Alice and the Looking Glass (Clockwork Wonderland Book 1)

In Which a Rose Grows

Mirror felt their rage before he heard them crashing through the forest.

"Cat, get up."

His young charge yawned and uncurled herself from the damp soil where she'd fallen asleep the night before. None of the plants were large enough to shelter her yet, but she refused to sleep anywhere else. It was still summer, at least.

"Mmmirror?" she mumbled.

"They're coming, Cat. I need you to stay with me. Hide behind me if you need to."

"Ugh, behind? No, not ever again. I hate that place." Then the rest of his words sunk in and her voice grew weak. "Who's coming?"

"Glowdust and some others. I think our secret is out." Sooner than he'd expected. Damn.

"What do they want, Mirror?

"If they are following the ancient laws, they want to raze the Garden. Even if they don't give a damn about the laws, they want to destroy it out of spite or fear. But," and he reached out a hand and tapped a finger on the glass, "I won't let them hurt you or your Garden."

Before Cat could say any more, the mob broke through the thicket's edges.

Sure enough, Glowdust, lumbering down the stone terraces in his old red and blue striped robe with gold flowers, led the charge. Behind him trailed several other forest creatures and a veritable hoard of druids and their pixie caretakers. Mirror saw the one he knew as Cat's mother and rage bubbled within him.

"Sir Mirror," Glowdust stopped on the very last step, many yards from metal frame and the Garden. "We have come because we have heard that someone has planted an unauthorized Garden here."

The man's booming voice sounded cold but also scared. The Mayor was lazy, so who was pulling the strings, making him confront the dreaded Looking Glass?

Mirror said nothing, forcing the mayor to push onwards.

"We are bound druidic law to remove the garden and bring the druid responsible in for punishment. An unwatched Garden can grow fiends, as you and I well know. This is for the protection of my people. You understand, of course."

Mirror repressed a rude snort. Then, Cat shrieked and launched herself out from behind the curtain of ivy she'd taken refuge in. "You oaf! How is my stupid little Garden hurting anyone? You know I'll never rear a Sapling, let alone a fiend, so who cares?"

"There she is, seize her!" A female voice rang out, from within the crowd.

It all happened so fast.

Two imps and a pixie at the fringes of the group, wearing the livery of government officials, darted forward, reaching for Cat with greedy hands. Mirror grunted in rage and gathered the terrible force in his realm, to lash out at the advancing foes.

But, instead of his dark energy slicing through them, they fell to the ground as a huge, magical shockwave toppled every being over, smashing them into the dirt in unison. Pain, the first he'd felt in hundreds of years, lanced through his chest. He bellowed and realized the power he'd ushered was gone. It didn't matter. Everyone was rolling around on the ground, yelping or crying. What had happened?

Glowdust recovered first. "Don't just lay there, you idiots, get her before she causes more damage!" The repugnant fairy moved towards them, picking himself up from the seat he'd slumped onto. His three cronies rallied.

Another shockwave sent them to their knees, but this one was physical and bone rattling. The soil directly to his left churned and ruptured. From within the frothing vortex of soil, a green stalk shot up into the air, growing too fast to track.

It grew until it hung over Mirror's frame. Thorns the size of Cat's fingers sprouted, lancing out of the trunk, forming an array of fatal weapons. And from the top bloomed on magnificent rose flower, the color of pink clouds at sunset or wildflowers in a spring sunrise. The petals glittered with perpetual dew.

The plant's growth stopped their enemies in their tracks. Only a moment later, the flower stood tall and in full bloom. Then, to even Mirror's utter disbelief, the head bent downwards, as if looking at the invaders, and a leafy vine appeared out of the soil close to the flower's main stalk.

It extended towards the nearest being, one of the imps. Razor sharp ridges lined the twin leaves and it looked ready to saw the sweating creature in half. The imp scooted backwards on its behind, and the vine did not follow. Instead, it moved to the next closest being, until all but the mayor was left in the forefront.

The clearing held its breath as the flower's weapon inched towards a frozen fairy. His pale blue hair clumped in lanky chunks, slick with sweat, and his eyes were wide. The leaf didn't look like it was going to stop and he didn't look like he was going to move.

"Rose, no!" A child's voice rang out. Cat.

In an instant, the vine halted and the flower's head turned towards Cat, who stood nearby, gripping Mirror's frame.

Instead of fear, Cat's eyes shone with love and astonishment. She reached a wavering arm towards the nearest petal and the flower dipped even lower to allow her to touch it. As she brushed one finger on the silk surface, fat tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Don't hurt them, Rose. They are stupid and we can't waste our time."

So, the vine retreated from Glowdust's face. He found his muscles once again and turned, fleeing the circle. The rest followed suit, except for one druid, adorned with roses.

"Cat?" Her voice quivered.

Looking away from the massive bloom, Cat's eyes hardened when she saw who had spoken. "Mother. Go away."

The mother opened her mouth, as if to speak. Maybe to argue, or to plead, but Mirror shook his head and pressed his lips into a threatening grimace. She snapped her jaw shut, spun on her heels, and left.

"Well, that went well, all things considered." He stretched to release the tension from his shoulders.

"Rose was very angry..."

"Rose, eh?" Mirror knew of extraordinary plants from the past. He'd thought such creatures lost forever.

"Yes, she thought they were rude."

At this, Mirror chuckled. "If that's how she treats rude beings, I hate to see how she treats dangerous ones." He winked.

Cat giggled and reached up to stroke the underside of a near petal again. Rose's thorns had receded into her stalk and the serration of her leaves had smoothed. She quivered the vine in a mock show of pushing at Mirror's frame.

The man-who-was-not-a-mirror and the exiled druid burst out laughing, feeling more at home than either of them had in years. Rose swayed in the breeze, pleased she had returned to Wonderland at last.