The Hazel Wood

Alice is in a clearing. Despite her guilt and grief over losing Finch, she tries to calmly take stock of what she has and what she should do. She realizes she has the feather, comb, and bone in her pocket. A strange creature in a stream tries to grip Alice by the ankle and pull her under, but Alice trades the comb for passage over the stream. On a hill, she sees the roof of the Hazel Wood. She encounters Hansa the Traveler, a little girl snipping maps with scissors. Alice learns that Hansa knew Ella (whom she calls “the thief”) and made friends with her but hasn’t seen Ella in a long while. When Alice tries to touch Hansa, Hansa screams in pain. The moon’s rays suddenly blind Alice and send her rolling down the hill. Next Alice hides as a strange duel takes place between a woman dressed like an aviatrix and a man “dressed like Mr. Rochester” (224). The aviatrix wins their knife fight, and the man dies while spectators “drank and talked and clapped” (225). Alice reveals herself after the fight; the bone she holds sings a strange song and impels her to kill the aviatrix after the spectators run off.