“I doubt it,” snipped Dinah glumly. “I wish that would happen because then I would get to see inside of them.”
Harris gave Dinah a disappointed look. “Never wish yourself inside the Black Towers,” he said seriously. “You have no idea the evil that lurks there.”
He began speaking quietly to Emily. Dinah instantly regretted her words. Her father had threatened to throw Dinah in the Black Towers several times, but it never happened. Only the worst criminals in Wonderland went there. And once they went in, they never came out. Rumors swirled that the Black Towers were where the King threw those he needed silenced—Cards, merchants, and bill collectors. The Black Towers were comprised of seven connected black cones, all strung together by a twisting narrow walkway known as the Iron Web, which straddled the door to each tower and ran vertically up and down its sides. She had once heard her father call it a “wicked and colossal wonder.”
From her bedroom window, Dinah loved to watch the Club Cards scurrying up and down the spirals, like little spiders dressed in gray, holding their books or torture instruments. The Princess had never been allowed in the Black Towers, of course, but she planned to tour them someday with her best friend, Wardley. But for this, she would probably have to wait until she was Queen.
Dinah, Harris, and Emily approached the Great Hall. Two vast ivory doors loomed terrifyingly before her, elaborately carved with the history of Wonderland. Wicked trees, Yurkei tribes, and sea shells danced before her. She closed her eyes.
Perhaps, she thought, perhaps if I wish really hard, I could be anywhere but here.
Dinah longed to be outside, playing chase with the servants’ children, or peering down the pesky rabbit hole by the old oak tree. Anywhere was better than the Great Hall, knowing that her father waited beyond these inscrutable doors. Two Heart Cards, both handsome men, sharp and crisp in their red-and-white uniforms, opened the doors for them as they approached.
Dinah felt her hands begin to shake and she froze. Not now, oh gods, not now.
She felt Harris’s hand on her shoulder, and she was grateful for the calming effect it bestowed. He bent down and looked the Princess directly in the face. “Dinah, my child, the King has called you here for a very special reason. Try to be graceful, polite, and lovely. He is your father, and he rules over this kingdom. Try to remember that. Everything the King does is for Wonderland.”
Dinah’s heart was hammering wildly in her chest. Something was wrong, she could sense it. Why was she being brought here? Was this not just a boring council meeting, where she had to perch upon her tiny chair and look interested as the men of Wonderland argued and boasted of quests, Yurkei raids, and politics?
Harris licked his wrinkled finger and wiped something from her face. “Dinah, my child, look at me. Everything will be fine. I’ll be waiting for you out here.”
Dinah was seized by a sudden panic. She pressed against him. “No. NO. I want you to come in with me.”
“I am not allowed in the Great Hall for this . . . just for today. The King desires your full attention.”
Harris had never been excluded from an event in the Great Hall. As her guardian and tutor, he was welcome to observe the King’s Council. But not today. Something was wrong.
“NO!” Dinah flung her arms around Harris. “Please come, I don’t know what’s going on, please, just come with me.”
Harris detached Dinah from his thick waist. “Dinah! Do not forget who you are. You are the Princess of Wonderland, and you are not to act like this again. Would you like to embarrass the King?”
Dinah shook her head, “No.”
“Then go in there and greet him in the respectful way.” He gave her a generous smile. “It will all be alright, child. Trust me. Now put on your brave face. Let me see it.”
Dinah scowled.
“No, that’s not it. Now show me BRAVE Dinah. Dinah the fearless, the future Queen of Wonderland, the future Queen of Hearts.”
Dinah took a deep breath and steeled her black eyes. She stood up taller and sucked in her belly.
“There, that looks a little bit better.” Harris patted her head happily, but Dinah was sure that she spotted tears in his weathered eyes. “It’s time. We are very, very late. I’ll be out here.”