The Nutcracker Bleeds (10 page)

The
soldier shook his head.

“I’m
sorry. That’s to get
out
. You need a different password to get
in
.”

Anne
hit her head against the solid gate, trying to think–to make a guess on the
password. How could she have known? It was likely Olivia’s twisted mind that
had concocted it…

Olivia!

An
idea came to her then, swirling into her head like a new breeze. Granted, this
idea might only work if these weren’t the same guards that had let her through
this gate earlier. Taking a breath, Anne raised the pitch of her voice.

“Listen
here,
toad
!” she said firmly to the soldier. “I am your Lady Sovereign,
and I demand that you let me back in this instant!”

“L–Lady?”
the guard questioned, peering closer.

Anne
looked behind her and into the darkness. All seemed quiet. Still, she was
frantic to be free.

The
soldier took his time, squinting at her, examining her hair and her stature.
Could she pass for Olivia? Anne prayed all humans looked alike in the eyes of a
toy.

“You
need proof?” she cried, shoving her hand through one of the holes in the vent.

Her
hand was indeed a bit larger than Olivia’s, but she did not expect the toys to
notice this.

The
soldier took one look at it and called to his comrade. “She’s flesh! It’s the
Lady! Open the gate immediately!”

There
was no hesitation, though the gate was so heavy that it did not move quickly.
The screws were undone. The yarn was taken up. Slowly, the grate was dragged
open. A crack of greater light became visible…

Anne
could hear something approaching quickly in the tunnel behind her.

“
Hurry
!”
she barked.

The
soldiers pulled harder. A dark form came into view behind her, coming fast. She
squeezed through the opening just as it became big enough.

“Lady
Sovereign,” the soldier said, dropping to one knee. “What are you doing outside
the pala–”

He didn’t
get to finish. Anne tore past him without a word, and somehow he realized that
he’d been fooled.

“You!
Halt there!
Stop
!”

Anne
did not halt. She ran onward toward the fort of books, holding tightly to the
cat’s eye.

1

Anne
barreled into the throne room, ignoring all who tried to stop her, and even
those who yelled at her along the way. She fell to her hands and knees before
the throne, gasping and clinging to the floor as if it would lend her strength.
She’d made it back first–before the possessed puppet that had tried to kill
her.
Tried to rape me and kill me…
At least she would get to tell her
side of the story initially.

This
is madness…

“Lady
Sovereign,” Anne breathed respectfully, bowing so low that she was nearly lying
on the floor.

Despite
Anne’s abrupt intrusion, the Lady nodded that this be allowed. The feathers
were swept away and Olivia was revealed–only Anne wasn’t looking, too busy with
a degree of groveling that she hated herself for. Her life and freedom were on
the line, however; she wasn’t too proud.

“You
have what I’ve asked for?” the girl queried, no doubt peering down her nose at
the filth before her.

“Yes.”

She offered
up the cat’s eye without hesitation, and one of Olivia’s servants took it from
her hands and rushed it to the ruler. Anne continued to stare at the floor,
trying to manage her breath. She’d finally steadied it to a rhythmic pant.

Olivia
reached out for the relic in anticipation, embracing it, but when her fingers
ran over the warm glass of the marble, her smile fell.

“What
is this?”

Anne
raised her head at the sound of the inquiry, confused as to why Olivia had any
question about the gift. Not only that, the tone of the girl’s voice was a bit
disgusted.

“It’s
what you asked for,” Anne informed her, drowning in the mysterious confusion
that had seeped into the room.

Olivia
rolled the marble in her hands appraisingly. She shook her head.

“This
isn’t
what I asked for.”

“Yes,
it is,” Anne insisted, her eyes narrowing.

Had
the wretched girl actually forgotten what she’d requested of her? Perhaps
Theodore the bear hadn’t marked it down?

“No,”
the Lady said, firmly and loudly. “
This
is a marble. I asked you for the
cat’s eye
.”

Anne
was shocked to silence. She couldn’t move, and for a moment she didn’t breathe.
Olivia had actually expected her to cut out the cat’s eye?
Duchess
’s
eye?

“Ever
since I saw her eyes, I thought they were the most beautiful things,” Olivia
said dreamily. “I so much wanted to have one for my very own.”

I
always gave you too much credit. You’re so much more insane than anyone ever
imagined, Olivia.
This was what Anne wanted to say, but at that moment, the hinge of her jaw was
locked.

“But
I have since decided that it was a very bad decision,” the Sovereign continued.
“I received word not long ago that the cat has actually eliminated several of
our enemies.”

The
toys consulted each other on the issue, and each one of them seemed to give their
Lady
credit for whatever the cat had done–or had been allowed to do
because she’d gotten to keep both her eyes. In actual fact, they should be
thanking Anne. She was the one who had seen the mice and locked Duchess in the
kitchen, but she was much too angry over other things to press that particular
matter. A muscle at the corner of her eye jumped.

“You
mean to tell me,” Anne said lowly, rising, “that I just spent the last while
wandering around in the dark with a lunatic puppet just to bring you that, and
it’s not even what you wanted?”

Olivia
hardly even seemed to hear Anne’s words of fury. Instead, she busily scanned
the area and returned to Anne with a confused look.

“Where
is Quentin, exactly?”

“
Majesty
!”

Into
the palace, the jester puppet ran, clumsily sliding across the slick, red
ribbon lining the floor.

Perfect
timing for an overdramatic appearance
, Anne thought, staying clear as he ran
past her.

Oddly
enough, he ignored her completely, rushing straight into the awaiting arms of
Olivia, who had stepped from her throne.

“Look!”
he cried, falling to his knees before her. “Look what she did to me!”

Anne
cringed when Olivia took the jester’s face in her hands. At the sight of the
cracked and dented porcelain that was just barely able to remain in one piece,
the Lady Sovereign’s face twisted in deep anger.

“What
is the
meaning
of this, Anne?” she screeched.

The
nurse–who seemed to be in authority no longer–took several deep breaths to calm
herself. Oh! If Olivia only knew what that puppet had tried to do to her! But
standing there, Anne wondered if it was possible to even make the girl
understand.

“He
tried to kill me!” she shot, pointing toward the jester.

“It’s
a lie!” he cried, clinging to his Lady for comfort. “She was going to go pledge
loyalty to the enemy! I tried to stop her and finally she relented, but then
she tried to dispose of me!”

“
He
’s
the one telling lies!” Anne screamed, but she could tell by the look on the
Lady’s face that this was not going well for her. She, of course, believed the
toy. And Olivia was the only one that mattered.

“That’s
not what really happened,” Anne went on. “He…”

She
began reluctantly, not wanting to bring this particular thing to light. Olivia
might not have been a normal girl, but Anne was certain she still had feelings.
Even so, Anne knew that bringing it up was the only way to make her appeal.

“He
tried to do to me what Todd did to
you
!” she yelled out quickly before
she could change her mind.

Olivia’s
breath caught in her throat, and the girl that had just held the air of a ruler
was reduced to a mere child again. She bit back embarrassment, but Anne knew
better than to look at it. Olivia kept her eyes on the floor.

“Is
this true?” the Lady Sovereign asked the jester with sadness in her eyes.

Looking
into her eyes, the puppet began to panic; it showed in his cracked face as he
grasped for an explanation.

“She
shouldn’t have teased me. The harlot!” he cried. “I was forced, I tell you. You
have to believe me, Lady!”

It
had been Anne’s intention to recall the memory of this to Olivia, and judging
by the look on the girl’s face, she’d succeeded. Olivia’s eyes were wide with
surprise, then filled with hurt as she looked at her beloved jester. She had
made the connection, and his actions were a betrayal she could not forgive.
Anne waited only for justice.

“He
said I made him do it,” Olivia muttered. “He said I shouldn’t have tempted him
so…. No!” She removed her hands from the jester’s face, erasing her sympathy.
The puppet became caught in the tide of confusion that had washed over earlier.
“No, no. You shouldn’t have done that. It’s a very bad thing!”

Anne
said nothing. This was going just as she wanted, but she made sure her face
didn’t reveal that.

“
Theodore
!”
the Lady Sovereign bellowed. “I want you to write down that anyone who does the
‘very bad thing’ will be imprisoned immediately with possible execution!”

The
bear did not hesitate, and Olivia turned sorrowful eyes down to the jester.

“I’m
sorry,” she told him gently, “but you have to go to prison now.”

The
puppet shook his head frantically as if he’d been betrayed–as if he had no idea
that he’d done anything wrong.

“Only
for a while,” she added. “Until you’ve learned your lesson. If you do not
reform…”

There
were no more words on the matter. Soldiers stepped in and dragged the terrible
jester toy away, and Anne was finally able to sigh in relief, but that didn’t
mean she was out of the toy chest yet.

The
Lady sat back down on her throne, took a deep breath and regained herself.

“Now,
my ruling as pertains to Anne–”

Footsteps
pounded across the floor. Everyone in the throne room turned to see a lone
soldier running through, passing around Anne and dropping reverently before the
Lady.

“Forgive
the intrusion, Lady Sovereign,” he said quickly, “but we’ve just received news
that an enemy unit is assembling. We need orders.”

Concerned
talk filled the chamber, but Anne couldn’t focus on any of those words. Greater
than that, Olivia seemed to have forgotten about her completely. It was only
for a soldier that the Lady was reminded at all. Anne made a mental note of his
wooden face as he gripped her arm.

“Sovereign…
The prisoner?”

The
Lady turned her head, only glancing at her former nanny before waving a
dismissive hand with an uninterested expression.

“Release
her; she’s harmless.”

Thank
God.

The
guard seemed confused, but eventually let go of Anne’s arm. From the side, a
servant pushed the unworthy green marble back into her hands. The Lady had already
turned to her council, but Anne was not done. Her plea was important, and she
would be heard.

“Olivia,
please!” Anne reasoned. “You have to stop this. You need to come with me, so we
can figure out how to fix whatever has happened!”

“I’m
not going anywhere until Armand comes back,” the Lady yelled. “I promised I’d
stay here. Now just
go
, Anne!”

The
woman didn’t wait around to be told again. She shook her head and stormed out
of the room, leaving all the bustling confusion behind.

2

When
Anne left the Lady’s palace, the soldiers outside were stirring, assembling to
hear the new reports and receive their orders. They all ignored her. She passed
right through their midst, carrying the round, glass gift that was useless.
Still, it was her only possession in this world.

The
woman was a wreck–in every way that a person could be. She was emotionally,
physically, and mentally taxed. It was undeniable that she was dirty with the
dust of the shafts, and she could still feel those termites crawling over her
skin.

All
that she’d been through, and she was still in the same shape as when she’d
begun.

Anne
clutched the marble tighter, moving along without paying attention to where she
was going
to
. At the moment, she couldn’t force herself to care. Anne thought
about the ridiculousness of all this and how she was much too different to
succumb to this social order.

“Fine,
Olivia,” she muttered to herself angrily. “Just
fine
. Go on with your
little game and we’ll see who comes out of this in the end.”

She
needed Olivia back out; she knew that. In her anger, she had neglected it, and
before that notion could come to worry her, her mind had jumped to something
else.

“And,
oh God, Todd.
Why
?”

Anne
would have to admit that she’d had no idea about what Todd had done to the
girl–of what the jester had informed her that he’d done. She somehow felt
guilty for it, since the girl was made her responsibility, but Anne wasn’t
going to let that drag her into feeling sorry. When they got large again, if
Olivia brought it up, Anne would defend herself however she had to. She’d force
it all on Todd and his strikingly handsome head.

Now,
about
getting large…

Everyone
is insane here,
she
thought.
How in the world do I even find someone to explain things to me? I
have so many questions, and yet none of them may lead me to answers. I might
have to stay like this for…

She
didn’t want to think about it. There were other things as well, but she didn’t
want to think about them either.

Snapping
back to the reality around her, Anne found that she had wandered aimlessly into
a corner of the room. Here, the shadows overlapped each other as if they were
blankets. For some reason, she felt safe here, set apart in her own little
section of the world where none of the other toys were wandering. If she’d
wanted, she could just stay here. She could look out and watch the craziness of
this world pass her by. At this moment, that all sounded very nice.

She
continued back to the wall, resting her face against the cool, pale wallpaper.
There was a line of warm, flickering light that fell there, and she realized
that she was beneath a table. The light was orange and warm.

Pleasant.
I could sleep.

Anne
leaned back against the wall, starting to slide down it to find the floor when
her eyes caught a dark shadow behind her. The outline of a figure. The whole
way from the palace, she hadn’t realized that she was being followed.

She
stared through the darkness to the line where the light began again. It didn’t
take her long to recognize the toy.