Cheshire rubbed the front of his neck where Dinah had poked him with the dagger. A smile played across his face. “The Spade did well. I joined the King on this mission to hunt you down, and as soon as I knew that you were safely in Sir Gorrann’s care, I quietly took my leave from the King’s side and followed an alternate path up to Hu-Yuhar, but not before I convinced him to abandon his chase and return to Wonderland Palace.” He absentmindedly fingered his sparkling brooch.
“I saw you in the darkness that night, standing so still in the black dress I had packed for you. I was so proud that you had used it so well, and so furious that you would put yourself at that much risk, all for a chance at revenge. Please forgive me for my delay.” He gestured to the elaborate table. “One would not call me a light packer. But, finally, here we are, father and daughter, reunited at last, without secrets or lies between us. I have longed for this moment.”
Dinah’s voice caught in her throat. She longed to throw herself at him, to take his life, to beat him, to embrace him, to weep and laugh, all at once. She felt nauseated and dizzy, confused and elated. It was too much. She could barely strangle out a single bitter sentence. “Why? Why are you here?”
His fingers stopped moving against his cup and he cautiously stood and walked slowly over to Dinah. Kneeling before her, he bowed his jet-black head in the moonlight and then looked up at her, his white smile stretching wide over his thin face.
“Why? Because you are my daughter, the pride and purpose of my life, and I have come to aid you as you reclaim the throne in Wonderland. Why? Because you are the true heir of Queen Davianna, and your claim to the throne is stronger than Vittiore’s, who is a pauper, related to no one. She sits pretty on her stolen throne. I will help you take your vengeance against the King, with a mighty army of the Yurkei behind you. Why? Because you were born to wear the crown, and I will not see Davianna’s daughter slowly waste away in the Yurkei Mountains. Dinah, you must become a conqueror.”
Without warning, he pressed his lips to her hand and Dinah felt a wave of revulsion wash over her. She yanked her hand back as if she had been burned.
Cheshire stood and walked to the end of the table, where he gently picked up a covered silver cake platter. He set it in front of Dinah’s chair. “A gift for my daughter.”
“I don’t want to see it.”
“You must.”
Shaking, Dinah lifted the lid. Underneath it was her crown—the gold and ruby crown, a ring of hearts that blazed like fire, the crown she had left behind. Cheshire picked up the crown and lowered it onto her head. She had forgotten how solid it was, how its points dug into her skull, and the flush of happiness she felt when it rested heavy on her temples. This crown, her crown. The lanterns in the trees flickered, and she heard the rustling of a crane’s wings overhead. She looked down at Cheshire, kneeling in front of her. His black eyes met hers, a mirror image, her enemy, her father?
His voice boomed through the trees. “Rise, Dinah, and become the Queen of Hearts. It is time to embrace your fate.”
The night held its breath. Dinah looked down at him, his black eyes glittering in the starlight.
Embrace your fate.
She ran.
Chapter Twelve
All she heard was the crashing and breathing, alternating with each step. Twigs and branches breaking and snapping as she plunged through the Yurkei orchard, far away from Cheshire, far away from everything he had said. Her breath, loud and jagged, full of pain and confusion. The crashing and the breathing, that was what was happening now, and it was the only thing she could do, the only thing she could think about.
Sharp branches ripped at her arms and legs, their thorns piercing her soft flesh as she rushed past. The dark branches arched their spindly arms overhead as Dinah escaped deeper into the orchard. There were strange blue lights flickering in the trees, but then again, what wasn’t strange in Wonderland? Something large sailed over her head and Dinah heard a foreign cry as she raced through a bramble bush, her legs moving faster than she had ever known they could. It was just her, just the breath in her lungs, the ragged sound of her sobs wrenching out of her chest and the crunching of the leaves and twigs under her boots.