with Caol left totally clueless? Those two practically share the same brain. But if the army came, captured Caol, put a mark on him, and Fiore got away..."
"That would explain why he hasn't contacted us. He knows that Caol has access to all our communication devices," Aurick realized.
"It would explain Caol's mood swings, if some one was controlling him from the castle," Zale realized.
Nam stared at the ground. "How'd they know where to find them?"
I lifted my head from my hands. "What?"
"The guys live in the Forest, remember? You can't go two feet in there without losing your mind, not to mention your memory," Nam said with a shrug.
My eyes grew wide as images of the forest with no name flew through my mind. "The forest."
Nam went on, assuming the amnesia was still in effect for that section of my memory. "You know, you go in, you lose your memory until you come out again. Makes it near impossible to find anything in there, right?"
"Well, I suppose you could make a map or something, but I would assume you'd forget about that too, while you wandered," Zione rambled on.
I reached for Nam's shirt, violently pulling at it and bringing him closer. "Hey!" he protested as I dug into his shirt pockets and pulled out the map that Caol had thrown at him. "Hey, the map," he said, just now remembering he had had it in his possession.
I stared at it. "Why'd he give this to us, if he was trying to stop us?"
"Trying to get us lost?" Miyka'el guessed.
Nam stared at it. "It looks accurate to me, but then again, I haven't seen a map of WoNDeRLaND in a long time."
Zale jumped. "WoNDeRLaND? Not here?" He moved over to look at it.
I looked at the map, staring at the unnamed forest, ignoring the rest. In the center sat Caol and Fiore's place, marked with a bright red 'X.'
"What's that for?" Zione asked. I hadn't realized he was looking at it. Aurick, as well.
"I don't understand," I admitted angrily. "Who made this?"
Miyka'el was the last one to join us. "That's..." He paused. "That's from another one of our associates."
"Did they make it for Caol, or was this something they sold to the enemy?" I asked.
Miyka'el was suddenly angry. "Our associates don't sell out."
"No, they just try to kill us, right?" I replied sweetly.
Miyka'el grumbled, knowing I was right. "The point is, this was made by one of ours. Why Caol had it, and why he gave it to Nam, I don't know."
I paused. "I say we ask the associate."
Zione made a face. He knew Miyka'el wouldn't be happy with that idea.
"I don't think so," Miyka'el began.
"You have a better idea?" I asked. No one responded.
I stared at the map. Everyone's name was on it, and some others that I didn't recognize. I assumed those were other associates. I saw the Queen's castle, the King's castle, their new separate kingdoms, and the other various landmarks in between, until you reached the desert, of course. That was the reason a lot of people didn't chance the forest. If you got lost in the desert, you were a goner, even more so than if you got lost in the forest.
Somehow I figured the forest had something to do with my recurrent amnesia. True, they said that the amnesia was supposed to wear off when you left the forest, but maybe something went wrong. You never know. What I was doing in that forest, I didn't know, and if the guys knew, they weren't in the mood to talk about it right then.
We had to see the associate. I just hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of Caol's total breakdown.
* * *