Almare - The White Mirror

Fifteen minutes later, they were all sitting down in Cinderella’s banquet hall at a huge banquet table, of which the five of them took up about one- tenth. Before them was a feast of more different kinds of foods than Virginia could ever hope to even try in one meal. Unfortunately, she wasn’t hungry. In fact, Wolf was the only one who was really eating, after they had talked about nothing in particular for a few minutes.

“So,” Cinderella said, addressing them all, “You must tell me what brings you here. I have the feeling it’s not just to visit.”

Virginia shook her head. “We actually have very bad news.” She paused and took a deep breath, an attempt at keeping her voice from cracking. “Patrick is gone.”

Cinderella put a hand to her mouth in shock, and obviously had no idea what to say. Virginia continued in a voice that, despite her efforts, shook like a leaf in the wind, “When we were coming through the Traveling Mirror, Patrick and I were last to enter. I was holding him, like usual, and then suddenly all I saw or felt was whiteness, all around me. When I went through the mirror illusion, it wasn’t an illusion any more.” The room was deathly silent. Tony, Wendell, and Wolf were listening as if they’d never heard the story before. Virginia continued, “When I looked back, Patrick was stuck in the mirror. Then he disappeared. And,” she whispered, “we know it was the White Mirror because it turned white. That’s why all the mirrors were shut down.”

There was a deep silence for a time. Cinderella nodded to herself, as if all the pieces were coming together in her mind. Finally she stood. Looking at Wendell, then the others, she slowly beckoned with her hand a shadowy figure lurking in a corner that Virginia had not noticed before.

When the figure emerged from the darkness, Virginia perceived a beautiful young girl. Her skin was white as snow, and she reminded Virginia of Snow White, but in a very different way. The young woman wore a light blue dress that caught the rays of light, bent them fluently, and sent them glancing off in white brilliance to all corners of vision. The gown billowed out behind her like a radiant cloud. In fact, the girl herself seemed to float on a cloud. She walked so lightly and silently that she seemed to glide. Her dark hair was curled and hung loosely around her shoulders. As she reached Cinderella’s side and stood there obediently, Virginia was not sure what to think of her. Wendell’s mouth dropped open.

“This is Acrotis,” Cinderella told her friends. “She is my special expert on magic, Dwarf-wrought mirrors. Perhaps she will be able to help you.”

Virginia looked at Acrotis expectantly. The girl did not seem to like all the attention. She looked up at Cinderella pleadingly.

“Oh, Acrotis, come on. You know a lot about mirrors. In fact, you know most about Traveling Mirrors than any other kind, don’t you?” Cinderella asked, encouraging her.

The young woman glanced at her audience nervously, and decided to speak.

“Yes,” she said. Her voice was high and lovely, but actually had a certain edge to it. “I do know much about Traveling Mirrors. They are the ones about which least is generally known, however. Of all Dwarvish mirrors ever wrought, the White Mirror is the most dangerous. It is made of unicorn horn and the...”

“We know the facts,” Tony interrupted. “We’d like to learn how to get my grandson back.”

Acrotis’s expression changed from calmness to annoyance to anger and back to calmness in a split second as Tony spoke. She cleared her throat and continued, “As much as I would love to help with that, I’m afraid there’s really nothing I can do.”

Cinderella considered her, frowning. “Nothing?”

Acrotis cringed, and the motion transformed her eyes into delicate half-moons.

“Of course, you were a witness to one of the last disappearings,” Cinderella said pointedly. Virginia raised an eyebrow. “Not many people can say that. You know more about this than anyone else here. This is important, girl, more so than any one of us can imagine right now. If that mirror starts abducting people again, who knows how many will die this time? Acrotis,” Cinderella ordered, suddenly with fire in her eyes, “tell us what you know.”

Suddenly a bright bolt of lightning followed almost momentarily by an extremely loud thunder clap caused everyone in the room to jump up and look outside. The night was suddenly silver with rain that poured in through the open window and onto the polished ballroom floor. Cinderella quickly had her guards close and lock the windows. Everyone sat down again and listened to her apologizing, as if this sudden outburst of the heavens were some fault of her own.

“I haven’t an idea where that came from. It’s been raining for the last few nights, perhaps even a week, and just stopped a couple of days ago. It’s never been quite that bad yet, but this’ll be over soon too I’ll wager, no need to worry...”

Acrotis hadn’t moved. She didn’t seem to have been at all surprised by the thunder that could have rivaled the awful scream of the mirrors shutting down. She was simply staring into space, her hands clenching and unclenching at her sides, a very angry expression on her face. When she noticed everyone staring at her, Acrotis took a slow breath, relaxed her posture, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

“So?” Wolf had to prompt her after a few seconds.

“Oh, of course, excuse me. I suppose I could take an educated guess at how to retrieve your son,” Acrotis said reluctantly, her voice not quite so sing-songy as before. “The best move to make now would be to get to the mirror.”

“The White Mirror?” Virginia questioned, not understanding how this would help at all.

“Yes...” Acrotis said, more to herself than anybody else. Then a slow grin spread across her face. “Yes. Get to the mirror and go through it!” Acrotis seemed to think this was the most brilliant idea since Spying Mirrors. Virginia, on the other hand, wasn’t enjoying this girl wasting her time.

“Right,” she scoffed. “Go through the mirror that no one has ever returned from alive, or dead for that matter, and just hope, really hard, that we’ll be able to get back. Is that what we’re saying here?”

Acrotis’s voice was cold. “Do you want to get your son back?” she asked.

“Of course I want to get my son back!” Virginia yelled with sudden anger. “But how is getting ourselves killed going to help?”

Acrotis put her hands flat on the table and leaned closer to Virginia. Her voice was soft and menacing. Virginia wondered what had happened to the shy girl who had floated into the room a moment ago.

“The White Mirror’s essence entered one of those mirrors you were passing through with your son in the Traveling Mirror, correct?” Acrotis asked.

“That’s what everyone tells me,” Virginia answered with just as much menace.

“And when you enter a Traveling Mirror you enter the world it contains, no?”

Virginia nodded, frowning.

“Therefore, your son is in the dimension that the White Mirror contains, and that is where you will find him. And the only way to enter that dimension is to enter the mirror.”

Wolf was not at all satisfied. “Okay, but that doesn't tell us how we’re supposed to get out once we’ve gotten in. And how do you even know if there is anything beyond? Our mirror shows us New York on its surface, the White Mirror only shows white.”

“Not to mention that it’s at the bottom of the ocean,” Tony muttered.

Acrotis turned to Wolf. “There is a world beyond. It is not possible to go through a mirror unless there is something to get to. It is a basic law of mirrors. And perhaps it only shows white because the land beyond it is white.”

Cinderella answered Tony’s question. “Magic breathing rings will allow you to swim to the ocean bottom by providing water and energy. I have none of those here, but the Sea People do. I’m sure they will lend you some. If this is really what you want to do,” she added quickly, glancing at Acrotis.

Virginia sighed deeply and turned to Wolf and Tony with sadness in her eyes. Did they really have a choice? It didn’t sound as if there was any other way to reach Patrick. Virginia would do anything to get her son back, but this? This was trusting everything to a girl they had never met before, who lost her temper easily and didn’t seem too happy to help them. Whom Cinderella trusted.

Tony and Wolf simply nodded. Virginia turned to Cinderella.

“Yes. We’ll go.”

Cinderella smiled sympathetically. “I think it is a good idea.”

Wendell piped up. “Perhaps Acrotis should joins us, since she knows more about the subject than any of us. She may be of help.”

Virginia wasn’t so sure about that, but she said nothing.

“Yes, I will be able to reactivate the Mirror once we reach it,” Acrotis said happily, obviously glad she was able to go. “Also, I can help when we enter the White Mirror.”

How could she possibly help? Virginia wondered. But then again, she did know a lot about mirrors. Maybe she just needed a chance.

“And now,” Cinderella said loudly, clapping her hands, “We must all get some rest. It is very late and you all have a long day ahead of you. I suppose you will stop at Dragon Mountain before heading on towards the Sea? It is a very long way to the Great Northern Sea, you know.”

They all nodded. Yes, it was a very long way. And when they got there it would be the beginning of their journey.