Alice rubbed her finger along his fur. Hatter pulled her into his arms and they stood like that for a while. They’re sadness a palpable weight in the air.
But Danika wasn’t sad. No, on the contrary Leonard’s tale gave her hope. Not much, just a smidge, but more than she’d had a second ago.
“Why do you smile, Dani,” Hatter glowered, “can you not feel our pain?”
“No, no, you mistake me.” She waved her hands. “The curse has most assuredly gripped your daughter. And yet, for a split moment she was cognizant enough to let Leonard slip away. Somewhere in her head she remembers her old playmate. She let him go. Don’t you see?”
“See what?” Alice wiped her nose with the back of her hand, tucking Leonard into a pocket of her gown, patting it down gently.
“Choice!” Danika felt like pumping her fist. “If she’s capable of letting him go when the curse drives her so mad, then she is still capable of choice. She can be saved.” Jericho was right, the Cheshire was right. The answer to the riddle had been right here all along.
“But you were saying something about the Ten. What will happen to her if the Ten learns of her madness?” Hatter was quick to ask.
Truth time. “Nothing good I fear. You know what they did to the Jabberwock.”
Both Alice and Hatter shuddered, they knew quite well what the ten had done to the chimera, man-eating beast.
“Madness is fine, so long as the madness is contained,” Danika continued, “once it runs amok—”
“They take care of the problem,” Hatter finished.
“No!” Alice scowled, yanking on Hatter’s arm. “You can’t let them hurt her, sweetheart. I swear if a single fairy lays a hand on my daughter I’ll rip it off and slap them with it.”
Hatter patted her shoulder.
Wincing in sympathy, Danika scrunched her nose. “No need to go ripping off hands, Alice. I think I know what to do.”
“What?” They snapped in unison.
“Many years ago I had to send a hunter to tail Hook, he’d grown, well…” she waved her hand, “well, you know,” she pierced them with her eyes, “he was wild. So I sent the Huntsman after him.”
“The queen’s tracker?” Hatter blinked and then snorted. “Oh yes, she’ll let him come to our aid, sure.” The sarcasm was hard to ignore.
Danika was a damn fine godmother. She’d not thought much of it at the time when she’d first met the Huntsman Aeric and felt the familiar tingle rush down her spine. The tingle of true love. Of course the pulse had been faint, but it’d been there.
In all those years since she’d first felt the shiver of love’s first bloom she hadn’t forgotten and always looked around for who the Huntsman was meant to be paired with.
It was almost as if Miriam were speaking to her through the great divide, because deep in Danika’s soul she sensed an answering awareness when she thought of the Huntsman with her Chrysa. There was something there that needed to be explored.
If anything could tame a beast, it was a huntsman.
But she’d not tell them that just yet, no need to give them false hope. For everyone within Kingdom knew the strongest, most surest magic of all was true love. If anything could break the curse, it would be that.
She smiled. It didn’t solve every problem, but it was a start. Tomorrow Jericho would visit her, she’d have to talk to him and see what else could possibly be done, but this was most assuredly a good place to begin.
“The Huntsman takes side jobs. He also happens to be a ward of mine. Though I rarely see him,” she grumbled, “Red Queen fatty keeps him so bloody busy.” Her wings buzzed angrily.
“No, I do not like it,” Alice shook her head, the scrollwork had now fashioned itself into a spearhead. “He’s a trained killer, bordering on psychopathic.”
Danika laughed. “Killer yes, psychopath… well dear, that’s what they all said about your Hatter.”
Alice frowned.
Hatter brushed his knuckles against her cheek tenderly. “He is the best. But, we should have no problem finding her. You say she’s leaving a trail of death in her wake. Surely if we just follow the corpses—”
Alice dry heaved, grabbing hold of her stomach.
“Sorry, my heart,” he whispered.
“No, I really do insist it be the Huntsman, he’s skilled, he knows what he’s doing and to be blunt, your daughter is dangerous.” Danika shook her head.
Dress a blazing shade of fiery orange, Alice shook her head. “She let Leo go, she’s—”
“To expect her to do that every time is the height of folly, my dear,” Danika said it softly and with love but also with force. “You did not see what I did. His experience will keep not only himself safe, but also her.”
“Danika, I swear by the gods,” Hatter growled, “can we trust you?”
It hurt that he should question her, but right now this wasn’t about her. This was about them and Chrysalis and righting a horrible wrong.
“If I fail in this, Hatter, I’ll let Galeta have her one hearts desire.”