O N A suburban street where Wonderland children frequently played, outnumbered and outgunned card soldiers were saved from a bombardment of razor-cards by a shield that repelled the projectiles back upon the Glass Eyes who fired them…
In an Outerwilderbeastia safari park where families often vacationed, a platoon of pawns was able to defend itself against several Boarderland tribes with the help of orb cannons that automatically reloaded and launched generators…
Along hiking trails in the Everlasting Forest, Fel Creel warriors on the verge of routing two full hands of card soldiers suddenly found themselves being routed by the ground upon which they stood, as it crumbled beneath their feet and sucked them down into unknown depths…
Supporting her troops from the crystal chamber, Alyss had been able to hold Redd’s forces in their current positions for more than a quarter of a lunar hour. But she could feel fatigue overtaking her, even with the Heart Crystal so close. Redd’s invasion of Wondertropolis seemed as inevitable as the seasons.
Can’t keep this up. Can’t be at all places at once. “The Pool of Tears, Alyss!” Bibwit shouted.
She turned her imaginative gaze upon the pool: Two and three at a time, figures were splashing from its surface.
Are those…skeletons?
They were. Innumerable skeletons swimming to shore along with Master Sacrenoir and others of flesh
and no good intent. They scrabbled onto dry land and attacked any card soldiers and chessmen within sight: yet another battle, an ambush upon Alyss’ senses and strength.
Pointing her scepter at the Heart Crystal, she surrounded the Earth mercenaries with a barrier exactly like the one that had so recently separated the queendom from Boarderland-the pylons, the sound waves that could fry a trespasser’s internal organs. But as she did, the scorpspitters that had cornered Catabrac warriors in a dark quadrant of the Chessboard Desert disintegrated into nonexistence. The warriors blasted their way through a spread of Five Cards and advanced toward the capital city.
Redd, informed of Sacrenoir’s arrival and rolling toward Wondertropolis in her three-wheeled vehicle, guffawed when she remote-viewed the barrier meant to contain Sacrenoir and the others. The closer she got to the Heart Crystal, the more she felt her powers increase. She stopped up the barrier’s pylon vents; the sound waves flickered and went out. Alyss conjured another barrier, but Redd stopped up its vents just as quickly. Alyss conjured a third barrier, but this time, sensing Alyss’ gaze upon her and wanting a distraction, Her Imperial Viciousness said aloud, “Let’s see how my guardsman friend is doing.” She then directed her energies to a particular Wonderland farm, where Dodge, having commandeered a
spirit-dane, was speeding through a gobbygrape arbor to the Everlasting Forest, it having been reported to him that The Cat was last seen there, decimating card soldiers with tremendous swings of his paws.
Since the fighting began, Alyss had taken comfort in the fact that Dodge and The Cat were nowhere near each other. But Redd’s ploy worked. Alyss let herself be distracted, focused her imaginative sight on Dodge, who had climbed off his spirit-dane and was unsheathing his father’s sword, stalking toward-
“Bibwit,” Alyss yelled, “tell Dodge The Cat he sees isn’t real! It’s a construct!”
The tutor repeated the message several times into his desk’s audio intake, but Dodge didn’t respond. If The Cat were a construct, he would find out for himself. The Cat grinned and stood his ground as Dodge ran toward him with a sword aimed at his throat and-
Bonk!
A pail flew up and hit the guardsman in the shoulder, and before he could recover, another came at him from his opposite side. Clonk! Off balance, he swung his sword to defend himself against a hoe that had been thrown at him by some unseen hand.
Redd.
Alyss conjured pails and farming tools of her own to smash against her aunt’s. But more than a few of Redd’s conjurings made it through, hitting Dodge in the head, arms, legs and stomach, frustrating him, angering him, all while The Cat stood untouched and laughed. And in trying to protect Dodge, Alyss lost sight of what she’d been doing, imaginationwise, on other fronts. Sacrenoir and the rest of Redd’s Earth army passed between her barrier’s gobbedup pylons with ease. Elsewhere throughout the queendom, Redd’s hordes punished Alyss’ forces and closed in on Wondertropolis.
Alyss realized her mistake. But it was then, as she was beginning to think Redd unstoppable, that she truly understood Blue’s message.
Court loss or lose. Invite loss.
She stood before the Heart Crystal, her scepter held loosely in her hand, doing nothing. “Alyss!” Bibwit shouted. “A-lyss!”
I must invite loss to prevent Redd’s victory.
Above her, above the city center, the web of caterpillar thread was more intricate. She rushed to the control desk, sent a dispatch to the generals.
“Let Redd advance,” she ordered. “But be sure the soldiers make a show of resistance. If they don’t, she’ll be suspicious.”
“Let Redd advance?” General Doppel’s voice croaked.
“All due respect, Your Majesty,” said General Ganger, “but that’s crazy talk!” “Just do it!”
With Bibwit fidgeting at her side, and still defending Dodge-who had yet to land a blow on The Cat construct-against Redd’s bruisings, she watched the control desk’s viewing screens. On the outer streets of Wondertropolis, the first of her retreating card soldiers appeared, fighting weakly and rushing for cover whenever it presented itself. Redd’s army came from every direction at once. Redd herself followed along behind the warriors who’d fought their way through the Everlasting Forest, riding tall in her three-wheeler with Arch and her tutor as companions.
Beep, beep beep beep. Hatter’s voice pumped through the control desk’s speakers: “Queen Alyss, I’ve woven the green thread, as you requested. The pattern is all but complete.”
“Hold, Hatter, and wait until I give the order to complete it.”
Redd’s forces were quickly surrounding the palace, smashing shop windows, exploding transports, scarring building fronts with crystal shot and razor-cards.
“Are you sure this is wise, Alyss Heart?” Bibwit said, but he seemed to be talking to himself and Alyss didn’t answer.
“Closer,” she was murmuring as Redd advanced. “Closer.”
Another few blocks and the palace itself would be overrun. Redd’s army was already storming down Heart Boulevard toward the palace gate. But still Alyss waited. Redd appeared on the boulevard. Three blocks away, two blocks, one block-
“Now, Hatter!”
On Talon’s Point, the Milliner tied the last segment of loose caterpillar thread in place according to the diagram Arch had given him, and-
WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMP!!! WUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMP!!! WUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMP!!! WUUUUUUUUMMMP!!!