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.