“I’ve found one, Your Imperial
Viciousness,” Vollrath said, breathlessly entering the court. “It’s
not far
from here, on Cockspur Street.”
Redd turned to her lieutenants. “Sacrenoir, you’re in charge until we return. As for recruits, I expect you to enlist only the worst of the worst—which, for my purposes, are the best. Alistaire, Siren, come with us.”
Out on Cockspur Street, pedestrians scattered like nervous rats as Redd marched at the head of Vollrath, The Cat, Alistaire Poole, and Siren Hecht. “There!” Vollrath said, pointing to a puddle where no puddle should have been—in the window display of a stationer’s shop.
Without slowing or hesitation, Redd shattered the window, stepped into the stationer’s display and dropped into the puddle.
Sfoosh!
She was sucked down and out of sight. Vollrath, The Cat, Alistaire, and Siren quickly followed. If the eardrum-popping descent through the multidimensional waters had any effect on Redd, she showed no sign of it. Her face was firm, expressionless, and she kept her eyes wide open as she torpedoed deeper and deeper…
Then came the brief suspension in the lightless depths, and the portal’s reverse gravity began to take effect, drawing Redd and her underlings up with increasing speed until— Sploosh! Fablash! Splashaaa!
They exploded out of the Pool of Tears into the open air. Instantly, razor-cards were slicing down around them, muzzlefuls of crystal shot whizzing past their heads. Before Redd splashed back into the water, she was spinning, her arms held out to either side, orb generators spraying out from the tips of her fingers.
Waboooshkkktsh! Ba-ba-booozzzztshchkshkchtt! The last of the enemy’s crystal shot whistled past. The card soldiers patrolling the Pool of Tears were no more.
“They’ll know we’re coming,” Vollrath said, bobbing in the water. “No, they won’t.” Redd had, by the power of her imagination, routed to the void every warning the soldiers had tried to send to General Doppelgänger on their crystal communicators. On dry land, The Cat hissed at the pool and shook the detestable wet from his fur. Redd, being in the same dimension as the Heart Crystal, felt stronger than she had in a long time. She gestured violently, and the not-so-distant white noise Alistaire and Siren had been hearing ceased. “The Whispering Woods,” The Cat said.
“There’ll be no whispering about me,” Redd declared. “Alyss is not to know of my return until I pass through my Looking Glass Maze, by which time Sacrenoir better have amassed the Earth army I’ll need to battle her forces, or he’ll wind up as a midnight snack for his skeletons.” “But they’ll know we’ve come,” Vollrath said again.
from here, on Cockspur Street.”
Redd turned to her lieutenants. “Sacrenoir, you’re in charge until we return. As for recruits, I expect you to enlist only the worst of the worst—which, for my purposes, are the best. Alistaire, Siren, come with us.”
Out on Cockspur Street, pedestrians scattered like nervous rats as Redd marched at the head of Vollrath, The Cat, Alistaire Poole, and Siren Hecht. “There!” Vollrath said, pointing to a puddle where no puddle should have been—in the window display of a stationer’s shop.
Without slowing or hesitation, Redd shattered the window, stepped into the stationer’s display and dropped into the puddle.
Sfoosh!
She was sucked down and out of sight. Vollrath, The Cat, Alistaire, and Siren quickly followed. If the eardrum-popping descent through the multidimensional waters had any effect on Redd, she showed no sign of it. Her face was firm, expressionless, and she kept her eyes wide open as she torpedoed deeper and deeper…
Then came the brief suspension in the lightless depths, and the portal’s reverse gravity began to take effect, drawing Redd and her underlings up with increasing speed until— Sploosh! Fablash! Splashaaa!
They exploded out of the Pool of Tears into the open air. Instantly, razor-cards were slicing down around them, muzzlefuls of crystal shot whizzing past their heads. Before Redd splashed back into the water, she was spinning, her arms held out to either side, orb generators spraying out from the tips of her fingers.
Waboooshkkktsh! Ba-ba-booozzzztshchkshkchtt! The last of the enemy’s crystal shot whistled past. The card soldiers patrolling the Pool of Tears were no more.
“They’ll know we’re coming,” Vollrath said, bobbing in the water. “No, they won’t.” Redd had, by the power of her imagination, routed to the void every warning the soldiers had tried to send to General Doppelgänger on their crystal communicators. On dry land, The Cat hissed at the pool and shook the detestable wet from his fur. Redd, being in the same dimension as the Heart Crystal, felt stronger than she had in a long time. She gestured violently, and the not-so-distant white noise Alistaire and Siren had been hearing ceased. “The Whispering Woods,” The Cat said.
“There’ll be no whispering about me,” Redd declared. “Alyss is not to know of my return until I pass through my Looking Glass Maze, by which time Sacrenoir better have amassed the Earth army I’ll need to battle her forces, or he’ll wind up as a midnight snack for his skeletons.” “But they’ll know we’ve come,” Vollrath said again.