The Council of Mirrors Read Online Free PDF Page B

dangerous.
    “Girls, get back!” Henry demanded just before Grendel connected a brutal punch to his chest. Sabrina watched as her father fell to the ground and rolled violently into a nearby tree. She raced to his side and cradled his head in her lap. He was unconscious and bleeding from his left ear.
    “Is he OK?” Puck cried as he continued his assault.
    “He’s breathing, but we have to get him into the mirror,” Sabrina shouted.
    “I’ve got this covered,” Daphne said. She fumbled through the front pocket of her sweatshirt. A second later she was spilling objects onto the ground: bejeweled rings, a pair of red shoes, a few wands, and some odds and ends. “He’s messing with the wrong family.”
    “You brought magic weapons!” Sabrina exclaimed, overjoyed.
    “It’s not much. The bad guys took all the good stuff.”
    Sabrina pointed out a ring with a rose decoration cut into its clear crystal. “What’s that? Does that kill monsters?”
    “That’s the Kingmoor Ring,” Daphne said. “It stops a nose bleed.”
    “So all we’ve got is the magical equivalent of tilting your head back with a wet rag on your face?”
    “You won’t need any of those trinkets,” Puck said as he continued to taunt the monster. “I think he’s getting tired!”
    With a burst of speed, Grendel landed an uppercut so powerful it sent Puck sailing straight up into the sky and into the clouds.
    With Puck in the air and Henry knocked out, it was just the girls and Elvis versus Grendel. The big dog stood between the girls and their opponent, barking and baring his fangs, which only made the hideous creature do the same. It was a momentary distraction, but Sabrina hoped Daphne would take advantage of it.
    She turned back to her sister, praying Daphne had found a magic sword or a Sherman tank inside her pockets, but she was sorely disappointed. Daphne waved a long silver wand with a glittering star on its tip. It looked like part of a cheap Halloween costume, but Sabrina knew what it really was—a fairy godmother’s wand. She’d seen one do some amazing things, but could it stop this creature? Daphne must have gone crazy.
    When Grendel charged them, the little girl flicked her wrist. The monster vanished into a puff of purple smoke and light—then there was a loud thump, followed by a groan.
    “Daphne!” Sabrina cried through the smoke. She could barely make out her own hand in front of her face and couldn’t see Daphne at all.
    “I took care of it,” Daphne said as the haze began to dissipate. Daphne stood over the fallen Grendel, her wand in hand and Elvis by her side. Grendel squirmed and struggled to escape a formfitting silver taffeta dress.
    “I don’t think he likes the dress,” Sabrina said as Grendel ripped the gown off his back.
    “It doesn’t go with his shoes. I’ll try another,” Daphne said, flicking the wand once more. The silver gown vanished in another puff of smoke and was replaced by a clown outfit, complete with floppy yellow shoes, rainbow fright wig, and bright red nose. Grendel looked down at himself, completely perplexed.
    “Can’t you put him in a straitjacket or something?” Sabrina cried.
    “I’m trying. This isn’t as easy as it looks,” Daphne said, twirling the wand erratically, then zapping the creature over and over again: tuxedo with tie and tails, conquistador suit, ballerina tutu complete with tights and slippers, Raggedy Andy overalls, and a life-size banana costume complete with necktie. Each abrupt change only caused Grendel’s rage to grow, and eventually he snatched the little girl, jerking her off the ground and forcing her to drop her magic wand.
    Sabrina jumped to her feet and grabbed the magical weaponbut immediately threw it to the ground. She was hit with the rolling nausea that overtook her every time she touched anything enchanted. If she held the wand much longer, she wasn’t sure what would happen. She might lose control of herself.
    She was going to have