Mirror, Mirror by Jen Calonita

Author:Jen Calonita [Calonita, Jen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781368043984
Publisher: Disney Book Group
Published: 2019-04-02T04:00:00+00:00

Snow froze. “You found my father?”

“Yes.” Henri looked at her unwaveringly.

It felt like the ground was quicksand and she was going to be swallowed whole. Lately she had grown certain her aunt had killed her father. It had seemed more and more unlikely that he could be out there somewhere. “My father? Are you sure?”

Henri nodded. “I am certain. He told me about your mother and you, and the aviary your mother commissioned, and all the birds. He told me about the wishing well and the gardens.” His blue eyes lit up with excitement. “He knew the castle grounds and the kingdom’s terrain like the back of his hand. I truly believe it’s him!” The dwarfs gathered round him to listen. “King Georg is alive and he misses you terribly.”

At the words “King Georg,” all seven dwarfs began to talk at once.

“He’s alive?”

“We should have known he wouldn’t leave us!”

“Where is he? Is he coming home?”

But Snow couldn’t be so exuberant. She felt too conflicted. “If he misses me, then why did he leave me with the Evil Queen?” The dwarfs grew quiet. “Why did he abandon his kingdom? How could he do that to his people?” Her voice was shaking.

Henri took her hand and pulled her in close. They were practically standing nose to nose. She inhaled sharply. “He didn’t willingly leave you or his people. You must understand: he was given no other choice.”

“What happened?” Snow asked.

Henri cast his eyes downward, which was a relief because his gaze was almost too much for her to bear. “I shouldn’t have blurted this news out like that. There’s much I have to tell you, but not here.” He looked around the ominous woods with a sharp focus he hadn’t had when they’d found him.

“We can’t go anywhere till we find the howling tree,” Sneezy said, interrupting, and Snow and Henri broke apart.

“The howling tree?” Henri repeated uncertainly.

“The men heard rumors about a tree in these woods with a sap that can be used to make an elixir that allows a person to shape-shift,” Snow explained. “Finding it might be the key to us getting to the Evil Queen without her knowing. It could be our chance at fighting her.”

Henri’s eyes widened. “You’re going to fight the queen?”

“With our help,” Doc declared, and they all nodded. “Which is why we need to find that tree.”

“Do you mean this tree?” Henri asked. He led them a few feet away to a tree that truly looked like it had a face. Up close, Snow realized the ragged eyes and howling mouth were nothing more than hollowed-out parts of a tree with mangled branches that looked like claws.

She closed her eyes for a moment and pictured herself running past the tree, thinking it was actually coming for her. “Yes, this is the tree I saw.”

Happy and Doc began to examine it, knocking on the tree stump and using their lanterns to peer into the hollowed parts. Grumpy used a carving knife to try to open up the bark and see what was behind it.

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