Constance and Mei looked uncomfortable, and neither one spoke. “You can’t see the dead, Mina.”
“Oh, come on. I know that he’s not dead.”
Mei rushed forward to lay a comforting hand on Mina. “Sweetie, the mirrors can’t see into the spiritual realm.”
She brushed off Mei’s hand and turned on them. “But he’s not dead. A Stiltskin told me so.”
“A Stiltskin!” both women said in unison.
“When did you meet a Stiltskin?” Mei asked.
“Not one, two.” Mina tossed the Grimoire on a white marble table, and Mei opened up the book and looked at the last page thoughtfully. “I took care of this one. The other one has my brother.”
“Well, that explains the mirrors not being able to find him. They can’t see beyond this plane.” Mei looked to Constance with a hint of relief in her voice.
But Constance was more concerned with something else. “Please tell me you didn’t make a bargain with the other one. Please, Mina, no.”
“I—I did, and I would do it a hundred times over if it meant I could save my brother.”
Constance looked to Mei with worry in her eyes. “Well, this changes things, doesn’t it?”
“Changes what?” Mina asked.
“Well, Sara is already wearing a Forget-Me-Not charm. We gave it to your mother to help her forget Charlie…permanently.”
“Why would you do that? Why would you make my mother forget my brother?” Mina choked out.
Constance turned and gently took Sara’s mirror out of Mina’s hand and placed it back on the wall. “Child, listen to me, and listen to me well. Your mother has endured more than most. She’s protected you as much as she could, and she’s already lost your father. And after your brother, we didn’t think she would pull through. We decided it was best to construct the charm so she could survive and be there for you. Right now you are more important than Charlie.”
“You sound just like Jared,” Mina said accusingly.
Constance frowned at Mina. “There are times when the wisdom of our banished prince surprises even us. But in this case, he’s wrong. You made a deal with a Stiltskin, a deal sealed in blood, that only blood can break.”
“So you’ll help me? You’ll help me save Charlie?”
“There’s only so much we can do to help you, child. But know this—we are not doing this to save Charlie. We are doing this to save you. Because if you cannot obtain what the Stiltskin wants, you will become his slave…forever.”
Chapter 15
Mina thought time had stopped. As the world around her continued to move forward, her mind raced a mile a minute as the gravity of what the Godmothers had told her sank in. Her heart slowed, her vision became blurry, and she realized she was going to faint. But Mei grasped her arm and helped calmed her down. Mei and Constance decided to get Mina walking, and they gave her a tour of the facility. They took her out of the room of mirrors and passed down a flight of stairs into a garage of sorts. It was a shop filled with male Fae working on all kinds of different projects. She could see some building an elevator like the one they had previously come down. One corner was alight with sparks, and Mina could see a centaur holding an arc welder.
“It’s unbelievable what they are able to create when they have access to this world’s machines and tools. The Fae have been dying to come over here just to have access to the Internet.” Constance stopped in front of the workroom and let Mina watch a dwarf sit down before a computer and print out a schematic for a design that a faun was working on.
“It has elevated all of their own projects and inventions. Technology on the Fae plane doesn’t exist. It can’t exist. Only magic or charmed items. So our facility also is a home to inventors, machinists, and Fae scientists. Who knows what one of them will discover when they combine their magic with your technology? The possibilities are endless.”
Constance beckoned to Mina, and continued the tour down another hallway and pointed out a large indoor greenhouse. It was Mei who pointed excitedly and waved at a short man in the middle of a row of tomatoes. It was her husband, Ken Wong. He, too, looked different without the glamour. His skin was darker than Mei’s, and his eyes had a gold tint to them. He looked quite happy and at home working in the gardens.
Mina knew then she wouldn’t have to worry about her family friends. It was obvious they had people to help take care of them.
They passed through another set of double doors, and Mei pointed out the living quarters, the school, the watcher stations, the training stations, and finally the cafeteria.
“We are much more than just an organization. We help not only the Grimms but all of the Fae who have lost their way in this human world and can’t adjust. We teach them about this world, help them study it, and have them learn a trade so they can survive peacefully.”
Constance opened another door, and they entered a large gathering area filled with Fae of all sizes, colors, and shapes. They were eating at long tables filled with food that smelled heavenly. When they saw Mina, the bustling stopped, and every one of them stared. After a few seconds, a furry cat about knee-high came up and pressed against Mina’s leg, looking for affection.
Her hand immediately went to pull him off, but she changed her mind, and she decided to bend down and pet it instead. There was a large sigh, and the silence was broken as Fae after Fae began to clap and call her name. Mina’s hand couldn’t help but stroke the small furry head pressing into her knee. She looked down to see that it had disappeared, but her hand was still gripped in a headful of fur.