Queen of Hearts

Nineteen

She was in hell.

Lizzie stared at the surrounding landscape watching as the last drop of wonder drained from Wonderland. All around her, plants shriveled up and died. The luscious green grass turned to brown. Fires roared across the hillside as Lizzie crawled through the wreckage that was the Wonderland Palace.
She stopped as she noticed a portrait hanging on the wall. It was of herself - or it had once been of her. Now it was in tatters, scattered across the floor. How could this happen? When did it happen?

"You." Lizzie turned to find Attacus staring at her, shock plain on his face. He stepped forward, taking her face in his hands. "Oh, Lizzie. I never thought that-"

"We need to go." Ace Cards appeared at his side and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"She's here," Attacus said breathlessly, "Can't you see it?"

A look of pity flashed through Ace's eyes. "She's not. It's an illusion. You're the master of illusions,  Attacus, you know this."

I'm not an illusion, Lizzie wanted to say, I'm real. I'm here. But she couldn't. She couldn't open her mouth. She couldn't so much as lift a pinkie.

"I never got to apologize," Attacus whispered so quietly that she didn't think that anyone else was supposed to hear.  Ace ignored his plea, grabbing his wrist and pulling him down the hallway.

Apologize for what? What did he want to say? What did he want to apologize for?

Before Lizzie could chase after them the scene shifted. She was standing in the middle of the Wonderland throne room, which wasn't much of a throne room anymore. The tiled floor was cracked and the ceiling had a hole in it. Lizzie turned, expecting to see a victorious Courtly Jester upon the throne, mocking her.  Her eyes widened as she took in the sight in front of her.
Lying on the ground in a pool of blood was herself. Her arm was twisted at a cruel angle and the rest of her body seemed to have shattered into a million pieces. How? How was this possible? Lying on the floor beside her with a sword through her chest was Courtly Jester, her lifeless eyes staring up at the ceiling as her face was etched permanently in a laugh.

Sitting on the steps of the throne with her head in her hands was Alyson Wonderland. Tentatively, Lizzie took a few steps closer to get a better look at her friend. Alyson glanced up at the sound of Lizzie's quiet footsteps and Lizzie froze. Her friends eyes...Alyson's blue eyes had been replaced by blackness. Complete and total blackness.

"You," Alyson said, staring right at Lizzie.

"Me." Lizzie squirmed as James Knaves walked through her. "Alistair and Ace are getting everyone out. We need to go."

Alyson shook her head. "I can see it. I can see it all. Every world. Every realm. Every life. I can see them begin and end." She laughed bitterly. "All my hard work and I still go mad. Classic."

"You're not mad," James said, wrapping an arm around her waist, helping her to her feet.

"That's sweet of you to say," Alyson said, "but you can't see what I can. It's like a thousand newsreels playing in my mind. I can see every possibility. Every choice. Everything." She looked down at Lizzie's corpse. "But I couldn't see how to save her."

"It's not your fault," James said.

Alyson shook her head, then, as if she could sense her, she stared straight at Lizzie, her dark eyes meeting Lizzie's. "Fix this. You need to fix this!"

Lizzie awoke with a start, her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she took in her surroundings. She was safe. She was safe in the resistance base. Alyson was away on a mission, and neither she nor Courtly were dead. Not yet, at least.