“Thank you,” Sabrina said. “Unfortunately, our two biggest targets are still out there.”
“I don’t think you’ll see Atticus and the First in these woods,” Titan said. “They are too smart to fight you on your turf. You’re going to have to go to them.”
Sabrina nodded, feeling deflated. “I know. I can feel that battle coming at me like a train. I want to get off the tracks, but I can’t. We just don’t have a clue what to do when it happens. I was hoping you might have some ideas.”
“Between Atticus and the First, your best bet is the First. He is locked inside the feeble body of an old woman. If you kill her, you kill him,” one of the mirrors said.
“Shut your mouth!” Fanny cried. “That old woman is the kids’ grandmother.”
“I’m only speaking logically,” the mirror said defensively.
“As long as Atticus wears his armor he’s going to be unstoppable. No mortal man can kill him. You’ve got to find a way to get it off of him,” Titan said.
Suddenly, the mirrors began to shake, and the guardian’s reflections turned into rough seas. A terrible electrical storm sparked out of each one, which made Sabrina take a step back—but the mirrors surrounded her.
“What’s happening?” Daphne cried.
“Run!” Harry cried.
“He’s coming, Sabrina!” Fanny warned.
And then, every face vanished, replaced by the mocking horror of Granny Relda and the monster that controlled her. Her wild face and eyes stared at the girls with a smile both dark and diabolical.
“Hello, Daphne, Sabrina,” Mirror said.
“What are you doing here?” Daphne said.
“Funny little side effect of once being a mirror is that if I exert enough energy, I can overhear everything you say.”
“You’ve heard what we’ve been planning all along,” Sabrina said.
“Since the start.”
Daphne gasped, and Sabrina’s hands shook with anger. “Then why did you let your thugs get trapped? Why didn’t you warn them about the traps out here in the woods?”
Mirror chuckled. “Well, one, they were starting to get in the way. Two, more than a few of them are pretty smelly. I could get them to burn the town to the ground, but a little body wash was out of the question. And three, I don’t need them any longer to get what I want. It’s just me versus two little girls.”
Sabrina was shocked.
“Yeah, I heard the prophecy too,” he continued. “Wish it didn’t have to be like that, Starfish. I . . . well, I have a soft spot for you girls.”
“If you care so much, why don’t you leave our grandmother’s body,” Daphne said.
“Trust me,” Mirror said. “I wish I could. She’s old and tired. It’s exhausting being in such a feeble person. But all this trouble can go away in an instant. Just give me the spell that lowers the barrier. I know you have it. If you do, I promise I’ll surrender this body and then you can have your dear granny back—sound fair?”
“I can’t let you out, Mirror,” Sabrina said, mustering every bit of bravado she could.
“That’s how it’s going to be? That makes me sad.” Mirror frowned. “Well, Starfish, you’ve forced my hand. If you won’t give me the spell, I’m going to have to make you give it to me.”
Then the surface of each mirror began to bubble and churn. Lightning exploded out of the silver surfaces like before, but this time much more violently. Sabrina grabbed Daphne’s hand and backed away, but a bolt of energy blasted near her feet, knocking both girls to the floor. As Sabrina tried to stand she saw long, jagged cracks splintering through the reflections. Soon they multiplied, intertwining like the crayon drawings of a toddler. And then all twenty-four of the guardians reappeared, their faces caught in frozen fear as they joined together in a chorus of pain.
“Don’t give up, girls. The First can be defeated,” Donovan shouted.
They exploded. The broken shards of mirror ricocheted across the room. Sabrina shielded Daphne with her body while also trying to cover her face as best she could. But the pieces still ripped into her arms and legs and back. Each one felt like a tiny razor slicing across her skin followed by the sting of a red-hot brand.
When it was over, she got to her feet and helped Daphne up. Though her sister was sobbing, she appeared uninjured. However, drops of blood fell from Sabrina’s body and rained down onto the silver shards beneath her feet. There was one large chunk sticking out of her arm, and when she tried to pull it out, it melted and seeped into her skin.
Daphne hugged her tightly. Sabrina trembled until she could no longer hold back her tears. And she stood, crying and bleeding, and doing her best not to give in to the ease of losing her mind. She shook herself, then she and Daphne raced out of the room and through the portal, plowing through the woods as screams filled the air. But where was her army?