March crossed his arms sullenly as he stared out from behind the bars, "Well… both of us are bound to be beheaded… What do you think?"

Behind him, Matter was pulling his old breeches on, grimacing, "Great… they've gone and cleaned our clothes. They even scented them all flowery." As he buttoned them up, he pondered March's question then answered, "That we should have one last it of fun before we're supposed to die."

"What are you thinking?"

Hatter pulled on his shirt, "Well…" Glancing about, his eyes rested on a bowl of apples they had discarded to the corner, "Like apples?"

"Why do I have to do this?"

Tilting his head as he shined the apple up with the corner of his sleeve, Hatter shrugged, "Maybe because you swallow things whole a lot?"

March grumbled, gray whiskers trembling indignantly, "Promise not to let me die?"

Smiling, Hatter tossed the large apple up and down, "Yes, of course, March. Now… here." He threw the fruit to March.

March swallowed a gulp of air and stuffed the apple whole into his mouth. His cheeks bulged out for a moment as he struggled to swallow. And then… he started choking, the orb stuck in his throat.

Grinning, Hatter walked over to the cell door, stuck his hand through, and called, "Mister Jailer? Mister Jailer man? My partner's choking!"

Down the hall, the jailer leapt up and hurried down, taking a quick glance at Hatter and then staring at March hacking on the floor. Quickly, he slid the gate open and, jumping in, bent down next to the choking hare.

Hatter came up behind him and grabbed the jailer by the neck. Throwing his against the wall, he hissed as the man slid down unconscious. Somewhat satisfied, he turned to his partner and stomped down on his stomach.

March gave one last hacking cough and spat the apple out, clawing at his throat. Groaning as he sat up, he glared at Hatter, "Next time, you're eating the bliddy apple!"

Alice yawned, seated at a table where Cheshire, White Rabbit, Hubble, and the governors sat as well. They talked about things she didn't understand over seafood. Battered shrimps, baked fishes, some odd rice and mussel combination…

Alice wasn't going to touch it, instead munching on a pear.

Suddenly, all talk of ships and trading halted, and a new topic came up.

White Rabbit, chewing on a seaweed scrap, muttered, "So… what time's the execution?"

Alice gazed at him with surprise as Cheshire sighed, "Tomorrow at 12."

"What execution?" Pursing her lips, Alice set her pear down.

Chesapeake waved a hand in disdain, "Those two grubby assassins of the Jabberwocky are being executed tomorrow. Unanimously agreed by the twelve that they should be beheaded for their crimes."

"Beheaded?" Alice's eyes widened with horror.

Lyona nodded solemnly, "Terrible thing to do, but it must be done."

A knock at the door, and a red-face peered in, "Sirs?"

"Yes?"

The boy fidgeted, "Well, sirs… March and Hatter have gotten out of jail."

Standing up together, the governors sputtered, "What?"

"The prisoners have esc-"

Chesapeake threw her coat on quickly, eyes blazing. Snarling, she ran out the door, barking, "All cards in deck! All cards in deck!"

There was a pause, and then she peered furiously back in at the wilting boy, "You know where they are!"

The boy raised a finger, "March, sir. He's in the gardens."

Alice rose up, smiling, but Hubble whirled to her and ordered, " Alice, find your way back to your room and stay there!" He rushed out of the room with Chesapeake, Lyona, Cheshire, and White, leaving Alice

A bird wriggling helplessly down his throat, March smiled as he jotted down the newest entry in his notebook. Spitting a green feather from his mouth, he glanced at Hatter's golden watch. Hmm… fifteen minutes to eight. Late supper then. He reached beneath his armor and dug out a red pill he had reclaimed form the jailer, as well as his notebook and armor. Gulping it down, he sighed, satisfied.

He felt a presence besides him and smirked, "Hello, Cheshire."

Cheshire faded into view, his grin more of a grimace, "What are you doing?"

"Just having one last spree. All the birds are-" Leaping up, March snatched another avian from the cool air. Cramming it into his mouth, he mumbled through the mouthful, "'ootiful, isn ti?"

Cheshire cast a glance out at the rows of trees and flowers, noting also the guards running towards the arch they sat high upon, "Yes, it's pretty, but I think there's some other reason for this…"

"You're right." Nodding, March gazed longingly at another bird, flighting way above their heads. He glanced at the watch and shrugged, "Hatter wanted a bit of one last thrill before you go blasting his head off. Told me something. But I can't repeat it till ten to eight."

"Why?"

"He needs time." March licked his lips and glanced about, "Any other animals in this garden?"

"Not really."

Sighing, March leapt up to a nearby branch and scented the air, listening for any more tell-tale signs of birds. He crept along the branch to a knot hole and peered inside. A startled bird escaped past his ear, but March snapped around and his tongue wrapped round the bird before drawing it into jaws of death. Swallowing, he coughed and eyed the watch, "Two minutes doesn't matter."

A shout came up from below, " Cheshire? Is March up there?"

Cheshire ignored the call from Chesapeake and watched March silently, "Then tell me."

Crossing his arms, March hacked a ball of feathers up and out and muttered, "When Jabberwocky first appointed us, he named me the eater of animals. Thought it just a pretty name till he actually told us he wanted results."

"And…?"

March gazed at him, "If I am the eater of animals, than what is Hatter?" He scratched his chin in mock thought and then spat, "He was deemed the eater of people. And he told me that at eight, in eleven minutes, he will start devouring any young child he finds on the streets!"

Immediately, Cheshire stiffened, "He wouldn't!"

"Better hurry!"

Cheshire clawed at the stone and leapt down, landing heavily on his forepaws in front of the group of guards, the two governors, and the others. He barked, "Raise the alarm! Hatter is after the children!"

The guards scrambled off, voices rising to repeat Cheshire's instructions in loud, echoing shouts. Trembling, White glanced up at the shadowy figure of March peering down from above, "What about him?"

"Leave him be! He deserves a bit of freedom for telling us this!" Cheshire

Alice silently breezed down the street, looking right and left in the gray oncoming darkness. Overhead, a bright moon was just rising above the rise of the cliff, illuminating the streets of Imaginine with ghastly light.

She was lost. She didn't recognize any of this.

No one was on the street either, no one to ask for directions. Sighing, she jumped, startled as the clock tower in the center of town pealed out a bell, than another, till there had been eight rings in all. As the echo died down, Alice thought she could hear faint shouts, and she gazed across the cupola to where lights were etching themselves in the streets.

What was happening over there?
She shrugged and continued, trying to find some familiar sight. As she passed a dark alley, she heard something within, a low lisping sound.

She paused straining to hear.

Suddenly, a gauntleted hand whipped out of the pitch black darkness and pulled her in roughly. Hatter held her in an iron grip as she struggled, snarling, "Well, well! Fancy seeing you here!" He shoved her down and knelt on her chest to prevent her escape.

Writhing under his weight, Alice squeaked, "What are you doing?"

Hatter stroked her cheek, eye glowing brightly in the night. Muttering to himself, he drew out his switchblade, "He shan't have her. No… he can't…"

Alice stared at the knife, suddenly frozen in fear, "W-who?"

Gazing at her, Hatter shuddered weakly, "I can't let him have you… I can't…"

"Who?" Alice was scared.

Hatter had lost his mind.

Hatter started sobbing, "March told you of my princess! You know! How can you not?"

Blinking as a few tears bombed down to her shirt, Alice nodded softly, "He told me."

Hatter's hands closed around her throat, and he hit her head against the street as he snarled, "But did he tell you of the executions?"
Alice felt blood trickling down the back of her head and tears on her cheek, "N-no, n-not really."

Removing his fingers from her neck, Hatter fidgeted, his mind racing round and round like a causcaus race, "He didn't tell you, but my princess survived the Royal Executions. All the princes and princesses were kept so Jabberwock could squeeze their loyalty out to him. But…" he faltered, "B-but Lily… she opposed him…"

He took a deep trembling breath and continued, tears staining the cloth wrappings around his eyes, "The sixth day, they killed her. Hung her in the center of the capitol, left her there till the birds didn't even want her." He sobbed, "And then, he degraded her body even more. He cut her apart. Four pieces to each corner of the town and hung them like trophies…" He couldn't take it. Voice fading to a moan of anguish, he shivered atop Alice, shoulders shaking as he sobbed.

Alice cautiously tried to draw herself out from under him, but he jerked and slammed her down, snarling, "I stole her back! I buried her, gave her the honor she deserved! I endured lashings and beatings, but I never told cursed Jabberwock where she was!" He smiled triumphantly, but it slowly faded to a frown, "But then… you came back. I'd forgotten about you, but you… remind me so much of Lily, and now Jabberwock wants you too. I won't let him have you!" He flipped the blade out of his knife, "I can't!"

Squirming underneath his weight, Alice spat, "So you're going to kill me and call it 'justice'? Just so the man you work for can't kill me?"
"I call it 'mercy', Alice." Hatter's eye narrowed, "He would desecrate you past recognition after tearing your limbs off. I'll do it quick, and I'll be sure to hide your body where no one can find it!" Wolfishly grinning, he clipped his teeth together.

"You mean you're going to eat me, you monster!"

Hatter licked his metal chops, "Yes, it does… Now stay still." He lowered the knife to Alice's throat, eyes glittering.

"Hatter!"

Stiffening, Hatter turned towards the voice just as a heavy broadsword came swinging at his chest. A large clash rang out as it connected with his breastplate, and Hatter was flung off of Alice and against the wall.

Hartland stood like a great giant of rage over Alice, glaring as Hatter bounced up hissing, cheated of his prey. Holding his great sword at ready, Hartland tugged Alice up with a growl directed at Hatter, "I was going home to see my wife, not to save Alice from you!" He spat on the ground.

Hatter snarled, "She's mine!" But he hesitated to come closer, eyeing the sword fearfully. His small switchblade paled in comparison.

"Wanting your regular gutting knives?" Hartland smirked.

Trembling with anger, Hatter repeated, "She's mine…"

Hartland's smirk turned to a frown full of pity, "She's not a princess, Hatter."

"But Jabberwock will kill her…" Hatter's courage and confidence was fast diminishing at every desperate thought of his lost love.

Lowering his sword, Hartland sighed, "Does that give you any right to kill her yourself? That will make you as bad as Jabberwock!"

Hatter froze, eye wide and pupil slitting to a needle of black, and started crying hysterically, "N-n-no… no… I'm… not…" Without warning, he turned and fled, sprinting from the alley of his horrible twisted memories.

Hartland sheathed his sword and huffed, his brown eyes boring into Alice

They sat in silence, warming by the blaze in quiet thought. After a whole day of lying in wait, ready to ambush or greet, they always found this time calming and restful. But Hartland had drummed it into them not to talk unless needed. There was an audible sigh, and all glanced sharply at a three, who blushed under his helmet.

Silence was a way of normality for them.

A shuffle up the road caught their attention, and they gazed up to see a black cloaked figure of moderate height slowly walking through the dirt. In his hand was a large hunting bow with bladed tips. On his back, a quiver. A small lump at the waist under his cloak told of a sword.

The eight nodded to a four and six, twin brothers, and hand signaled, 'You two. Check him out.'

Nodding, the twins leapt up and placed themselves squarely in the road, hands on their swords.

The figure shuffled on till he was maybe three yards from the guards, then stopped, unseen eyes scanning the troops, "Good evening."

Smiling, the four released his sword, and his cracked voice, unused to speaking, whispered out, "May we ask who you are and what is you business, sir?"

The man was quiet as he reached up to push back his hood. A strong narrow face came out of the darkness, the left side entirely tattooed with blue and black swirling thorns. "I am the Jack of Diamonds. And I have come to retrieve my master's property."

Before the twins could react, the prince upped his bow and quickly loosed two bolts. At such close range, the arrows entered and exited the necks of the two, jerking them back, down, and dead.

The remaining Imagineers scrambled up, the three with bows stringing their weapons, but a grating voice from behind them stopped them in their tracks, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The eight peered back to see the Rat, another assassin of the Jabberwock's, crossing his great furred clawed arms behind them, in the center of black cards who held aimed tall longbows. Gulping and drawing no air into his suddenly dry mouth, the captain croaked, "Men, put your arms down."

The three glared at him, humiliated that their captain was surrendering, "But-"

"JUST PUT YOUR BLIDDY WEAPONS DOWN!"

A groan went through the trapped group and they sullenly dropped their weapons.

The Jack of Diamonds smiled grimly, lowering his bow, "What do you think, Rat?"
Whiskers quivering, the Rat solemnly muttered, "The main body's coming. We could send these back with a few of them."

"Ah yes… Jabberwock's always looking for more imagination…"

The rebels stiffened at that. Jabberwock was notorious for eating the very thoughts that kept you comfort, and it was reported that most of the disappearances in the capitol were victims of the tyrant.

Chesapeake leaned over a table moodily, clicking her fingers against the wood as she scanned a small map of the city. Growling, she swiped it away and cursed, "Darn it! Hatter just vanished!" She glanced at Alice and sneered, "You're lucky that Hatter decided to tell you a story, or else you'd be being digested right now!"

Lyona put a golden hand on her fellow governor's shoulder, "Don't scare her, Chesapeake."

"And why are we letting March stay free? I want him jailed!"

"He told us what Hatter was planning. Can't we just leave him to his little hunt in the Gardens? It's not like he's going after-"

A card stuck his head in and meekly reported, "March's not in the Gardens."

By the way she violently shivered, Chesapeake probably rated a nine out of ten on the angry annoyance scale, "Than go find him!"
As the one saluted and backed out, another card quickly ran in, face set in a grim mask, "Sir! Hatter's gotten one on the east side!"

The room fell silent, than Chesapeake cursed, slamming her fist against the table, "Curse it! What the blazes in Cheshire doing? Playing hopscotch?" She glared at the card, "Who's the victim?"

"We… think it was a small boy…"

"Think?" Lyona growled solemnly.

Paling at the memory, the card gulped, "There wasn't much left, sirs. Please understand."

The governors nodded sullenly and waved the card off. Sighing heavily, Chesapeake

Hatter crouched moodily amongst the stone gargoyles atop Imaginine's tall cathedral, glaring out over the rooftops, inspecting, searching…

His mind still roiled uncomfortably over the matter of Alice. Would he really be as bad as his cursed master if he spared her a long, painful death and gave her a quick, painless one?

Grumbling, he shifted and focused on his Jabberwock eye, changing it to crimson. He scanned the city, which was suddenly alight with moving heat sources. A cat there, a person here…

He sighed and gazed up at the sky, watching the moon silently. There were some people on the cliff face, which surprised him a bit, but still…

Princess Lily…

And Alice…

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he stood up and leapt down to the cobblestones below, curious about the people atop the cliff. There weren't any houses up there, would there?

But… to get there… he would have to cross the entire town once more…

He raced down the street, armor clinking, boots tromping, a low pant coming from his mouth. But the noise went unnoticed in a town in alarm for their children.

About ten minutes later, Hatter slowed, gasping for breath.

Water.

That's what he needed.

Glancing about, he saw no fountain or such to supply him with the liquid. A clank above his caused him to jerk his head up. A window shutter flew loose from its latch and cracked again against the building.

CLACK!

Hatter smiled. The window was open too.

Quietly, he scaled the wall with practiced ease, finding hand holds and foot rests on the way up. Upon reaching the window, he silently slid in, careful to make no noise.

He was in an empty bedroom. Grinning, he sneaked through a door and down the stairs to the ground floor, and then entered the kitchen.

He pounced upon a water jug on the table. Greedily, he began gulping it down, the liquid running down his metal mouth-visor in streams. Finishing the jug in a matter of seconds, he set it down, satisfied. Now… to head back for the cliffs…

A small cough behind him startled him, and he spun around to peer down on a young boy of six or seven, apparently left home by parents deeming he was safe as long as he stayed in house.

Hatter's surprise quickly vanished, and he stepped forward with a smile.

March sat on the edge of the dock, swinging his legs over the edge as he crunched down on a fish. Some stupid fishermen had left his catch, and March just found a great free meal in it.

Gulping down a mackerel happily, the Hare gazed up at the countless stars, remembering the good old days of nonsense, of horrible unreality. But it had been fun, and safe, not like today's listen-or-you'll-be-dead. He sighed and quickly swallowed another silvery sea fish. He wondered where Hatter was…

Good ole Hatter…

Probably munching away at some poor child.

Hearing footsteps behind, he glanced back and up at Hubble, "'Ello, come to join a lonely Hare?"

Hubble sat down next to him a sigh and sniffed as he eyed the fish, "The governors want you back in your cell."

"Why is it only you? Shouldn't there be more?"

"They're all looking for Hatter. He's killed one already, you know…"

March shrugged, biting into a fish too large for him to swallow, "You sure? Or have you only found the remains of one?"

"Remains."

"There's probably more somewhere." Finishing the big fish, March threw the fins into the water and clicked his metal teeth together, the regular teeth behind clipping together too, "So… you've come to take me back?"

Hubble nodded gently, "Yes."

Narrowing his eyes under his helmet, March roughly asked, "What makes you think I'll come with you?"

Hubble held up a small canteen and sloshed its contents, "Some pretty birdie told me someone likes tea."

March stared at the canteen, drooling suddenly. Tea? That sweet liquid he so loved but couldn't have? He snatched at it, but Hubble jerked it out of his reach. March growled like a wounded animal, "Give it here…"

"You'll come back to the cell with me?"
Nodding, March glared in lust at the canteen of tea. He pleaded, "Yes! Anything!"

Hubble handed it to him with a faint, victorious smile.

Immediately, March pulled off his helmet and mouth-guard, anxious to have this one small last treat with no annoying obstruction. He undid the cap and took a long, deep, soul-lifting breath with joy as the warm, earthy smell of the tea wafted up to his nose. Smile breaking out like a crescent of white, he slowly took a sip, not letting a drop of the liquid fall. It was too precious…

And rather minty to boot.

March nodded in satisfaction. Mint tea. One of his favorites. He began downing the tea in big gulps, ravenously hoping that it would never end.

It ended quickly, however, and March put the canteen down with a sob.

Hubble patted him on the back, "There's more for you back at the jail. Come on."

Hatter's stomach growled as he held up a small struggling girl by her ankle. Her squeaky protests faded unnoticed. Smirking, he opened his mouth to sneer, inadvertently letting drops of spit fall to the cobbled stones. As a new bout of struggling came on, he reached down with a free hand and tenderly gripped her neck, feeling the precious blood pump furiously under the pale skin. Grinning sickingly, he gently began to twist, watching the girl grasp helplessly at his gauntleted hand in vain.

He furiously snapped the bones, ending the child's torture.

Dropping the limp corpse, he spat. There. Seven children. What did that accomplish? Nothing.

He snapped his head up and glared at the cliff.

This was going to be tough to scale.

Slowly drawing his knife, bending over his victim, Hatter solemnly cut the girl's arm off at the shoulder. Just a light snack… That was all…

As he choked down the arm slowly, stuffing it whole down his throat, he couldn't help but think of Alice.

Swallowing, he gasped for air as the flesh cleared his air track.

No!

He couldn't think of his failures!

Just… put it all behind…

Alice lay in her bed, clutching a pillow against her chest in the dark. Outside was the dull murmurs from the two guards assigned to protect her. She only caught snatches of their conversation:

"Can you believe Hatter? I- - three on the north side. One in the - -. He's a - -."

"We shouldn't even let him - - catch him. Just lop off - -."

Alice quietly felt a tear slide down her cheek.

Hubble had done more than kept his word that there'd be tea at the jail. Out of some hidden pity for his cousin, White had 'donated' maybe two dozen different teas and had assured a doubtful Hubble that he would need all of it and a little laudanum to sedate March. Not that March needed to drink any of it.

He sat at a table, fidgeting uncontrollably. His eyes kept switching from one steaming mug to another, watering. Nose streaming, he took long, rasping breaths.

Hubble himself found the stench unbearable, gagging behind the handkerchief he held in front of his nose and mouth.

But March found the smell exquisite. His armor lay in a pile by the cell, where Hubble had said he should. Shivering, he chafed at his forearms, "Hubble, sit down! I can's start by myself!"

Hubble shook his head, "Sorry. I don't drink that tea garbage."

"Then just sit down and have some water. Tea shouldn't be drunk alone."

Sighing, Hubble complied and sat across from March, who joyfully began pouring tea into small cups, "You don't like tea? Crazy person!"

Hubble pushed the cloth harder against his face, "I beg to differ."

Upending a tea glass and gulping its contents down, March plunked the cup down and thoughtfully pondered, "Hmm… going to say something about being a crazy hare who eats people?" His ears fell to the sides of his head, "Is this tea flowery or is it just me?"

"Ever since Jabberwocky outlawed tea, the more… traditional ingredients have been harder to find. It's probably chick pea. That's been awfully popular here lately."

March poured more chickpea tea and sipped it, "What other kinds of tea are there?"

Frowning, Hubble fingered the empty glass, "I told you. I don't like tea, so I'm no professional on it. But, dear God, my mom, every time I visit, she makes me drink this horrid buttermallow tea of hers." He motioned to a golden tea in a porcelain jug, "Can't mistake it. Ghastly stuff."

March glanced at it and grabbed the pitcher. Pouring this new tea into his cup, he sniffed it, "Smells like the candy." He cautiously took a small sip and sloshed it around his mouth in careful thought, "Tastes like the candy."

"Except worse."

As he emptied his mug, March chose a new pitcher and its tea. Slowly, as he transferred its contents to his cup to his mouth, he stated, "You know… Me and Hats were experimenting with tea flavors before Jabberwock outlawed it. Out of all the ones we made, I think the rose tea was my favorite…"

Hubble shrugged, "Rose tea isn't that good either, no offense."

Narrowing his eyes, March leaned forward and whispered, as if afraid of being overheard, "Not those roses, Hubble. The Queen's roses. The Imagination Roses."

Hubble stared at him, dumbfounded, "How'd you get in there? No one but royalty could go in there!"

"I didn't, but Hats did on one of his and Lily's outings. Brought back three petals, small ones, you hear? Curse it, it was the most potent tea we ever drank!" March scowled and downed his tea.

Hubble cocked his head in curiosity, "What happened?"

Sighing, the Hare tried to elaborate, "Well, other than being the most imaginative creatures on Wonderland for the next week, we… uh… didn't get hungry, or thirsty, or anything. I swear, we were thinking we could beat anyone!"

"Hmph! That'd be great tea for our army, but Jabberwocky's gone and destroyed all the imagination roses!"

March chuckled, "Oh, no, no, no!" He has all of them still, just moved them to the inner rooms."

"What for? They're pure imagination! He eats the stuff!"

"Precisely."

Silence, and then Hubble asked, "And Alice?"

"She's Alice."

Hubble gazed at him in curiosity and waited a few drinks later before asking, "And why is it so important that she's Alice?"

"Alice, Alice, Alice… She was the first sane person in Wonderland, if I hazard a guess. She lives in another world, one we can only reach through looking glasses, and clock, and who knows what else. She's a mystery to Jabberwock, and, whether he wants to kill her or not, he wants her." March took a sip of a new tea, shivered, and spat, hacking violently, "What in the blazes? This is horrible tea!"

Hubble dug a bottle of poppy-laced beer and handed it to March, who began downing the laudanum in great gulps, trying to drown the horrible taste of the tea (which was willowbark). Halfway through the bottle, March nodded off, dropping the glass bottle to the ground and slumping over the table. Hubble watched as March's chest rise and fall peacefully in sleep and quietly dragged him over to the cell, where he gently lay him on the cot.

Poor March…

So innocent in some ways, so guilty in others…

And, with Hatter or not, bound to be beheaded the next morning.

Hatter gritted his teeth as he neared the top of the cliffs. His arms ached, his legs ached… Everything hurt. He put on a last burst of energy and gasped for breath as he scrambled over the top. There! Finally! Now…

He knelt close to the ground, switching his eye to a red, the heat-seeking view. Silently, he scanned the sparse rocks and dense crooked trees and bushes that grew here. He saw figures, radiant red shadows in his lone eye, and slowly crept forward. As he neared, he began picking up voices:

"You ready for tomorrow, Rat?"

"Sure as heck more than you!"

Those voices… and silhouettes… Hatter could recognize them anywhere. One was the Rat, a lower-grade officer in Jabberwock's army, who sometimes did small less-important assassinations. March and the Rat had some ill will between them, but they had worked a few missions together. The only reason Jabberwock had sent the Rat through the looking glass after Alice in her home world was… well… because March and Hatter had been drunk at the time…

But the other, the other was the one Hatter had a problem with. The Jack of Diamonds had been the only royal child to accept Jabberwock's invitation to his army. The prince had always been a bit sadistic, but after entering Jabberwock's service, he had gone full-flown horrible. Torturing prisoners was his main job as an under-general, but his ruthless strategic mind often found him at heads of large assaults. But he had been… head of the Royal Executions. All of them.

Including Lily.

Gritting his teeth, he reverted his eye back to the fetid normal yellow. He put a hand to his chest in pain as he inhaled. Curse that Hartland! But if it hadn't been for his armor, he'd be in pieces now!

Forcing the pain away, he whistled sharply, the noise amplified by his metal mouth piece.

Instantly, the voices seized, and the Jack of Diamonds came stalking over the small hill with three black cards. He glanced around, not seeing Hatter who was behind a bush. Snarling, he ordered, "Fan out."

The black cards ran forward, bows at ready.

Waiting till one of the cards had past him, oblivious, Hatter leapt up and grabbed him from behind him, hissing. Immediately, Jack snarled, "Hatter? What in the blazes are you doing here?"

Hatter felt the card's frantic pulse under his fingertips, "I escaped. Don't know about March, though. He's probably jailed again." He lowered his head to the card's neck and muttered, "You bring food? Or can I just eat this one?" His tongue snaked out and flicked across the man's skin, and the card stiffened.

"We attack tomorrow, Hatter."

Hatter growled and shoved the man away, "Fine, then! I hope you have some wine, though, at least!"

Popping up over the rise, the Rat smirked, "March needs rescuing, eh? Serves him right!"

Jack spat, "When's the execution, Hatter?"

Frowning, Hatter shoved past Jack and the Rat and slid to a sitting position next to a small campfire, "Tomorrow. 12. The central square."

"Ah…" Jack smiled, "Prime time to strike, no doubt!"

"Now, where is the wine?"

"We didn't bring wine, Hatter."

Hatter scowled, "No wine? What about water, then?"

"We have that." Sitting, Jack handed him a canteen, "Now… tell me about the city…"