Chapter Sixty-One

Chapter Sixty-One

Misty was examining the mirror on all sides when Hanna returned to the living room. Misty paused to glance at her, noticing she had taken the time to clean off her light armor and brush her hair. Girl sure likes her pigtails. Hanna sat on the couch directly across from the mirror. She looked concerned, but did not say anything so Misty continued her investigation. By all appearances, the object was like any other rectangular mirror, aside from the face staring back at her that was not her own. 

“Lui, right?” Misty asked “How ya doing?”

“Ok… but… trapped… still…” the face replied, voice still weak but a bit better than before. “You… help… ?” It was as though even he could tell all of his words weren’t getting through, but his expression was hopeful. 

Poor guy. Misty smiled. “I’ll do my best.” We all will. “Is there anything you can tell us about what’s in there that might help?” Hanna moved closer to hear the conversation better. 

Lui turned, looking around inside the mirror. It was harder to hear him when he wasn’t directly facing them. “Chains… glass… broken… That… help?” 

“Lui…” Hanna narrowed her eyes and frowned. “Are you saying the only way we’re going to get you out of there is to… break the mirror?” 

Lui looked startled as he spoke. His voice came through distorted and half-panicked. “I… don’t… know…” He paused and moved a little inside the mirror, trying to move closer to the glass. “You… see… me?

Hanna nodded, a somber expression on her face. “Yes, I… I see you.” She stood up and went to DJ, who was rummaging through the stack of books he had set aside. “DJ, we need a solution now. I will either open that book myself or go get EDJ.” 

He let out a weary sigh. He knew that resolute look. He had said his piece and she decided against it anyway. It wasn’t a battle worth fighting at this point. He shrugged and pointed to the window as he spoke. “If you’re determined to use it, at least try it on EO first. We need to collect him anyway. I bet he would make a lovely picture…”

Hanna nodded. “I'll go get him.” She headed toward the door, but stopped and turned back. “Misty, can you come with me?”

“Sure, let me grab my coat.” Misty hopped up and went to get her parka. 

While Hanna waited, she looked at the mirror. “We’re going to get you out, Lui.” I promise. She couldn’t tell if he heard her or not, but he put on a brave smile. 

*********

It was still dark. As dark as it can get on a snow-covered mountain at the top of the world in May. For some reason, there was no storm at all when Hanna and Misty drove back up to the ruins of EDJ’s castle on a shared snowmobile. They were grateful for the shift in weather, but the abrupt cut off was almost suspicious. At least, it would have been to anyone paying attention. As usual, Hanna was not. Misty pulled up to a stop outside the castle rubble. True to Hanna’s words, smoke and light from within the ruins proved the fires were still burning. Everything outside the castle was covered in a new layer of snow. Misty pulled out a flashlight and handed it to Hanna. “Here.” 

“Thanks.” Hanna accepted the object and stared at it for a moment before turning back to the helpful woman. “Misty, I…” Misty paused and waited for her to finish her sentence. Hanna took a deep breath and tried again. “I misjudged you. I am sorry. You have been very helpful and kind and generous. I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me and my friends. We would have died out here if you hadn’t shown up when you did.” 

Misty smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Like I said, I’m here to help.” 

Hanna turned on the light and swept the beam back and forth, looking for the large boulder. The rock was her only landmark aside from the castle. “Where are you from?” she asked with genuine interest. 

“Minnesota, originally.” Misty stepped off the snowmobile and sunk into the fresh snow a little. “What about you?” 

“Ukraine,” Hanna answered. “Not originally.” 

“Ukraine,” Misty repeated thoughtfully. “I don’t think I’m familiar with that place. Where is it?” 

“Eastern Europe. Right next to Russia.” Hanna didn’t mind the question. Most Americans she ran into weren’t familiar with her part of the world. Not that she was any more familiar with theirs either, if she was being honest. 

“Oh, that’s cool.” Misty took large steps through the snow as she searched while Hanna preferred to fly above it. “I didn’t pick that up in your accent.” 

Hanna stopped and turned to her with a curious smile. “And I wouldn’t have guessed Minnesota based on yours.” 

Misty let out a soft laugh. “Heh, well, you know what they say about judging books and covers. What about your friends? Where are they from?” 

“Iceland. They went to some big fancy military academy there or something.” Hanna turned to continue looking. They found the boulder, but the fresh snow was banked against the side she left EDJ on. She knelt in the snow where she was fairly certain she left EDJ’s body and started digging. 

“Is that where you guys met?” Misty asked, also stopping to help dig in the snow. 

“Not initially,” Hanna explained. “I met Lui at a satellite school stateside. He’s DJ’s Other.” 

“His what now?” 

Hanna froze with wide eyes. Crap, I don’t think I was supposed to tell her that. I forgot most people don’t know about Others. How am I supposed to explain what an Other is? And what an Original is? How do I tell her I’m an Evil Other? Should I tell her? Lui and DJ trusted me with that information and I just blurted it out like it was nothing. Wasn’t the academy supposed to be a secret too?! I don’t remember! Idiot! Forgive me. “Brother,” she lied, quickly resuming her task. “His brother.” 

“Oh… cool.” Misty continued digging. “And you said EDJ kidnapped them?” 

“More or less,” Hanna muttered, not wanting to try digging herself out of already muddled specifics and inconsistencies. 

Misty scooped as much snow away as she could, but had to stop because her hands were starting to freeze under her gloves. “Why them? How is he related?” 

Hanna dug until she hit a block of ice. She sat back and huffed, anger returning. “He used them to get to me.” Standing up and stepping back, Hanna used her ice magic to sweep the snow aside and lift the block of ice into an upright position. At some point in the storm it had fallen over, which is why they found it fully covered. 

Misty blinked at her, gloves and coat now soaked with freezing water. “Why didn’t you do that to begin with?” 

Hanna ignored her and checked the ice block. EDJ was still frozen inside. She turned to Misty. “Did you happen to bring any rope?” 

*********

The two women dragged the block of ice into the cabin. Misty went to the back bedroom to change into dry clothes while Hanna brushed off her hands. She circled the frozen figure in the middle of the room as though he were a new house decoration. “Well… now what?” DJ set down the book he was reading and went over to EDJ to inspect the ice block. Even encased in ice, he could feel the Evil Other’s menacing presence. He glanced at the suspicious tome still sitting untouched on the coffee table. If it really did have the power to trap people in mirrors, was it wise to use it on his Evil Other? If they risked opening the book, were there instructions inside that would help? Hanna was also staring at the book on the table. “If it really is a trap… How do you think it would cause someone to be stuck in a mirror in the first place?” 

“Some sort of evil joke,” DJ answered casually. That was his hope. The thought that this was all a prank conjured by his Evil Other’s twisted sense of humor gone horribly wrong was almost acceptable. Nearly every alternative involving this type of magic left a nefarious taste. A type of magic even the experts refused to teach. If it is a trap and not something else entirely... “I don’t know any more than that. I think the only way to really find out would be to talk to EO himself. Where do you want to start?” DJ asked. 

“I guess we could put him closer to the fire and monitor how much the ice melts. Or…” Hanna turned around. “I don’t suppose there’s a chisel around here somewhere…”

“Let’s go with the easier and safer option,” DJ offered. He started scooting the frozen figure toward the fire before she jumped in to help him. They managed to get EDJ angled toward the fireplace so the ice around his head would melt fastest. Misty returned from the back room and sat in an armchair to observe. 

While waiting for the ice to melt, Hanna moved to the mirror. “Hey, Lui. You ok?” 

“Ok…” Lui leaned to the side to see past her with a look of confusion. “EO… be… mirror… too?” His mouth continued to move. If he was speaking complete sentences, she couldn’t hear them. All she caught was “EO… here?” 

“Yeah, he’s here,” she answered. “Is something wrong?” 

“He…” Lui started then paused a moment, all the while watching the frosty, ice block. “Evil… scarily… so… he… responsible… for… this…” 

Hanna nodded. “Don’t worry, Lui, we won’t let him escape. We’re just going to melt him enough to get information. Ok?” she ended with a smirk. 

He looked back at her, recognizing that resolute look. Lui raised his eyebrows and said “OK… You… make… him… pay?”

I will make him pay. Even if EDJ is only partly at fault here, he started all this. I’m going to end it. He hurt Lui. He hurt DJ. Who knows how many others he’s hurt or tried to. The traps, the tests, the monsters, dragging out my evil side, and now this. It’s both our fault Lui’s trapped like this. But after everything he’s put us through, EDJ deserves every bit of what’s coming to him. He’s going to tell us how to get Lui out if it’s the last thing he does. “Most assuredly, I will make him pay,” Hanna responded before glancing back to see the melting ice progress so far. She missed Lui’s frown and his next whispered words entirely.