The Crown (24 page)
The striped Wonderland moon was high in the sky when the ceasing of Morte’s trotting woke her. She looked around and let out a happy sigh when she recognized the field, the creek bed where they had originally begun. How quickly this had come to seem like a safe place, this tiny valley. She slid down Morte’s side, unsure of how else she would get down from his towering height. Her leg brushed one of the bone spikes, which left a thin scrape down the length of her shin. Morte took deep gulps from the creek and Dinah filled her waterskin for the second time. She found her sword lying on some mottled leaves and strapped it over her bag, which was hiding behind a leafy bush. Dinah heaved both onto her shoulders. It was time to move; her father was probably closing in on them. She had walked too far, but hopefully it was enough, enough to throw off the trackers, enough to fool Cheshire. She said a silent prayer that they would take the bait.
Dinah began limping toward the woods, relieved to hear Morte’s heavy footsteps following her. Several of the colossal trees guarding the edge of the wood twisted their trunks slightly in her direction as she walked past. Dinah let her hands play across her sword hilt, reassured by its presence.
I will not be afraid of this wood,
she told herself,
because my fight to live does not begin now. I have been fighting all my life, I just didn’t know it. My fight began when I was born to my father, who feared the day I would assume the throne, and I am safer in these woods than I ever was in his palace. I did not die today, so I will not fear death tomorrow.
The thought gave her courage, though she doubted that her courage would remain. She looked back at Morte, following several hundred yards behind, his ears pressed flat against his head. Even the deadly Hornhooves feared the Twisted Wood. Fear churned the insides of her stomach
.
Dinah drew her sword, and with that, the former Princess of Wonderland and her black devil steed disappeared into the Twisted Wood, leaving nothing behind but a false trail and the distant whiff of a crown.
Enjoy a Sneak Peek of the Rest of the
Queen of Hearts
Trilogy:
The white roses were painted red. That was the first thing Dinah noticed as she strolled proudly toward the execution platform, her crowned head held high. The white garden roses, the ones she had lovingly planted with her mother so long ago, were spotted and slashed with deep ruby. Blood was splattered across the white-and-black cobblestones, a deep crimson arching across the palace’s sidewalks and gardens. The roses had gotten the worst of it, as evidenced by the many bodies that lay curled against the vines, as if these men were merely taking a nap in their fragrant blooms…
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the wondrous people who made this novel possible:
Ryan Oakes: for his endless feedback, support, and the sheer power of his belief in this novel, which propelled it from a vague idea into a tangible reality. Thank you for your unflagging love, your creative thinking, and your amusing knowledge about fantasy and fight training. Thank you for giving me the strength to stay true to my instincts and story.
For Maine: you are a wonder.
For Ron McCulley and Tricia McCulley, who are a model of patience, support, and just the right amount of parental devotion: thank you.
My elegant sister, Cynthia McCulley: thanks for always putting a smile on my face, and for agreeing to be a horse. Your shared love for dramatic music helped write this novel’s most exciting scenes. The next one is for you.
Beloved friends who helped this process by just being their superb selves as the story unfolded—Kimberly Stein, Sarah Glover, Emily Kiebel, Cassandra Splittgerber, Elizabeth Wagner, Jordan Powers, Terri Miller, Nicole London, Katie Hall, and Karen Groves: thanks for listening when I described something in my head for
hours.
My intimidating test readers, Michelle Rehme, Erika Bates, Jen Lehmann, Denise McCulley, Patty and Sarah Jones, Deb Sjulstad, Angela Turner, Holly Cameron, and Stefanie Feustel: thank you for helping sculpt this novel into something I am very proud of.
This book passed through the hands of more than a few skilled editors: Erin Armknecht, a story and formatting editor whose input is so great that it simply cannot be calculated, Jeni Miller, whose skill and editing eye were both completely terrifying and completely accurate, and Jess Riley. The Queen of Hearts blazes so much brighter because of you.
Crystal Patriarche, Heidi Hurst, and the entire team at SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint: you are an amazing bunch, the lot of you.
To Erin Chan, equal parts charming and talented: thank you for the gorgeous images that lift these pages, and thank you for being the striking silhouette that graces the cover.
Mae Whitman: thank you for being the inspiration behind my Dinah. You are a fierce little thing, and I admire every bit of your work.
Finally, the man, Lewis Carroll:
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
is the most delightful, cavernous thing I have ever read. Thank you for being the true genius behind these characters, and for letting me wander, pen out, in this magnificent place.
About the Author:
Colleen Oakes is the author of both the
Queen of Hearts
and the
Elly in Bloom
series. She received her B.A. in Creative Writing at Concordia College in Bronxville, New York, and is currently signed with SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint. A proud member of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, Oakes lives in Denver with her husband and son, where she reads, swims, and blogs. Connect with Colleen at
www.colleenoakes.com
.
Queen of Hearts
is her first fantasy series. Look for her next fairy tale,
Wendy Darling
, coming soon.
Table of Contents
Enjoy a Sneak Peek of the Rest of the Queen of Hearts Trilogy:
Table of Contents
Enjoy a Sneak Peek of the Rest of the Queen of Hearts Trilogy: