“I don’t understand,” I say.
“The Queen asked to meet me a few days earlier, asking me if I’d join Black Chess,” the Pillar says. “I said no, but then she offered to tell me the whereabouts of the Executioner, which she knew was very important to me. I’ve been looking for the Executioner for so long—don’t ask me why.”
“See?” Fabiola says. “He only stands on his side.”
“Wait, Fabiola, please.” I sense I’m about to hear something else that I don’t like. “Does this mean we weren’t in Columbia to find the cure?”
The Pillar hesitates. “No. I brought you along so you could help the children out. Sooner or later, I was going to kill the Executioner and his men.”
“But you didn’t kill him before he told us about the Dodo location,” I argue.
“That’s because I needed to find the whereabouts of the March Hare, save him and then get you with him and the children on the plane and go finish my work. I knew he was behind this from the beginning.”
“How is that possible?”
“The March Hare extracted all kinds of drugs and cures from plants in Wonderland. It was him who extracted the Lullaby, which helped Lewis Carroll with his migraines. No one but him could have cooked it.”
“Frankly, I don’t know what to say to you,” I say. “I mean, you do all the worst things in the world. You lie, cheat, manipulate, but then somewhere between the lines, you have a good cause. I am so confused.”
“Don’t be,” Fabiola says. “Whatever cause he had, he risked the end of the world by taking you along. What if something had happened to you while you were there?”
It’s a plausible thought, but it depends on whether ridding the world of the Executioner was as important as saving lives.
“So, do you have any idea how I can kill Carolus?” I ask the Pillar, hoping he’ll tell the truth this time.
“I don’t know,” he says. “I think your best bet is that the March remembers all the details of what happened with Carolus. I believe the solution lies in the Hare’s ears – it’d be a shame having them stick out all the time for nothing.”
“We’ll take it from here,” Fabiola says. “Now get out of here, Pillar.”
The Pillar nods. He looks defeated in a way. Like I noticed before, he can hardly stand up to Fabiola. We all watch him walk out the door, wondering if we’ll ever see him again—or if we ever want to see him again.
“And please stay away from Alice.” Fabiola stabs the words in his back. I know if there’s one thing he likes the most, it’s to be near me. “Once the Inklings are set to go, we won’t need you.”
The Pillar slowly turns back. “Why do you hate me so much, White Queen?” he says. “I lost this for you.” He waves his right hand in the air and points at something.
I blink, trying to interpret what he means. Lost what for her, Pillar? What in the church was he pointing at? Was he pointing at God? Has he lost his faith to her? It doesn’t make sense.
Fabiola stiffens. The Pillar’s words cut through her somehow. She fights the tears and stands straight, saying nothing.
“Get out, Pillar.” She kills him now—and me. “Go pay the Queen of Hearts with the key in exchange for your revenge. Go spill blood and spread mayhem wherever you want, but not near us.”
The Pillar turns around and walks out. As he does, he stops near one of the uninfected and scares her. “Boo!”