Parade on the cobbled lane below. No sign of him. He was probably off doing something fun; whatever it was had to be more fun than being stuck here, forced to watch Wonderlanders show off their silly contraptions. Bibwit Harte, the royal tutor, had explained to her that most of Wonderland took pride in
the Inventors’ Parade, the one time every year when citizens flaunted their skills and ingenuity before the queen. If Genevieve saw something in the parade that she thought particularly good, she would send it into the Heart Crystal-a thirty-three-foot-tall, fifty-two-foot-wide shimmering crystal on the palace grounds, the power source for all creation. Whatever passed into the crystal went out into the universe to inspire imaginations in other worlds. If a Wonderlander bounced in front of Queen Genevieve on a
spring-operated stick with handlebars and footrests and she passed this curious invention into the crystal, before long, in one civilization or another, a pogo stick would be invented.
Still, Alyss wondered, what was the big deal? Having to stand here until her feet hurt-it was punishment. “I wish Father were here.”
“He’s due back from Boarderland at any moment,” said Queen Genevieve. “But since the rest of Wonderland is here, I suggest you try to enjoy yourself for their sake. That’s interesting, don’t you think?”
They watched as a man floated down from the sky with what looked like a hollow mushroom cap strapped to his back.
“It’s pretty good, I suppose,” said Alyss, “but it’d be better if it were furry.”
And with that, the mushroom contraption was suddenly covered in fur, its inventor falling to the ground with a thump.
Queen Genevieve frowned.
“He’s late,” Alyss said. “He promised he’d be here. I don’t understand why he had to make a trip so close to my birthday.”
There were reasons, as the queen well knew. Intelligence had indicated that they may have already waited too long. Unconfirmed reports suggested Redd was growing more powerful, outfitting her troops for an attack, and Genevieve was no longer sure that her military could provide adequate defense. She was as keen as Alyss for King Nolan’s return, but she had determined to enjoy the day’s festivities.
“Ooh, look at that,” she said, pointing at a woman wiggling as she walked so as to keep a large hoop swinging round and round her waist. “That looks diverting.”
“It’d be more fun if it had fountains of water coming out of it,” Alyss said, and immediately the hoop was spurting water from tiny holes all along its surface, the surprised inventor still wiggling to keep it swinging round and round.
“Birthday or not, Alyss,” Queen Genevieve said, “I don’t think it’s nice to show off.”
The fur on the first-ever parachute vanished. The fountains of water on the newly invented hula hoop dried up. The power of Alyss’ imagination had made them appear and disappear. Imagination was an important part of life in Wonderland, and Alyss had the most powerful imagination ever seen in a
seven-year-old Wonderlander. But as with any formidable talent, Alyss’ imagination could be used for good or ill, and the queen saw mild reasons for concern. Hardly one revolution of the Thurmite moon had passed since Alyss’ last incident: Impatient with young Jack of Diamonds for some childish indiscretion, she’d imagined his trousers filled with slick, squiggling gwormmies. Jack of Diamonds had said he “felt something funny,” looked down, and saw that his trousers were moving, alive. He’d been having nightmares ever since. Alyss claimed not to have done it on purpose, which may or may not have been true, Genevieve couldn’t tell. Alyss didn’t yet have full control of her imaginative powers, but the girl
would say anything to get out of trouble.
“You will be the strongest queen yet,” she told her daughter. “Your imagination will be the crowning achievement of the land. But Alyss, you must work hard to develop it according to the guiding principles of the Heart dynasty-love, justice, and duty to the people. An undisciplined imagination is worse than no imagination at all. It can do more harm. Remember what happened to your aunt Redd.”
“I know,” Alyss said sulkily. She had never met her aunt Redd, but she’d heard stories about the woman for as long as she could remember. She didn’t bother trying to understand it all; it was history-boring boring boring. But she knew that to be like Aunt Redd wasn’t good.
“Now that’s enough lecturing for one princess’ birthday,” Queen Genevieve said. She clapped her hands and the parachute and hula hoop passed into the Heart Crystal, much to the joy of their inventors.
An empty pair of King Nolan’s boots floated out from behind the balcony door and began to dance in front of the brooding princess.
Queen Genevieve, watching yet another extraordinary display of her daughter’s imagination, said, “Alyss.”
Something in her tone made the girl stop what she was doing. The boots thudded to the ground, still.
“It’s all in your head,” the queen sighed. “Remember that, love. Whatever happens, it’s all in your head.” It was both a warning and an expression of hope: Queen Genevieve, aware of the dark forces at work
somewhere in the wastes of the Chessboard Desert, knew that joy and happiness didn’t last forever in Wonderland; sooner or later the queendom would come under attack, and it would require all of Alyss’ imaginative powers-and then some-to ensure its survival.
CHAPTER 2
T WO DAYS into their return trek through Outerwilderbeastia, King Nolan and his men urged their spirit-danes at a gallop along a narrow mountain ridge. Four-legged creatures with bodies that looked vaguely bulldoggish from the front and tapered to a thin, tail-less rear end, spirit-danes had flat faces with slow, blinking eyes, fist-sized nostrils, and a quizzical mouth. They were not the fastest means of getting around Wonderland, but they proved the most efficient mode of travel to and from Boarderland-being the only creatures capable of carrying a man, as well as gifts of wine and crystal, while making decent time over the irregular terrain of Outerwilderbeastia.
This had not been a journey King Nolan desired to make. He had done it for the good of the queendom. A last-minute negotiation with King Arch of Boarderland to establish an alliance between their two nations against Redd. It was of course Genevieve’s rightful place to conduct all negotiations, but she had thought it prudent to send her husband in her stead: Boarderland was a kingdom; King Arch didn’t believe in queendoms. The seat of power, he often proclaimed, was no place for a female.
King Arch greeted Nolan as if the mere sight of him brought on fatigue. “Why should I form an alliance?”
he asked after Nolan had just explained the reasons. “Redd doesn’t dare attack Boarderland.”
“Because we’re neighbors, Arch. If Redd does take control of Wonderland, she’s likely to grow more ambitious and look to Boarderland as her next target.”
“Oh, I think I can defend myself against any female, even without an alliance.” Arch snapped his fingers and a shapely courtesan emerged from behind a glittering curtain to massage his shoulders. “Besides, it
rather goes against my principles-partnering with a queendom. I don’t want the peculiar ways of your nation influencing Boarderland’s female population. The last thing I need is the seeds of some so-called greater purpose being planted in their feminine heads, as if they should ‘do more with their lives’ than is required for their marital administrations.”
“I’d be more concerned about the influence a Redd-controlled Wonderland would have on your entire population,” said King Nolan.