The Red Queen’s temper was reaching a boiling point. What use was there in courting Time if he wouldn’t bend the rules for her? Time was immensely powerful. That was why she’d started dating him in the f?irst place.
Now desperate, Time f?lung open the doors to a cabinet in his sitting room. It held his favorite treasures—things he had accumulated over the millennia.
“My dear,” Time said as he turned back to Iracebeth. “I would happily part with any one of my diversions.”
“But I cannot give you the Chronosphere!” Time exclaimed.
“You would if you loved me,” Iracebeth said sulkily.
“But I do love y—” Time’s voice cut off abruptly as a shiver ran through his body. Looking down at his chest, his eyes f?illed with horror.
“The Grand Clock,” he said. Without sparing a glance for Iracebeth, he raced from the room.
The Red Queen’s eyebrows shot upward in surprise. Nobody ran out on her, not even Time. She clicked her tongue testily and hurried after him. As Alice wavered at the edge of the giant hammers, one of the Minutes caught up to her and leapt ahead to guard the Chronosphere. But the round end of a hammer crashed down, splintering the Minute into Seconds, who sprinkled down between the clock’s gears.
Alice shuddered. Taking a deep breath, she danced forward, relying on her quick ref?lexes and memory of the hammers’ pattern.
One step, wait, two, three, four, leap, leap, pause, seven, eight, jump!
Crack! She could hear the hammers smashing more Minutes into tiny fragments behind her. Alice pivoted through the f?inal hammers and grabbed a piece of metal framework to steady herself.
Squeezed into a small gap between the hammers and the circular frame cradling the Chronosphere, Alice swiftly patted herself over to make sure she was still in one piece. She let out a little sigh of relief, then faced the glowing orb.
Just then, Time rushed into the chamber, Iracebeth trailing him. Taking in the scene, he cried out in alarm and ran toward the Grand Clock.
Alice stretched up toward the shining Chronosphere. As her f?ingers drew near, it sparked and crackled f?iercely. Biting her lip, she plunged her hand forward and clutched the Chronosphere. The small metal orb stopped spinning but continued to glow, its heat nearly burning her hand.
With a quick yank, Alice dislodged the Chronosphere and brought it to her chest. Separated from the Grand Clock, the orb began to cool down.
“No!” Time gasped, collapsing to his knees and clutching his chest.
Iracebeth peered at Time in irritation. “What’s the matter with you?” she asked.
Time lifted a trembling hand, pointing at the Grand Clock, where Alice was making her way back through the clockwork.
“The Chronosphere!” Time said frantically.
“Alice?” Iracebeth exclaimed. Her sister’s pesky champion was the last person Iracebeth expected to see.
Oblivious to the new observers, Alice tucked the Chronosphere into her pocket and scrambled onto a beam. Behind her, the Minutes began to join hands, linking together to form a hulking mechanical beast.
“Cometh the Hour,” Alice predicted as she picked up her speed.
The Hour ground toward her, its footsteps shaking the f?loor. As she glanced over her shoulder, her foot hit a spare part lying on the path. Alice arced through the air, then landed with a thump. At the impact, the Chronosphere rolled out of her pocket and bounced away.
Alice gasped and struggled to her feet while the metal ball began to f?lash and expand. As the Chronosphere spun on its axis, its golden bands grew until the ball was the size of a carriage, with an open space visible between the rotating rings.
Whoosh! The Hour’s massive arm swung through the air. Alice rolled to the side just in time. As she stood, she saw the Hour’s hands reaching for the Chronosphere. Without thinking, she dove through the Chronosphere’s whirling bands.
Inside, there were dials, levers, and several pulleys. Alice glanced around frantically. One of the chains was labeled PULL ME.
What else could she do?
Alice pulled it.
The Chronosphere lurched forward, its momentum pushing Alice against a metal arm.
“Ugh,” Time moaned. “Why did I label that?”
Iracebeth glared at him in disgust as Alice and the Chronosphere careened out the door and into the hallways of the castle. The Hour lumbered after her, and Time and Iracebeth scrambled to catch up.
Once in the vast corridor, the Chronosphere crashed into columns left and right. Alice pulled on different levers and chains, trying to steer it as best she could.
The rings of the Chronosphere twirled faster, slicing through the air with a deafening whir. It was all Alice could do to cling to a handle, her body doubled over as the whole machine began to vibrate, screws threatening to pop off.
Time and Iracebeth rounded the corner to see the Minutes regrouping. But as soon as he saw the Chronosphere pulsing, Time knew it was too late. “No!” he cried out.
Poof! Alice and the Chronosphere disappeared.