THE PRESENT: BUCKINGHAM PALACE
T he Queen cried herself to death in her room. Her tears were piercing bubbles, splashing against every wall in her chamber. Her dogs eagerly waited for the salty tears to slide down the walls, so they could lick them. They hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for a while.
“Such a loss,” the Queen told herself, dialing Mr. Jay’s number. “I wonder how he will take the news.”
“Yes?” Mr. Jay answered.
The Queen told him about Alice’s death. The man’s silence extended for a few uncomfortable breaths on the line. “Is that confirmed?”
“She is dead. I’m sorry,” the Queen said. “I wished she wasn’t.”
“A shameful loss for Black Chess.”
“I know. Winning the war will be much harder now.”
“Alice has always been my favorite. The things she has done for us after the circus. I will always remember her. I wish there was someone to blame for her death.”
“The Pillar,” the Queen said. “He’s the one who turned her mind, almost converted her to one of the Inklings.”
“That’s not quite true,” Mr. Jay said. “Alice had once been an Inkling before she joined Black Chess. She didn’t become one of us until the incident after the circus. You could say she had good and evil in her all the time.”
The Queen nodded silently.
“Also, we may have never found her if it weren’t for the Pillar,” Mr. Jay said. “None of us was sure it was her.”
“That damn Lullaby pill, and Lewis’ curse to make us forget. I wonder how the Pillar knew she was the Real Alice.”
“Maybe he didn’t. It could be a stroke of luck.”
“I doubt that. So are we going to do something about him now?”
“Something like what?”
“If you allow me to chop off his head, it’d be most Jub Jub.”
“No.” Mr. Jay’s voice was firm. “Don’t ever underestimate the Pillar. He didn’t get into this to only convert Alice. The war is just starting. He is full of secrets. So tell me, do we have the keys?”
“The Cheshire is working on it. He says Jack’s mind is a bit tricky.”
“Don’t trust the Cheshire either.”
“I understand. I have my eyes on him.” The Queen hesitated. “However, I have a request.”
“Listening.”
“I want to organize a respectable funeral for Alice.”
“I understand, but it would expose us to the Inklings’ forces. Who knows if they have other plans for us?”
“No one will notice. Kids and families will think it’s a memorial for Alice in Wonderland from the book. To us, Black Chess, we’ll be honoring our Real Alice.”
“I don’t mind. When are you planning on it?”
“Right away. It’s going to be an exceptional Alice Day in the whole world next week.”