"Something incredibly beautiful must have happened," Shew said with giggling eyes. It was embarrassing she couldn't remember how she and Loki fell in love. But the feeling was undeniable. She loved him, so much it felt ridiculous at times—particularly after having to kill him in the dream. Shew rested a hand on her heart as a smile curved on her face. There was no denying—Loki lived inside her heart.
18
The Dream Temple took little time to prepare. Loki had explained how it worked when they were in the Schloss. Every little detail, from how to draw the Dream Temple to how to use the mirrors. It occurred to Fable that maybe Loki had sensed this would happen to him. Maybe he had intentionally prepared her without telling her, the same way Charmwill had mentored him. Feeling so connected to Loki made Fable feel better. She'd really liked him since the first day they met.
Right now, Fable and Shew lay next to each other in the Dream Temple's circle in the cellar. Two mirrors were placed opposite each other, and the rest of the ritual had been prepared. Babushka brought two Obol coins and placed them on the girls' eyes as part of the ritual. Then she poured what was left of the baby tears in Shew's eyes.
Shew looked drowsy as Fable whispered the Incubator in Shew's ears, the last thing before she entered the Dreamworld.
"Wilhelm Carl Grimm," Fable said.
As she waited to enter the Dreamworld, Fable turned her head toward Babushka and said, "Can you please put some breadcrumbs in my grip?"
"You know no items ever pass through to the Dreamworld," Babushka said.
"Still, it wouldn't hurt to try," Fable said, weakened by her addiction to the breadcrumbs. "Please?"
Babushka brought her a handful of breadcrumbs and poured them in Fable's palm, closed her hands, and patted them.
"Thank you," Fable said. "I feel safer now."
Babushka waited until Fable had phased out and said, "Thank you, Fable, for agreeing to go through hell to save my son."
Part 2
Lost Souls & Magic
19
The Schloss
"Why did you stop reading?" Axel asked Lucy.
"Because I don't like this diary," she said, resting the book on her lap.
"What's not to like?" Axel said. "It's the best diary I've ever read. Carmilla's conflict with the mirror touched something in me."
"What are you talking about, Axel?" Lucy puffed. "This isn't the Queen of Sorrow I was expecting to read about. She is all too giddy and fragile. What is this?"
"I thought you sympathized with her."
"I did, and still do, but I want her to be stronger than a mere teenager who whines about wanting to see her real looks," Lucy said. "I really don't like this."
"I'm sure the path she is about to take will turn her into the vicious Queen of Sorrow you like," Axel said. "How do you think she transformed to who she is now?"
"What do you think she saw when she looked in the water?" Lucy's eyes glittered suddenly. "Do you think she discovered she was no beauty, but a beast?"
"Only one way to find out." Axel raised an eyebrow and pointed at the diary while munching on Sticky Sweet Bones.
"You're right," Lucy said. "Let's read on."
20
The Queen's Diary
When I opened my eyes, I was surprised I had no time to see my reflection in the water.
Before I fully looked at the rippling waves of the pond, someone's arms pulled me from behind and dragged me. I first guessed it to be my father; he'd caught me before I succumbed to my selfishness and sent my family and land to hell.
But the hands were too aggressive to be my father's. They weren't loving hands. They meant me harm. They were the hands of an enemy.
I couldn't see my captors, whoever they were. They began choking me. In all my years in the castle I had been trained to ride horses and even use a sword, but none of this was good enough to handle my kidnapper. All kinds of sinister scenarios flashed before my eyes.
What will happen to me?
It didn't take long before I began fainting. As my eyelids draped my vision into darkness, I heard someone utter the name I feared the most—at least, I was taught to fear it. A name I had only heard on the tongue of my father. Someone was praising their king: Night Von Sorrow.
***
When I woke up, I was tied up in chains in some underground dungeon. Realizing I was in some dungeon was the easy part. It was dark and filthy, not like anything I had ever seen. Grey walls and vaults with a small barred window, too high for a normal human being to reach. I was surprised I didn't panic yet.
What I saw later made me panic.
Desperate, I tried to free myself from the chains, kicking, swearing, and foolishly threatening my enemies that my father was going to hunt them one by one. It was all in vain. All I got back were some hissing laughs, reeking of blood and mockery.
Then I realized that the chains were bolted to four sides of the walls, keeping me afloat in the air, not knowing what was underneath me.
How was that possible?
As I kicked and screamed, a strange smell soaked my soul. It was a collection and mixture of odors and scents I had never experienced before—at least not together.