The war planning was not going well.
There were too many variations, none of them anyone could plan for. Who was in the Winter Court? Loki remembered the ones he'd seen, but the full court hadn't been there. Were there more? Less?
What about the Snow Queen herself. Katherine had sent a yeti to fetch the book she had been reading, one that had a chapter on the Snow Queen, and had to send them back for it when they accidentally brought her the still sleeping Mr. QWERTY instead.
Katherine's hand rested on his cover as she flipped through her book, reading the relevant passages aloud.
Thoughts buzzed angrily around their heads as she read. How much of that could the Snow Queen still do? Could she do more now? Wasn't there a movie recently, something with a Snow Queen? Would children be getting them confused and changing her powers?
They couldn't go charging in there without knowing what they were up against, no matter what some of them thought. If the Snow Queen could take Jack so easily, then...
Even with a group of them, if she was at whatever palace she had created to be her stronghold, with her court, all the spirits that might have grown since they tried to draw in Loki...it might be more than even they could handle. Especially if they weren't prepared.
The wait was chafing on all of them, even the most patient, the most cautious. Jack was in danger, more and more as they needed more and more time to plan but how could they plan when they didn't know anything about the Winter Court?
Pitch stepped forward, out of the shadows, drawing attention to himself. He opened his mouth to speak, but paused, an expression of bafflement mixed with surprise and alarm crossing his face before he disappeared just as a shadow does when the light is turned on.
Pitch stumbled through the mirror, feeling the welcome shiver over his skin. It had been a very, very long time since anyone had tried summoning his this way. Children forgot things so quickly, it was a wonder sometimes any spirit dealt with them at all.
There was something off about this summoning and this mirror, though.
Glancing back over his shoulder, Pitch raised what would have been an eyebrow at the 'mirror' – a sheet of ice so pure it passed as a reasonable mirror, clear enough to cast a fairly good reflection.
That was...unconventional.
Someone cleared their throat, and Pitch turned back, going still as he saw who had summoned him.
"Frost," he said, tilting his head. "Well, what a surprise." He glanced again at the mirror of ice before letting his eyes travel over the room they were in, noting the lack of doors or windows as he did. "You do know you're too old for me to kidnap through the mirror, correct?"
"Aw, and here I thought it was a quick way out," Jack replied, the teasing tone tighter than usual, an edge to it that Pitch didn't care for, though he would never have admitted it.
Jack's teasing demeanor fell, replaced by seriousness and strain. "Okay, I don't have it in me to banter with you right now."
"Jack Frost, spirit of Fun? Unable to banter? Why..."
Jack swung his staff sharply, cutting Pitch off. "Look, we're in the Snow Queen's castle, okay? Unless you want her to catch you here, we gotta make this quick. And don't try bluffing, we both know you can't leave unless I release you. I used the adult version of the ritual, not the kid's Bloody Mary challenge. Speaking of which, guess who joined the Winter Court?"
