“Well, I…I mean,” Angela said as she winced. “We didn’t agree to anything. We were told.”
“You were told?” Georgia’s voice went into a higher octave. “I’ll tell you what happened. You allowed them to trick you. You two allowed them to charm you right into this mess. You were given specific instructions. You were to have tea, maybe eat a pastry, even get a tour of the villa, and then you were supposed to leave. Not ask questions. Not engage in tit for tat. And, most importantly, not agree to change this Vasilikós’ society calendar. The invitations for the Wine Ceremony have already gone out with a save the date card for your presentation to the supernatural community. We will now have to completely regroup. To think of the extra work you have given to Winnie and the rest of the household.”
“Don’t be throwin’ me into the middle of this, Georgia,” Winnie yelled, as she threw the now-seasoned potatoes into the oven and slammed the oven door shut. She grabbed her dishtowel and rubbed an invisible smudge off of the big table. “It doesn’t matter when these parties take place. They’re all the same to me. And if I might be so bold as to say, gettin' both of those parties done at once is a dream come true. Two birds, one stone.”
“You knew we were taking a risk by sending the girls,” Callie said. “And if this is the worst to happen from the visit, well, we should count ourselves lucky.”
“I won’t have any of it! The nerve of that witch, Rose, thinking she can push me around. I just know it was all her idea. Those three women are nothing without our help. Nobody pushes this Vasilikós around. Not even the Fates.” As her fury grew, red splotches broke out all over Georgia’s face.
“Well, Georgia,” Callie said. “I suggest we get to work, because sitting around, bitching isn’t helping us prepare.”
If I don’t leave this kitchen, I will either kill each of them or burst a blood vessel and I’m afraid I’m leaning more towards the first choice.
Through gritted teeth she attempted a smile, and with a burst of energy she made every kitchen cabinet fly open sending pots, pans and utensils clattering to the floor. She walked towards the back door as Winnie’s final words reached her ears.
“Oh, that’s just fine, Georgia. Make a big, fancy exit and leave the rest of us to clean up the mess! Well, you better get it out of you or you’ll have me to deal with. And you burned the cake!”
Chapter 25
After Winnie insisted the mess be left for her to clean up, Sophie made a point to steer clear of the orchard and stood with Angela under a tall almond tree. In the far distance ominous dark clouds were gathering and Sophie shivered. She watched Angela close her eyes for a few seconds, as she extended her hands towards the clouds and mumbled what Sophie guessed was a spell. A whoosh of wind caught Sophie off guard and nearly lifted her off the ground as it swept upward and dispersed the clouds.
“Why did you do that?” Sophie asked. “Do those clouds mean something?”
Angela didn’t bother to look into the sky. “No… not everything has to do with you and the Olympians. I’ve already torn my dress's strap. I’d prefer not to ruin it by getting caught in a rain storm.”
And I’m supposed to believe you? She’s worried about getting her dress wet? It has something to do with the Olympians. I know it.
“Georgia was pissed,” Sophie said. She didn’t know why, but she laughed and Angela joined her.
“Yes, I’m guessing you’re right about that one,” Angela said. “I’ve lived here for almost a year and thanks to you I have witnessed the first time Georgia blew her top like that.”
Sophie was about to ask Angela how she ended up at the Vasilikós, but she lost all thought when she saw Bennett walking towards them carrying a blanket.
“Hi,” he said, smiling at Sophie.
“Hi,” Sophie said, smiling back.
“Winnie sent me out to bring this to you. She thought you might need it. She was concerned you would get some dirt on your dresses.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I really should fix my dress strap,” Angela said, showcasing her strap was indeed broken. “See you later, Soph.”
Sophie liked her new nickname. She also made a mental note to thank her friend for a speedy exit. She turned back to Bennett, who had already spread the blanket on the ground and was getting up to leave.
“Don’t go,” she said.
Wow, that’s really smooth. Could I sound a little more desperate?
“I should,” he said, then took a few steps and turned to leave.
“Why do you do that?” she asked.
He stopped. “Do what?”
“Run away. Every time I run into you, you literally trip over yourself to run away.”
“No, I don’t,” he said. “Look, I don’t know what they’ve told you, and I don’t think I should have to defend my actions to someone I barely know.”
“Nothing. Nobody has told me anything,” Sophie said, growing frustrated.
This is so not going the way I wanted it to. “Oh, why don’t you go run away and leave me alone? At least it will be the one thing consistent in my life.” She sat down so suddenly part of her skirt flew up into her face and she had to smack it down or risk displaying more leg than she cared to.
Bennett chuckled.
“What?” Sophie said looking up and fighting a smile. She lost the battle and Bennett sat down while Sophie tucked her legs underneath her skirt.
“Miranda,” Bennett said picking up a fallen almond and flinging it away.
“Miranda?”
“She was a Muse, out of your grandmother’s Vasilikós. We were an item for about a year.”
“Oh,” Sophie said picking at a blade of grass.
“One day she up and left, transferred to the Vasilikós in Italy. Not a word to me, except a Facespace posting that said, ‘Sorry.’”
“Wait,” Sophie said. “She broke-up with you on Facespace? That…is…ouch. Wow… that really sucks for you.” She laughed a bit at the ridiculous nature of the situation. “Breaking up on a public Facespace posting is so not right.”
“Tell me about it,” Bennett said, flinging another almond into the yard. “And to make matters worse, she “liked” her own posting, along with fifteen more of my friends who later said they were sorry for not reading the post more carefully. They quickly ‘unliked’ it.”
“I’m sorry for laughing, but you have to admit”
“It hurt? Yes, it did. It hurt like hell.”
“Well,” Sophie said. “It’s apparent she wasn’t the right girl.” She thought for a second. “So, let me guess, you’ve sworn off dating Muses?”
“Yep,” he said, cracking open an almond and handing the shelled nut to Sophie who popped it into her mouth. “I was warned that Muses can be somewhat…”
“Somewhat what?” Sophie said, the color rising in her cheeks.
“Fickle.”
“Well,” Sophie said getting to her feet. “That’s good to know.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…I shouldn’t have said that. It was so incredibly stupid and mean of me.”
Sophie stood for a moment and glanced away to hide her hurt feelings. She knew her rollercoaster emotions weren’t Bennett’s fault, but she couldn’t help the way she felt. She was pissed.
She noticed a man standing in the distance. He wore all black and his skin, devoid of any sort of color, had a grayish glow to it.
He looks a lot like my father.
A chill ran down her spine, as goose bumps broke out all over her skin. That is my father.
The vision stood there, looking at her. It raised its right hand and placed it over its heart and then reached towards her.
He’s crying. Oh daddy, I miss you so much.
She wanted to run to him, call out, scream for him not to go, but something stopped her. The memory of the vision in the woods back home made her wary.
If only it were really you, daddy. I would do anything for it to be you. Just another freaky example of my ‘normal’
life.
Bennett said something and Sophie began to respond to him, but stopped when she saw her father was gone.
Flustered, Sophie shook herself mentally and realized Bennett was looking concerned. “No…,” she said. “It’s fine. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed and you certainly have your reasons for lumping Muses into a single, fickle category.” She brushed her skirt and glanced again to see if her father had come back. He hadn’t, and she was both disappointed and confused.
“It must have been my mind playing tricks on me,” she said to herself. “He was never there. My father is dead.” Much to her relief and dread, her mother called from the Vasilikós. “Excuse me.” Sophie walked away.
Sophie found her mother in the Entry Hall, leaning against the large library table with the registry book.
“Hi,” Callie said. “Georgia asked me to show you something. She’s a bit preoccupied right at the moment.”
“She’s a bit pissed,” Sophie said. “Mom, it wasn’t my fault.”
“Language, Sophie,” Callie warned. “She knows it wasn’t your fault and doesn’t blame you. Georgia may have anger management issues, but she isn’t naïve. A good portion of her anger wasn’t even directed at you. She and Rose have a difficult history. Suffice to say they aren’t the kind of women who chat on the phone and exchange recipes. So, let’s forget about it, because the next month of preparation is going to be one long experience in hell. All right?”
“Okay, Mom,” Sophie replied and her mother gave her a hug, kissed her on top of her head and patted her shoulder.
“Come with me,” Callie said as she led Sophie towards the large, ornate mirror Sophie remembered Angela had avoided during one of their endless tours.
“Remember how we told you the mirrors were used as a form of transportation?” Callie asked. Sophie nodded. “Well, they are also used to hide or protect things. Give me your hand, take a deep breath, and follow me.”
“Through the looking glass?” Sophie said.
“Yes, Alice, like I’ve never heard that one before,” Callie said with a smirk. “Follow me.”
Sophie watched her mother take a deep breath and walk into the mirror. The mirror’s surface took on a liquid form, rippling as if a stone had been skipped across it. Her mother gave a tug at Sophie’s arm and she fell into the mirror’s watery surface with a yelp. It was much colder than she’d expected. Her mother gave her arm a stronger yank as she pulled her through to the other side. The mirror she stepped out of was a duplicate of the one found in the Great Entry Hall, except this mirror’s frame design was reversed.
“It’s a mirror image of the other one?” Sophie said, touching the frame.
“They are sister mirrors. There always have to be two. Any more than two and they become extremely temperamental and hard to control. This mirror and its sister were created by an Elf clan Georgia has on retainer.”
“Elf?” Sophie said.
“Who else would you choose to make your transference mirrors? Granted, it’s a complicated process. They subcontract with a group of water nymphs that gather and trap the mirror’s surface off of a hidden lake in the Elfin highlands. I once got a tour of their factory when I was in grade school. It was fascinating.”
“Yeah,” Sophie said. “I got a trip to Lollipop Farm.”
Callie laughed. “Hey, I liked Lollipop Farm.”
Sophie glanced around, realizing she didn’t recognize the room they were in.
Even the catacombs were more welcoming than this place.
The room was cold, dank, and, except for the light coming from a few torches, very dark. The chamber had stone walls, stone floors and ceiling, no windows at all and a prevailing stench of mold. It had a fireplace with a roaring fire in it, but the flames gave off little warmth. Although not feeling chilled, Sophie still continued to shiver and Callie told her she would get used to the temperature in a few moments.
“The cold feeling is an illusion, a defense mechanism,” Callie explained. “Had you broken into this room, the cold would have continued until you became incapacitated. Stay close to me. There are many other traps found throughout these rooms.”
The room they stood in was a maze of spiral staircases connecting upper and lower floors. Each staircase was stranger than the first. Sophie took a step toward one of them and it disappeared through the ceiling as if it had been shot out of a cannon. She did the same to another, but this one fell through the floor only to reappear in the spot vacated by the first.
“These aren’t right. A person could spend an eternity chasing after them.”
“Sophie, get away from those! The last thing I need is for you to end up in another country.”
A sort of gnawing feeling in the back of Sophie’s mind drew her towards a different section of the room.
She went with her gut and stood in front of the fireplace. She reached down to warm her hands by the flames and realized they gave off no heat at all.
“It’s not real?” Sophie said.
Callie’s footsteps echoed in the room as she approached Sophie and the fireplace. She knelt down and without hesitation Callie thrust her hand into the fire beneath the wood and exposed an iron ring hidden in a trap underneath. She gave the ring a yank and something clicked.
“All-consuming fire created from the Sun Chariot. Yet another trap, created by a Norwegian witch friend of your grandmother. The same witch created the spiral staircase trick. A person who does not know how to bypass this spell is burned to a cinder.”
A few other clicks followed the first and the stones around the fireplace shook a little as they retracted out of sight. The fireplace slid upward about ten feet, exposing a hidden downward staircase.
“Stay close to the wall and grab onto the railing,” Callie continued. “The stairs get very slippery this time of year.”
“Is that another trap?” Sophie asked.
“No, smarty, it’s just common sense. But when you get ready to step off of the last step, skip it. Step on it and the entire floor collapses into a deep pit. I won’t tell you what’s down there. Let’s just say it isn’t pleasant.”
Sophie followed her mother’s direction, gripped the handrail and descended deeper into the Vasilikós. As they made their way down the stairs, other torches sparked, sputtered and lit themselves. Five minutes later, they reached the bottom of the stairs and, as her mother told her, Sophie avoided the last step.
The room they entered was about the size of several large auto-manufacturing plants combined and it was full of mirrors of different sizes and shapes.
Callie stopped short and Sophie, who was looking around, bumped into her.
“All right, now we come to the tough part,” Callie said.
“The tough part?” Sophie winced. “You mean the other stuff was easy?”
“Do not, I repeat, do not touch any of the mirrors. Do not bump up against them. If they are covered, do not remove any of their covers. Do not stand for any length of time admiring yourself in them. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“And,” Callie continued. “If a mirror speaks to you, do not answer it back. I cannot stress how critical it is for you to follow my instructions.”
“Okay, I get it. Don’t look at them. Don’t talk to them. Don’t touch the mirrors.” When her mother’s back was turned, Sophie rolled her eyes.
Sophie kept her hands close to her side as they walked around the room. There were mirrors hanging on walls. There were mirrors leaning against walls. There were mirrors stacked against other mirrors that leaned against walls with mirrors hanging on them. There were even mirrors nailed to the ceiling, mirrors suspended from the ceiling and mirrors that seemed to float in mid-air with no form of suspension.
Floor-to-ceiling industrial metal shelving created a maze that made it difficult for Callie and Sophie to maneuver through. The only things that broke up the rows were other rows that created an intersection or a huge pile of mirrors stacked precariously.
She didn’t know why, but her mother’s voice was annoying her as she droned on and on about this rule and that trap, and why these mirrors were stored here. Sophie slowed her pace and ceased paying attention to what her mother was saying. Before Sophie knew it, she was alone. She dashed forward to catch up, but her mother wasn’t there. She retraced her steps and took a few turns, but Callie was nowhere to be found. She panicked and rushed forward, her hand briefly touching one of the shelves. She stopped.
Please… I hope I didn’t touch anything.
Right as she was about to call out to her, Sophie heard a woman’s voice.
“Hello. Please, over here,” the woman’s voice said. Sophie tried to ignore it, but there was something so incredibly desperate and sad about the voice, she stopped for a moment and searched for its source.
“Over here, on the second shelf,” the voice said. “Look for the delicate hand mirror with the red jewel at its center.”
She saw the mirror, its surface glowing brightly, and she paused for a second, remembering what her mother had said.
If I touch it quickly, nothing could possibly happen. She reached her pinky and touched the tapered handle, quickly jumping back and nearly falling into a stack of mirrors so poorly stacked Sophie was sure the slightest movement would send it toppling over. The stack remained steady and the hand mirror didn’t react. She touched the mirror again, this time for a little longer. Still nothing. Guessing that the mirror was harmless, she picked it up. A beautiful woman with curly blond hair stared back at her, looking relieved.
“Oh.” the woman exclaimed as she clapped, tears in her face. “Thank you so much for picking me up. I’ve been trapped in this mirror for so many years and I know my husband and children must be worried sick about me. I have a little baby named Isabel and I miss her so.”
This poor woman. Maybe she isn’t telling the truth. But who would make up such a horrible lie? Living in a mirror can’t be pleasant.
“Will you help me?” the woman pled.
Sophie shrugged. “But, I don’t know—”
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