Excerpt

We'd been trudging through the woods for hours by the time we exited the forest path onto a larger road. If we went right, there was nothing but a stretch of dirt road, but on the left, a building—a house, by the looks of it—rose in the distance.

"Go that way," Dee commanded and pointed in the direction of the house. She was definitely the bossier of the two pixies and had been directing me for almost the whole journey.

"Who lives there?"

"No one anymore. The last occupants left years ago," Dum said, her mouth downturned and a tear beginning to sparkle in her eye. "That's a memorial. A very, very sad one."

"Okay," I said, not wanting to dig deeper.

Xavier didn't put much stock in fragile things like feelings. As a result, other people's emotions made me uncomfortable. I never knew how to best support them.

Probably because I wanted to avoid talking about it, we reached the house in no time at all. Up close, its derelict state grew more obvious. The roof was caving in, and many bird nests lined the openings of each window. A stench that reminded me faintly of compost and rotted wood teased my nostrils.

But the strangest thing was the long table spread out over an expansive lawn. It could have easily seated twenty people, and by the looks of it, at one time, it had. Teacups, cake platters, and plates rimmed with gold ran the length of the wooden surface, all of them covered in dirt, and most chipped or broken.

I took in the table and the front door, still cracked open on its hinges. "It looks like people got up mid-party and never cleaned up . . ."

Dum burst into tears, making me cringe, so I turned to the other pixie.

Dee shot her sister a disapproving look and shook her head. "They didn't come back because the Red Queen either killed them all . . . or worse."

Herald had mentioned the Red Queen. Was she the same woman who'd sent people after me? I'd been too caught up in dreams about my family that I'd never asked for clarification. "Why? And is the Red Queen the same one who is after me?"

"I'm afraid so." Dee pressed her lips together. "The people who gathered here were the first rebels to oppose the Red Queen. Their bravery cost them their heads."

"I see." I felt as if I should say more, but what? If the people who perished here had been rebels, they probably knew my parents, but I didn't know them.

"Don't worry," Dee remarked. "It'll be eerie inside, but not gruesome."

I twisted to face her. "Excuse me? Why do we need to go inside? I thought you said this was a memorial."

On the other side of me, Dum picked up a lock of my hair and tugged lightly. "Before you enter more populated areas, we need to cover your hair. It's too much like your mother's. People will be on the lookout for it."

I cocked my head. I supposed that made a little sense. I rarely saw others with hair as white as mine, and if my mother was a rebel leader . . .

"It doesn't take dye well," I warned them, recalling the time I'd tried to dye it purple once to piss Xavier off and get out of a mission. "Never has."

"We're not looking for dye," Dee said, and pointed to the front door.

I sighed and followed their directions. The door creaked when I pressed it open wide, and I shuddered as we stepped into a dank smelling entryway. Old homes weren't my thing. Even less so if they had history like this one did. Ghosts definitely lived here, and while there wasn't much that scared me, ghosts gave me the creeps.

Neither daggers nor my magic could harm them.

"It's just like I remember," Dum sighed.

"Let's hope Ernie kept a few of his creations around," Dee said cryptically. "Go up the stairs, Alice."

I climbed the bowed steps, keeping a sharp eye out for rotting floorboards. Shockingly, everything held up, and when I reached the top, Dee directed me to the second room on the right.

"What is this place?" I opened the door and came face to face with hundreds of hats in every style imaginable.

"A workshop." Dum leapt off my shoulder and began flitting around the room. Dust flew from some of the hats in her wake, filling the air.

"So this is how we'll cover up my hair?" I asked, wrinkling my nose to keep from sneezing.

A lot of the hats were crazy flamboyant and not my style, but I guessed I'd wear them—if it was the only way to get close to my family.

"What about this one?" Dee held up a bright green top hat adorned with flowers.

"Too flashy." I gestured to my all black ensemble. "I prefer black."

"Boring!" Dee said, but placed the top hat back on its hook.

I nixed a few more options, all too colorful or large for my taste, before I found the perfect one.

It was a black boater cap with a simple gold ribbon wrapped around it. There was enough room in the top of the hat for me to tuck my blonde braid out of sight. Only the wisps near my ears would be visible, and there was nothing I could do about them except pull the hat down low.

"I didn't think it would work, but it kind of does," Dum said, tilting her head to take in my new accessory.

"I don't know." Dee shot a longing glance at the green top hat. "Seems a shame, considering Ernie was known for his color and flair, but I guess it is best to be unassuming during our travels."

"Yes, and on that note, we should go," Dum said.

Finally, I thought, and followed the pixies from the room.

Once we hit the road again, we walked for miles and miles, until after cresting a hill, a town appeared.

I woke up the pixies, who'd been napping on my shoulders. These two were pint-sized freeloaders.

"Where—oh! We're almost to Heartstown!" A bright smile lit up Dum's face.

"Is that here?"

"No, this is just a village before we cut through another bit of forest." Dum waved at the trees behind the quaint settlement. "Heartstown is another hour through the woods."

An hour?

When I'd left my apartment that morning, I'd assumed I'd grab something to eat on the go. Now that I'd been walking all morning and afternoon, my belly was tight with hunger. I wouldn't be able to deny the pangs for much longer. Heck, at this point I'd even take a greasy spoon diner, the type of place I usually disliked. I found their lack of healthy options frustrating, but I was so starving that I'd deal.

"Can we stop here for food?"

"Ohh, Oberon's ears, this place has the most delicious food!" Dum squealed as she placed her hands on my chin to stabilize herself, and swung forward to look at Dee. "We have to take her to the Oyster House!"

"It's the best tavern around," the other pixie agreed, "but we must be careful. The Oyster House is rough and tumble, and we don't know where Carpenter's allegiances lie."

"Allegiance? Do you mean you think he could work for the queen?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Dum's face twisted into an expression of indecision. "Alice, we'd love to take you to the Oyster House, but if we do . . ."

"You can't call yourself Alice," Dee cut in.

"But . . . why? No one knows me here."

"Most know your family, though," Dum said. "If Carpenter is in league with the Red Queen, he'll tell her you're here. That could mean trouble."

Clearly, these pixies didn't know me very well. But pretending to be someone else was easy enough. I did it all the time on jobs.

"I've got this, girls. I playact all the time back home." I grinned. "Just call me Camilla."

The pixies didn't look convinced, but I was their ride, and my stomach ached with hunger, so I wasn't taking no for an answer.

I strode up to the Oyster House and walked in like I owned the place.

And then I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Oberon's ears, we should have warned her!" Dum moaned. "Now she definitely looks like an outsider."

"About the enormous stuffed walrus in the middle of the pub?" I whisper-hissed, taking in the figure in front of me. "Yeah, a heads-up would have been nice."

It would have been one thing if the walrus was simply stuffed and lounging on a fake iceberg. But this walrus was easily three times the size of a normal walrus. It sat there, its mouth gaping open wide, with dozens of empty oyster shells filling it. Someone had even applied some shells to its skin, indicating a grotesque degree of overindulgence. Worst of all, the beast's eyes had been gouged out, and hung a sign around its neck proclaiming the animal to be a "glutton".

"Sorry, Al—Camilla," Dee said. "It's a long story. We'll tell you later. For now, grab a table. And don't stare at anyone."