aThe spell is written in Cursed Gibberish. Itas a magical language.a aAnd you can read it?a Apple asked, nodding and smiling, her eyes wide and glistening hopefully.
Raven shook her head. aIam a level-five sorceress. To understand Cursed Gibberish, you have to be level thirty-eight. The only sorceresses Iave ever met who are fluent in Cursed Gibberish are Baba Yaga anda"a Raven stopped.
aWell, Baba Yaga will never help us,a said Apple. aWhen she glares at me, itas like every hair on my head stands up and tries to run away.a aThereas a rule in dark sorcery anyway,a Raven muttered. aUpper-level knowledge canat be downshared, and Baba Yaga is a faculty member, so sheall definitely follow the rules. The headmaster would never let her anyway. Heas furious. I kind of wonder if heas punishing Maddie in part to get back at me for Legacy Day.a aWait, you said sorceressesa"like, plural. Who else can read Cursed Gibberish?a aUmaa Raven said.
aOh!a Apple said.
For a moment, they were both silent.
aBut she does,a Raven whispered. aMy mother does speak Cursed Gibberish.a Apple tried to laugh. It sounded too much like one of Bo Peepas sheepas bleats. aThatas one of your jokes, right? One of your Iam-just-kidding-about-calling-up-my-evil-imprisoned-mother jokes? Ha! Raven, you are so funny.a Raven didnat laugh.
Apple swallowed. aThere must be someone else.a Raven hexted the Candy Witch. Her answer was slightly alarming.
CANDY: No, I donat speak Cursed Gibberish, but I ate someone once who did. Iam kidding! Or am I? COL!
Apple leaned over to look at Ravenas phone. aCOL?a she asked.
Raven groaned. aCackle out loud,a she said. aItas a witch thing.a Raven found The Official Registry of Witches, Sorceresses, Conjuring Goblins, and Hags on a back shelf. n.o.body else in all of Ever After had reached higher than level thirty-one.
She looked up at Apple, the purples of her eyes bright and serious but nervous, too. Apple shivered.
aSheas level thirty-eight?a asked Apple.
aSheas level forty-two, actually,a said Raven. aAnd she doesnat care about rules.a Apple shivered again and looked around the library, half expecting to see the specter of the Evil Queen there, leaning over them, her shadow like a creeping plague.
aWe need her help, Apple,a Raven said. aWe need to talk to her.a Apple groaned and covered her head with her arms.
aBut I need your help, too, Apple. Youare smart. Honestly, youare the smartest person I know.a Apple slumped down in the chair in a very un-Apple-like posture. She felt as useless as a chewed-up core. aI donat know so much. I mean, I knew that you should sign on Legacy Day, but you didnat, and nothing I did or said made anything better.a aI like having friends who only tell me the truth,a said Raven. aCedar. Maddie. You. Iam glad youall tell me you think I royally messed up.a Apple laughed.
aThe best part is, even though thatas what you think, you still like me,a said Raven. aI think thatas, as you would say, fairy enchanting. I know we donat agree on some really important stuff, but we both agree that whatas happening to Maddie is unfair.a aThe unfairest,a Apple agreed.
aThis is something we can do. Something we can make better. But to reach my mother and get her help with the spell, we would have to, I donat know, hack the Mirror Network or something, and I havenat got the faintest idea how to do that. I need your help, Apple. Youare smart, you care about Maddie, and I trust you.a aIaa Hack into mirror prison? Talk to the Greatest Evil Ever After Has Ever After Known? The library suddenly felt freezing. Apple stood up and turned to a window, rubbing her arms with her hands. Outside, on the path to Book End, Apple could just make out Headmaster Grimm, with Maddie slowly, sadly hopping after him. So. Epically. Unfair.
Ever since Legacy Day, Apple hadnat been able to trust her gut. Right now, her gut was telling her to save Maddie. She hoped it was right.
aOkay,a Apple said, trying to sound braver than she felt. aLetas do this.a Raven stared at her. aWell, I did not know you were going to say that. A complete surprise. Like, shock of the century, no kidding.a And though she was so scared, her knees trembly and her jaw chittery, overall Apple felt hopeful, full of good, hot energy, as if shead made the right decision. At last, something she could do. A task fit for a queen.
She grabbed Ravenas hand. aCome on. I know just who we need to talk to.a aYou realize, Apple, that my mother is locked up in one of those Great Gla.s.s Prisons Headmaster Grimm mentioned, and the punishment for meddlinga"a aIs banishment, yes,a Apple said as they ran out of the library. aBut a leaderas most important job is to protect her subjects from harm. We need to stand up for those who canat stand up for themselves. And in this case, Iam standing up for destiny, too. Why, besides me, no oneas more pa.s.sionate about following her destiny than the Mad Hatteras daughter! Besides, Headmaster Grimm said it himselfa"sometimes itas okay to bend the rules. Hurry, we have Madeline Hatteras destiny to save.a APPLE LED RAVEN TO A DORM ROOM WITH a hand-lettered sign on the door identifying it as the home of DUMP-T STUDIOS. Raven knew Humphrey Dumpty was just the egghead for the hacking job, but she still hesitated outside the door.
aIall need you to translate the stuff he says,a Raven said.
aWhat, why?a said Apple. aHumphrey doesnat speak a foreign language.a aNot technically, but if you see me looking confusedaa The door was ajar, and they pushed it open wider to find Humphrey Dumpty in front of two table mirrors and a microphone wearing a gigantic pair of headphones over his round head. He turned, and immediately his eggsh.e.l.l-white face cracked a smile. He jumped to his tiny feet, teetering as if he was about to tip over. Raven and Apple put out their hands to steady him before he had a chance to fall and break into pieces. His legs were so thin Raven wondered how they ever held up his body.
aHey, Humphrey,a Apple said, letting go as he found his balance.
aCheck, Birdfruit,a he said. aWhatas on the swing?a Raven looked at Apple with her most sincere aThat is exactly what Iam talking abouta face.
aOops,a said Humphrey. aI, era sometimes get, I donat know, wordspun when Iam working on, uh, songs and stuff. I mean, hey, Apple; hey, Raven.a aRaven?a Dexter Charming stood up from a couch in the back of the room. He saw Raven and automatically tried to smooth down his brown hair. But as always, a vicious cowlick stuck it straight up in front. He adjusted his black-framed gla.s.ses and then put his hands in his pockets, as if trying to look casual. aOh, hey, Raven, Apple.a aSorry, I thought Humphrey was alone,a said Apple. aWe can come backa"a aItas okay,a Raven said. aWe can trust Dexter. Heas cool.a aI am?a said Dexter. He turned away as if he urgently needed to examine a shelf of mirror discs against the wall, but he clearly was just trying to hide a furious smile. Raven didnat think much about it.
aI have another quest for you, Humphrey,a said Apple. aOr a re-quest, anyway. We need to access a restricted place on the Mirror Network. Um, fairy, fairy restricted.a aWhoa. You need the locks taken off the network?a said Humphrey. aI couldnat do that without getting noticed.a aWhat if you made, you know, a kind of rabbit hole in the network?a Apple said.
aDig a tunnel, sure,a Dexter said, coming closer. aThat would get you through without actually blowing the locks.a aYeah, good idea, Apple!a Humphrey tapped on his MirrorPad and then each of the bigger table mirrors. aLet me just run a test to see if I can do this safely.a He tapped a few images on the left mirror, made some gestures on the right, and then spoke into the microphone in a whispered rhyme.
aOkay,a Humphrey said. aIave doppelgangeda"a aCopied,a Apple whispered to Raven.
aa"the encryption.a aThe locks,a Apple whispered.
Humphrey picked up his MirrorPad and gave it a few swipes. aNow Iam doing a test run on my own system doppelganger.a He began making gestures on his MirrorPad and occasionally singing at it.
Raven gave Apple a questioning look.
aThe oldest, deepest Mirror Network architecture responds better to rhymed voice control than typing or gesturing,a said Apple. aAncient fairytale stuff. You know, amirror, mirror on the wall, whoas the fairest of them all.a a aCrownas up, Humph, youave got company,a Dexter said.
The two table mirror screens had turned red, and it looked as if faces were forming out of the red smoky image. Humphrey started to chant as he typed rapid-fire commands on his MirrorPad.
Check it, D
youare locked in a wee sea of me nowhere to go so fade your glow and head below lest I show my sweet street beat that I call delete The faces faded.
aWhew! That nearly poached us, but Iam in,a said Humphrey.
aWhat was that?a Raven asked.
aA mirror daemon,a Dexter said. aSometimes the network locks are there to keep them in, not just to keep us out. But, dude, you killed that.a Dexter and Humphrey b.u.mped fists, complete with explosion.
aI must have inadvertently copied one to my local mirror when I doppelganged the security system,a said Humphrey. aLet me set up a secure path out of the schoolas fire-thrall protections from a single terminal, and Iall shunt control to a mirror in your dorm room. How are your rhyming skills?a aFairest,a said Apple.
aEr, rarest,a said Raven.
Dexter laughed. aThe key is to be threatening and rhyme fasta"like youare having a rap battle with the daemon. Iam just okay at it, but Humphrey is the king.a Humphrey shrugged away the compliment but glanced at Apple as if to make sure shead heard.
aRaven, you should totally lay down some tracks in Humphreyas studio,a said Dexter. aRavenas voice is amazing.a aNo, itas okay,a said Raven.
aYouare a singer? Girl, that is poison! Iam a music aficionado myself. Hereaa Humphrey tapped on his MirrorPhone. Both of the girlsa phones buzzed. aI sent you one of my demo tracks.a aOh,a said Raven. aThanks?a aNot to groove to,a he said, looking shyly down at his foot. aUnless you, I donat know, want to. But the track I sent is a warding beat. You play it as a loop near the mirror and itall discourage the daemons.a aThat is fairy enchanting,a Apple said. aRaven, did I tell you that Humphrey was a talented songsmith?a She hadnat.
aI think you mentioned it,a Raven said. aI mean, that thing you did with the daemon just now could be a song.a aNah,a Humphrey said, cheeks coloring. aThe good stuff comes from the soul.a Raven started to edge back to the door. She had a suspicion this conversation was going to turn awkward.
aI have another beat I wrote, Apple,a Humphrey said. aItas kind of about you guys.a Uh-oh, Raven thought, here comes the awkward.
aItas wicked cool,a said Dexter.
aIad love to hear it,a Apple said.
Humphrey turned his crown backward, picked up his microphone, and started a beat from his mirrors.
aIs this a sitting-down thing?a Raven whispered to Apple as Humphrey began to rap.
Yo. Time to light a candle
for change you canat handle, yaall.
Hup!
Down with the standard gotta get with the band or try to withstand the a.s.sault of the cult of the soon-to-be queens a team of two teens youad never expect Except for the beauty the two they share nothing or do they have more in common than a blackbird and swan?
This piper, this p.a.w.n tries to stand strong alongside them to guide them but like that Piper Iam pied then by the twist and the bend of plot, path, and trend, so later my friend, atis time for The. End.
Apple squealed and clapped.
Raven applauded rapidly. aThanks so much, Humphrey. Youare a knight in shining eggsh.e.l.l armor. Thanks, Dex. Iam sorry to scat, but weare fairy pressed for time.a aAinat no thang,a said Humphrey. aRavenas standing mirror in your room is programmed with the rabbit hole. Be careful where you browse with it.a aSee you later, Raven?a asked Dexter.
aDefinitely. Thanks again.a Raven grabbed Appleas arm and pulled her out the door.
Raven kept her head down as they hurried through the castle, afraid to see anyone who might slow them down. Maddie had less than twenty-four hours.
Raven shut the door to their room and touched the k.n.o.b, murmuring a locking spell and squeezing shut her eyes, tensed for the spell to backfire. Her magic always worked better when she used it for evil, but she was never certain what her magic would deem evil. This time, the spell held. Apparently abreaking rules=bada outweighed ahelping Maddie=good.a The locking spell wouldnat stop Blondiea"nothing could do thata"but hopefully the curly-haired porridge lover wouldnat come around looking for Apple.
Apple was standing in the center of the room, a good fifteen feet back from Ravenas ebony-framed, full-length mirror.
aYou ready?a Raven asked.
aAs ready as Iam going to be,a Apple said, staying exactly where she was.
aSo as soon as my mirror is connected to mirror prison, remember not to touch it.a aWhat?a Apple started walking backward. aWaita you mean thereas a chance she could pop out of there and into this room?a aIn all likelihood, it would take a lot more than just touching the mirror to let her out,a said Raven. aHeadmaster Grimm says the spells binding her in mirror prison are the strongest stuff there is. But my mother is such a powerful sorceress we shouldnat even risk a touch.a aOkay,a Apple said, exhaling the word on a trembling breath.
Raven sat on the floor in front of the mirror and tapped it. Instead of merely reflecting her image, icons popped up, opening a connection to the local network. aI can do this alone, if you want. Or at least try to do it.a Apple whimpered quietly but came closer.
aIave only ever contacted my mom from our home mirror,a Raven said, aso Iam not sure how toa"a Apple swiped through some commands, and a view of a slowly turning green ring appeared. aThis is the data carousel that routes mirror traffic. You can spin the carousel until you get to the path youare looking for.a Raven opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again. aI have no idea how you did that.a Apple kept swiping the carousel, tapping paths, searching. Raven noticed that its greenish color was bleeding into scarlet.
aApple!a Raven shouted. A monstrous face was forminga"deep eyes, wide nostrils, stubby horns. aWe forgot to play thea thea Humphrey loop,a Raven said, scrabbling at her handbag for her phone. aThe warding beat thing!a aOf course,a Apple said, and in two quick moves, she had her phone out and Humphreyas rhyme was playing.
No fear drear sphere
just a trick oa the mirror weare a mere fleck of dust you must adjust steer clear veer to the rear nothing is as it appears The face started to fade.
aWhew,a Apple said. aThat was close!a Raven nodded and crept back to the mirror. aWaita itas turning red again.a A gargoyle-like face popped back up, opening a huge, toothy mouth.
aUgh!a Apple said, scrambling again for her phone. With a swipe and a tap, Humphreyas rap was back on. aI forgot to set it on repeat.a Slowly the face, and then the color, drained from the mirror view.
aSo can you get us on my castleas network?a said Raven. aThereas a mirror there that connects to Momas prison once a year. If we can find ita"a aHexcellent idea,a Apple said, tapping the mirror.
Raven began to see things that looked familiar.
There was that MirrorChat node for the village kids that her dad was always trying to get her to use, and the place where you could order fried noodles for delivery.
aThere it is!a Raven shouted. She slid forward and tapped a dark speck in the corner of the mirror. It enlarged to show another carousel ring with what looked like a single green mirror node. aWhenever I tried to access this on days that werenat approved, this node was dark,a she said, tapping it. The words and digital carousel flickered and faded. aWhoa. Itas connecting already! Humphreyas hack worked.a Skinny silver sparks buzzed across the mirroras surface. For a moment it was just a mirror, Ravenas own face reflected back. Then the view deepened till it seemed she was looking through a window into a sunny, large room with many mirrors on the walls. Raven put her hand on Appleas arm, reminding her not to touch the mirror now.
The Evil Queen walked into view, dark and beautiful. Apple gasped and fell back, scrambling away on her hands.
aOh!a said the Evil Queen. She smiled slowly.
Each time Raven saw her motheras face, she had the uncomfortable feeling that she was looking into a mirrora"but a mirror mirror. They shared the same strong brows, nose, and chin, and the same purple-tinted irises, pale skin. Like her, the queen had purple highlights streaking through her black hair, though usually she also had a little gray. Now the gray hairs were gone. Surely there was no salon in mirror prison where she could dye them, and Raven knew she couldnat have used sorcery to change their color, because the prison blocked all magic.
Usually she wore a striped prison jumpsuit, but now she was dressed in a black-and-scarlet gown as if about to go out to dinner. Or to overthrow a kingdom. Not to mention her cell looked a lot larger than Raven remembered and the walls were covered with mirrors. Perhaps the prison rules had relaxed, privileges for good behavior?
aRaven!a said the queen. aWhat a pleasant surprise!a aUh, hi, Mother,a Raven said awkwardly. She had hoped to ready herself before actually talking to her mom. Oh well. aItas good to see you, too.a aOf course,a the queen said, gesturing dismissively. aBut what a surprise to see you in this way. Youave broken the locks! Butaa"she touched the mirrora"ayou havenat actually broken them. Clever. A little regrettable, but clever.a She shifted her position and looked at Apple. aAnda is that Snowas daughter back there? Partic.i.p.ating in such skullduggery as this? Scales and snails, girl, youave surpa.s.sed yourself!a Apple crossed her arms and put on a brave face, but Raven saw that she was shivering.
aI suppose I have you to thank, Snowflake,a said the queen. aYears Iave been imprisoned and my own daughter never bothered to sneak in a little extra time with her beloved mother. Not until she befriended the daughter of my nemesis. Well. At least she knows how to make use of her friends.a Raven bowed her head. Facing her mother, she felt six years old againa"shy, uncomfortable, anxious that she was doing something wrong. She had to stop that. What she was doing was important, and she needed to be big Raven, Raven who was Maddieas best friend and In Charge of the Situation. Rebel Raven. She took a deep breath and tried to meet her motheras intimidating gaze.
aWell, I suppose itas too much to a.s.sume youave come to break me out?a asked the queen.
aRighta no,a Raven said. aSorry.a The queen looked at her nails. aPity. Just miss me, then?a aNo, I mean, yes, but thereas something else.a aIave told you,a the queen said, sighing. aI donat know where that wretched stuffed bunny of yours is.a aWhat? No.a aStuffed bunny?a whispered Apple.
aI donat know why you held on to that thing for so long,a said the queen. aI think it a blessing the nasty little totem found its way to oblivion.a aI found Prince Bun-Bun, Mother,a said Raven. aLast year. At the bottom of the moat.a aGreat Gorgons, Raven! What were you doing swimming in that filth?a aPrince Bun-Bun?a whispered Apple.
aI was looking for Prince Bun-Bun,a Raven said through clenched teeth. aAnd I found him.a aWell, good for you. Sometimes one has to do dirty and distasteful things to achieve oneas goals,a the queen said, looking at her significantly. aSorry.a Raven was frozen for a moment. Sorry was not a word she was used to hearing from her mother. Was she apologizing about the bunny? Or maybe even for all shead donea"not only to Ever After, but to Raven herself? The neglect, the curtness, the years of evil training? Or was she playing games as always? Raven hated this. Still feeling six, she had a sudden urge to run to her father for a hug.