Fable (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale #3)(32)

“This conversation is not over with, Mei. That was a serious breach of protocol.”

The doors opened again, and they were in a large, circular white room filled with mirrors of all kinds: small mirrors, ornate mirrors, and mirrors larger than a pickup truck.

“Here we are.” She smiled proudly and waved her hands around. “I know it’s not much to look at and we run a small operation, but I think the Guild is something any Grimm would be proud of—well, I at least hope so, since you are the first one who has ever been here.”

Mina walked around the room of mirrors and could catch a faint glimpse, or shadow, of activity in each of them.

“What are they?”

Mei walked up and gently stroked the silver edge around the closest mirror. “It’s our looking glass. We can keep tabs on all of the Grimms. See, here’s yours—uh, I mean mine.” She pulled the small handheld mirror off the hook on a wall and handed it to Mina.

At first it was filled with fog, and then the fog thinned to reveal a picture of Mina holding a mirror in a room surrounded by mirrors. She looked up and looked around her for a camera or to find whatever magical object was recording her and projecting her image onto the handheld mirror. The Mina in the mirror looked around the room at the same time.

“So there’s a mirror for every Grimm.” There couldn’t be this many Grimms out there…or could there?

“Well, yes, there are more than you think. There is a mirror for every Grimm and a GM assigned to them…see. But the Story only chooses one at a time, so we keep track of all of them just in case. Even the distant cousins and the in-laws.” She turned the mirror in her hands so Mina could see the name engraved on the back of the mirror. Her small handheld mirror had Meira’s name etched in beautiful cursive letters. Mina put her handheld mirror back on the stand, and something in the next mirror over caught her attention. She snatched it off the shelf and walked away from Meira and Constance. It only took a few seconds for the image to clear up, and a perfect view of her mother vacuuming a house filled the glass. Without thinking, Mina flipped the mirror over to read the name on the back.

Terrylin.

“Terrylin.” She whispered the name out loud. It sounded familiar, and then it clicked. “Terry! Terry is my mom’s,” she announced confidently.

“Yes.” Constance frowned slightly. “She’s your mom’s GM. Although she didn’t pick the most original alias.”

“GM. You keep saying that,” Mina said.

“Yes, Terry and Meira are your Fae Godmothers.”

“You mean she’s my fairy godmother, like in the movies.”

“No, we are not all fairies, although there are a few fairies who have joined our Guild. We’re a group of free Fae. Meira is a brownie, Terry is a house elf, which is why she prefers the cleaning business, and I’m a muse. We are many races united under one cause, and that is to help and guide the Grimms.”

“Where’s Charlie’s?” Mina demanded. “I want to see Charlie’s mirror.”

Constance and Mei looked uncomfortable, and neither one spoke. “You can’t see the dead, Mina.”

“Oh, come on. I know that he’s not dead.”

Mei rushed forward to lay a comforting hand on Mina. “Sweetie, the mirrors can’t see into the spiritual realm.”

She brushed off Mei’s hand and turned on them. “But he’s not dead. A Stiltskin told me so.”

“A Stiltskin!” both women said in unison.

“When did you meet a Stiltskin?” Mei asked.

“Not one, two.” Mina tossed the Grimoire on a white marble table, and Mei opened up the book and looked at the last page thoughtfully. “I took care of this one. The other one has my brother.”

“Well, that explains the mirrors not being able to find him. They can’t see beyond this plane.” Mei looked to Constance with a hint of relief in her voice.

But Constance was more concerned with something else. “Please tell me you didn’t make a bargain with the other one. Please, Mina, no.”

“I—I did, and I would do it a hundred times over if it meant I could save my brother.”

Constance looked to Mei with worry in her eyes. “Well, this changes things, doesn’t it?”

“Changes what?” Mina asked.

“Well, Sara is already wearing a Forget-Me-Not charm. We gave it to your mother to help her forget Charlie…permanently.”

“Why would you do that? Why would you make my mother forget my brother?” Mina choked out.

Constance turned and gently took Sara’s mirror out of Mina’s hand and placed it back on the wall. “Child, listen to me, and listen to me well. Your mother has endured more than most. She’s protected you as much as she could, and she’s already lost your father. And after your brother, we didn’t think she would pull through. We decided it was best to construct the charm so she could survive and be there for you. Right now you are more important than Charlie.”

“You sound just like Jared,” Mina said accusingly.

Constance frowned at Mina. “There are times when the wisdom of our banished prince surprises even us. But in this case, he’s wrong. You made a deal with a Stiltskin, a deal sealed in blood, that only blood can break.”