Naqam startled so badly he very nearly fell out of the loft window of the barn when something hit him in the shoulder, waking him up. He scrambled to regain his balance, then looked into the early dawn light of the just-rising sun.

Spears of sunlight were thrown past the pink and orange clouds into a silver sky, casting everything in a soft, golden illumination. The hills appeared to be gilded, the leaves of the trees like emeralds and soft jade. The sunrise had turned the valley into a jeweled paradise.

Hatter stood in the yard, looking up at him with an amused smirk. He tossed something up and down in the palm of his hand, and Naqam frowned at him.

He threw whatever it was, the projectile whistling past Naqam's shoulder as he ducked to the side. Turning, he found a small pebble nestled in the hay, and scowled down at the Real Worlder. Irritated and still a little groggy, he said, "You could have just shouted, you know. I'm a light sleeper."

"I know," Hatter said simply, before turning around to walk back to the house. Naqam ground his teeth in irritation. Then he stood up, looking out over the lush fields spread out below him. He looked back at Hatter when he said, "Hurry up and get ready. We're leaving in an hour."

"What?" Naqam asked blankly.

Hatter turned around. Holding his palms up toward the sky, his elbows slightly bent at the side, he shrugged, and said, "Wouldn't want to keep the King waiting, now would we."

He barked out an amused laugh before disappearing into the house. Naqam's heart leapt as he remembered everything from last night.

They were going to Spade Castle!

Naqam pulled his boots on, then gazed speculatively at the ground. It wasn't that far away.

With a sigh, he stepped out of the window, hurtling toward the soft grass below. As soon as the balls of his feet met the ground, he tipped forward and curled into a ball, the back of his shoulder pressing lightly into the grass. He rolled harmlessly over the ground, letting the energy of the fall carry him, rather than try to stop dead. He popped back up to his feet, and turned as he heard a disgusted scoffing sound.

Adira stood on the porch with her arms crossed, dark eyes narrowed at him. Her hair was once again pulled back in a sleek ponytail, dressed in clothes that hugged her curves. Naqam had never met a woman who would dress like that.

The servants he was used to would wear loose trousers and long tunics if they weren't wearing dresses. He didn't want to admit it, but there was something rather appealing in being able to see the shape of her, even if he hated her guts.

She stalked down the steps and came toward him. He stood tall and straight, refusing to be cowed by this woman, especially now that he knew she was actually afraid of him.

Her fingers trailed over the whip curled at her hip, and said, "Do I need to tell you?"

He grinned, making sure to flash his exaggerated canines. "What? That if I do anything vaguely suspicious, you'll kill me?"

Adira merely stared at him, her black eyes reflecting tiny, dark versions of him in each iris. She had very long lashes. Then she shook her head and muttered, "I think you've been spending too much time with him."

This confused Naqam, and his smile dropped. Uncertainly, he looked toward where Hatter was crouched over a pack, making sure the rifle he was wrapping in a cloth was properly covered and protected. His gaze went back to Adira when she said, "Nothing has changed here, Heart. He might think you can change, but I know better. No one changes, and I'll be there when you show us your true colors."

"Last time I checked," Naqam said, "Spades bleed just as red as Hearts do."

Adira narrowed her eyes at him, but all she did was turn on her heel and stalk back to Mad, her movements as smooth as a cat's. Briefly he wondered what it would be like to fight her. Something told him that she would be one of the very few people in Wonderland who could provide him with any kind of challenge.

He wanted a challenge. 

Naqam blew out a puff of air, making the strand of hair that had been in his face flutter. He grimaced and tucked it back. His hair had always been this length, but lately he was finding himself contemplating cutting it. It annoyed him, getting in his face at inopportune times.

He wondered why Tamsus had chosen to wear it this way. Naktis had never allowed him to cut it any shorter than chin-length, claiming that it was just one more way to honor their dead heroes. When Naqam had questioned him, saying it was a stupid way to remember the past, Naktis had had him whipped.

He still had the scars on his back.

Shaking those thoughts away, he went over to wear Hatter was frowning down at the things neatly wrapped at his feet. He didn't look up, even when Naqam stopped barely three feet away from him. Slowly, he said, "Why don't you go ahead and get saddled up. I need to speak with Adira privately for a moment."

"Didn't you do enough of that last night?" Naqam asked flippantly, unthinkingly. He willed his face into innocent curiosity, standing still as Hatter finally looked over at him.

But all the older man did was blink once, then frown at him. Muttering something under his breath, he then said, "Don't you worry about it. Use Dell again. You're not a skilled enough rider for any of my greener horses."

With that, Hatter stalked back into the house, coat flaring dramatically around his knees. He tugged once at the thin, black leather gloves he wore when riding, then disappeared into the house, leaving Naqam alone. He scowled at the now closed door, then turned on his heel and made his way back to the barn, cursing under his breath.

He'd never been "not skilled enough", at anything in his life. Ever.

Sourly, he thought he'd be more skilled than Hatter if the man had spent some time teaching him how to ride, rather than making him clean stalls and feed horses. It wasn't his fault that he didn't really know how to do it.

He opened the barn door, leaving it like that so that sunlight flooded in behind him. Still muttering to himself about Hatter, he quickly found the palomino's stall. The mare flicked her ears at him curiously, and he said, "I'm not here by choice."

The horse snorted at him, then patiently waited as he clipped a lead to her halter, and let him lead her out into the center aisle of the barn. He brushed her down lightly, not even thinking about it, then proceeded to saddle her.

When that was done, he stepped back and admired his handiwork. The mare flicked her ears at him when he said, "How's that for not skilled enough."

Everything looked exactly the same as when he had seen Hatter do it. He smugly took the reins and led the horse into the rapidly warming yard in front of the barn. Hatter stood waiting for him, the black demon just behind him, its nose pressed against the back of his shoulder. Lady Adira was already mounted on her own horse.

Hatter raked his eyes over the palomino, then gave Naqam a subtle nod. An unfamiliar feeling swelled in his chest, and it took him a second to realize that he liked that he had gained even a little of the Real Worlder's approval.

Quickly, he turned toward the horse and stepped up into the saddle. Or, he tried to.

The saddle slipped sideways and Naqam very quickly found himself flat on his back, staring up at the blue sky. He frowned for a moment, wondering what had just happened. Then, he heard a gruff laugh, quickly followed by the silvery charm of Lady Adira's laugh.

He sat up to find Dell looking at him curiously, her ears pricked toward him. Then she looked at the saddle on her back, which had slid around to where it rested against her ribcage. She shook her head, her cream mane fluttering in the breeze.

Boots made puffs of dust rise up next to him, and he squinted against the sun as he looked up to find Hatter grinning down at him. He tipped his hat back a little, looked at the horse, then back down at Naqam, who was still sitting in the dirt.

He refused to look at Adira.

Hatter extended a hand, and Naqam swallowed down the urge to bat it viciously away. Instead, he took the offered hand, and let Hatter haul him to his feet. Angrily, he dusted himself off, then scowled at the horse.

"It's not her fault that you fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book," Hatter said, evidence of a laugh still in his voice.

Naqam gave him a dark look, then snapped, "What trick?"

Hatter went over to Dell and straightened the saddle, then Naqam watched in astonishment as he tightened the girth another two notches. He could have sworn that he'd pulled the strip of leather that went under the horse's belly as tightly as it could go.

The Real Worlder laughed again, then stepped away and gestured toward the horse. "Try now."

Naqam stalked toward Dell and swung himself up into the saddle in one smooth, easy motion. Hatter gave him an appraising look, and he straightened his back, keeping his shoulders relaxed and his heels down as he sat in the saddle.

A small smirk tugged at the edge of Hatter's mouth, and he said, "Horses will inhale and then hold their breath as you tighten the girth. That way, when they exhale it's not as tight as it needs to be, and then you end up in the dirt."

Naqam glared down at the crafty animal, who looked completely unperturbed by the whole episode, shifting her weight off of her left hind foot. Hatter mounted his own horse, then grinned at the Ace and said, "Next time, wait a second, then see if you can slide your hand between the horse and the girth. If you can get more than a finger or two between them, tighten it. You'll avoid getting dumped again."

When Naqam nodded, still aggravated, Hatter tapped his heels to the black devil's sides. The horse started walking. Naqam followed, sighing at the slow speed. If horses could run as fast as he knew they could, then why did Hatter always insist on this snail's pace?

He watched as Lady Adira urged her horse next to Hatter's. She shot one nasty look over her shoulder at the Ace, then they all rode in silence. The only sound between them was the wind sighing through the leaves and the clop of the horses' hooves.

As they crested a hill, Naqam watched as Hatter cast one last look over his home, a wistful expression on his face. Naqam turned back around in the saddle, happy to be done with this place. It was too still and quiet for his tastes.

And yet, that thought couldn't quite banish the twinge of sorrow in his chest.

His gaze glided over Lady Adira to find her watching Hatter with an almost sad expression. He frowned, and the miniature movement seemed to somehow catch the Jack's attention, because her eyes immediately snapped to his.

Naqam didn't blink. Neither did Lady Adira. She didn't scowl or sneer at him, instead electing to watch him with a severe intensity that made his skin crawl uncomfortably.

To his relief, Hatter chose that exact moment to start moving again. His horse walked right between the two, forcing them to break eye contact. Adira nudged at her horse, which fell in behind Hatter's obsidian monstrosity. Naqam cast one last look over the ranch, then followed suit.

He wasn't pleased by the prospect of a three day journey with Lady Adira and Madison Hatter as his only company, but decided he could put up with it. They were headed to Spade Castle, after all, and he had learned long ago that one didn't get everything they desired in life. 

Naqam would have to be content with the idea that they were going back to the place he was supposed to be. The place he had been trying to get to his entire life.

He rode silently, letting the repetitive motion of the horse dull his mind.

He swore to himself that he would put up with all of Lady Adira's sideways looks and nasty jabs with all the grace he could muster. She would not get a rise out of him. He would not ruin his chance.

Not when he was so close.