Elizabeth and Alice in Otherland: Part 6

"Atlas?" Elizabeth face went pale. Atlas was in Rapture. How could he be here? Like everything else about Wonderland this didn't make any sense. Is he-

The thought was interrupted by a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Yeh doin' alright?"

"I-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just need some time to think" Elizabeth's head swam as she began to make her way back to the group. The buildings seemed to rise up as far as the eye could see and the shadows danced about her feet in confusing patterns.

Mariner looked around nervously. "That's good ta hear. But we'd best be gettin' out of the streets iffin' people are lookin' for ya."

"How about there?" Alice said, pointing to a modest-looking soup kitchen. Several dark faces stared out the window towards Alice's gesture.

"Good, good. Now let's get ye inside before-"

As if on cue they found themselves surrounded on all sides by creeping shadows that transformed themselves into suited figures with the heads of animals. Black-eyed crows, horned bulls, long-eared rabbits, each one carried a pair of cruel looking shears that they brandished menacingly.

A lilting voice echoed out from every direction. "Oh my! What do we have here? A couple of wanted criminals?"

Alice grimaced and slowly produced what looked like a common kitchen knife. "Now now, put those weapons away." The booming voice continued. "I'm sure we can work something out."

"Alice, no. He wants to talk. Let's talk."

"But fighting is so much more fun." Alice quipped in a disappointed tone.

"Come into my little theater." The voice commanded.

Sighing heavily Alice followed Elizabeth and others into a large theater. In the tradition of Rome the center of the theater was a large stage with seats ascending from every direction.

The animalistic figures poked and prodded the group onto the central stage. Looking out onto the audience Elizabeth saw all manner of strange figure, mostly the beastlike attendants, but several creatures much like Finder, and others stranger still.

The ceiling was a large stained glass enclosure that, disturbingly enough, began to shift and grind into a face, including an articulate mouth. "I believe we can work something out. Me and my little friends can look the other way and you can be on your merry little way. And all I ask for in return...is a dance."

"A dance?"

"You!" The voice demanded as a stage light highlighted Elizabeth. "And...you!" He finished, shining another light on Alice."

Alice folded her arms defensively and stepped away from Elizabeth. "I don't dance."

"We don't have much of a choice, do we?" Elizabeth said, extending her hand. As Elizabeth stepped forward Mariner and Finder were forced off stage by two crow-headed servitors.

"We could go down fighting."

Elizabeth smiled and wrapped her arm around Alice's waist. Flushing slightly Alice placed a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and entwined her free hand with Elizabeth's.

"I don't enjoy this."

"You don't have to. Now it's my turn to lead you." Elizabeth declared as she maneuvered Alice around the stage.

The two continued their dance for some time. Occasionally the booming voice would suggest some new maneuver or change the music in an attempt to trip-up the dancers. But Elizabeth took it all in stride.

"Elizabeth?" Alice inquired.

"What is it?" Elizabeth snapped.

"You seem distracted. And given our current life-or-death predicament I don't want you to lose focus.

Elizabeth sighed. "I won't, I just..." Her voice trailed off, seemingly stopping mid thought before continuing seconds later. "I have some questions."

"Well you might as well ask them. I'm as much a captive of you as I am of this wreched theater."

"How do you know so much about me? Why are you trying to help?"

"To put it simply, if you can see behind all the doors then I can peer through all the windows. I didn't like what I saw, so here I am."

"So you can...see inside me?"

"Something like that. Or maybe I'm simply mad and believe I can. It's quite hard to tell with this kind of thing."

"I feel like the more I ask the less I understand."

"I wish I had the answers myself. In the meantime I do what I can."

After a moment of silence Elizabeth spoke up again. "Alice...you don't have to stand so close." To which Alice flushed a deeper red and stepped back half a pace.

Presently the music subsided and the crowd began to clap and cheer. Even the horrible face in the ceiling ground it's glass plates together in a vocalization of approval. "Marvelous! Marvelous! You two shall make excellent additions to my show!"

"Additions?! That wasn't part of the plan. You said we could go free if we danced."

"Oh, did I say that? Well too bad!." The voice snarled.

"That's not fair!"

"who said art had to be fair? Seize them!"

With a cry of frustration Alice produced her metallic hobby horse. As the beastly attendants closed in on her she wound herself back and with a great effort threw her hobby horse into the air.

As the hobby horse rocketed towards the ceiling the large stained-glass face let out a cry of terror, but to no effect. The horse struck the ceiling, shattering the face, sending a hailstorm of broken glass down upon the theatergoers.

"Watch yerself!" Mariner cried, bounding out onto the stage and tackling the two girls. As the shower of glass subsided Elizabeth noticed a growing red stain originating from Mariner's back.

"Mariner!"