The Council of Mirrors (6 page)

I should be grateful that’s all he said because he’s pretty angry at me and my sister. Note to self: don’t get Mom and Dad angry . . . ever. I forgot how they are when they are steamed, and I think I’d rather face Grendel again. The last time I saw them this steamed was when Daphne invited a homeless man to come live with us. She hid him in our closet for six hours before the housecleaner found him
.

Both of them say we aren’t allowed out of their sight, and they swore if we ever pulled a stunt like that again . . . well, I probably shouldn’t write it down in this journal. I’m so embarrassed. I’ve read a lot of the family journals and I haven’t found one entry where someone got grounded for trying to rescue a family member. It seems like everyone treats me like a child. Even Daphne does it now. Am I that worthless?

Not that we’re completely to blame for all the stress around here. Goldi’s sudden appearance doesn’t help. Anytime Blondie shows up Dad looks like he wants to crawl under a rock, and Mom looks like she’d like to toss that rock at Goldilock’s head. I can’t blame her. Who would want her husband’s ex around, mooning over him?

Goldi doesn’t make it any easier. She’s so nervous the chatter never stops. Daphne thinks she’s doing it to fill the awkward moments (of which there are plenty). She also has this annoying habit of adjusting everyone’s clothes all the time
.

I don’t feel right shifting our attention from Granny Relda to Uncle Jake, especially now that we have found her, but Uncle Jake needs us too. I pray he isn’t as bad as they say he is, but I have to wonder: If someone I loved was killed, wouldn’t I want revenge—especially when it seemed like there would never be any justice? If someone murdered Daphne, wouldn’t I want to hunt them down and end them?

Well, on that bright and cheery note, I have to go. They’re calling for me. I’ll write more when I can. I have a feeling that I’m going to be spending a lot of time with this journal now that I’m grounded
.

With the magic mirror strapped securely onto Poppa Bear’s back, the rest of the bears, the Grimms, Puck, Canis, and Pinocchio marched through the forest, led by Goldilocks and Beauty.

“Grendel was as ugly as I remember,” Beauty said as she kicked a clump of leaves off her high-heeled shoe. Her sweater dress was awfully thin for a chilly hike through the woods, but she never complained. “You have no idea what it was like coming over here on Wilhelm’s boat with him. All that grunting and groaning. I was sure at any moment the chains they used to keep him below deck would snap and he’d eat us all whole. Plus, with all those monsters and Jabberwockies running around—ugh. The only way you’ll get me on a ship now is if it’s a cruise to the Bahamas.”

“Why did Wilhelm bring so many of these creepy weirdos to America?” Sabrina asked.

“Wilhelm believed everybody had some goodness in them—even creepy weirdos,” Mr. Canis said, as he struggled along with his cane. Henry had begged him to stay inside the mirror with Red and baby Basil, but the old man had flatly refused. “He took
a chance on me and I will always be grateful. Look at some of the people that we now call friends—Morgan le Fay, Baba Yaga—”

“Baba Yaga is hardly a friend,” Sabrina interrupted.

“The fact that she’s not trying to eat us makes her as close to a friend as we may ever get.” Henry laughed.

Goldi giggled. “In my book that’s personal growth. Henry, do you remember the time we snuck out in the middle of the night and ran into her? We were up on the cliffs and she came along in that creepy house and we . . .” Goldi’s voice tapered off when Veronica flashed her an irritated glance.

Sabrina’s father deftly changed the subject. “You kids might someday think of Grendel as an ally. You might even decide he’s ready to be free from the Hall of Wonders.”

“Or the barrier?” Daphne said. “I mean, if they all have the potential for goodness, why not let them out?”

A pause both big and awkward fell on the group, stealing the air until Pinocchio spoke.

“That’s an excellent question. How can you say Wilhelm believed in the goodness of Everafters when he locked an entire town inside a cage?”

“He had to do something drastic,” Henry said. “Everafters were threatening to invade the next town and no one would listen to reason.”

“So I’ve heard. Still, with his barrier he punished everyone for the crimes of a few, and even more have stumbled into this town, not realizing they would be imprisoned here for eternity. Take me for instance. I wasn’t even here when the troubles started for Wilhelm, but like so many others, I’m trapped in this roach motel.”

Henry opened his mouth to say something, but Pinocchio cut him off.

“Even your friends can’t escape the cruelty of this jailhouse you call a town. Look at Canis, who has clearly reformed. The Wicked Queen has proved herself to be somewhat trustworthy. Why, we’re walking with Beauty, who, from what I understand, recently counted herself amongst the Scarlet Hand. The goodness that Wilhelm claimed to believe in is easy to see in their faces, and yet, they find no reward. They will never leave this town . . . or should I say prison. But that’s not right, either. In prison the inmates sometimes get time off for good behavior. This place is something far worse.”

Sabrina couldn’t stand Pinocchio, but she had to admit he had made a powerful argument. There had been many nights since arriving in Ferryport Landing when she had lain awake trying to understand Wilhelm’s intentions. On one hand, the barrier kept evil people safely away from an unsuspecting world. On
the other, it imprisoned some genuinely wonderful people. Was the barrier fair? Was Wilhelm’s magic wall solving problems or causing them in the first place? She looked to her father for an answer and saw he was equally perplexed. She suspected that he too had spent his fair share of nights trying to unravel the puzzle that was Ferryport Landing.

“So where are we going, anyway?” Puck asked as he flew above them. “I’ve scouted ahead and there’s no sign of any camp.”

“You wouldn’t see it,” Beauty explained. “The castle is invisible.”

“Um—the what is what?” Sabrina said.

“We’ve been building a castle near Mount Taurus,” Beauty said. “Boarman and Swineheart designed it and the rest of us work night and day getting it ready.”

“Ready for what?” Mr. Canis asked.

“War,” Beauty said. “Charming’s army is going to confront the Scarlet Hand.”

“Didn’t you already try that?” Pinocchio chuckled dismissively. “You built a fort, trained everyone, and the Hand overran the place and burned it to the ground. Do you want to make the same mistake twice?”

“This is a little different,” Goldi said. “Oh, here we are.”

Sabrina saw nothing but forest before her.

“Just a sec.” Beauty reached into her purse and pulled out a vial of what looked like purple glitter. She unscrewed the cap and poured some of the substance into her hand, then blew it into the air. As the powder drifted through the trees it collided with the rain, and each drop exploded like a tiny firework, illuminating a structure so tall and wide Sabrina’s brain struggled to believe her eyes. Eventually, she realized she was standing in front of a wall dozens of stories tall, higher than some of the skyscrapers back home in New York City. Around the impossibly steep walls ran a trench ten feet deep. It was an impressive structure; even more so to Sabrina was the fact that it had been built in only two days.

“How?” Sabrina cried.

Goldi winked at her, then stuck two fingers into her mouth. She blasted a rather unladylike whistle, and a moment later Sabrina could hear the turning of a heavy wheel and the rattling of chains. A giant wooden door in the wall tilted forward to span the trench. The drawbridge hit the earth on the other side with a clang and a thud. Behind the drawbridge was an iron gate.

“We haven’t had time to fill the moat yet,” Goldi explained as she led the group across the drawbridge. “We’re still trying to find alligators to live in it.”

“I can help with that,” Puck said, floating down from the air. “I know a guy.”

Goldi led the group through the stone arch and the gate rose to admit them. Once past it, they saw a castle standing nearly four stories tall, built from thick white stones and framed by two towers that spiraled several stories higher. On each tower were battlements festooned with fluttering purple flags and ominous black cannons.

On either side of the castle were several crude log cabins. The nutty smell of fresh bread wafted from one of them, and horses neighed from another. Throughout the yard Sabrina saw old friends, all pounding hammers and sawing timber. She spotted Puss in Boots, Morgan le Fay, the Scarecrow, even the Pied Piper and his son, Wendell.

“So how many people do you have in this army?” Pinocchio asked.

“Twenty-two,” Goldi said.

“Twenty-two! That’s preposterous,” Pinocchio said, chuckling.

“What does preposterous mean?” Daphne said.

“He’s calling it silly,” Sabrina said.

Goldi shrugged. “Well, as Gepetto always says, ‘We’re small, but we’re spunky.’”

Suddenly, Pinocchio’s sneer slipped off his face. “My papa is here? Is he well? Is he injured?”

“Your father is fine. As you know, he’s a very talented carpenter,
and along with the pigs and Mordred’s magic they’ve made the place into something livable that we can also defend. I can take you to him.”

“Look!” Daphne cried.

Across the courtyard stood Morgan le Fay’s son, Mordred. The last time Sabrina had seen the warlock he was engrossed in a very violent video game from the comfort of his mother’s couch. It didn’t look like he had changed his black T-shirt and pants, but at least he was now doing something productive. A stream of white light emanated from his fingers and enveloped a newly constructed water tower lying on its side in the courtyard. Slowly the tower struggled to right itself, hobbling back and forth. Boarman and Swineheart looked on, wearing hard hats and studying architectural plans.

“Now we see how you got this castle built so quickly,” Henry said to Goldi.

“Mordred is really indispensable. Unfortunately, there are some complicated side effects to his magic.”

Sabrina watched as the water tower suddenly lunged away from Mordred, stomping up and down and attempting to squash the pigs and the warlock. Mordred shot a couple of fireballs at the ground beneath it and it backed down from its attack.

Goldi shrugged. “Everything he brings to life turns evil and
murderous for the last few minutes of the spell. It calms down eventually, but it’s a bit unpredictable for a while.”

Puck grinned. “I have to party with that guy.”

As everyone watched Mordred subdue the evil water tower, Prince Charming and Mr. Seven approached. Sabrina had never been so happy to see them. Charming needed a shave and a bath, but he was still staggeringly handsome, even wearing his trademark scowl. Mr. Seven was as friendly as ever—perhaps even more so. He was as filthy as Charming, with his shirtsleeves rolled up and yellow sawdust all over his clothes and shoes, but his smile looked exceptionally big.

“Hello, Grimms, Canis. Ladies, a word, please!” Charming growled as he turned to face Goldi and Beauty. “I thought we had an agreement. No one leaves the castle without my approval.”

Beauty gave him a smile and batted her eyelashes. “We were only gone for a little while.”

“Don’t try the ‘calming the savage beast’ nonsense on me, lady,” Charming said. “The rules are here to keep everyone safe.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. It seemed as if she wasn’t the only one in town sitting at the kids’ table.

“We needed Henry. He’s the only one who can reach Jake,” Goldilocks explained.

Charming threw up his arms in surrender. “Jake is hardly the biggest of our problems, but fine. It’s not like I can control the two of you, anyway.”

“I’m glad you finally understand,” Goldi said.

Beauty nodded. “We were wondering when you were going to catch on.”

“Interesting. Some people break the rules and it makes things better,” Sabrina muttered within earshot of her father.

Henry flashed her a warning look that said it was much too soon for sarcasm. Sabrina mimicked locking her lips with a key, then tossing it behind her back.

“It’s so good to see you too, Billy,” Daphne said, wrapping him in a big hug. The prince stood patiently, if uncomfortably, while the little girl clung to him like a monkey. Daphne adored the stuffy, overbearing man, even if the feeling was not mutual.

“Um, yes, let’s get you to your uncle,” Charming said, pushing her gently aside. He turned and led the group along the castle wall, where there were even more log cabins.

“So you’re going to try to fight them again?” Henry asked the prince.

“We don’t have much of a choice,” Charming said. “Most of the citizens of this town joined the Scarlet Hand either by pressure or force. Those left in this camp are the ones the Hand
didn’t want. We fight or we die. We could use some help if you’re willing to stay.”

Henry looked to Veronica. “No. We need to rescue my mother and then I’m taking my family far away from this place.”

“So you’re leaving us to clean up the mess, Henry?” Charming said. Henry ignored him.

“It’s good to see you girls,” Mr. Seven said to Sabrina and Daphne with a big, toothy grin. “Lovely day, huh?”

“Mr. Seven, we can always count on your good mood,” Sabrina marveled, looking around at the dirty castle and the drizzling rain.

“Of course he’s in a good mood,” Charming said. “The fool has gone and fallen in love.”

“And it’s spreading,” a voice said from behind them. Sabrina turned and saw Morgan le Fay approaching with a basket of herbs and berries. Morgan was a curvy beauty and quite glamorous, with the kind of face you might see in an old black-and-white movie. Even wearing a hard hat and overalls, she was a stunner. Seven rushed to her side and when the woman knelt down to his height, he planted a kiss on her that made everyone blush.

“Mom, please!” Mordred groaned from the corner, where he’d finally subdued the water tower. “Can you two give it a rest?”

“Sorry, honey,” Morgan said. “My darling boyfriend has swept
me off my feet. In fact, he popped the question last night. We’re getting married!”