Part 16 (2/2)
All sa.s.siness and patience melted from the Jabberwock. It charged Daring-beastie, who suddenly vanished. The Jabberwock skidded to a halt, sniffing the air, smelling the lemony trail of Kitty's disappearance. Several feet away, the Daring-beastie reappeared, the sword floating beside him as if it had a life of its own. And then the sword vanished.
”Vorpal!” scrackled the Jabberwock, mad with rage.
A snickersnack sounded from the far end of the Grimmnasium. Kitty was perched atop the basketball standard.
”So much moving around,” she said, swinging the sword. ”It's really draining to carry oth-”
Whatever Kitty was going to say was lost as she stared at the hole in the air her swing had cut. She smiled, baring each of her Ches.h.i.+re teeth.
”Guys!” she said, her voice actually bubbly. ”This sword can get us home! That's Wonderland in there.” She pointed at the hole as it snapped shut. ”Who cares if it's infected or something. So is Ever After currently. Let's just-”
The Jabberwock clawed a wooden board from the floor and threw it across the length of the basketball court, impaling the backboard and sending the whole standard cras.h.i.+ng to the floor.
”Kitty!” Cedar yelled.
The Jabberwock galloped to the mess, screaming, ”Vorpaaaal!”
”We could... ugh... use that beast on the Ever After High basketball team,” Kitty whispered from behind Cedar.
Cedar whirled. ”You're okay!”
Kitty coughed. ”Relatively.” Her eyes were half-lidded and her ear was bleeding a little. ”Vanis.h.i.+ng, moving, vanis.h.i.+ng... it takes a lot out of you. Especially when you carry stuff.”
The Jabberwock was picking through the broken standard bits with its claws and mouth, searching. ”Swoooord,” it howled.
”You do the honors, princess,” Kitty said, holding up the sword. ”Forget this monster. Use the sword to open a door home.”
”No!” said Cedar. ”What about Ever After? You can't just leave the Jabberwock here!”
”I could go home,” Lizzie mused. ”Raise an army, come back, take over-”
”What?” Cedar said. ”Like the Evil Queen, but in reverse?”
Lizzie's eyes cleared from whatever daydream she was in. ”Of course not.”
The creature in question had given up searching the rubble for the sword. Cedar heard its claws clicking on the hardwood, coming back toward them.
”Give me the sword, Kitty,” Lizzie said. ”Quick!”
”Only if you promise to take us home,” said Kitty, taking a step back.
”Cat Thing!” came a terrible screech from above.
With great flaps of its bat wings, the Jabberwock leaped and descended upon them in a crash. Everyone went flying, but especially Kitty. Cedar saw her spinning almost to the ceiling. The sword flew out of her hand, singeing the air with a narrow rip. The sword struck the wall, careened back, and began to descend into the tear it had made. Midair, Kitty reached for it.
They would both plunge back into Wonderland. It was over, Cedar thought. The sword would be gone.
Kitty popped out of thin air, dropping the vorpal sword at Lizzie's feet.
”She caught it,” Cedar said. ”Before it fell into Wonderland.”
”And came back to us before she did,” Maddie said.
”Off with its head, Your Highness,” Kitty said, her eyes closing. She curled into a ball. ”Just going to take a little catnap...”
Lizzie patted Kitty's head and picked up the sword. Her beautiful crown hung in broken golden icicles. The painted heart around her left eye was smeared. Her skirt was ripped; her tights bore ragged holes in the knees. But her eyes were clear and her mouth was set.
She raised the sword. ”Now, Shuffle!”
The Jabberwock opened its mouth as if to eat Lizzie, but Lizzie's pet, still stuck between the monster's eyes, tossed the golden icicle into the creature's throat.
”Hurrg!” gagged the Jabberwock.
”I'm glad you're on our side, Princess of Hearts,” said Cedar.
”Callooh callay,” said Lizzie. ”It's about to become a frabjous day.”
LIZZIE SWUNG THE SWORD, MISSING WILDLY. A huge scaly paw swatted her for the trouble, and she went skidding to the ground.
She leaped up, irritated. It was not supposed to be like this. It was her destiny to bring Wonderland to heel, but her Grove was destroyed and everyone was hurt. Lizzie probed her swollen lip. She was hurt, for queen's sake! The only one hurt was supposed to be the Jabberwock, and apart from the smiling hedgehog wedged between its eyes, the beast was suffering from nothing more than a golden icicle stuck in its gullet.
”Hork,” gagged the Jabberwock, holding up a claw to Lizzie as if it were in the middle of a speech and just needed her to wait a moment.
”Get him, Lizzie!” Maddie shouted, almost back to her usual happy self.
”Is your dad okay, then?” Lizzie asked. Empathy filled her, but instead of causing indigestion, she actually felt amazing. Maybe her mother was wrong about a few things. What a terrifying thought! Lizzie ordered it to the back of her head to inspect later. ”Never mind. He's off the head, so I'm killing it now!”
Lizzie charged the Jabberwock and swung, just managing to take off the tip of a horn before being kicked away. Oh, spades take it. Maybe all this empathy was throwing off her aim.
”Hurk,” said the Jabberwock, still working on expelling the hedgehog-flung icicle from its insides.
Maddie took off her shoe, shouted ”Hatworm is go!” and threw it at the Jabberwock.
”I don't need any help!” Lizzie shouted. ”I'm trying to fulfill my destiny, and you're messing me up!”
”Hurglaaa!”
The Jabberwock finally coughed out the icicle, the force expelling it straight at Lizzie. Fast.
”Shrunk” was the sound that Lizzie heard as the golden icicle struck her.
How curious, Lizzie thought, even as the pain blossomed, that the sound of a coughed-up golden icicle glancing across one's forehead would sound like an actual word that has nothing to do with icicles, gold, or foreheads. Her legs weakened, and she dropped to one knee. I shall have to tell Maddie about it. Also, apologize for being so curt.
”Lizzie!” Maddie was leaning over her. Lizzie couldn't think of the last time anyone had been so close to her. Besides her hedgehog, Shuffle, of course. But she didn't really count as an anyone because of all the spiky fur. Lizzie preferred pets that weren't too soft.
”I wanted to tell you... something,” Lizzie slurred.
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