{A Fantasy Romance retelling of Alice in Wonderland}
In order to survive, a pirate and a thief must clear their names by traveling into a magical dream world together.
Adah Prideaux, seamstress by day, petty thief by night, finds herself in a world...
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Ezra wasn't often caught off guard. As the captain of a ship, he had learned to expect the unexpected. Only, it wasn't raiders or the weather that had him reeling, but his own actions.
He'd protected her. This thief. This woman who'd taken advantage of his momentary lapse in judgement and robbed him of his favorite dagger.
"Should we make our way inside?" asked Adah. Playfully smiling back at him.
Ezra uncorked his flask and took a swig, enjoying the taste and the warm buzz it left behind. He went to take a second pull when the jeweled flask was snatched out of hand. She tipped her head back and parted her lips, eyeing him as she took a sip, then passed it back.
He gaped at her. Who was this woman?
By all accounts, Adah should be frightened of him. His mismatched eyes and physical size usually did the trick. And if they didn't, most people could sense he was...different. But, the girl gave no indication she was fearful of him as she set her hand back on his arm, still wearing that playful grin.
Ezra slowly pocketed the flask, studying her with a mix of curiosity and intrigue, when silk curtains were thrown open.
"You know, royals don't make suggestions," he said in a low voice. "They make demands."
Adah leaned in. "Are you saying you want me to order you around, Lord Ezra?"
"Not in the slightest," he quipped.
She laughed, and the sound seemed to resonate up his arm and into his chest. "Escort me to my seat."
And so it was, Ezra and Adah stepped inside Prince Bastian's wedding tent. Together. The thief and the privateer pretending to be something they weren't.
Once the curtains closed behind them, Ezra had the sense that some kind of magic must be at play. The ceiling of the tent was taller than the grand ballroom of the Belinti Palace, and the place was teeming with all manner of people and oddities.
Near the entrance, a crystal chandelier hung above a fountain of plum-colored liquid. Guests were kissing copper coins and tossing them in. Each time a coin landed in the fountain, the liquid would flash gold before returning to purple.
Ezra caught himself scowling at a well-dressed man standing beside the fountain who'd waved and winked at Adah. The desire to protect her filled the empty voids inside him, like water rushing into a sinking ship. His fingers tensed, and he nearly reached for his sword, but caught himself.
What was causing this strange reaction? It must be this place, he concluded. This land. During his travels across the Adora Sea, Ezra heard stories about the lost Trunk of Broken Dreams and the magical elixir inside.
Although there were many disagreements about what fate awaited the drinker, most agreed that whoever drank from the bottle would be trapped inside a dream they were convinced was real.
