{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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The pirate spun Adah around and began tying her wrists together with a piece of rough cord.
"Ow!" Adah cried out. "Not so tight, you brute!"
The captain loosened the knot ever so slightly. "Is that better, your highness?"
Angry red patches of heat sat in Adah's cheeks as she glowered up at the pirate. His eyes–one a cold, calculating green, the other a furious shade of hazel–glared down at her.
She'd never wanted to slap someone so badly in all her life, and all thoughts of minding her tongue fled. "No, it's not better, m'lord."
The pirate leaned in close. "If you were one of my sailors, I'd have you whipped for your insolence."
"And if I were one of your sailors, I'd stage a mutiny."
It was then Adah thought she might have gone too far. In one swift movement, the pirate had the dagger she'd stolen in his hand. "No one speaks to me like that. You're lucky I don't have your tongue."
A warm breeze drifted in from the open balcony doors, as well as shouts from the crowded square below. Adah didn't dare to breathe, keeping her mouth shut when he gave her a satisfied look and slid the dagger back in its holster.
Mercado cleared his throat, and both of their attention shifted to the Dream Healer, who was scurrying around the room, snuffing out candle after candle until the stuffy upstairs room was bathed in a cloud of smoke.
Leaving the room in muted darkness.
"Have something to say, Dream Healer?"
"Dear man, why would you bring this girl back to the King? Didn't you hear what I said about fate? I thought I was being very clear."
"Nothing you say is clear," Ezra shot back.
Adah struggled to disagree with him.
"As fantastic as this disagreement could be, we have more pressing concerns. If Reynald has drunk the elixir, he has entered the Kingdom of Broken Dreams, and we must intervene. Otherwise, he could be trapped inside forever. Never to wake again."
Images of Reynald lost in a swirl of never-ending nightmares drifted through Adah's mind. Her friend, her best friend, deserved so much more than broken dreams. He was supposed to be singing on stage right now, impressing a theatre full of aristocrats.
In the darkened room, Adah could almost see the red eyes staring back at her, the ones from her nightmare, and cold sweat broke out over her skin.
No, she couldn't let anything happen to him.
Reynald had a knack for finding trouble, and Adah had a talent for grabbing his hand and pulling him out just in time. He needed her. Swallowing down her reservation, Adah asked, "What do we need to do? Drink the wine?"
