The Slipper & The Magic Mirror (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 22

Their beers finished, an old pony hitched to a rickety cart, Nicole and Jeremy sat perched on the seat at the front, Nicole holding the reins wondering if the poor creature would make it to the end of the path, let alone the village they needed to get to. The woman whispered something in the pony's ear, Nicole feeling a tug on the reins as the animal set off at an extremely slow pace, the woman walking beside them. "Ask for Maeve in the bakery. Tell her Lily sent you. Leave the cart with her, she'll know what to do. I wish you luck. And, hold on, it'll get a little bumpy."

She waved as they continued on their way, reaching the end of the path, the pony turning onto a wider road, Jeremy glancing at Nicole. "We'll never make it at this speed."

"I know. I'm guessing the village mustn't be too far. Giddy up there horsey, we need to be somewhere."

Whether it was Nicole's words, or the light tap of the reins on the pony's back, it responded, picking up speed, its hooves clattering on the ground, faster and faster until it lifted off, the pair holding on as best they could as they soared skyward. "This is more like it," Nicole said, a wide grin on her face.

"This place will never cease to amaze me," Jeremy replied. "Just hoping horsey doesn't drop dead in mid-air."

Passing over fields and forests, rivers and roads, they eventually spied a village in the distance, the pony landing in a field, trotting the last leg of their journey along what appeared to be the main thoroughfare into this bustling hamlet. The animal came to a stop outside a bakery, the pair entering, villagers queuing for their daily bread orders, Jeremy spotting an apple pie in the window. "Robin would have that eaten before we left the shop," he said, earning a giggle from Nicole. "There's a lightness to this place."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Nicole replied. "Like nothing's a struggle, or a riddle, or about to trick us. I wasn't sure whether to drink the beer."

"I think Mirror Land spoiled it for us. We assume everywhere is going to be like that place."

"What if we don't succeed? What if I lose her to the wizard?"

"We won't. We can't. We've come too far to not give it everything."

"I don't feel as confident this time."

"And you felt confident in the other place?"

"No. I just didn't know as much. Now that I know what I know it all seems like we're being set up to fail deliberately, so the wizard can laugh at our stupidity for even trying."

"What can I do for you?" the woman behind the counter asked.

"Lily sent us," Nicole replied. "We need to speak to Maeve."

"I'm she. Lily's my daughter. How can I help?" Nicole looked around the shop, leaning over, whispering why they were there and where they needed to get to. "No need to whisper," the woman said. "Lyra, look after the shop while I tend to these two."

A young girl resembling Maeve looked over in their direction, Maeve removing her long apron, waving her hand for them to follow her to the back of the shop. Grabbing two capes from a trunk she instructed Nicole and Jeremy to put them on, leaving the shop by a back door, walking briskly towards a stone wall at the end of a long garden laid out with ripening vegetables and fruit trees. "Through the gate, turn left, follow the path till you reach the edge of the village. There you will find a high wall which marks the boundary. Head for the hanging tree and knock three times. You'll need to put your hoods up before you enter."

"Thank you," Nicole said. "I can't repay you enough."

"No need. We help those who need us, knowing one day we might be in need of your kindness as you are of ours."