by Cameron Jace
However, something told me I was going to see him again. Whatever that voice inside me was, it also told me it wouldn't be an easy ride. Angel was going to change my life in the strangest ways.
Later that day, still thinking how I'd be meeting Angel again, I caught my parents in a tense conversation in the dining room of the castle. They were arguing about my father's quest to kill the vampires in Transylvania. My mother worried he was starting a war that would doom the Karnsteins forever. My father responded that none of us had a choice. The war between the Karnsteins and the Sorrows was inevitable. The name "Sorrow" sent chills down my spine. I had no idea why.
My father told my mother that Night Von Sorrow, the vampire king in Transylvania, had been hiding for years, planning on sending vampire spies disguised as humans all over Europe. The vampire king knew that in order to let vampires rule the world, the Karnsteins had to be killed first. It turned out we were the only family in the world that was destined to kill vampires. It was either the Karnsteins or the Sorrows in this world.
I ran back to my room that day, wondering what my role would be in all of this. Was I really destined to kill vampires? I realized that after I met Angel I didn't want to do any of it. I didn't want to please anyone or be the sum of expectations of my parents. And I couldn't bear being alone, either. All I wanted was to be with Angel.
***
A few days later, we were invited to one of Austria's royal weddings. I got to wear a fabulous dress that day, and the servants told me I looked fabulous in it. No boy dared look at me, as usual. The best I got was short and fast glimpses, stolen among the crowd. Nothing like Angel's daring eyes.
At some point in the wedding the girls went to a nearby pond to look at their wavy reflections in the water, pondering who'd be the first to get married next—legend had it that she whose face was fully reflected in the water, not wavy or blurred by the faint ripple of the surface, was the next bride.
My mouth went dry. I wanted to be with the girls. A firm glance from my mother cemented me in my place. The day went on as I faked happiness, fighting the urge to cry.
Back home, still in my new dress, I gazed out my window at the surface of the nearest pond glittering in the moonlight—I did glimpse my reflection in the glass of these windows a few times, but it was neither clear nor satisfying, and nor did it trigger the curse.
No matter how much I reminded myself of the consequences, I couldn't hold my desire anymore. I could either wait to meet Angel again or go see for myself. Impulsively, I climbed down the window behind my parents' back and ran toward the pond. They thought their guards would stop me, but I had secretly pondered the escape plan many nights before. I knew what secret route to take.
I ran across the castle's garden and passed by the fountains, holding the hem of my dress with both hands, my breath foggy in the still of the night. And right there before the gates, a couple of my father's guards appeared in their silver armor before me. I wasn't going to make it.
In my desperation, I didn't stop running, but they still caught me. I struggled and fought feebly for a few minutes. I even tried to stare at my reflection in their silver armor, but only saw a blurry face.
And then, in my darkest hour, something in the dark killed the two warriors, instantly and silently. I hiccupped as they dropped heavily beside me, only to stare at a wavy, dark figure a few steps away from me.
"Who are you?" I gasped.
There was no answer. I couldn't sense anything good in the presence of the dark figure. I had no idea how I knew, but it felt as if evil had a recognizable scent of perfume. This dark entity reeked of it. Though it had saved me from the soldiers, it didn't wish me any good.
Why did it save me? It didn't make sense to me.
I realized that I had one last chance to run past the gates. For one, I wasn't comfortable with the dark entity, and two, it was only minutes before my parents in the castle realized two warriors had been killed.
My heart beat faster as I crossed the gates and neared the Pond of Pearls. So many faces of other girls flashed before my eyes. I wondered if the pond's surface would be as beautiful as Angel's eyes.
Panting, I stepped over the muddy soil before the water and knelt down, exhausted from the run. But I was ready to see myself. My breath had tightened, so I waited for a moment, then closed my eyes as I bent over a little, both my hands on the ground.
"You can do this, Carmilla," I told myself, eyes shut tight. "It's just a little glimpse. I hope it doesn't bring the curse back." I prayed to God I'd be forgiven if I were crossing any lines.
I took a deep breath. Then I opened my eyes.
15
Candy House
Babushka was cooking again, and Fable loved it.
Fable saw the confusion on Shew's face, as she hadn't met Loki's mother before—hopefully mother-in-law at some point? Or maybe she had met her, but didn't remember, like most of the things she still didn't remember.
But Babushka didn't look like she had met Shew before. Fable wondered where Babushka fit in this complicated story of the Grimm Diaries, but decided that would be too much to think about at the moment. They needed Babushka to tell them how to get Loki's Fleece to resurrect him, if Axel was right about her.
And, of course, Fable wanted to have some fun with her first.
Shew seemed perplexed by Fable befriending a ghost who looked like a zombie with parts of her flesh peeling off. Fable noticed Shew's dilemma, but didn't comment. Everything was getting weirder and weirder. It was a weird day, anyway.
"So Loki didn't know he can summon you with cigarettes?" Fable asked, helping Babushka prepare lunch on the table.
"Of course not," Babushka said, stirring something in the pot. She dipped her zombie hand inside and tasted her cooking. Fable suppressed a laugh at Shew's reaction— staring at Babushka with glaring eyes. It was rather ironic how a vampire, always soaked in blood, thought a zombie-like ghost was gross. "A three-eyed woman with three tails and one leg helped me with a spell a long time ago," Babushka explained. "The spell made it so that whenever Loki smoked, it would summon me to reach over to his world and stop him from smoking."
"That's weird," Shew said, sitting at the table, not helping at all.
"I believe Axel figured it out because I only appeared to Loki when he smoked in his car on his way to Sorrow, and when some of you lit up cigarettes trying to poke the huge raven that entered the house a few days ago." Babushka brought her pot to the table.
"Wow," Fable said, sitting down and preparing to eat. "My brother notices weird stuff."
"You're a weird family." Babushka giggled, as if that were a compliment. Her jaw fell as she spoke, but she picked it up nonchalantly and sat down to eat.
Fable was hungry, but was more into the breadcrumbs than anything else. She dipped them in the soup so no one would bother asking her about her new addiction. Shew, on the other hand, seemed reluctant to eat.
"Eat some food," Babushka demanded. "I made you a recipe that will help quench your thirst for blood for some time."
Fable could sense slight tension between those two, who only had Loki in common. Otherwise, they didn't seem on the same page at all.
"How do we get Loki's Fleece?" Shew said bluntly, not eating anything.
"By entering the Dreamworld," Babushka replied.
Shew looked puzzled, and Fable felt the same.
"Why not go get it from my mother?" Shew said.
"I have no idea why you say 'mother.'" Babushka rolled her eyes—only once, so she wouldn't drop any eyeballs. "But if you have the guts to confront her and get the Fleece, be my guest."
Fable fell silent. Babushka was right. Who dared speak to Carmilla? "Do you mean get the Fleece from Loki in the Dreamworld?"
Babushka nodded, as if it were an easy task.
"But Loki is dead, even in the Dreamworld." Fable scratched her head. "At least, this is how I understand it."
Babushka stopped eating, her eyes glaring at Shew for
a moment. Fable thought she had to release her anger. After all, Shew had killed her son in the Dreamworld, and Babushka hadn't made a fuss about it until now.
This is really a weird family. Fable wondered if anything not weird was going to happen today.
"That's why you need Charmwill's help in the Dreamworld," Babushka said. "Frankly, I think there is something wrong with the timeline of events, but I can't prove it. Only Charmwill can."
"But we can't resurrect him," Shew said. "Even while we know his True Name."
"We don't need to resurrect him," Babushka said. "Not now, at least. We'll use his name as an Incubator in the Dreamworld, just like Carmilla used the Phoenix in the last dream, like you told me."
"But we don't know where this would take us," Shew said.
"It doesn't matter," Babushka said. "I'm sure Charmwill's real name will take us to a memory where we meet Charmwill. He could guide us from there. I am shocked why you haven't thought of this before."
"Because we don't know of any Dreamhunter but Loki," Fable said. "Do you happen to know another Dreamhunter who can help?"
Babushka took some time to answer. She seemed reluctant to answer, gazing intently at Fable. She finally nodded, though.
"Then please tell us how to meet this new Dreamhunter," Shew said.
Babushka put down the fork and knife, wiped her mouth, and stood up as if she were a normal human being. She reached for Loki's Alicorn on the kitchen table and looked at it. Neither Shew nor Fable understood the implication. "Before I tell you about the Dreamhunter I know, I have to test something." She handed the Alicorn to Fable. "Try it," she said.
"Try it?" Fable took the Alicorn, feeling attracted to it again. The whole feeling of weirdness, that she wasn't herself, returned. "How?"
"Say what Loki would have said to make it work," Babushka said. "Say, 'Ora Pedora.'"
"But—"
"Say it."
Fable stared at the Alicorn for a while and held it the way she had held her toothbrush in the mirror this morning. She took a deep breath, squinted, and said, "Ora Pedora!"
To everyone's surprise, the Alicorn turned into a whipping snake, the same as when Loki used it. Shew winced and pulled back from the snake, and Fable dropped the Alicorn once she saw it. Babushka held the snake and patted it, then pulled it back into the Alicorn.
"But how is that possible?" Shew stared at Fable.
Fable wanted to ask the same, but she couldn't find her voice from the surprise.
"I will tell you in a minute," Babushka said to Shew. "Fable, you said you were also able to ignite Carmen this morning, right?"
Fable nodded.
"And you have been feeling weird, saying Loki's words and feeling a bit boyish?"
Fable nodded again.
"Great!" Babushka clapped her hands. "It means there is hope we could save Loki."
"How so?" Shew said, utterly confused.
Fable needed to know why, but her voice hadn't returned from the shock.
"Simple," Babushka said. "Fable is our new Dreamhunter.
16
"I am the new what?" Fable found her voice finally.
"You're the Dreamhunter who can help us go to meet Charmwill in the Dreamworld, and hopefully find Loki's Fleece," Babushka said. "You're basically Loki right now."
"I don't understand," Shew said.
"The spell Fable used to possess Loki's body in the last Dreamory left what magicians like to call a 'mark' on Fable's soul," Babushka explained. "Being in his body in the Dreamworld was an intense moment," she said to Shew. "Fable's soul collected most of Loki's powers—Chanta, to be precise. It won't be for long, so we have to act fast."
"That's why I have been feeling weird all day." Fable rubbed her chin.
"So Fable has the power to enter a Dreamworld now?" Shew asked.
"Definitely," Babushka said.
"But Loki needed two bodies in the Dream Temple to enter the Dreamworld," Shew said. "The Dreamer's and Dreamhunter's bodies."
"Then we should use the same rituals Loki used and let Fable enter your body," Babushka said. "Your body will be the vessel to the Dreamworld, and Wilhelm Carl Grimm will be the Incubator." Babushka stopped to think about something. "However, Shew won't be able to do anything in this Dreamory, unlike in the past."
"But why?" Shew said. "Each Dreamory, I was able to act in it the same way the Dreamhunter did."
"That was when Loki, a true Dreamhunter, entered the Dreamworld," Babushka explained. "Fable only has part of Loki's power passed to her. As for you, you will be nothing more than a Sleeping Beauty used as a vessel to the past."
"You mean the Shew I will meet in the Dreamworld will not be the same Shew?" Fable worried. At least Shew beside her would make this a bit easier. She couldn't believe she had such a sudden responsibility weighing on her tiny shoulders.
"Regretfully, no," Babushka said. "The Shew you will meet will not recognize you came from the Waking World."
Shew gave Fable a sympathetic look. "You don't have to do this if you can't."
"How so?" Fable sighed. "Do you think I can stop myself from helping Loki's resurrection?"
"Deal," Babushka chirped. "You saw Loki do the Dream Temple ritual, right?" she asked Fable, who nodded. "I know you won't have a Fleece, but you will be doing a much-appreciated job, Fable." It was obvious Babushka didn't want to mention that, without a Fleece, Fable had no safe way back. She couldn't ask for help if something happened to her in the Dreamworld. She was going to be all alone there.
Fable said nothing. She grabbed a bowl of breadcrumbs and began nibbling. It was the only way to calm herself down. "Did Loki love breadcrumbs?" Fable found the courage to finally ask.
"Not that I know of," Babushka said. "Why?"
"Because among all the weird things today, I have been craving breadcrumbs all day."
Babushka slowly turned her head to Shew. Both, although not entirely on the same page, exchanged looks Fable couldn't decipher. She felt they knew something about her she didn't know, but they weren't telling.
"What is it?" Fable said.
"Nothing, dear." Babushka patted her and then hugged her to calm her down. "You must just be hungry and agitated because of the noble mission you're about to do."
"Really?" Fable began shivering. She knew Babushka was lying. Something else, other than having Dreamhunter powers, wasn't right. Somehow, Fable was afraid to know.
"Really," Babushka said. "Now go prepare yourself while Shew and I prepare the Dream Temple in the cellar."
Fable nodded and ran to her room, still clinging to her breadcrumbs. Although she'd agreed to do this, it scared the life out of her. Who was she to enter the Dreamworld?
17
Out on the porch, while Fable was getting ready, Babushka and Shew were talking.
"Why didn't you tell her?" Shew asked.
"You know?" Babushka said.
"Of course I know," Shew said. "I figured it out in the last Dreamory. I'm surprised that you know."
"Loki told me," Babushka said. "I am surprised Axel and Fable don't know. I mean, everything about them screams who they really are."
"I think they're so caught up in Loki and my adventure that they can't think about anything else," Shew said.
"If you ask me, I think everyone else in Sorrow knows who Axel and Fable are." Babushka chuckled feebly.
"So they are both from the Lost Seven?"
"I think so." Babushka shook her shoulders. "Frankly, I have no idea who the Lost Seven are exactly. I wasn't around much when all of this happened. Nor was Loki's father." She seemed briefly lost in a memory. "Well, I don't want to talk about this now. I'm surprised you don't know if they are from the Lost Seven."
"Believe me, I don't remember much," Shew said. "I don't even remember Cerené. I trusted what happened in the dream to be my true memory of her." She looked out at the rest of the town on the horizon. Babushka did the same. "It would be really strange if Axel and Fable are from the Lost Seven
," Shew said. "I mean, when I think that they hold a piece of my heart, it's just… I can't put words to the feeling."
"It's a heavy bond. I understand," Babushka said. "I don't know about Axel, but you should've seen Fable when you were trapped in the Schloss. I think she would die for you, and the poor girl doesn't even know about her bond with you. This is the true reason she is motivated to enter a dangerous place like the Dreamworld."
"Poor Fable," Shew said, sighing.
"Did you say she was mentioned as a witch in J.G.'s diary?" Babushka faced her.
Shew nodded again. "I think she is the Witch." It was still debatable. Any other girl could be a witch, but Fable was also Gretel, which made it more likely to be true. None of the Lost Seven mentioned in the diary resembled Axel, though.
"So again, why didn't you tell her?" Shew said.
"Because it's going to be a heavy experience," Babushka said. "When I look at this quirky, lovable, and decent girl, I pity her for having acquired Loki's powers as a Dreamhunter. It's such a responsibility. Her having to enter the Dreamworld is a burden by itself. I wouldn't top it with telling her who she is."
"I'm just worried she'll discover who she is in the Dreamworld," Shew said. "Who knows what could happen?"
"In order to get Loki's Fleece, we have to risk it," Babushka said.
"How about her sudden breadcrumb addiction?"
"That's because of her entering your last Dreamory through that spell she used," Babushka said. "I think that's why she suddenly realizes she is Gretel. The bond she has with Loki."
"So she is bonded to both of us, me and Loki?" Shew closed her eyes. "Who would have thought this cute little girl would have this kind of weight upon her shoulders?"
"I think she will be fine." Babushka smiled, a rather acceptable smile for a disfigured ghost.