Hatter's Heart - Erin Bedford Page 0,24

under.

The murky water made it impossible to see anything around me so I swam as fast as I could up toward where I hoped the surface was located. I hit the surface and gasped for air just before something latched onto my leg and dragged me back under.

Kicking my feet at the siren, I tried to dislodge myself from them. Trying to aim in this mess was near impossible and before I knew it I was being dragged further and further away from the surface. My lungs burned and eyes drew heavy.

I had to get out of here. They were waiting for me. Four murky figures flashed in my mind and I reached for the thought but the more I grabbed for it the more it fell away until all that was left was pain and the coldness of the water.

Chapter 8

My chest burned, and something kept hitting it. This wasn't right. If I were dead, then I shouldn't feel any pain, right? I'd be a spirit floating around the Shadow Realm or waiting for the Reaper to come to collect me. I shouldn't be feeling like I was being squished to death.

"Come on, ye stubborn lass. Breath!"

Mop?

I choked as thick liquid fought up from my lungs and out of my mouth. Groaning, I rolled over and hacked even more water out of my mouth. It tasted like a toilet dipped in garbage.

"Ah, there she be!" Mop called in my ear, patting me hard on the back. "We thought we lost ye."

I waved him off and rubbed at my eyes. "Nothing can keep me down."

Chuckling, Mop knelt beside me. "I figured as much. Yer lucky the Walrus grabbed ye when he did or ye'd be siren food by now."

I blinked rapidly before opening my eyes completely. "Walrus? He saved me?"

"Yes, Walrus did!" Trip hopped around in front of me, his tail smacking the ground and making my ears ring. "Walrus saved Alice, yes Walrus did!"

Searching around the sandy bank, I didn't see anyone but Mop and Trip. "Where did Walrus go? What about Carpenter?"

Mop glanced back toward the swamp. "Walrus be searchin' for Carpenter. But I donna think he be findin' 'em."

"What about the sirens isn't he worried they'll eat him?" I pushed up onto my elbows and focused on breathing normally. I never wanted to do that again.

"Nah, Walrus be havin' tougher skin than that. Sirens ain't gonna eat him." Mop waved my concern off and then shifted to his feet. "We better be goin' though. It'll be dark again soon."

I stared up at the sky as I allowed Mop and Trip to help me to my feet. "Already? It hardly feels like it was a whole day."

Mop cocked his head to the side and gave me a once over. "Ye might wanna find somethin' else to wear."

My gaze dipped to my clothes and I groaned. I looked like something the cat dragged in from the nasty swamp. The blue of my dress was more of a muddy brown and my stockings were completely ruined. I didn't even want to see what my hair looked like.

"Ugh," I smoothed my hands over my clothes and they instantly cleaned themselves. Sliding my hands through my hair, my wet locks dried and turned back into the soft curls I loved. "That's better." I tapped my foot to make sure I had gotten all the water.

"So," I glanced around us, frowning as I tapped my chin, "where are we now?"

Mop walked away from me and to where the sandy bank turned into dry dust. The fog that covered the Swamp of the Forgotten hit an invisible wall, stopping it from going passed its border. A few steps up to where he stood and I could make out some bushes and trees spread out sparingly along a desert wasteland.

"Oh, no." I placed my head into my hand. "Please tell us we're not in -"

"The Veil of the Faeries?" Mop answered for me with a twisted frown. "Unfortunately, that exactly be where we are."

Trip moaned and shook in place. "Trip don't like faeries. No Trip don't."

I looked down at the opalaught and patted him on the head. "Well, you won't find many here, most of them have taken off into the human world." I shook my head and sighed. "I have more faerie complaints than anythings else."

Mop grunted. "Well, keep ye eyeballs peeled. Donna be no good to be caught unaware."

Taking a hold of Trip's paw, I stepped cautiously out of the fog and into