“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Molly said, looking around at the variety of people and creatures in the courtyard. “You’ve got street vendors mingling with suit families as if no one’s blood is purer than another’s.”

Alyss knew this to be a constant theme with Homburg Molly. Half civilian, half Milliner, the girl was particularly sensitive to matters of race and class.

“I don’t know, Molly. Judging by the look on Lady Diamond’s face, I’d say you overestimated things a bit.” Alyss called out to the ranking lady as the walrus-butler passed by with a tray of wondercrumpets: “Have a wondercrumpet, Lady Diamond?”

“Ah. A wondercrumpet. Yes,” said the lady, taking one but holding it far from her mouth with no apparent intention of bringing it closer. “You do know how to throw a party, Queen Alyss.”

“You think so? I wouldn’t have supposed you enjoyed brushing against so many Wonderlanders of lesser rank.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” the Lady of Diamonds huffed.

Alyss didn’t trust the suit families, but there had been no proof of their conspiring with Redd, either before or after her overthrow of Queen Genevieve. Nor had there been any proof of their engaging in outlawed activities that could have secured a conviction in Wondertropolis’ courts. As much as Alyss would have liked the suit families gone, there was politics to consider. Redd had kept them around after her coup for similar reasons: their relationships with business leaders, government officials, and the arbiters who decided the guilt or innocence of the ill-fated brought before them in the name of jurisprudence. Only Jack of Diamonds had been prosecuted, Bibwit’s and the walrus-butler’s evidence against him too overwhelming to ignore; found guilty of treason and racketeering, he’d been punished accordingly.

But why poison my brain with thoughts of Jack of Diamonds?

Why, indeed, when Dodge Anders had caught her eye from across the courtyard? It was the first time she was seeing him in his uniform as head of the palace guard. She’d almost forgotten how handsome he could be when dressed in formal attire.

As if it were possible to forget.

She had always thought his was a rough-hewn handsomeness, the four parallel scars on his cheek adding to his looks rather than diminishing them. She’d been thrilled when he requested his father’s former post, and interpreted it as meaning that he would abide by a guardsman’s code instead of avenging Sir

Justice’s death. She only hoped that he didn’t become too much like the Dodge of her youth, who had shown an almost religious devotion to propriety, a guardsman’s place in relation to the queen, because

now that there was no threat of her having to marry Jack of Diamonds… She glanced away, afraid she would reveal too much of herself in her eyes.

“Molly, there are enough guards and chessmen here to protect a flock of queens. I want you to go off and enjoy yourself.”

“But I am enjoying myself.”

It was Molly’s job to shadow her everywhere, Alyss knew. But it could be so bothersome. How was she supposed to have any time alone with Dodge, who was that moment making his way toward her though she pretended not to notice?

“Molly, I order you to enjoy yourself somewhere else.” “Fine,” the girl pouted, and stomped off.

Alyss kept her eyes to the ground. She tried to think of something clever to say to Dodge, but her mind filled with the sort of things she might murmur to any old stranger-how are you, lovely weather we’re enjoying, at least we have our health. She felt him standing next to her. Her quickened pulse loud in her ears, she looked up and-

It was only Bibwit, with official pardons to sign. “Must I, Bibwit, even during the party?”

She watched Dodge veer off to confer with one of his guardsmen; he would never interrupt her when engaged in the nation’s business.

“I’m sorry you find it inconvenient, Alyss. But these are Wonderlanders who have been punished by

Redd’s regime for committing no crimes.”

He was chastising her, in his gentle way. Why should those who have innocently suffered be made to suffer another moment? Wonderlanders imprisoned during Redd’s reign were being interviewed, their cases reviewed to determine if they were legitimate criminals or merely people who had fallen afoul of Redd’s temper. For the latter, proper legal channels had to be employed, pardons issued and signed.

“It seems that being a queen involves nothing but paperwork,” Alyss sighed, scratching her name first on one pardon, then another.

“Mastering the combat aspects of a warrior queen is the easy part,” said Bibwit. “The administrative responsibilities of ruling from day to day, of contending with the bureaucratic procedures that keep Wonderland society functioning-these are more subtle to master and therefore more difficult.”

The walrus-butler waddled up as Alyss was signing the last of the pardons. “Queen Alyss, King Arch of

Boarderland is here.”

Bibwit’s ears stood erect in surprise.

“He must have come to wish me well,” Alyss said, not quite believing it herself. “Please show him into the garden, walrus.”

“Yes, but…yes, I tried, Queen Alyss. But he says he prefers to visit with you in a more masculine environment.”

“And where would that be?” “In the briefing room.”

She saw the king in her imagination’s eye, in the company of his intel ministers and bodyguards, a disdainful expression on his face. She flicked a look toward Dodge. He shrugged in good-natured understanding: He would have to wait.

“I’ll attend you, Alyss,” Bibwit said.

Wonderland’s queen shook her head. “No. It’s more important that you end the suffering of the falsely imprisoned as soon as possible. Deliver the pardons to the arbiters, as you’d intended. And please arrange for me to inspect the conditions at the mines. The reports I’ve heard are disturbing.”

The tutor appeared uncertain.

“Don’t worry, Bibwit. Arch can do nothing to me.”

On her way out of the gardens, Alyss passed the Lord and Lady of Diamonds, who were talking with

Homburg Molly. The lady suddenly raised her voice as if to make sure Alyss heard what she was saying:

“Jack was forever bending rules to suit his own interest, though we never thought he’d go so far as to conspire with Redd. Of course we had to disown him, our only son and heir, after his treasonous behavior.”

But as inexperienced a sovereign as she was, even Alyss knew: In the garden of state, treason was a weed; just when you thought you’d rooted it out for good, it returned more virulent than before.