The Heart of Wonderland

Chapter 29

"Back to steal from me again, are you?" the creature hissed at them. "Did the Red Queen send you?"

"We haven't come to steal anything from you." Alison cringed away from the Jabberwock's hot breath. "We came to the mountains to find the Heart of Wonderland. It's broken and—"

"The Heart!" The Jabberwock reared up on its back legs. "You are here to steal it." It roared and smoke poured from its nostrils.

"Is the Jabberwock some kind of dragon?" Maddox asked Alison. "Because it looks like it's about to breathe—"

"Fire! Duck!" Alison shoved Maddox out of the way and rolled to the side. Seconds later, the bush she'd been crouched next to was nothing but charred twigs and ash.

"We're not here to steal from you!" Maddox tried to talk sense into the Jabberwock. "The Heart is broken and we're here to fix it. Look!" He held up his wrist so the red crystal caught the light. "I'm the Heart's Guardian, and she's the Keeper."

"You lie!" The Jabberwock wailed. "Everyone lies to me." He sent another plume of fire into the air with a roar that ended on a sob.

"He's not lying," Alison said. "See? I have the Keeper's crystals. We really are here to help the Heart, I promise." She unhooked one of her earrings and held it out.

The Jabberwock narrowed its eyes. "How do I know you're telling the truth? That's what she said, too."

"The Red Queen?"

"She said she wanted to be my friend, but she...she..." The Jabberwock sniffed and wailed again. "She took away my treasure!"

Alison shared a glance with Maddox. They would have to tread carefully to avoid upsetting the Jabberwock further. The creature that had seemed so ferocious at first was beginning to sound more like a child whose feelings had been hurt.

A fire-breathing child.

"How can we prove to you that we only want what's best for Wonderland and the Heart?" Alison asked.

The Jabberwock snuffled, antennae waving. "I suppose I could give you a test." The idea seemed to cheer it up. "Very well. I'll show you where the Heart is and let you use your crystals to fix it. If you truly are the Keeper and Guardian, it should be no problem for you. And if you aren't who you say you are..." It grinned, showing double rows of sharp, jagged teeth. "Then you die."

Alison shivered, but she nodded her agreement. "It's a deal."

"It is?" Maddox whispered as the Jabberwock lumbered up the trail ahead of them, leading the way. "Don't you think we should have talked about this first?"

Alison shrugged. "What choice did we have? We're trying to find the Heart and the Jabberwock will lead us right to it."

They scrambled over the rocky ground, hurrying to keep up with the Jabberwock's long strides. Alison and Maddox were close to collapse by the time the Jabberwock stopped outside a cave. The opening to the cave was blocked by a huge boulder.

"The Heart is in there." The Jabberwock nodded at the cave.

"Aren't you going to help us move the rock?" Alison asked. The boulder was massive, way too heavy for her and Maddox to move on their own.

The Jabberwock huffed. "You're like everyone else, always asking for things and never giving anything in return." But it braced its back against the stone and heaved until the boulder rolled out of the way. "There. Happy now?"

"Thank you very much," Alison told the Jabberwock sincerely. "As the Heart's Keeper, I'm pleased to know that you care about protecting it so much."