A Tale That Dawned [Book 4 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 34: The Room of Doors

Suddenly, the closed gates burst apart into dozens of pieces. Standing beyond them, eyes red, tattered cap billowing, and sword gripped tightly, the Black Knight stood. It studied everyone gathered for a moment and then stepped into the courtyard.

"Give me Selvina!" it shouted, its voice like a fierce gale over a frozen field.

"Now!" the March Hare ordered. Immediately after, the mice in the wheels began running and Hare took a long sip of the hot tea. A ball rolled down the planks and slides, dropped into a basket, lowered and lifted several weights, and then the wooden hand launched forward. Sweeping in from behind the March Hare, it slammed into his back, closed its fingers tightly around him, and carried him off his chair. It then spun around and around its pole so quickly it was difficult to follow. The lifted weights, dangling from their weak ropes, eventually snapped off and fell. This apparently had something to do with the closed hand as immediately after the spinning hand came to an abrupt stop and shot the March Hare toward the Black Knight.

Crying a war cry and gripping his mighty spoon tightly, the speeding March Hare closed the gap between him and the Black Knight in a flash.

Alice, Hatter, White Rabbit, and all those gathered about watched with held breaths.

March Hare flew past the Black Knight and continued on through the shattered gate and into the garden of burning hedges, howling the whole way.

"Dinglewhoppers aren't known for their pinny-pointy accurateness," Hatter said with a sad shake of his head. "I say it was a good try, though!"

"But he missed!" cried the White Rabbit in a panic.

Alice gulped and eyed the Black Knight, disheartened by March Hare's failed attempt but not voicing it. So many had tried to defeat this demon and all had failed. Her plan was all that remained. It was her only hope. It was Wonderland's only hope.

"Hey!" she called out to it. "You want Selvina?"

"Give her to me!" the Black Knight growled, stomping over to Alice, passion burning in its eyes.

"What are you doing?" asked White Rabbit, hopping about in terror. "This is madness! You're bringing it closer!"

"That's the point," Alice said, her eyes on rapidly approaching knight.

"That's our Alice," Hatter added, giving White Rabbit a wink.

"I know where she is!" Alice shouted at the Black Knight, waving it over. "Follow me and I'll take you there!" Her heart beating madly and her skin bursting into sweat, she hurried into the castle as the Black Knight pursued. She was still exhausted from her run up from the dungeons but she found it surprisingly effortless to keep a safe distance from the menace behind her.

Fear, sometimes, can do wondrous things, she surmised.

Into the castle they went, through halls, across passages, turning corners, down stairs, and eventually into The Room of Doors. Along the room's circular wall were thirteen closed doors. In its center was a pedestal with an empty bowl.

Alice skidded to a stop, her body going cold, as she remembered a most important detail that she had forgotten.

She needed fairy dust for the doors to work.

The Black Knight entered the room and gazed around quickly, completely ignoring Alice. It went for the first door and opened it, revealing the wall behind it. With a growl it slashed the door to pieces. It then moved to the second door and, opening it to the same result, destroyed it as well.

Alice stepped back in terror. If she didn't place fairy dust into the bowl before the Black Knight destroyed all the doors her plan, and Wonderland, would be ruined. She had no idea where the fairies had gone and she had no time left to run back into the castle in search of them.