Hatter's Heart - Erin Bedford Page 0,20

Mop and Trip. "Which one do you think will be easier? Finding a new High King or reviving the Tree of Life?"

Mop arched a brow. "Well, seein' as how the Shadow Man sucked the life from the Tree of Life, I donna see how we can be bringin' it back."

"Okay." I sighed, throwing up my hands. "Then who should be High King? What exactly is a High King?"

"Oh, Trip knows! Trip knows!" Trip finally peeked out of his ears, perking up. "The High King is king of all Underground. UnSeelie and Seelie. Yes, he is. Yes, he is. High King rule all."

One eye scrunched up as I grimaced, I asked, "Do we really want someone like that? Who would we even trust to do such a job? Dorian has his hands full in the Shadow Realm. Chess might have been a good candidate since he is half Unseelie and half Seelie, but he and Kat are too inseparable. I have a feeling High King requires a lot of time in the Underground."

"That damnable cat donna belong on a throne of his own makin' let alone the High King chair," Mop snapped with a scowl. "Never mention this to 'em. Never."

Holding my hands up, I took a step back. "Message received. I will never speak of it again. That still doesn’t solve our problem."

Mop sighed and scrubbed behind his ear. "I donna know, lass. Let's think on it. Until then, we still need to be findin' Hatter." Seer snored even louder, muttering in her sleep. "Which we willa not do standin' ‘round here."

"Where to next? The Tundrey Woods?" I chewed on my thumb as I thought. "I do not know where else to look besides Hatter's house." I paused, my eyes widening. "You do not think he would go back into the Bandersnatch, do you?"

Shrugging, Mop walked toward the exit of Seer's home. "Who knows. Hatter be workin' by Hatter's rules. We just be goin' along for the ride."

I didn’t know what Mop was saying but it made sense. Which in itself was scary. My trip into the Underground had just become a bit more complicated. Not only did I have to save my lover but the whole Underground. Why did everything come on my shoulders? I already played the hero once. My time is done. I was retired. Done. Put out to pasture. I had my happy ending. I didn’t need another one.

And yet...in the words of Kat. What the fuck, man?

Chapter 7

The Tundrey Forest wasn't like any other forest I'd ever been in. The trees whispered as you walked by and creatures called to you, trying to get you to leave the path. It was here that I first met my Mercury. I'd been lost in the woods with no idea of where to go when I came upon his party of tea drinkers.

The March Hare, Trip's cousin and Hatter's confidant, had quite a temper and if you didn't watch what you said you were more likely than not to get a tea cup to the head.

The Door Mouse wasn't much better though he was the more disturbing of the troop with the little blue door on his chest. He liked to open it and scratch his innards on the regular.

My favorite of course was Twinkle. A dog sized bat with wings almost an exact replica of the night sky. He was always so sweet to me.

My heart warmed at the memory but soon grew cold as I knew the empty table that would greet us. There would be no party. No tea cups thrown. No innards scratched. Only a sad and lonely table with hopefully Mercury sitting at the head of the table or in his twisted house.

"What are ye goin' to 'em once we find 'em?" Mop asked out of the blue as we walked through the rest of the mushroom city. The night had turned to day as we left Seer behind, making the path a lot easier to follow.

I stared straight ahead, contemplating what I would say. I hadn't gotten so far as to know what I would do to bring him back. If I knew my Hatter there wasn't anything I could say to bring him back when he had his mind set on something. If he was determined enough to leave me without saying a word then he might not be willing to listen to reason.

Sighing, I shrugged a shoulder. "What can I do? He won't come back until he finds what he