The Marvelous Adventures of Narcissa Hightopp

Chapter Three: Fight Fire with Fire

Narcissa's golden carriage rolled on down the dirt path of the road leading to the White Queen's palace at Marmoreal, not a single spot or speck or tiniest mote of dust marring the golden wheels and silver spokes. In the carriage proper, Narcissa sat as though she was on a throne, and even though the carriage bumped and rolled over rough roads, potholes, and through dirt, mud, and other various terrain, she remained sitting perfectly still, not a single hair on her perfect head out of place. She made a gesture with her hand, and a sparkly scroll appeared in mid air. She unrolled it with a flick of her perfectly manicured nails, smiling with joy at the sight she saw. She had her arms around a gorgeous and handsome man with long black hair and pale skin. "I knew that my Sparklerum would show the True Truth! That pesky old Oraculum is much too unreliable, especially since it showed that a mere girl from above…"she snorted that last word with all the contempt it deserved-"was the Champion of Underland! Everyone knows that I am the True Champion! When I reach Marmoreal, there will be some changes made! Starting with the exile of the woman that claims to be the wife of my darling Ichy! Then I will wed him, and we will have many beautiful and perfect children!" She beamed wider, revealing perfectly white and even teeth. Things were going to go wonderfully, she just knew it!

Chessur, who had been in the carriage, had to fly out before the effort to hold in his derisive laughter became too much. This was truly one of the most deluded Creatures he had ever seen, but he wasn't relaxing around her. If she could drain personalities, she was a danger to the ordinary citizens that she came across on her journey. He flew over to the Crowd, trying in vain to see if there was anything that differentiated one…he hesitated to say 'person', but it was the best he could think of…from another, but the more he looked the more they blended together into a faceless mob. He sighed, and then noticed that one of the faceless was walking a bit behind the Crowd. He vanished, and then slowly floated over to it, whispering in the spot where an ear would appear. "Do you remember your name?"

The faceless didn't answer, but a shiver ran through its' grey and formless body, and Chessur saw a tiny spark deep down in the grey mist. 'This one must be recently drained.' He repeated his question with more urgency, and this time the faceless seemed to blink in confusion. A slit opened in the face, and it seemed to be struggling to speak.

"Wor…Wor…worshipper and servant of…"

Chessur hissed in shock as the faceless began to shudder violently. The spark flared up, and for an instant Chessur saw that it had once been a young woman with blond hair and hazel eyes. She gulped, as though there was something caught in her throat, and spoke two words before Narcissa's spell overwhelmed her once again. "Help Us!" But then her persona was gone, and she melded into the Crowd.

Had anyone been around, they would have been witness to the rare sight of the Cheshire Cat cursing a blue streak. This Sue needed to die.

Back at Marmoreal, Alannah and Mirana were preparing their potion. The women were dressed rather oddly-they both were wearing thick gloves that covered their arms, had handkerchiefs wrapped around their mouths, and their hair was pulled up and hidden by a cap. Alannah was wearing a pair of trousers tucked into thick leather boots, a shirt that clung tightly to her, and the only bit of skin visible was around her eyes. Mirana was dressed in a similar manner. Neither of them was going to take any chances on getting the potion on them. Mirana looked over at Alannah, and she nodded. "First, make sure the water is perfectly pure."

Alannah held up a vial of sparkling water. "It came from your personal stores, so it's safe. What's the next step?"

Mirana scanned the page. "Pour three capfuls of water into a silver cauldron."

Alannah carefully opened the vial, pouring the water into the silver cauldron that sat on the table in front of her. A sweet smell filled the air, and Alannah made sure to breathe through her mouth. "Done. Now what?"

"To the water, add four spoonfuls of braggart juice, two leaves from the redhip rose, and three coins from a warrior's purse, and a foot of the rambling vine. Once all ingredients are assembled, stir counterclockwise for five minutes while throwing in dashes of rock salt."

Alannah followed Mirana's directions, and the potion inside the cauldron turned a deep purple and emitted a smell that reminded her of wet socks. She gagged, but kept stirring. "What next?"

"Add one hair from the head of a male."

Alannah reached into her pocket and pulled out a strand of black hair, tossing it into the cauldron, and Mirana grinned. "You snitch that from Ilosovic?"

"From his comb. If the Sue is really under the delusion that he's her true love, it's best to have this…bait look a bit like him. Now what?"

Mirana frowned. "Spit in it." Alannah leaned forward and spat into the cauldron, then stepped back so Mirana could do the same. "Now, normally, we would have to wait for three days so this could reach full potency, but I have the feeling we don't have much time."

"You'd think right, Majesty." Chessur materialized in the room, his face grave. "I've been following Narcissa for the past day, and she's more dangerous than we thought. She's a Drainer."

Mirana looked confused, but Alannah's face grew grave. "Are you sure, Chessur?" Chessur nodded, and she cursed. "This is serious."

Mirana looked over at her. "What's a Drainer?"

Alannah sighed grimly. "Drainers absorb the personalities of people. They become faceless grey blobs, and their only memories are of being a part of the Sue's…entourage. If Narcissa is a Drainer, then she could present a large problem for the citizens she encounters on the way here, which would create an even larger problem for us."

"How?"

Alannah gave Mirana a pitying look. "Mirana, she completely takes them over. They only want to do her bidding and worship her. Now imagine what happens if she decides that because she is the 'Great One', that means that she is entitled to the Throne. She could have an Army of millions on her hands."

Chessur sighed. "There were thousands following her, but they all…were blended together into one, it seemed. Is that normal?" Alannah nodded, and he growled. "We may need outside help with this. But, on a lighter note, she called your husband Ichy."

Alannah mouthed the name, and then burst into laughter, leaning against the wall for support as tears poured down her face. She gasped for breath, then said "Ichy!" and went off into a fresh gale. Chessur grinned.

"Very amusing, I know, but she also said that the first thing she planned on doing when she arrived was sending you into Exile. She was looking at a bastardized and sparkly Oraculum, and seemed quite happy with what she read."

Alannah's smile vanished, and she looked so grim and furious that Chessur took a step back. "This Sue needs to die. Mirana, contact your source and tell her to send her best warriors. I've got to get my sword out of the Armory. Chessur, go tell our children what is going on, then take the babies to Sullivan Hall. They'll be safe there." Chessur nodded and vanished. Mirana turned to Alannah, seeing the Warrior behind her eyes.

"I'll finish here, you go prepare. We shall have to fight fire with fire." Alannah nodded gravely and ran off to the Armory. Much to her surprise, she saw Katarina and Michael there, each with swords strapped on and dressed for battle. Michael smiled at his mother.

"Hello Mum! Dad told us what was going on. Vicki's inside selecting a sword and I bought yours out for you." He handed her sword to her, and Alannah took it, glaring at him.

"Michael, while I appreciate you three wanting to help, this is very dangerous. And Rina, unless I'm very much mistaken, you have two week old sons to look after, and Vicki has an infant daughter."

Katarina adjusted her sword and gave her mother a sad smile. "That's exactly why we're going to fight. If this Sue takes hold, Alexei, Ciaran, and Helena could very well vanish. They're not old enough to fight the effects, but we are, and really-did you expect the children of the Knave to run from a Battle?"

Alannah sighed. "No, I don't. What does your father have to say?"

"We need all the help we can get." Ilosovic emerged from the armory, dressed in his armor, Vicki behind him. "Alannah, I know you don't like the idea of our children fighting, but they've got a stake in this as much as we do. Ari and Josiah as well."

Alannah gaped at him. "Are they fighting as well?" She smiled grimly as Tarrant and Alice came running up, Alice dressed in her armor and wielding the Vorpal Sword. Tarrant had his claymore, and he gave Alannah a half smile.

"We're ready for Battle! Ari and Josiah are going to keep watch on the babies at Sullivan Hall. They'll be safe."

Alannah nodded. "Good. Mirana's contacting her Source, the potion is nearly ready, and the Sue is two days away. Let's get started."

"And I've been told that the Sue is something called a 'Drainer.' Do you have the means of dealing with her?" Mirana stared into a mirror at a tall and fit young woman of about thirty, with short brown hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a blue shirt and black trousers, and was cleaning her nails with a dagger. On a bench behind her, Mirana could see several strange weapons. The woman pursed her lips, and then nodded.

"I do, but if the Sue is really as dangerous as you say, I'll have to deal with it personally. That's going to cost you, Mirana."

Mirana nodded, as she had been expecting this. "I'm prepared to pay you five hundred pounds."

"Mirana, that's a pittance! I'm going to need to bring two others with me to Underland! That's only one hundred fifty pounds for each of us. If you can't do better, then you and your denizens can deal with this Sue yourselves." The woman started to walk away, and Mirana's eyes grew wide.

"No, wait!" The woman turned, and Mirana sighed. "A thousand pounds. Each. And I'll throw in a silver dagger for you."

"I've got more daggers than I know what to do with. Keep it. I'll do the job for a thousand pounds for the three of us." The woman's smile grew predatory. "Besides, the fun is in the killing, not in cashing the checks. Give me a few hours to mobilize my team, and leave a mirror open for us. In the meantime, make sure that your…bait is ready."

Mirana smiled grimly. "It will be. Fairfarren for now, Teresa. I hope to see you victorious over the Sue."

Teresa saluted her with her dagger. "Always, Mirana. See you in a few hours." Teresa waved her hand, and the mirror shimmered, and then showed her reflection and the room beyond. She smiled at a movement out of the corner of her eye. "Lydia, were you listening?"

Lydia, a young woman of about twenty two, entered the room, twirling a dagger in her hands, and Terri laughed when she saw that she was loaded down with ten other knives, as well as a pistol in a hip holster. Lydia was about five feet six, with brown hair and blue green eyes that sparkled with mischief. Lydia was hyper personified, but Terri had worked with her for eight years, and she knew that there was no one more reliable in a fight. "I heard everything! When do we go in?"

Terri sighed. "We need one more person, Lydia. Neither of us is trained in Restoration. The specialist should be here soon." She looked up as a woman entered the room, and sighed. "You the Restoration Specialist?"

The woman, who looked about fifty and out of shape, nodded, and spoke in an officious voice. "Specialist Joanne Wood. I understand we are going into the world of Underland. This is a new venue for us, and we will have to act accordingly."

Lydia snorted. "New for you, maybe, but Terri and I have done hundreds of jobs. We go in, find and kill the Sue, and then you can work your magic on her Entourage. But don't try to hinder us, or we'll leave you stranded."

Terri strapped on her guns. "Lydia, make sure that your gun is time compliant. Remember what happened the last time you tried to bring an anachronistic weapon in."

Lydia grinned. "No worries this time, it's a Derringer. Time compliant."

"Good. Joanne, we're about to go through the Mirror. You might want to ditch those sunglasses, unless you want them to dissolve." Joanne tossed her sunglasses on the table, and Terri walked over to the large mirror. "Okay, this is a one time passage. We'll need to drink a potion to get back. Let's go!"

The three women stepped through the mirror, which felt like stepping through a sheet of cold water, and emerged in the kitchens of Marmoreal.

Alannah, who had just finished brewing a potion that would allow her family to fight Narcissa's Draining, looked at them with no trace of surprise. "It's about bloody time you got here. Narcissa's almost here and our bait is ready. Now, drink this." She poured the potion into three vials and handed them over. "I know you're probably immune anyway, but I'm not taking any chances on this."

Terri and Lydia drained their vials dry without hesitation, but Joanne balked. "It smells absolutely foul! How do we know you're not a Sue? !"

Alannah glared at her in such contempt that she took a step back. "Would you like to hear my story? It would take hours we don't have. Now, drink up or go home."

Joanne plugged her nose and drank, sputtering and coughing. "Vile!"

At that moment, a commotion reached their ears. Thackery came running into the kitchens, eyes wide. "She's here! She's demanding entrance!"

Alannah, Lydia, and Terri tore out of the kitchens, heading for the Main Hall. Joanne followed at a more sedate pace. Alannah turned. "We can see better from the balcony. This way." They ran up the stairs to the balcony, nearly colliding with Tarrant, Ilosovic, Alice, Michael, Vicki, and Katarina. After apologies and introductions, they faced the front gates.

And what they saw knocked the breath from their lungs.