The Council of Mirrors (9 page)

Henry stopped. The hesitation prompted Puck to fly into the air, until he landed to block Henry’s path once more.

“We’ll go to Mom’s house and get her car—”

“That heap of junk got crushed when the house was destroyed,” Puck said.

“Then we’ll walk,” Henry snapped.

“Great idea,” Puck said. “What with all the monsters running around. But I’m sure they’re not all as bad as Grendel. Besides, the rest of the family is trained to fight just like you, right? The baby knows how to throw an uppercut, I’m sure.”

Henry threw up his hands and collapsed onto a fallen log.

“Honey?” Veronica asked.

“I just need to think,” he said, waving her off. Then he shook his head and glared up at Puck. “I’m disappointed in you.”

“Then things are getting back to normal,” Puck said.

“I would have thought your puppy-dog crush on my daughter would make you more protective.”

Puck’s mouth fell open and his ears turned red with embarrassment. Puck, the boy who proudly collected his farts in mason jars, who never cared what anyone thought of him! But her father’s accusation seemed to have upended his cocky confidence. He stammered, as if unsure what to say next, but then the boy fairy shook off his awkwardness and grinned mischievously.

“Well, it’s a little more than a crush, Henry,” Puck said. “I’m going to marry your daughter someday, so it’s sort of important to my plans that she save the world.”

“OMG,” Daphne said, as she bit the palm of her hand.

Veronica’s eyes were as big as pie plates.

Henry fell off his log, and if Sabrina had been sitting on one, she would have done the same. She wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it.

Puck stood over her father and chuckled. “You can’t embarrass me, Henry. I’m the Trickster King—true King of Faerie, crown prince of the over-confident, leader of the self-deluded, spiritual hero of all who think too highly of themselves. Now, are you going to listen to reason or do I just have to kidnap your daughters so we can get to work?”

“Do I get a vote in this?” Veronica asked.

Everyone turned to her.

“Yes, Mom has an opinion!” Veronica snapped. “So listen up. We’re staying.”

“Veronica!” Henry said as he clambered to his feet.

“I want more than anything to get Basil and the girls away from this town,” Veronica said. “But what if the mirrors are right? What if the girls are supposed to rescue Relda and make things OK again?”

“The mirrors didn’t say the girls would save the world. They said they had a chance,” Henry explained.

“Yes, but they were certain that no one else had one. If they
don’t try, then it can’t be done at all. I can’t live with that. I haven’t raised the girls to turn their backs on others.”

Henry looked at his wife for a long time. His face was full of worry and fear.

Daphne nodded. “Mom’s right! Grimms don’t run. Especially when we’re in a prophecy.”

“How many prophecies have we been in?” Sabrina growled.

“Just one, but do you think we’ll be in any more if we screw up the first one?” Daphne said, turning to walk back to the castle. “We need to go back!”

“Daphne!” Henry shouted.

Daphne turned to face her father. “It’s shenanigan time, Dad.”

Red, Mr. Canis, and the Wicked Queen were waiting for them in a clearing just outside the invisible castle. The witch said nothing but nodded respectfully to Henry.

“So, what do we have to do?” Henry said.

October 15

Let me tell you what happened yesterday. After Goldi and Beauty saved us from Grendel, they led us to our missing uncle, who is now intent on revenge and may be committing murder as I write this, but then the Wicked Queen showed up, fixed all the broken magic mirrors, then ordered them to make a prophecy that
says my sister and I are going to save the world but my dad said “forget that” and tried to squirrel us out of town until we realized we’re kind of stuck and have to stay and do the right thing even though all the Everafters looked like they’re sure we’re going to get everyone killed
.

And that was all before dinner
.

Today is a new day and I’m hoping it’s a little more relaxing. I mean, all I have to do is train and lead an army. I should have that finished before breakfast (insert sarcastic facial expression)
.

It seems that everywhere I go, people are staring at me, and there’s nowhere to hide. Now I know what it’s like to be a goldfish. Some of them watch me with curiosity, studying me as if they might uncover some secret strength they have previously overlooked. Others watch as if they’re about to see a terrible car accident, helpless to prevent vehicles from piling on top of one another and exploding. Some watch me out of the corners of their eyes while others stare at me directly until I notice, and then they try to act like they were looking at something else. Daphne is oblivious. In some ways I envy her ability to tune out the overwhelming disappointment of Charming’s army. But on the other hand, seeing her singing her little songs and making a face out of two fried eggs, a slice of bacon, and a pancake makes me feel as nervous as the others. We are so young
.

• • •

Charming sat next to Sabrina and her family as they were eating breakfast in the camp canteen. He did not look happy. Then again, neither did anyone. Most of them ate listlessly, bending their ears to catch every word that came from their conversations.

“How long are you going to lollygag around here this morning?” he hissed.

“What does
lollygag
mean?” Daphne said.

“He’s saying we’re being lazy,” Sabrina explained. “What he means I don’t understand.”

“Then let me be a little more clear,” Charming said. “When do you plan on doing something about the prophecy?”

“Cut the kids a break, William,” Goldi said from a nearby table. “It just happened last night.”

“Well, you may have slept peacefully, but everyone else in this camp was up all night, worrying that a couple of kids who haven’t even hit puberty yet are responsible for their lives. The morale in this place has hit an all-time low. So unless the girls want these folks leaving in droves, I suggest they do whatever it is the mirrors told you to do.”

Sabrina frowned. “We’re on it,” she said.

Charming thanked her with a thick helping of sarcasm and stormed off to supervise work inside the castle.

Canis filled Charming’s seat at the table. “A word, Your Majesty,” he said in hushed tones to the Wicked Queen.

“Of course.”

“I understand that we have a book in our possession that could fix our problems,” he said quietly.

Bunny raised her eyes. “You know about the Book of Everafter?”

“Relda shared a number of things with me. I also understand you’ve had a little experience altering its contents so that the world received the benefits.”

Sabrina cocked an eyebrow. She knew exactly what Mr. Canis was talking about. Bunny had used the magical book to completely erase a human being from existence. Could it work on Mirror?

Bunny shook her head. “It’s not as simple as putting pen to paper. The story has to be managed and prodded, written and rewritten. The results are unpredictable at best and staggeringly difficult. It took me nearly twenty-five years to make the changes I made.”

“But certainly you should try,” Canis said.

“Relda Grimm doesn’t have twenty-five years,” Bunny said.

“What exactly are we supposed to do, then?” Sabrina whispered.

“We do the first thing on the prophecy list,” Bunny said. “The Council of Mirrors says Daphne has to build a coven.”

“And we will, as soon as I find out what a coven is,” Daphne said, shoving an entire link sausage into her already full mouth. Elvis sat nearby, watching with envy.

“It’s a group of witches,” Sabrina said.

“Three, to be exact,” Morgan added as she and Mr. Seven approached the table. “Glinda from Oz, Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus, and I were a coven. I’d be happy to join yours.”

Daphne grinned. “You would be my first choice, Morgan, and then you, Ms. Lancaster.”

Morgan and the Wicked Queen looked at each other and shrugged.

“OK, but there has to be three. Who’s last?” Bunny asked.

“I have a great idea for number three, but . . .”

Sabrina saw a twinkle in her sister’s eye that she had seen many times before. Daphne was about to say something that would make Sabrina’s life miserable. It might as well have been a neon sign reading
TROUBLE AHEAD
!

“Why do I think I’m going to hate your choice?” she asked.

Daphne folded a pancake in half and shoved it into her pocket, then grinned at her sister. “I have no idea.”

• • •

“Of all the witches in this town, you have to pick the one that wants to eat me,” Sabrina complained as she stomped through the woods toward Baba Yaga’s hut. Bunny, Daphne, Morgan le Fay, Puck, Elvis, and her father followed closely behind. None of them were thrilled by Daphne’s choice. They took turns trying to talk her out of it, but Sabrina’s sister insisted that if they wanted to build a coven of super-powerful witches they should ask super-powerful witches to join.

“Can we please try to keep it down,” Bunny whispered to Sabrina. “I don’t like this idea any better than you do, but we don’t need to whine quite so loudly. There are other things in these woods to be afraid of—like the Scarlet Hand.”

“Sorry,” Sabrina whispered back. “But I’m completely freaked out. I think this is a really bad idea. We can’t save the world if we’re in Baba Yaga’s belly. Why can’t we use Mordred?”

“No boys allowed in a coven. It has to be a crone, a temptress, and an innocent. Besides, boys have cooties,” Morgan said with a giggle.

“Is that what these things are?” Puck asked as he scratched at his armpits.

“Fine, what about Mallobarb and Buzzflower?” Henry asked. “Briar’s fairy godmothers use a lot of magic and they’re already living in the castle.”

“They’re fairy godmothers—not witches,” Daphne said. “Duh!”

“Why not Ozma of Oz?” Sabrina begged. “She could be the innocent, Morgan would be the temptress, and Bunny the—”

An angry glance from the queen cut off the end of Sabrina’s sentence.

“So how do you plan on getting her to agree?” Sabrina said, quickly changing the subject. “She’s not exactly the joining type.”

“We’re still working on that part of the plan,” Daphne said as she scratched behind Elvis’s ear. “Aren’t we, buddy?”

“Please! Keep your voices down!” Bunny shouted, then closed her eyes and calmly counted to ten. “We don’t have to announce to half of Duchess County that we’re coming.”

“Are you afraid of Baba Yaga, Bunny?” Henry asked.

The witch rolled her eyes and laughed. “Hardly. My power nearly rivals hers.”

“Nearly?” Sabrina asked. “‘Nearly’ is not as good as ‘totally rivals’ or ‘is better than’ or ‘spits in the face of.’”

The queen scowled and marched to the front of the group. Following her directions, they trudged deeper into the darkest and loneliest part of the Hudson Valley forest. Signs of life became more and more scarce, which meant they were walking in the right direction.

The trees were black and bare and looked more like shadows than living things. The grass grew in thin, gray clumps. The path was knotted with ugly vines, thick as chains, and covered with thorns that jabbed at ankles. Sabrina started to feel that throbbing, woozy sensation she got when she was around magic. She told herself to be strong and pressed onward.

Following a bend in the path, they came upon the old witch’s home. It was a ramshackle hut with a sagging roof covered in abandoned birds’ nests. The two small windows and the single black door looked suspiciously like a face scanning for intruders. As if in mockery of a normal home, the hut also had a white fence, but instead of pickets, it was constructed from bones—mostly those of large animals, but more than a few looked human. A walkway of bleached skulls led to the front door.

With a grimace, Daphne unhooked the fence latch and swung the bone gate aside. The family followed her into the yard.

“Who’s going to knock?” she asked.

“It’s your coven. You knock,” Sabrina said.

Daphne cringed. “I’m scared.”

Puck rolled his eyes. “I’ll handle this.”

“No,” Henry said, stepping forward. “I’ve dealt with her a few times. The secret is to be respectful.”

“Yes, remember to say please and thank you when she’s chewing on your face,” Sabrina muttered.

Henry raised his hand to knock on the door but quickly pulled his hand away.

“It burned me,” he said, looking down at his knuckles. Sabrina could see the painful blisters forming on his hand. Henry searched the ground for something to use as a knocker, but the only thing available was a loose skull from the path. He yanked it out of the soil and clunked it against the door. Moments later, it swung open, but there was no one in the doorway.

Puck chuckled. “I hope everyone brought a change of undies, ’cause I think this is just going to get spookier and spookier.”

Henry peered into the house and waved the group forward.

The witch’s home was just as unsettling as it was the last time Sabrina had visited. Rusty cages big enough to imprison a child were stacked in a corner. Pots of strange, bubbling potions and jars filled with animals, some still living, crowded the floor, along with a bent tray scattered with what looked like fingernails. On the far wall a fireplace raged with an angry flame that flickered to reveal the suffering faces of shattered souls begging for release. A thick book with a cover made from what appeared to be human skin rested on a table. Sabrina
wasn’t sure if it was all the magic in the room or the fear racing through her veins, but it looked like the book’s cover rose and fell as if it were breathing.

“Old Mother!” the Wicked Queen shouted. “We respectfully request an audience.”

The flames in the fireplace roared as if fed by gasoline and Daphne leaped into her father’s arms.

“Old Mother, this is Bunny Lancaster. I wish to speak with you.”

“Maybe she’s gone. We should come back,” Morgan said, heading for the door.