The Mysterious World of Eddy Shade

Chapter 20: The Mirror

     "So what is the Seelie Court any ways?" Eddy asked. 

     "It functions like a judicial system" Edith said as she set a small silver mirror on Eddy's couch and a bag full of miscellaneous things on the floor next to it. "It wasn't always. Not really, but that's what it has become." 

     "What did it used to be?" he asked as he watched Edith rummaged through the bag and begin to pull things out and place them down on the floor in a seemingly specific order along the front of his couch. 

     "Well, back during the dark ages, even before that in fact I suppose, it was a royal court. You know the ruling class, Dukes, nobles, that sort of thing. They have always been the ones in charge of deciding what is right and wrong. But as the time of royals faded, the court became elected officials rather then being born into the position. To this day it still exists all over the world." 

     "Gotcha. So what are we doing to my apartment again?" Eddy asked as he looked at the things she had brought with her. 

     "We are creating a glamour mirror" Edith said. 

     "And that is?" 

     "Old trick from before the veil. Creates an illusion that hides things, makes them look like something else. Kind of like a miniature version of the veil actually. People won't need the sight so see through it though. If you tell someone where you live they can find your door. Otherwise it might as well be invisible. They won't be able to find you again." 

     "So you really think he was part of something more?" 

     "You don't? I honestly can't think of any other way to interpret some of the things he said. The whole tip of the ice berg comment and all." 

     "I still have no idea why he killed that man under the bridge. Carl didn't seem to know either."

     "Well at least you caught the guy, that's what maters." Edith stood up holding what looked like a floor stand for a flag in her hand. "We better get started before the moon rises much more. If we don't will have to wait another month for it to be full. I like you Eddy, but you are not staying with me for another month." 

     "So what do I do?" Eddy asked. 

     "Mostly sit and watch. Oh and hand me things when I ask for them." She set the stand down in the center of the floor, looked around and then pushed Eddy's coffee table against the far wall. "Sorry I'll need a lot of room for this." 

     Edith pulled a short piece of dowel from her pocket that had a length of kite string tied to it thought a hole in the tip while the remainder of the string was wrapped around the peace of dowel. She unwound the string and placed the dowel in the hole that was in the center of the stand. 

     "Hand me that leather bag" Edith said, and Eddy reached for a reddish brown bag. "No. The light brown one." 

     Eddy grabbed the other bag and handed it to her. Edith tied the string to a belt loop on her pants and opened the bag. She reached inside and pulled out a hand full of small white pebbles. She began to walk around the room clock wise, always keeping the string tight. As she walked she would drop the nickel sized pebbles at her feet at regular intervals until she had completed a nearly perfect eighteen foot wide circle in the middle of Eddy's living room. Edith cinched the bag shut and tossed it unceremoniously onto the couch. She then untied her self and walked over to removed the dowel from the stand then wrapped up the string, and stuck it back in her pocket. 

     "Okay hand me the other bag" Eddy complied and Edith quickly went about sprinkling the little purple flowers that were in the bag around the perimeter of the stone circle, once again traveling in a clockwise direction. When she finished she looked over at the things she set on the floor and then frowned. "Blast it. I forgot to fill the cup. Eddy can you take that little plastic cup over there and fill it with water so I can complete the fairy circle." 

     Eddy picked up the cup "what is a fairy circle?" he asked as he made his way to the apartments small kitchen. 

     "It works kind of like a portal. Allows me to bridge the two worlds. This one and the outer world that sits along side it. Think of it kind of like a parallel dimension. It's necessary to tap into it in order to work certain higher magic's. The fairy circle works kind of a protective ring." 

     "Gotcha" Eddy said as he handed the cup full of water to her. He honestly only understood half of what she had just said, but did not feel now was the time to have her explain things in more detail. 

     Edith started walking clock wise around the circle again, sticking her fingers in the water and sprinkling it on the floor as she went. After she had completed a full circle she set the cup down walked to the center of the circle of stones and held out her right hand with her palm face down. She then began to spin. As she spun is a small circle a light blue glow appeared on the floor directly bellow her hand. After she had completed one circle she began to draw another, this one a vivid dark green, the light floating in the air just above the blue one. Edith closed her eyes as she said something silently to her self. 

     "Hand me that little silver bell" Edith said. After Eddy handed her the bell she turned to face the window and the full moon shining in through it, and began to ring the bell seven times while mouthing something silently to herself over and over again. She pulled a small cloth from her left pocket and placed it on the ground in font of her, and gently put the bell on top of it. She stood there a moment, staring at the moon outside the window before asking Eddy to hand her the mirror she had brought. 

     "Okay now go stand next to the window" she instructed him as she took the mirror. Eddy complied and Edith began walking clock wise around the bell in a small circle being careful not to step out of the glowing circle as she chanted something to herself. The whole time she kept the mirror facing the moon that was shinning brightly in through the open apartment window. Her speed gradually increased as she walked, and Eddy could not help but notice that the surface of the mirror looked like it was beginning to glow. Suddenly Edith angled the mirror toward Eddy, the light from it hit him full in the face like a flashlight beam. The light was brighter then Eddy would have ever expected from moon light. Edith suddenly stopped and sat down in the middle of the glowing circle and rang the bell once then said something quickly to herself once again. 

     She then stood up "okay that's it. Take the mirror and keep it by the door. It will keep any uninvited guests from finding your home. I'll clean up. She began spinning around the circle again with her hand out, and the glow on the floor disappeared in reverse order of how she had placed it. 

     When Eddy returned Edith was already picking up the stones and putting them back in their bag. 

     "So that's it?" Eddy asked her. 

     "Yep. Oh word of warning though, you will probably get calls from delivery men for a little while. You will need to personally give them your address for them to be able to properly find your door. The only down side of the spell." 

     "Good to know." 

     Edith stopped picking up the stones and placed the hand holding the bag on her hip and looked at Eddy "by the way, I wanted to ask you something." 

     "What's that?" 

     "When did you encounter that gremlin nest by the way?" Edith asked with a knowing look on her face. 

     "Edith, I have no idea what you are talking about."