ALICE FELT HORRIBLE as she watched a sobbing Mary Ann fall into Carlos’ arms. It was hard to say if Harry really had led them into this or if he was innocent like the White Pawn was. And now they would never know.

Jay slipped an arm around her waist and tugged him into his hard chest. Wordlessly comforting her in ways that she didn’t understand or want to evaluate at that moment.

Lory was holding on Lilly’s hand. The former was shaking and probably going into shock. Mouse was staring intently at Lory, a look that was so personal that Alice almost looked away. But Lory wasn’t paying any sort of attention to Mouse.

“Lilly, it’s okay, you are safe now,” Lory tried comforting the younger girl.

Lilly shook her head, lips trembling as he white blond hair trailed behind her.

“We will get you to your parents,” Mouse added gruffly, and Lory shot him a quick look that conveyed her thanks.

Something was definitely going on between the two of them, but Alice wasn’t sure if Lory had realized it yet.

“You,” Lilly stuttered, “Y-you don’t understand. It was a trap.”

Alice felt the pit of her stomach turn, “What do you mean?”

Lilly began to cry, her shoulders shaking with the silent tears that raced down her cheeks.

Alice looked up and caught Jay’s questioning glance. He was just as confused as she was.

Alice moved out of his embrace and walked over to Lilly. Lory had tried to hand Lilly a handkerchief, but she didn’t take it. Alice took it from Lory and dried the child’s eyes.

“Tell me what we don’t understand,” Alice asked gently after Lilly seemed to calm a bit.

“My p-parents are dead,” she whispered, “They all are.”

“What do you mean?” Jay’s voice came out harsher than he had intended but it had the desired effect because Lilly finally was able to get out the Red Queen’s evil plan.

“She wanted to take you all away from Wonderland so that her minions could wage war. Without the Jabberwocky’s, and all of the most prominent members of Wonderland her armies could lay waste to my parent’s lands. She boasted to me how you would all fall for her plan. How smart she was and how stupid we all were. The Red Queen won.”

“That can’t be true,” Lory gasped.

Alice turned to Jay. His eyes were firmly on her face. She felt her cheeks heat and hated that even in a time like this he had an effect on her. But then Alice remembered his comforting arm around her waist, and the way he had come to her rescue countless times in the past few weeks.

Alice smiled sadly at him instead of looking away like she usually did. For a second, he seemed stunned and then a slow smile broke across his stubbled cheeks and Alice would have sworn that her body turned to mush. Alice had it bad.

“We need to find out,” Carlos added, and Mary Ann pulled back from his embrace. Her face was blotchy, and her eyes were red and swollen.

Mouse led the way to the front door of The Glass House. He opened it and they were immediately swamped with the scent of smoke. Alice pushed through everyone and walked out onto the porch, staring in horror at what was surrounding them.

The massive silver elephants, of Elephant Fields, were sprawled out—dead. The smell of burning flesh was a hundred times stronger than it had been at the March Hare’s. The Woods had been burned to the ground. There were pockets of orange embers in some places but most of the ground and trees were black.

They walked silently out toward where the airship had been left behind. There was hardly nothing left of it. Jolly’s little cap had been tossed about thirty yards from where the wreckage lay.

Tears welled up in Alice’s eyes. She couldn’t believe that someone could do something so horrific. Everything was destroyed. The smoke made it hard to breathe and so they covered their mouths with their shirts or pieces of cloth, but it hardly helped.

“What now?”

Alice glanced up to see Mary Ann who had asked the question. She then looked around the group and noticed that they were all staring at her. She didn’t know what to do. Hell, she was just as scared and terrified as the rest of them.

Alice cleared her throat twice before answering, “We don’t let her win.”

Lilly looked up at her with tear stained checks, “It’s too late. She killed my parents.”

Lory shook her head, “Nothing is ever too late. The Red Queen is full of lies, right Alice?”

Alice wanted to believe that Lory was right. But if she was being honest, she just didn’t know and besides they both were looking at her—eyes full of faith and hope.

“We don’t give up,” Alice said resolutely, “We never give up. She is a liar, I bet your family is fine. Mouse, you, and Lory take Lilly back to her parents. Jay and I will try and assess the damage that has been done and we will meet you at the White Court. Mary Ann and Carlos, we need you to find the Cheshire Cat. If there is a loophole or a way to reverse this Cedric will know it. He’s a tricky bastard and won’t want to give up the information.”

Carlos nodded, “We will do it.”

“Is everyone else in agreeance?” Alice asked. The group nodded and they each prepared to go their separate ways.

Mouse was going to fly with both Lilly and Lory on his back. Lory had put the younger girl in front of her and Mouse took flight.

Mary Ann and Carlos were going on foot and headed towards the Woods with No Name. It would take them some time to walk there.

They waited until they were alone and then Jay said what he had been holding back.

“What is the real plan?”

Alice looked up at him, “Am I that easy to read?”

He smirked, his handsome smile causing her to want to hit him—or fuck him.

“We are going to search The Looking Glass House. The Red Queen wouldn’t have risked her life so easily. There is something that we have overlooked. I don’t know what or how, but I have a feeling that this is another dimension and not the real Wonderland.”

Jay raised a brow, “Why do you think that?”

Alice’s brow furrowed, “She is vain. I can’t imagine that she would want to rule over such a desolate barren wasteland.”

Jay nodded his head considering, “I think you might be right. But why send everyone away?”

“Because the Red Queen would not hesitate to take us out if she gets the chance. I won’t make it easy on her.”

They walked back to The Glass House and pushed the massive doors opened again. The moment that the doors shut the terrible smells faded. The fact that this house was still standing after what had happened outside was reason enough to want to challenge the idea that the Red Queen had destroyed Wonderland.

They passed the broken mirror and kept walking until a flight of stairs come up on their left. Alice and Jay went up the stairs only to find that they landed with another set of stairs. After three more flights they realized that they were trapped in an endless loop.

They tried retracing their steps back down, but it only led to more stairs.

Alice stomped her foot impatiently wanting to scream. Jay didn’t mention that she was adorable when she was angry. He didn’t tell her that he liked the way her breasts rose and fell rapidly above her corset or that he liked the flush on her checks. He did however grab her face and kiss her hard on the lips.

Alice blinked in surprise, “What was that for?”

Jay grinned, “Have you ever been fucked on a set of stairs?”

Alice’s eyes nearly bugged out, “No!”

His eyebrows wriggled, and Alice laughed despite her initial shock.

“What if someone sees us?”

He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her into him, “Then we ask them how to get the fuck out of here.”