Queen of Hearts Complete Collection: Queen of Hearts; Blood of Wonderland; War of the Cards. Colleen Oakes

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СКАЧАТЬ Dinah was reading more than she ever had before, late into the night. She would do anything to keep the memories and dreams of the Black Towers away. Still, no matter how mentally exhausted she made herself, her last thoughts before sleeping would be Faina Baker’s grim face as a black root twisted its way into her mouth. More often than not, her dreams were dark and demented—not unlike the Towers themselves—and she would wake drenched in sweat and flooded with panic, clawing at her own mouth.

      While her learning had increased tenfold, her patience with lessons and the daily routine of the castle had ceased to exist. Suddenly she could not stand the long introductions, the formality of the court, the ridiculous routines and practices that took up more than half the day. For gods’ sake, she thought, taking a gulp of tea, it takes me two hours or so to eat breakfast and get dressed. So much could be done in that time.

      As if he could read her thoughts, Harris began picking up the books and putting them back on the bookshelves that lined Dinah’s walls. “I see Your Highness is in no mood for lessons today. Are you sure that nothing is bothering you? You have been sullen and withdrawn lately, which is not very princess-like behavior, especially with your coronation coming up in a few weeks.”

      Dinah simply shook her head. She could tell no one about what she had seen. This kind of news would surely kill Harris, who had slowed down in recent years. And while she trusted her twitchy tutor, she loved him too, and she would never drag him into something dark.

      “Thank you, Harris. I’m just tired. And I long to begin my rule.”

      “Do not wish that too early, my dear. Once you begin it, you may long for your childhood days once more.”

      I’ll never have those again, thought Dinah, not now that I know what lingers beyond the palace. Dinah stood up and brushed off her maroon-and-white-striped dress. “I think I’m going to visit Charles this morning. Tell the servants to pass the message along.”

      Harris clapped his hands. “That sounds like a brilliant idea. Please tell Lucy and Quintrell that I send my regards.”

      Dinah nodded absently as she fiddled with the small bird in her hair. Emily walked up behind her and clipped it firmly to the side of Dinah’s head. “That looks lovely, my lady.”

      Dinah made a rumbling sound in her throat. No matter how much she tried, she could not bring herself to care about Wonderland fashion.

      She walked briskly through the palace. Everywhere she went, her pace was now brisk, now that she had two Heart Cards trailing her every move. This is how it feels to be queen, she told herself, so I better get used to it. The click-clack of boots behind her reminded her with every step that she was never truly alone.

      Quintrell was waiting for her outside Charles’s door. “My queen!” he bowed.

      “Not yet.” Dinah smiled. “How is he today?” she asked.

      “Strangely melancholy,” he replied, relieving the Cards and ushering Dinah inside. “This last week he has not been himself. His mood is one of despair, and most of the time Lucy finds him weeping in corners or screaming at the walls. He seems fascinated with stars and shadows, though his work has been focused solely on the concept of shadows, all black and shades of gray. It’s hard for us to see him this way. It has resulted in some of the most beautiful hats I’ve ever seen, though.” He let out a defeated sigh. “The Mad Hatter has never been more exceptional in his talent, but our Charles is strangely detached.”

      Dinah rested her hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for telling me. I’m so grateful that Charles has such loving servants.”

      “Wait until you see what he has made for your coronation.”

      One month, thought Dinah. Only one more month until I will rule beside my father.

      Charles’s crooked quarters were more disarrayed than normal. Dinah waded through ankle-deep hats to reach the stairwell on which Charles precariously sat. One leg dangled off into nothing, and he seemed intensely focused on a tooth he held in one hand. Dinah winced.

      “Hello, Charles. Is that your tooth?”

      Charles blinked several times, his green eye staring at her while his blue one wandered to the right. His mouth was bloody. She gently wiped his lips with the sleeve of her dress as he grinned at her. “Two tooths too many to bite.”

      She shook her head. He leaped up, and Dinah steadied herself on a twisted wicker railing that looped overhead.

      With wide eyes, he stared at her. “Do you know what the whispering mountains cry? They scream for their freedom! Then it’s good night, good night, good night, all of Wonderland in a steaming pile.” Charles flung his tooth off the ledge and danced down the stairs ahead of her. As they reached the bottom, his face went from enchantment to hysterics. “Tooth! I need it, I need it, fiddle dee, tooth for tooth!” He began to search frantically in a pile of hats, which flew overhead as he tunneled beneath them.

      “It’s here, Charles.” Dinah had seen the tooth land on a pile of spotted teal feathers. She plucked it up and scrubbed it with a piece of sunrise-colored silk. He snatched it out of her hand and held it up to the light. “Ivory. Bone. Black on black texture with the teeth of different animals. A hat for a horde. A hat for a”—he did a little jig—“a warrior! A man that carried heads in a bag!”

      He wrapped his hand around Dinah’s. It surprised her a little. Charles reluctantly let her touch him sometimes, but he was never the instigator. His mismatched eyes looked up into hers. “Come and see. Come and see,” he whispered, repeating the phrase over and over. He led her under the maze of staircases into a small back room. This was where he usually stored buttons of every size and make, but the room had been cleared, and it was empty. Empty except for a crown.

      It sat on a wooden stool, and an open window filtered in just enough light so that it glittered and shimmered in the sun. Dinah felt the air whoosh out of her lungs. It was magnificent, a work of art of the highest order, unlike anything she had ever seen. The thick base was of brushed silver, inlaid with thousands of tiny white diamonds, all in the shape of hearts. Individual tree branches rose up from the hearts, leaping and twisting into a solid second circle that finished the top of the crown. The detail became more incredible the closer Dinah looked. The branches, when inspected, were patterned into tiny faces, their flowered mouths open in a scream. Stars, flickering in the light, hung from thin bands of silver among the creeping branches. Four Card symbols connected the vines from the sides of the crown to the top, where a diamond heart inlaid with a bird in flight sparkled in the light. The heart, she could see, had been cut in half and reassembled so it sat a tiny bit askew.

      She was speechless. Its beauty was not only ten times that of her crown; it was ten times that of her father’s crown. Nothing like this had been made in Wonderland, not ever. It was the most astonishing crown she had ever seen, truly a combination of art and extraordinary skill. It blazed in the sunlight.

      “Charles … I cannot accept this. This is …”

      She looked over at her brother. He was still, for once, watching her with puzzling sadness. She gave him a kiss on the forehead. He made a face.

      “Thank you. I shall wear it every day when I am queen.” Her own crown, a tiny ring of rubies, now seemed sad and pathetic by comparison. She reached out to touch the diamond heart.

      “No!” Charles screamed, throwing himself on the floor, СКАЧАТЬ