Chapter Sixty

Chapter Sixty

DJ stood up and looked around the cabin, catching sight of a bookcase in the corner. Maybe there is a book that says how to get people untrapped from mirrors or something. He went to the case and started scanning book titles. He picked one off the shelf and flipped through it. Haunted Mountains: Fact or Fiction. He put it back and kept looking. Sleeping Beauty. Snow White. Cinderella. Beauty and the Beast. Hamlet. Campfire Cooking. Eyes of Elijah. History of Thorae. The Door Without. Through the Looking Glass. He pulled the last one off the shelf. I don’t know if it will help, but it can’t hurt. He continued through the titles. He pulled another one down. Good vs.Evil: Tricks of the Trade. He set the books aside on the closest table to go through later. 

A gust of cold air swept through the cabin once more as Misty entered. “Whew, sorry about that!” she said, bolting the door. “Feels like I’ve been in and out this whole time!” She went to the kitchen while pulling off her coat. “How’s the pie coming along?” 

“Pie?” Hanna stared back at her. “What pie?”

“I got ingredients for chicken pot pie.” Misty looked into the pot simmering on the stove. “What are you making?”

“Chicken noodle soup,” Hanna answered. 

“Oh, that works too.” Misty didn’t sound bothered in the slightest. “Do you want help?” 

“No.” 

“Okay, let me know when it’s done. Thanks for cooking! It smells great!” Misty went back to the living room and threw more logs on the fire. Hanna stirred the pot in silence. Her confusion over what was supposed to be prepared was amplified by the lack of resistance from Misty. She was so used to opposition, it threw her off when there wasn’t any. Part of her was disappointed. 

“Ah, much better.” Misty warmed her hands by the fire. She turned to see what DJ was doing. She watched him pull books off the shelf and set them aside. She went over to investigate. “What are you looking for?” 

“Nothing!” DJ jumped, not realizing she was standing directly behind him. 

Reading the titles of the stack of books on the table, Misty asked, “Are you looking for a book to help your friend?”

“Maybe.” DJ regained his composure and turned around. “That sounds like a distinct possibility. Is that ok? I should have asked first before reorganizing your books…”

“It is her cabin,” Hanna muttered under her breath, still stirring the soup. 

“Oh, sure, go ahead.” Again, Misty did not sound bothered. She stood for a minute in thought before suddenly snapping her fingers. “I think I know of something that will help! Wait here. I might have a clue.” She left the room. 

“Oh boy, a clue,” Hanna muttered sarcastically, searching the cupboards for bowls. “Find two more and you can use your handy dandy notebook.” 

DJ shot her a look, but smiled politely when Misty returned. The friendly woman walked out of the back bedroom with a few new books in hand. She set them on a coffee table at the same time that Hanna was setting down bowls of steaming soup on the same table. “Do you think any of these would help?” Misty asked, taking a bowl of soup and sitting on the couch. “I found them outside. They flew out of the castle when it blew up, I guess. I didn’t get a chance to read any of them, but they looked important and dangerous. There’s a safe in the bedroom so I took the books and locked them up so EDJ wouldn’t get them. I thought they might help me get him to stop destroying my cabins.”

One of the books immediately caught DJ’s attention. He reached over and took it, examining it before even touching the food. The book was faded, tattered, and held together with rubber bands. One corner was a bit singed, but the academy insignia on the front was unmistakable. He removed the bands and opened the cover. The date on the first page read ‘11-07-02’. It was obvious the book hadn’t been opened in quite some time. A few of the pages stuck together. As DJ carefully tried to turn them without damaging the book further, something slipped out of the pages. A photo. One taken seven years ago of a group of young cadets. DJ picked it up and stared at it with wide eyes. He kept it.

“Speaking of,” Misty was saying in the background to Hanna. “Do you think that castle is still up in flames or do you think it’s gone out by now in this storm?”

“Unlikely,” Hanna responded, taking a magazine from the table and flipping through it. The cover read, ‘Evil Will Conquer the World Because I Am the Greatest Ruler Ever.’ “Fire has a weird way of surviving in harsh weather conditions. It’s going to be a while before it completely goes out.” 

Misty lightly blew on the bowl of hot soup to cool it off. “Eh, I guess you’re right. It takes me forever to fully put out my campfires. I’m always worried they’re going to accidentally start a forest fire or something.” 

“Did you find anything in there that will help get Lui out?” Hanna asked DJ, setting down the magazine and reaching for her own bowl of food. 

“Nope.” DJ closed the book, secured the rubber bands around it, and tucked it into his armor. Hanna raised a brow at him, but did not say anything. She ate her bowl of soup in silence, having already cooled it to a tolerable temperature. “What’s this one?” DJ asked, pointing to the last book on the table as he reached for his bowl of soup. 

The final book looked like an old tome with metallic decorations, a twisted face in the center, and bound in sickly yellow leather. The title was simply, “Magic Mirrors for Dummies.” While the title itself was innocuous, the cover was suspicious enough to make anyone stop and seriously question the content. Anyone except Hanna. “I think we should check it out,” she offered.

“Hmm.” DJ’s expression was wary, if not downright distrustful, of the object. “That might work,” he said cautiously. “But I think it could also be a trap designed by EO.”

“You think he’s smart enough for that?” Misty asked genuinely, being the only party member not to have direct interaction with EDJ. 

Hanna tilted her head and grimaced. “He does like his traps.”

“Or it could just be a weird looking book,” Misty offered. “Why do you assume it’s a trap? I mean, you went to his castle, blew it up, and he’s been frozen in ice this entire time. I feel kinda bad for him.” Hanna and DJ both gave her a disapproving look. “...What? If you’re that worried about it, let me take it outside and look at it. You can watch through the window and see if anything happens. That way if something does happen, it will happen to me instead of one of you guys.”

“You would be willing to do that for us?!” DJ asked in surprise. 

“No way,” Hanna jumped in. “I said I wouldn’t get you involved, Misty. You’ve done enough for us already. If anything bad is going to happen, it should happen to me. I’ll take the book.” 

“It might save Lui though,” Misty countered. She pointed at Hanna. “You need to be here to help them. And DJ needs to be here to help you and Lui. I’m the outsider here. I want to help.”

“I won’t let you sacrifice yourself for us,” Hanna responded harshly. “We’ll find a way for you to help without putting you in harm’s way. 

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Misty asked. 

Hanna rattled off a list. “Obliteration. Incineration. Laceration. And if the worst that happens to you is that you also get stuck in a mirror, that would only leave us with two mirrors.” 

Misty frowned at her. It’s my job to help these people. I’m going to find a way to help them. She set her empty bowl on the table. “Well, then if I get stuck in a mirror too, maybe I could tell you guys how to fix it since I would be on the inside. Or maybe we can just ask EDJ?”

DJ spoke up. “That might be difficult considering his present condition.” 

Misty shrugged, letting her arms flop down as she ran out of ideas. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to help.” 

Hanna’s shoulders fell. “I’m sorry,” she said, tone shifting away from aggravation. “I think we’re all still stressed and on edge. It’s been a long day…” She offered Misty a sincere smile. “Thank you for trying.” 

DJ nodded. I don’t like this. What if it really is a trap? We don’t have the resources to deal with this. 

“I don’t blame you,” Misty offered. “It is getting pretty late. We could always sleep on it and start fresh tomorrow. The cabin has three bedrooms. That with the couch should be plenty of comfortable sleeping arrangements.” 

“That’s good to know, but we’re not staying,” DJ said, standing up from his chair and picking up the empty bowls. 

“You’re not?” Misty asked. 

Hanna turned to DJ. “We’re not?” 

“No,” he answered. “As soon as the storm lets up, we’re getting off this mountain.” He took the bowls to the kitchen and set them in the sink. He turned to find Hanna standing in front of him, arms folded. 

“You’re in no condition to travel,” she said in a low voice. 

“Neither are you,” he responded, matching her volume. He glanced at Misty and let out a long breath. “We should have called in help hours ago, Hanna. I’m not getting any signal here. If there was a satellite or cell tower nearby, it was probably in the castle. We’re of no help to Lui stuck in here and I know you don’t trust leaving EO alone out there. If we can all get back to Iceland, the academy has plenty of resources to sort through this.” 

Hanna was quiet as she processed his words for a moment. “You think they can get Lui out of the mirror?” she asked quietly. 

DJ shrugged. “It’s worth a shot. I know the longer we stay, the more opportunity EO has to escape. As unlikely as that might be.” 

Hanna finally nodded in agreement. “Fine. I’m gonna go clean up and then we can check on the weather.”