Page 56 of The Broken Mirror
Even though Filomena has had her fair share of adventure since meeting Jack the Giant Stalker on that fateful day in North Pasadena, this feels like a new level of overwhelm. The League of Seven (which, she’s still processing, is her and her friends?!) is running for their lives, so there’s no time to debrief even if they want to. Filomena isn’t sure she does.
The seven finally reach the giants’ cottage and rush in the front door. Rose Red quickly locks the door with several dead bolts. Filomena hadn’t realized how sound the security of the cottage is, but then it dawns on her. Of course. RoseRed has been preparing for this day, the day when Queen Christina catches on to her. Those dead bolts are finally getting put to real use.
The League of Seven collapses on the sheepskin rugs. Well, six of them do, heaving and out of breath. Filomena sees that Rose Red is standing with her eyes closed and her back against the front door, breathing hard.
Filomena goes up to her. “Hey,” she says. There are no words. Just when Rosie finally found her mother… Filomena shudders remembering the scene. She gives Rosie a hug, and Rosie holds on tight. Filomena feels hot tears on her neck.
Then she feels a body behind her, arms around her. A lot of arms. Group hug. She’s impressed: For once, Alistair had restraint enough not to yell.
They stay like that until there’s suddenly a wild banging on the windows and door. Not just one pair of fists; seven giant pairs of fists pounding. Filomena can’t even see from where she’s buried in the group hug, but then everyone breaks apart. It appears the giants are locked out of their own cottage.
“What gives?!” yells Crabby through a frosted window.
But they aren’t so grumpy—not even Crabby—once they see the look on Rosie’s face. She opens the dead bolts on the door and they rush in.
“She’s dead. Christina killed her.”
Rosie has gone from breaking down to stone cold.Filomena gets it. Sometimes it’s easier to block it all out. Become void of emotion altogether. It’s not a good tactic for the long term, but it’s one they’ve all used.
The giants do their own version of a group hug, though they’re so huge, they more or less have to hug Rosie one at a time. No one seems to know what to say in the face of this immense tragedy.
Except there are other tragedies to tend as well.
“I know this is horrible timing,” Cap says, “but there’s going to be an announcement in the town square. I have a feeling we should be there.”
“An announcement?” Jack says. “About what? From who? And how?”
All questions Filomena is wondering, too. Ones she doesn’t know if she wants answered.
“We’ll talk on the way,” Cap says, and ushers them all back out into the cold.
And so, with only a few moments to catch their breath, the group is off again—two lots of seven this time—toward the town square. Cap explains that when the giants were at market that afternoon, the town was abuzz with news of an announcement.
“Apparently they’re using Snow Country’s talking mirror for the broadcast, which everyone is very excited about,” Cap says.
“No one’s seen a talking mirror in a long time,” Joyful elaborates. “Not since the ogres got a hold of them. And even before that, they were used in the public only on very rare occasions.”
According to the giants, no one is sure of the content of the announcement. But they’re all curious enough to make sure they find out.
That much is obvious when the giants and the League reach the town square. It’s absolutely filled with townspeople! This is Filomena’s first time seeing more of Snow Country besides the little patch of giants’ cottages and Queen Christina’s castle. There are boughs of holly everywhere, carts filled with bottles of cider, fur coats, and people riding reindeer.
Immediately Filomena wonders if Jack’s ex-crush, Sadie, is in the crowd. She glances at him, and he looks back at her, shrugging, likewill we ever catch a break?Filomena feels silly for Sadie being top of mind while so much is at stake. But then again, she did just almost have her first kiss! A dreaminess washes over her amid the throng of Snow Country citizens. Too many emotions, too little time!
The fourteen reach a stopping point where the town square abuts Queen Christina’s castle. The queen’s balcony sits above the crowd.
“Wait a second,” Filomena whispers to Gretel, panic creeping up her spine. “What if Queen Christina comes out? Is she going to put a curse on us in front of all these people?Or, if everyone realizes she’s trapped, are we going to get in trouble?”
Gretel shrugs fearfully. Before they can theorize any further, a large mirror is rolled out onto the balcony. It’s pushed by two of—Filomena presumes—Queen Christina’s minions, dressed in uniforms trimmed with white fur. The mirror is large, oval, and framed with beautifully sharp cut glass snowflakes.
At first the mirror is simply a mirror reflecting the crowd. Then a mist seems to form within the mirror, and an otherworldly face quickly appears.Is that the face of the magic mirror itself?Filomena wonders. But before she can get a good look or see any clues, a different face appears. The head and shoulders of a paunchy, graying, austere-looking man in an impeccable suit.
Jack grimaces upon seeing this person.
“Who is it?” Filomena asks him.
“The prime minister of Eastphalia,” he says, scrunching his nose in obvious disgust.
The prime minister, or the vision of the prime minister displayed in the magic mirror, clears his throat. Then he begins to speak.
