May stirred some cream into her tea, and raised the cool porcelain to her lips. She closed her eyes, as a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon, washed through her mouth and down her throat. Hatter always had the better teas, curtesy of their father and the Rabbit Holes. The Rabbit Holes were so names because only those of the Hare family could navigate them, and only one other had ever gone down them and survived. That, had been the infamous Alice of England, whatever faraway land that was.

  May stood up, and held out her palm. The table that she had been sitting at instantly folded up, and shot into her hands, where it became an Ace of Spades. May pocketed the card and walked over to the room where the boy was being kept. As she approached the arch, two cards, the Queen's personal guards, crossed their spears in front of her.

  "I'm just trying to bring some tea", she sighed exasperated. "I'm sure that I'm allowed to bring some to my brother".

  "It's not your brother that we're worried about", one card, a 5 of hearts, said.

  "Ahh, the mysterious boy". May paused. "Can I go in now?" The other card, a 2 of hearts, glanced at the 5.

  The 5 nodded. "Let her in, those Hares always find a way to each other eventually anyway". May smiled and tipped her hat to them, then entered the room.

  When she stepped inside, she found herself surrounded by flying cloth of every color and pattern. Threads and needles swirled around, forcing May to dodge a particularly fast silk. When she finally reached the center of the circular room, she found that Hatter busily working away, trimming an indigo hat with ribbon and beads.

  When Hatter saw her, he squeaked. "May! It's tea time!" The boy, who had been chained to a chair, looked up at May, a suspicious look in his eye.

  Smiling at her brother, May pushed back her sleeve to reveal a strange bracelet which held an enormous number of cards. "What do you think Hatter, today should it be the 4 of clubs, or the Jack of Diamonds?" For some reason, after she said this, the boy gave her a startled look at the last bit, but May couldn’t fathom why.

  “I think Jack of Diamonds, today”, Hatter giggled. “Wouldn’t want to insult our guest”. Hatter waved his hand, and 2 chairs flew out of nowhere to settle on the floor.

  As casually as she could, May flipped out the named card, and threw it up. In seconds a table, with a beautiful china teapot, filled with apple bubble tea, and cups appeared and floated down in between the 2 chairs.

  “Whatever do you mean Hatter”, May asked. She knew that Hatter was most likely to give a clearer answer if she feigned indifference.

  “Son of a gem and rival is he, wearing a black crown feathers ebony”. Hatter chuckled at the last bit, but May almost sighed. Sometimes dealing with Hatter could be so, well, maddening.

  “You couldn’t quit you riddles for once”, she groaned.

  “No”, Hatter replied, sipping his tea. “Then you would know too soon, and all wisdom is learned in time. Otherwise that’s cheating”.

  May looked over at the boy. “Hatter, could you please do you thing?”

  Hatter waved his hands in a strange motion, and then snapped his fingers. All the cloth, clocks, and other little do-dads that were flying around, surrounded the center of the room in an impenetrable wall. Even sound couldn’t get through, which suited May’s needs nicely.

  “Would you like to join us”, May asked the boy.

  The boy scowled, “No use to taunt me. You know that I can’t move”. May made eye contact with Hatter, and her grinned back. Hatter croaked his finger and motioned for the boy to come forward. The boy opened his mouth to argue, but stopped short when his chair began to move forward, until it paused at the table where May and Hatter sat.

  “I stand corrected”, he murmured. May could barely suppress her laugh at his expression. She had been growing up around Hatter for so long that she really didn’t mind all of his quirks. However, for an outsider, the strength of Hatter’s magic could be quite shocking.

  “Now, will you join us for tea”, May asked.

  The boy nodded, “I think I will”. Whether he was surprised or not when a cup appeared out of thin air, directly in front of him, he did a good job of hiding it. Cautiously, the boy sipped his tea. He rose his eyebrows at the tea, and took another sip. “You can call me Nox”, he said, seeming something unknown.

  “Nox like night, deep and black, running for his father’s hat”, Hatter chimed, right on queue. Startled, Nox looked at Hatter, his black hair falling into his face.

  “Don’t mind Hatter”, May said. “Everyone thinks that he’s mad, but he’s just gifted with magic. He knows things before he should, and is always annoying me by making references to the future. Imagine living with that for 8 years!”

  Nox chuckled a little, uneasily. “So, you’re May Hare, sister of the Mad Hatter, and daughter of the White Hare?”

  “Yes”, May replied curtly, stirring her tea. Suddenly, the fabric around them began to unravel, and Nox’s chair returned to its place. The table once again became a card, and retreated into May’s sleeve. A card stood in the doorway, his arms crossed.
  “We leave now”, the guard growled. “Get outside”. May frowned, and helped her brother up. She smiled sadly at Nox, and then walked out of the room, her arm linked with Hatter’s.

  A minute later, the heart cards were lined up, surrounding Nox, who now had his arms tied behind his back. The leader, the 8 of Hearts, spoke to May and Hatter.

  “We thank you for your hospitality, and we will not cause either of you harm without a direct order from the Knave of Hearts, or her illustrious majesty, Queen Ray of Hearts”. It was a veiled threat, covered in politeness and respect, while underneath it was dripping with maliciousness. Deep down, May and Hatter knew what they really meant. If they didn’t give the soldiers an excuse, the soldiers wouldn’t them stick with their spears. What a pretty picture.

  Nox gave May a pleading look, and in it, May say something desperate and lonely. It was a feeling that she had experienced often. But, no matter her feelings, it didn’t matter. Because the forest always came first, over strange boys, and their deadly entourages. May, in fact, wouldn’t have needed to do anything, for a great whistling noise filled the clearing.

  From the trees swooped down soldiers in black uniforms, with white diamonds emblazoned on their chests. They took the heart cards by surprise, and the confused bunch ran away in terror. ONly tree stayed behind, clustered in a circle, backs to each other, spears raised. The assaulting group circle them, and May and Hatter hid in the doorway of Hatter’s home.

  Then, one of the attacking group thrust his sword at a card, and the battle truly began.