Part 4 (1/2)
Each one with their own name, and will. Apparently a favorite of many witches, though the one I knew was so terrible no one but a severely wicked witch would want it.
The one I knew liked poetry as well. In fact that was the only way it would allow being talked to.
”Mirror, Mirror on this wall. Show me who I had been maul...ed by.” Okay, so I am not the greatest with poetry. Turn me into a frog if you got a problem with it.
I heard a laugh pretty much immediately. It sure wasn't coming from me, or the sleeping fox at my feet. After a few moments the fox in the looking-gla.s.s sat up and looked at me, its mouth open in a big vulpine grin. The fox lying on my feet was still out cold.
Oh, that is so not peachy. I look so bad that the mirror creature liked a fox's reflection better than my own. That just does wonders to my self-esteem.
Stupid cute baby fox.
”The last thing you should be doing is Poetry. Stick to being a gore tree, you seem good at that.” The fox in the mirror gleamed its little teeth and let out another cackle. I would have punched the mirror, but I was stunned more than anything.
”I thought all you spirits in mirrors were poetic types?”
”Even if I was, I could not stand your dreadful lyrics long enough to have a conversation with you. But we are not all into the poetry talking thing. That is one of the biggest stereotypes I've ever heard.” The mirror fox explained while padding about on its tiny paws in the darker room.
”Okay. Can you tell me what happened? Why I am here? Why the fox is here? Where Goldie is?”
”Yes. No. Yes. No.”
”Care to elaborate?” I swung my hip and dropped a fist on it while eyeing the fox's reflection.
”No.”
”Why?”
”Because...” The mirror spirit began while taking a few sniffs as it trotted about the stone room, ”I am no faerie folly.”
I rolled my eyes. ”You want something in return...”
”Obviously.” The copy fox paused in step and looked up. ”Information can be costly, yes?”
I didn't even have to ask what the spirit wanted. ”Let me guess. Information for the price of freedom?”
”Actually, yes.” The spirit sounded surprised.
”No way. I need something else for that kind of cost.”
The spirit fox stomped a paw down in annoyance. ”Well, what then? I don't even have a body to give you.”
”I don't want your body anyway!” I screeched before calming myself.
”I don't know; you could probably do for a new body, considering the way that one looks.”
I hit the mirror with my fist lightly and growled. ”Don't make me come through this thing and strangle you, spirit.”
”My, my... Someone is touchy.”
”Stop it.” I slammed my hand against the mirror again, watching it s.h.i.+mmer and ripple, which drew my attention to the clothes pile in the looking gla.s.s.
”There.” I pointed and the fox in the mirror turned to look. ”I want the clothes in there. Get them and give me the information and I'll free you.”
The mirror spirit turned back with wide foxy eyes while I tried to at least seem a little calmer. ”What clothes?”
I shook my head in bewilderment and poked the mirror as I pointed again. ”Right there. In the corner. How can you miss it?”
The copy fox looked again then turned back. ”The only thing in that corner is a giant hole in the wall.”
”What? Are we looking at the same corner? Clothes, with a red cloak...” I pointed again as if it would help my case. ”Right there!”
Was I really dealing with someone who couldn't see what was right in front of them?
The fox strolled up against the gla.s.s and eyed me in silence for far too long before saying, ”You don't understand the concept of mirrors, do you?”
”What?”
The mirror spirit sighed and lowered its borrowed fox head. ”They bend things, warp reality and distort perception. How do you not know that?”
The spirit had a point... but, ”How do you know that?”
”Because I...” The mirror fox began but we both finished the sentence at the same time.
”...am not a faerie folly.”
I blew out a deep breath and my head folded down to press into the gla.s.s. ”I should have known mirrors distort perception. I just didn't think it was so literal.”
”Then you have not dealt with very much magic before the current spell that brought you here.”
My head lifted up and I stared into the looking gla.s.s. The spirit must have realized it gave away some information because it groaned then added, ”Do not think that is all I know.”
”I don't. But I also don't think I have a reason to believe you and I can just walk out of here. You can't. So you should be convincing me to help you, right?”
”But you want to know what happened.”
”I can figure it out.” I shrugged and turned away from the mirror.
”No, wait.” The mirror fox pressed paws against the gla.s.s as I looked back, waiting. ”The dragon sent you right? To take me away from here. Please, it must be you.”
My mouth dropped open. ”D-dragon? Why would I have been sent here by a dragon? And looking like this?!” I waved my hands like I was showcasing my naked body as a feast.
”I can't tell you that. Not until you agree to free me.” The spirit dropped paws back down to the ground and paced.
I took another deep breath and glanced away. ”Fine. I'll free you for information, but I also want that cloak, where ever it is in the mirror.”
”Seriously?” The look gla.s.s fox seemed stunned.
”Why not? You deserve to be free like anyone.”
”Then you must have been sent by the dragon!” The spirit exclaimed and jumped around excitedly.