Escaping Wonderland Art 2

Here is the second illustration from Escaping Wonderland featuring Shadow from chapter 4, when he first reveals himself to The Hatter. I love how dashing he is while also maintaining a sinister glee. And those claws! :D

Art by Donovan Boom

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Scene Snippet:

Still muttering, the Hatter stepped around the chair and scanned the mess with his eyes, toeing aside shards of porcelain and ruined sweets. “No, no, no. Where? Where is it? Should be right here, right where I left it.”

Perhaps Shadow had always been naïve to think he could alter the Hatter’s outlook through intervention; perhaps it was cruel to toy with such a damaged mind.

But it was fun, and that was justification enough.

“You look troubled, Edward,” Shadow said gently. “The new girl giving you problems?”

The Hatter—or Edward Winters, according to Jor’calla, who was only ever wrong concerning matters of timing—started and drew his knife. His wide, wild eyes fell on Shadow.

Shadow reached up, grasped the brim of his hat—formerly the Hatter’s hat—and tipped it in greeting.

“This is my place, not yours,” the Hatter said. “Return that to me and you may leave alive.”

Grinning, Shadow angled the hat to the side and leaned back in his chair. His tail perked, rising to sway a little faster. “Death is such a fleeting state, Edward. A minor annoyance at best. But I’m glad you’re upping the stakes so quickly, regardless. We always seem to find ways to make our little games more exciting.”

“This is no game, you faceless bastard. I’m going to slice you open from groin”—he jabbed the tip of his knife toward Shadow’s crotch and angled it upward—“to chin. Slowly.”

“Would you like some help cleaning up the mess you made first? I’m rather fond of the character it lends to this bland room, but I know it must bother you.”

The Hatter adjusted his grip on the knife and lifted his free hand as though to reach for his hat. He stopped his arm before it reached the empty air over his head and curled his hand into a fist. The infuriated scowl that crossed his lips brought a surge of satisfaction to Shadow; angering the Hatter was never a dull undertaking.

“Before you make your next move”—Shadow brushed his palms over the chair’s soft armrests—“allow me to counter your ultimatum with one of my own. Give me the female and you may leave alive.”

Growling, the Hatter slashed his knife through the air and took a step forward. “She’s mine until the king comes! My dolly! I’m taking the first taste. It’s owed to me for taking her in while he’s away. Her sweetness is not for the likes of you.”

“I saw her before your little scurrier, Miraxis, did. That makes her mine.”
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