The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor Read Free Book Online Page A

clattered to the floor.
    Hatter fought his way toward the top hat, flipping and tumbling through the air, his long Millinery coat flaring like a cape. His steel bracelets snapped open and became propeller-blades on the outward side of his wrists. His backpack sprouted blades and corkscrews of various lengths and thicknesses, like an open Swiss Army knife.
    The Four Card was growing more desperate as Hatter approached. The top hat clanged on the floor one last time. Hatter picked up the weapon, examining it to make sure it hadn‘t been damaged.
    ―One must learn how to use it,‖ he said. ―Here, let me show you the proper way.‖
    These were the last words the soldier ever heard.
    Redd strolled through the mayhem of the battle unharmed. Whenever a white pawn made the mistake of attacking her, she flicked him with a long, bony finger and sent him hurling into the stone walls or the pointed end of someone‘s spear. It gave her no small pride to see The Cat performing so well in combat, poking fatal holes in chessmen with his claws, easily taking out as many of them as Hatter did card soldiers. She was also pleased to note the speed with which the suit families had fallen into obedience. No sooner had she ordered the removal of everyone‘s head than the Lord of Diamonds bravely stepped forward, bowed, and said, ―Your Majesty, we regret that we‘ve been deprived of your presence for so long and rejoice that you‘ve returned.‖
    The Spades and Clubs echoed him with bows and fond regards of their own. So she would let them live. For the moment. Besides, there was something intriguing about the young Diamond boy. He stood under the protective arm of his father, seeming more interested than scared, as if learning all he could from the violence around him. Who knew? He might grow up to be useful.
    Sir Justice Anders cut and slashed at the invading card soldiers. He rescued several chessmen momentarily overpowered by a band of Two Cards, and when he spotted an opening toward The Cat, he made a run at the creature, sword poised to strike.
    Dodge saw what was about to happen. ―Watch this,‖ he said to Alyss, proud of his father‘s skills and bravery.
    But The Cat had no trouble dealing with the leader of the palace guard. With the back of his hand, he knocked Sir Justice to the ground, sent the man‘s sword skittering across the floor and out of reach. The Cat picked up Sir Justice and swiped him with a claw.
    ―Noooo!‖ Before Alyss could stop him, Dodge bolted out from under the table, snatched up his father‘s sword, and attacked The Cat. ―Yaah!‖
    The assassin merely grinned, knocking him to the ground with a light blow. Six white chessmen converged on him and kept him from finishing off the boy.
    His right cheek bleeding from the four parallel cuts left by The Cat‘s claws, Dodge hunched over his dead father, sobbing.
    Alyss, alone under the table, also started to cry. Tears had been wetting her cheeks from the beginning, but they‘d seemed to belong to somebody else, not a part of her, as if her body were responding to the horrific scene before her brain could comprehend it. Now she entered into grief, shaking with the force of her sobs. Sir Justice dead. Dodge abandoning me. Why did Father ever leave? And where‘s Mother? Where‘s—
    A face appeared before her: colorless, sunken eyes, ravaged and diseased-looking skin, matted hair.
    ―Hello, niece.‖
    Alyss felt herself lifted out from under the table, held aloft by her long, black hair.
    ―So you were to be queen, were you?‖ the woman snorted, unimpressed.
    ―Aunt Redd?‖
    ―None other.‖
    ―Let her go, Redd.‖ It was Genevieve.
    ―Are you telling me what to do?‖ Redd sneered. ―Look around. The time for giving orders is over.‖
    ―Please. Let her go.‖
    Redd became impatient. ―You know I won‘t. You brought this on yourself, Queen Genevieve. I can‘t afford to leave any Hearts alive—except myself, obviously.‖
    ―You can have me