“Would they hide it in the pit of a deep volcano in Hell?”
“No, Shew,” Alice said. “The creator of the mirror is much more sophisticated than that. The creator hid the clue inside a girl.”
“I’m not following?” Shew was about to make fun of Alice, but then she swallowed hard. The answer hit her and it felt like a ball of fire burning in her chest. She raised her eyes slowly to meet Alice.
The answer was on the tip of Shew’s tongue, but Alice uttered it for her, “the clue is inside a girl called the Phoenix, a teenage glassblower from Murano who can create life by blowing into a pipe,” Alice said. “Cerene holds the clue to the Anderson Mirror.”
“That’s why Bianca told her she was like Pandora’s Box,” Shew said absently. “Cerene holds the key to the darkness of the world.”
29
An Insurmountable Spirit
“So it’s not just about Cerene being one of the Lost Seven. She holds something very precious to my mother,” Shew said.
Alice nodded, “the Queen has no idea of how your relationship with Cerene blossomed two hundred years ago. You and Cerene were secretly best friends because no one would have accepted a princess befriending a Slave Maiden. The Queen had always kept Cerene safe from the bathhouse slaughters, though, because she’d been told that Cerene might hold the clue, although she could never prove it at the time.”
“Since I hid my relationship with Cerene from the Queen, who told her about the clue?” Shew wondered.
“Bloody Mary,” Alice said.
“What does Bloody Mary have to do with it?”
“I heard she has a personal history with mirrors, but I don’t know what it is,” Alice said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s connected to the Anderson Mirror. She is a prisoner of a mirror, remember?” Alice said.
“Makes sense,” Shew replied.
“And now that Carmilla is watching the dream—probably watching us now—she’s learned about your story with Cerene. She knows about Cerene’s abilities, her history, and that she is the Phoenix. All she needs is to find Cerene in the real world and track her life’s beginning in Murano. The clue Cerene is holding inside her should be revealed in Murano.”
“Are you saying that now that my mother knows what she wanted, this dream means nothing to her anymore?”
Alice nodded.
“Let me ask you this, Alice,” Shew said. “If Cerene’s story is so complicated, are the stories of the other Lost Seven also complicated?”
“It’s not like the Queen’s quest is to find each one of them and rip out the piece of your heart from their chests,” Alice said. “Each one of the Lost Seven has a unique story, one that usually ties them to real historical events where they will have their own archenemy. They are real people like you. They lived for a long time, and some of them are even known historical people,” Alice explained. “In order for Carmilla to obtain the pieces of your heart, she’ll have to delve deeper into each one’s story. In Cerene’s case—and by that I mean Cinderella—she will have to rid her of the clue she holds inside.”
“Poor Cerene,” Shew said.
“It’s her fate. We all have to face our fate someday, and only you can save her,” Alice said.
“I’d do anything for her,” Shew said. “Tell me how.”
“The Queen will look for Cerene in the Waking World to get the clue to the mirror out of her,” Alice said. “Who knows what the Queen would do to her? Cerene’s only hope is you, Shew. You have a choice to make.”
“I have to wake up by killing Loki.” She said what Alice already knew.
“It’s the only way, Shew. It’s also part of proving you’re the Chosen One, to sacrifice everything that means something to you and save the world, even if it’s the one you love.”
“Can’t you see I don’t want to be the Chosen One, Alice,” Shew said. “I want to enjoy my life as a teenager like Cerene does. I learned so much about life, spending time with her. I want to ‘follow my bliss’ like Charmwill used to tell Loki. I want to find my Chanta. I want to free myself from foretold prophecies, and I want to find my own Art.”
“But you
The bathhouse’s door sprang open suddenly. Shew found herself standing in front of Cerene, who was peeking her head in from behind the door.
Shew and Alice watched her partially hide behind the door with her blowpipe ready to attack. Her eyes darted sideways before she asked, “Are you alright, Joy?”
“I am, Cerene,” Shew smiled, sniffing her tears away. “You could come in, you know.”
“A lot of blood had been shed in this room,” Cerene said. “I hate it. I should clean it.”
“But you’ll be safe with me,” Shew said with open arms.
“You mean you’ll be safe with me,” she said closing the door behind her. She had another long case with her. It looked like it had a long musical instrument in it along with a small bag. It looked too heavy for her.
“Let me help you,” Alice said.
“No, not you,” Cerene’s face knotted then turned to Shew, “are you alright? Did this girl hurt you?”
“Not at all,” Shew laughed, glad her best friend sensed her uneasiness with Alice.
“How so?” Cerene eyed Alice from top to bottom. “She is one of Loki’s huntsmen.”
“She isn’t, trust me,” Shew said. “So were you looking for me or did you just think you’d eavesdrop on what was going on in the bathhouse?”
“Of course, I was looking for you,” Cerene said. “I just finished cleaning and thought you must be hungry so I stole you food from the Royal Kitchen,” she giggled at the accomplishment, and handed her the bag. “Here, you look pale. You need to eat.”
Alice and Shew exchanged looks, trying not to smile.
“I’m the princess, Cerene, remember?” Shew said. “I don’t need to steal food from my own kitchen.”
“Oh,” Cerene said. “I forgot. Honestly, I didn’t steal it. A boy in a green hat helped me.”
“A boy in a green hat?” Shew squinted. “Are you referring to the thief who steals from the castle and gives to the poor? The Queen surely would want to catch this one.”
“His name is Jack Madly, but don’t tell anyone,” Cerene whispered. “I met him in the fireplace,” Cerene winked and bit on her lip.
“A match made in the fireplace—I mean Heaven,” Shew said. She remembered Jack, not that she’d known him well. He was the notorious sixteen-year-old thief who stole from the Schloss, only because he loved to make the Queen mad. Some knew him from Jack and the Beanstalk, a famous story about pissing off a giant and stealing his gold.
“You think he likes me?” Cerene wondered. “But nah. Not my type. I like the prince, or maybe—” she was going to say Loki but stopped, remembering what he’d done in Furry Tell. “Jack stole the food, but I stole this,” Cerene pulled out a box of liver, property of the Queen of Sorrow. “Don’t be embarrassed. I will look away while you indulge in your monstrous cravings. It’s like going to the bathroom; you don’t want to see anyone see you poop.”
Alice let out a laugh, unable to hold back. Shew found herself giggling at her warmhearted friend.
“What are you laughing at?” Cerene snapped at Alice, waving the case in the air. “This is between me and my friend. You’re not friends with her. Are you, Shew?”
“Alice? Of course, not. Alice is not my friend. She is only helping.”
Cerene smiled. Shew was worried if she’d told her otherwise she’d burn Alice in the furnace.
“So what’s that in the long case?” Shew asked.
“This is my gift for you,” Cerene looked happier than a woodpecker with a handful of trees. “I made it
