Chapter Fifteen - A Bid for Freedom
Hatter and Alice followed after Bill as he slipped out of their suite and into the corridor. Hatter was surprised to find two bodies strewn out on the stone floor at odd angles, the king's guards unconscious and bloodied. "Did you-?"
"Had to get passed them somehow," Bill said with a shrug. "When I heard you scream-" He paused, shook his head, and rubbed the back of his wrist beneath his nose to wipe away the drying blood. "Grab their weapons while I unlock these doors." As he headed for the door to the room where Charlie was detained, Hatter and Alice stole the guns from the guards' holsters.
"Just-Alice, Harbinger," Charlie said loudly when the door to his room opened. He clanked out into the corridor, his eyes wide with worry. "Are you well? I heard-"
"We're fine, Charlie," Hatter assured him, although he was feeling far less than fine at the moment. His head was throbbing painfully, like his skull was being compressed in a vice, and he kept seeing sparks behind his eyes. It was worse than even the Tea hangover he'd had after overdosing on Exhilaration as a teen.
"What's going on?" Rory asked when the Lizard had let him out of his room.
"We're getting out of here," Alice responded. She handed her gun to Rory, who took it with a grateful nod, and then they turned to Bill expectantly.
"Follow me," Bill said and he took off down the corridor. The other four hurried behind him, all of them moving quietly except for Charlie, who Hatter was quite sure was incapable of being quiet. They made their way through a series of halls until Bill signalled for them to stop.
"If you stand a chance of getting out of here, you'll need a distraction," he whispered. "This hall is closest to the stables. Wait here and take out anyone who spots you. Silently, if you can. I'm going to cause a distraction. At the signal, go through those doors, get horses, and get out of here. I'll meet you if I can but don't wait."
"What's the signal?" Rory asked.
A mischievous grin flashed across Bill's face, one that looked alarmingly familiar to Hatter. "Trust me, you'll know it when you hear," he said. With that, he turned on his heel and sprinted down the corridor.
"I don' like this," Hatter hissed to Alice when Bill had disappeared around the corner. "Could be a trap."
"We can't be any worse off than we were before," Alice pointed out. "It's the best chance we've got." Hatter grumbled resignedly and didn't argue the point any further. The four of them huddled close together in an alcove on the side of the corridor, ears peeled for the sound of anyone approaching.
Hatter tensed when the steady rhythm of footsteps reached his ears. Rory cocked his gun but Hatter put a hand on it, shaking his head. He waited expectantly until the steps were just outside the alcove and then stepped out. There was a fraction of a second where surprise flashed over the lone guard's face before Hatter punched him hard in the chest, sending him sprawling. The guard's head cracked against the wall and he slumped into an unconscious heap on the floor.
"Help me move 'im," Hatter whispered and Rory jumped out. They both grabbed one of the man's arms and dragged him across the hall into the opposite alcove, tucking him back against the wall. Hatter grabbed the man's gun and they ducked back into the niche with the others.
Hatter had just passed the new gun to Alice when a sudden, grating screech shook through the walls. It sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard but a hundred times louder, until it vibrated in their very bones. All of them covered their ears in alarm as it reached a staggering pitch and then finally tapered off. Through the ringing in his ears, Hatter could hear the distant pounding of feet and shouts and gunshots.
"I think that's our signal," Hatter said.
"What was that noise?" Alice asked as they ran for the door the Lizard had pointed out, Hatter's arm once more slung over her shoulders.
"Great bear-beast of the Hyperion," Charlie declared loudly.
"Bandersnatch," Hatter translated. "Meaner 'an a Jabber with a grudge."
They burst through the doors to the stables and found the room practically deserted save a handful of servants who were tending the frantic horses. Hatter, Alice, and Rory raised their guns while Charlie hefted his sword over his head. "Just let us take some 'orses and we won't be no trouble," Hatter said. "If you wanna take this chance to rabbit as well, be our guest."
The servants all stepped back, holding their hands up in surrender. Hatter nodded to the others, who immediately set about gathering up gear and strapping it to the horses while he kept his gun trained on the pack of servants. They had just finished when the door to the stables burst open and three guns immediately sighted on the newcomer.
"Easy there," Bill said, holding up his hands. He was panting and red in the face, his hair and clothes dishevelled. "It's just me. Hurry, there're men coming."
Hatter tucked his gun away and heaved himself up onto a horse, pulling Alice up behind him. The others all mounted their own horses and then Bill pressed a lever that hauled the enormous front doors open. He jumped bareback onto a mare and then charged out the door with the others on his tail.
The brilliant afternoon sunlight was staggering after being trapped in the underground castle for hours. Hatter squinted his eyes, pulling his hat lower on his head to shield him from the piercing light. "Mountains," Alice shouted to the group over the rush of wind. "We need to head for mountains."
"This way," Bill yelled and craned his horse around to the left, toward the setting sun. As the others turned to follow, Hatter looked back at the opening to the castle. Dozens of rider-less horses were running loose, along with a few lone figures on horseback, but they were all headed for the distant forest. Servants taking the chance on freedom, he reckoned. Either way, it seemed that whatever Bill had done had bought them the time they needed. No one was following them.
Hatter glanced sideways at the older man riding on his right. He had aged but there was no denying that he was the same man who populated some of Hatter's earliest memories. Bill Lagorio, his father. Hatter's mind was still reeling with the knowledge that his da was there, alive and well. All this time he'd thought his father was dead. His mother had never led him to believe anything otherwise, and he had to wonder if she'd even known herself.
Now he knew why. His father hadn't been dead, he'd been working for the queen. A Chemist, just like Alice's da, making Teas and meddling with people's minds. With his mind. Hatter's right hand clenched and he had to force himself to relax; he wasn't fond of Chemists, for good reason in his humble opinion. Then, somehow, Bill had gone from that to working for the Lion.
In all honesty, Hatter preferred the story he'd made up as a child: the one where his father had died valiantly saving Rebellion folks from the queen, going out in a blaze of glory.
Bill looked over at him and Hatter hastily turned his focus forward again. There was nothing but miles of tall grass and low, swooping hills ahead of them. Far off in the distance was the greyish blur that must be the mountains against the horizon. Somewhere, in there, was Time.
The flash that had come to him had been crushing and painful, a rush of images that spiralled through his mind so quickly he hadn't been able to fully comprehend any of them. It had been impressions and colours and feelings, things that he knew wouldn't make proper sense before they actually reached that point. Until then, they were relying on whatever instructions the Cheshire cat had given to Alice.
All he knew was that they needed to find Time before either of those White sociopaths got their hands on him.
They rode several hours into the night, just to make sure they had greatly outstretched anyone who might have decided to follow them. The stabbing pain in Hatter's head had reached a near crippling pitch by the time they finally stopped in a little clearing where a jagged, misshapen spear of rock had broken up through the ground. None of them would risk a fire, so they tied the horses' leads to the craggy stone and settled down in a cluster.
When they were all seated, Bill cleared his throat. "David-"
"It's Hatter," he snapped. Before Alice's world, it had only ever been his parents that called him David. He was having a hard enough time dealing with the entire situation, he couldn't take hearing his childhood name in that voice again. "Just – my name is Hatter now."
Bill's expression remained impassive and he nodded. "Right. Hatter, are you alright? You're pale."
"Me head hurts a mite, tha's all," Hatter said, pressing the heel of his hand into his forehead. Alice took him by the shoulders and made him lie back, his head in her lap. She placed two fingers on either of his temples and began rubbing slow, steady circles into his skin. Hatter melted into her touch, his eyes fluttering shut as it gradually released the pressure throbbing inside of his skull.
"That'll be the secret," Bill said, his voice low and tense. "Decades of being repressed and now it's finally out. Your head will hurt for a while."
"Got any good news for me?" Hatter asked sarcastically.
"Not particularly," Bill replied, equally sardonic. Hatter couldn't stop the reflexive twitch of his lips at the comment.
"Please excuse my lack of proper etiquette," Charlie cut in suddenly, "but who, exactly, are you?"
"Bill Lagorio," the Lizard said. "I'm the Hatter's father."
"Harbinger?" Charlie asked, his metal armour clinking as he turned to face him. It was clear he wouldn't accept the other man's word until Hatter had confirmed it, and Hatter warmed slightly at the knight's loyalty.
"S'a long story, Charlie," he said simply, not wanting to leave the comfort of Alice's soothing fingertips just yet.
Charlie seemed to accept the answer because he turned back to Bill and puffed himself up proudly. "Charles Eustace Fotheringale Malfoy, the third," he introduced himself. "White Knight and guardian of the curtsy, and envoy for the King of Hearts."
"A White knight working for the Red King," Bill observed shrewdly. "The world really has gone turny, hasn't it?"
Charlie sputtered, preparing to work himself up into an indignant rage, but Rory jumped in quickly. "Sir Charles doesn't work for the king," he said. "He's a personal friend of the king who occasionally lends his considerable talents to the king's cause."
"Precisely," Charlie huffed proudly.
"My apologies," Bill said, only slightly condescending. "And you are?"
"Rory Capricorn, ranked soldier to the King," the Suit responded. "Great, so now that we're all introduced, does anyone want to tell me where exactly are we going? The kingdom is back that way."
"We're not going to the kingdom," Hatter said. He grudgingly brushed aside Alice's hands and sat up to face everyone. "You and Charlie are, though."
"Like hell we are," Rory said while Charlie puffed himself up indignantly.
"I mean it," Hatter said. "I have something I need to do, something that only I can do."
"What is that?" Charlie asked curiously.
"I 'ave to find Time," Hatter explained. "I am the only one who knows how to find 'im. The Whites are lookin' for him, and if they find him first we're all in trouble. With his power, those psychos could take over all o' Wonderland." Hatter described everything that had happened since they had been taken captive by the Lion. When he had finished, everyone was watching him silently.
Hatter continued, "I can't ask you to come 'long for this part. You've all risked enough comin' to fin' me."
"I didn't hear you asking," Rory said with an indifferent shrug. "Doesn't mean we don't offer."
Charlie nodded solemnly. "It would seem that for this quest, you are the paladin and I, the harbinger. Where you lead, I will follow."
Hatter glanced between them, looking ready to argue, but Rory spoke over him. "You can send us off as many times as you want, but we're still going to follow you. You might as well just give it up now."
Hatter's gaze turned to Bill and the older man shook his head. "You can forget that idea right now," he said. "I only just got you back in my life, Dav- Hatter, I'm not about to watch you walk right back out of it."
"Hardly a time for family bondin', doncha think?" Hatter said dryly.
"I'm not leaving," said Bill, firmly. "Besides, you need me. I'm the one who knows about the family secret and that thing in your mind. You'll need my help if you want to understand what's going on."
"He's right," Alice said, a gentle hand landing on his spine. Hatter glanced back at her and she lowered her voice. "I know how hard this is for you, Hatter, trust me. But you said this secret did bad things to your mom, and if that's going to start happening to you…"
"Hey," Hatter said when he noticed that her eyes had gone particularly bright. He reached out and cupped her cheek. "It'll be okay, love. We'll figure this out." Hatter turned back to the others and his eyes met Bill's only briefly. "Fine. Fine, I give up."
"You should all get some rest," Bill said. "I can take first watch."
"We'll leave at first light," Hatter said by way of agreement.
Bill relocated to the boulder while the rest made themselves as comfortable as they could on the hard ground. Hatter curled himself around Alice, hugging her against his chest to reassure himself that she was still there. It seemed she felt the same need, tangling her legs with his and threading her fingers through the hand that rested on her abdomen. Hatter let out a shaky breath that ruffled her hair and then closed his eyes.
Tomorrow began a whole new adventure.
End Part One: The Hunt for Hatter
