I hated politics. I understood the need for it, but I still hated it.
I hid myself away in my old room and searched for any article of clothing of mine that Jack could have missed once he moved in. If met with success, I prayed they would still fit.
Frowning because Jack had taken over every aspect of my room, I heard a strange noise outside the window; I saw Jack suddenly stumble onto the ground while walking. Leaning out of the window, I watched Azrael stand beside him and nudge his back with a hoof.
“Jack?” I called out. “What mischief have you gotten yourself into now?”
Jack’s head slowly moved and searched for the source of my voice. I tried not to chuckle when his earth-covered face finally spotted mine.
“I’m not drunk this time, I swear it!” Jack insisted.
I burst out laughing. “For once, I believe you. Your words aren’t slurred, and I’m sure Talisa would have your head on a spike if she found out you’d been drinking.”
Jack used Azrael to hoist him from the ground. She snorted into his face, causing some of the dirt to fly off. He swept away more of the earth from his clothes and then found the cause for his stumble: an outstretched tree root.
“Talisa’s garden is conspiring to end me,” Jack sighed. “Who or what isn’t, nowadays?”
“Consider it some sick sense of flattery, Jack,” I said. “At least you’re being noticed enough for someone to want to end you.”
“That’s a very morbid point of view, Artemis.” Jack shuddered. “Are you turning into a real dhampir on me?”
I frowned. “Shut up.”
“Why are you hiding away in my room?”
“Where were you running off to?”
“I don’t have to tell you that,” Jack replied with a smug grin on his face.
“Fine! I’ll leave you to be attacked by Talisa’s herb garden,” I yelled, while pretending to move away from the windowsill.
“I was going to say I could just take you to my destination, but since you insist on being sarcastic, I’ll just leave you behind,” Jack said while turning his back to me.
“I’m not sure this place of yours is special enough to warrant my attention!”
“Then why are you so bent on trying to annoy me if you aren’t so curious, hmm?” Jack winked.
I glared at him. “I liked you more when you didn’t understand the meaning of cleverness, you jerk.”
“I’ll be right here waiting for you, my pale bundle of sunshine.”
When I joined him, I punched the elf in the arm. I didn’t care if the action hurt my hand; he deserved it. “Don’t ever call me that again.”
“Why not?” Jack frowned. “It’s not as if Shadow heard it. If the man said such a thing to you, I’m sure you wouldn’t punch him.”
“I can hit you again if you don’t start telling me about this little place of yours,” I threatened.
“What little place?”
Jack froze as I turned around to see Callypso standing on the steps, amused.
“Jack was going somewhere and said I could come along,” I explained, as I enjoyed Jack’s sudden burst of nerves.
“Is that so?” Callypso joined us. “You wouldn’t object if I came along, would you?”
“N-Not at all, Callypso,” Jack answered while trying to straighten his posture.
“Excellent! Then lead the way.” Callypso linked my arm into hers.
I heard Jack curse under his breath, and I chuckled. Callypso grinned at me, and I winked back.
“Where did you disappear to earlier, Cally?” I asked.
“Home, of course,” she answered, her blond ringlets bouncing with each step we took. Jack walked a few steps ahead of us. “I needed a few provisions of my own.”
“Like what? I’ve never seen you carry anything whenever you’ve visited me in the past.”
“Not all elementals fight with their bare hands, Artemis.” Callypso laughed. “I can’t rely on using my abilities all the time. I may not be in hiding like the rest of my kinsmen, but neither do I want to give myself away to our enemies.”
“The fact that she’s coming with us is risky enough, Artemis,” Jack chimed in.
“I know that!” I fought the urge to punch his arm again. “I was curious like you. I was just faster in vocalizing it.”
Jack flashed a quick glare, and walked even farther ahead of us.
Callypso smiled. “You two are like siblings.”
“It feels that way sometimes,” I agreed.
“I know where we’re going. Jack, you’re taking us to the Grove of Kiare’s Mirror.”
“I am,” he replied, not looking back.
“What’s that?”
“It’s sacred ground to Kiare, the goddess of water,” Callypso elaborated. “It’s a tool of many uses, including the foretelling of the future. Well, possible futures really.” Callypso’s attention shifted to Jack. “Why do you feel the need to return there, Jack?”
“The mirror works differently for me,” Jack explained. “I have a hunch. I want to see if it’ll play out.”
“Why bring me then?” I asked.
“The mirror is how I saw your mother’s death.”
I stopped; Callypso almost tripped at the force of my halt. “Are you going to show me how she died?”
“To be honest, Artemis,” Jack began, “I don’t know what the mirror will show you. I have my own questions that need answers. I just have a hunch. Since you’re with me, it may or may not play out.”
“Did you inform Talisa at least?” Callypso asked.
“No, but she has known that when I disappear from the cottage around this time of night, I’m at the grove,” Jack explained. “Right now, she has her hands full with Netira and Shadow. I have no desire to get any head-slaps today for interrupting her.”
Callypso paused for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes, I suppose that is wise enough on your part.”
“Ah. We’ve made it.” Jack stopped in front of a large ash tree.
I was confused. “We have?”
“Still unfamiliar with the veils, Artemis?” Callypso asked.
I nodded. “During my time in Ellewynth there was never a time to escape to the veils.”
Not until now.
“This will be a more interesting event for you,” Callypso said, as we both watched Jack shut his eyes when his palm reached the bark of the ash tree.
“What’s he doing?” I whispered.
“Opening the gateway,” Callypso whispered back.
Once I did so, I realized we weren’t in the forest anymore.
We were in a small clearing surrounded by oak trees, and I was stunned at the sight of the large rock wall with a well sitting at the center. When we walked closer to it, I realized the well was made of small multi-colored pebbles, giving the illusion of rolling waves.
I felt power in this clearing, and I was in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. I felt Callypso move away, and Jack patted my back.
“My jaw was hanging the first time I came here,” Jack recalled. “Talisa snapped at me, of course. Said it was rude to gawk.”
“That is definitely something Talisa would say.” I laughed.
Jack led me to the edge of the well, and all three of us placed our hands on the rim. I felt a pleasant energy from the well, like small rippling waves. Callypso’s eyes were shut, and Jack stared with deep intent into the water.
He held a hand over mine, and I raised an eyebrow.
“I need something from you,” Jack said, while keeping his eyes on the water.
“What is it?”
He pulled out a thin, small knife from his back and held out a palm. “Every time I needed to use the mirror, I had to pay tribute. It’s asking for a tribute from you this time.”
“How do you even know this?”
“It is because he is a mage,” Callypso explained. “Mages are different from others when it comes to the workings of magic. There is always a price that needs to be pai
d for them.”
“So in this case, you need my blood?” I asked.
“So it seems,” Jack nodded. “I’m only going to cut your digit. A few drops will suffice.”
“All right.”
Jack cut into my pointer finger, and I felt a sting; my hands were still healing from my stunt earlier this morning. He held my hand over the water of the well and pushed the skin together so that a few drops fell within. We all watched the droplets swirl in the water, and I saw something happening. I recognized the faces that formed after my blood disappeared.
I saw Jack in the mirror, but his hair was cropped short, and it was black. I heard him choke when Jack realized who he was staring at.
He wore the strange leather clothing that I saw the full-bloods who escorted Netira to the Woodland Realm wear, and he had a sword in each hand. Callypso was there with him, also wearing the strange leather clothing. Her hair was a deep blood red, like that of the full-bloods. They were both bloodied and fatigued, but they kept on running to this large tower made of steel. The skies were covered in darkness.
This was Blackwen City, the Dark Fortress.
What’s going on here? I thought as we continued to watch.
The view shifted and now showed Netira, who was in a heated battle with several full-bloods. It looked as if she was in a prison; there were cells and chains everywhere. Talisa was with her, and she too wore the odd clothing. She was carrying someone I did not recognize—a male with long black hair and a silver cross earring hung in his right earlobe. He looked severely injured, but managed to keep conscious.
Was this Karesu, the vampire mage and Netira’s lover?
Before I could study him further, the image changed once more. I saw myself and Shadow, and we fought full-bloods in a strange place. My hair was no longer a dark brown, but completely red. I was shocked to see that I was in the true dhampir form: silver irises, fangs elongated, and black leathery wings fully extended from my back. Shadow’s hair was a similar red to mine; he looked as if he was one of the full-bloods.
I somehow found myself liking the look, and I then quickly erased the thought from my head.
“I will never look at Shadow the same way again,” Jack snorted.
“Jack, keep silent,” Callypso scolded.
I watched how well both Shadow and I worked while fighting together; it seemed that all the training sessions had paid off. The idea of having control while in the dhampir state was comforting as well; there was hope for me yet.
We ran up a long, spiraling staircase, and we all jumped when we heard a loud, piercing blast erupt from the mirror.
I shuddered as I remembered the sound—it matched the one from Arlina’s pistol.
Jack was horrified. “That flintlock pistol again…”
Callypso held a hand to her chest.
I was puzzled.
“A flintlock pistol?” I asked.
“Yes,” Jack answered. “It is a weapon used by merchants and sailors. We should keep watching, Artemis. I’ll elaborate more once the vision is over.”
I saw Shadow push me against the wall of the stairwell when more of the horrifying sounds exploded from the flintlock pistol of the unseen assailant.
“I’m going to break my promise, Artemis,” Shadow said, looking solemn. “You’re going to have to go to the top of the tower without me.”
“I’m not leaving you behind!” I heard myself yell.
“You’re going to have to,” he insisted. “I need to take care of this bastard. You have to keep going. I swear I will find you when my fight is over.”
“Shadow, don’t do this.”
The image began to shift; I felt my heart do a violent flip.
“Goddesses,” I heard Callypso whisper.
Who was Shadow planning on fighting? I wondered, and I had a flashback of that damned dream.
I tried to get rid of the images from the dream as the mirror continued to show us more. I saw myself in a strange chamber filled with large onyx statues of women. In the center was a large black marble throne, and on the walls were jutted torchlights. In my hands were Mother’s sai, and I noticed the jewels within the hilt were brighter than I recalled.
“Come out, Arlina!” I heard myself yell. “You’ve run from me long enough!”
There was silence. I saw annoyance form on my face. “I will admit the stunt you pulled in the tavern was unexpected, yet impressive. But why do you continue to hide when what you seek is finally within your grasp?”
I heard the flintlock pistol go off and watched as I rolled away. I saw the same woman who haunted my dreams, the same woman with the cold, gray eyes who fought my mother, the same woman who tried to kill me in Ellewynth, step from behind the throne and flash a devious smile.
“The filthy half-breed thinks to mock me in my own audience chamber,” Arlina said, the thin and razor-sharp heels of her boots clicking with each step she took. “I’ll have to show you what it means to disrespect me.”
The image disappeared with another deafening bang, and the water stilled. I backed away from the well.
“Artemis?” I heard Callypso call.
“Is that what will happen when we get to Blackwen City?” I asked, avoiding eye contact.
“It’s a possible future,” Jack said. “That’s the function of the mirror. They don’t always come to pass.”
“What’s wrong, Artemis?” Callypso asked. “You’ve paled…more so now than you had during the visions.”
“I just saw something that I hoped to never see again,” I admitted. “I dreamt this morning of someone dear to me dying, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
“Who was it?” Jack inquired.
I shook my head in refusal.
“Artemis?” Callypso asked once more. “Who did you see die?”
“It was only a dream,” I said to myself, while rubbing my arms to rid them of the goose bumps that formed. “Only a dream…”
“Artemis, something in that vision triggered whatever image you’re seeing now.” Jack tried to have me look at him. “Who did you see die in your dream?”
I finally looked at him as the tears blurred my vision. Jack was taken aback and tried to apologize, but I waved him off.
“Shadow,” I answered.
he walk back to the cottage was a silent one. Jack and Callypso were stunned when they heard the details about my dreams. They tried to dismiss it, but they knew I wouldn’t. Those two of all people knew better than to label a dream as imagination.
Callypso held onto my arm in the effort to give me some comfort. I kept my focus on the steps I took along the earth. Jack was walking ahead of us again.
“You know,” Jack began, “while I don’t doubt that we will be encountering similar circumstances in Blackwen City, I don’t think it’ll turn out the way the mirror showed us.”
“Why do you say that?” Callypso asked, intrigued.
“For one, none of us would leave Artemis alone in that tower, least of all Shadow,” Jack responded. “Second…my hair will never be like that.”
Callypso and I burst out laughing.
“I’m serious!” Jack yelled. “I like my hair the way it is!”
“I thought the color suited you,” Callypso said. “Made you look like a true mage.”
“Well, I guess I could survive with the color…” Jack muttered. “But it was short!”
“It’s only a possible future, Jack,” I chimed in. “Remember?”
“Yeah,” he replied, unconvinced. Jack fell back in his step and stood to my other side. “Shadow’s a tough man to kill, you know. He’s already survived a ton of wars.”
“I know.”
“Does that explain the hand debacle?” he asked, pointing to my bandaged hands. “Tried to get rid of the feeling of his blood on your hands?”
I nodded. “It’s part of the reason, yes.”
“I’m sorry, Artemis.” Jack patted my back. “I had a hunch that I thought would play out, and it di
dn’t happen. I had the feeling you were going to come with me to the grove before we left and thought maybe the mirror would show another memory of the past, not a possible future.”
“Why did it show us different scenes for a possible future?” I asked.
Jack shrugged. “I wish I knew.”
“Kiare’s Mirror is tricky that way,” Callypso added. “I think perhaps the mirror was trying to quell the fear of you not holding up your end of the fighting.”
“That’s a nice way of looking at it, Callypso,” I began, “but I don’t think that was the mirror’s intention. What we saw…it was a warning.”
“A warning of what?” Callypso wondered.
“A warning that Arlina might not be our only enemy to worry about once we reach Blackwen City. This…accomplice…is one who also has a flintlock pistol, and one who Shadow seems to have a history with.”
“I don’t understand why someone like Arlina would have need of that weapon.” Callypso frowned. “It doesn’t suit the style she loves to use.”
“But at least we know she still has it. Possible future or not,” Jack pointed out.
“And we also know that we can survive the wounds it’ll give,” I added. “Netira is proof enough.”
“It’s still a dangerous weapon, Artemis,” Callypso warned. “You’ll have to use caution.”
“Oddly enough, the pistol is not my main concern,” I admitted.
“What is?” Jack asked.
“The identity of this other enemy,” I answered. “Who is it?”
Jack sighed. “If it’s true that we will have another enemy as bad as Arlina, then we’re bound to find out once we go on our journey.”
“Until that should happen, let us keep our focus on the first part of the journey, which is Westyron. That’ll be a unique experience in itself.” Callypso chimed in.
“So I keep hearing.”
Netira was listening to Talisa and Shadow speak about the trip to Blackwen City. She still wished they didn’t have to stop in Westyron. She did not like humans, and the humans of that city enjoyed persecuting “outsiders”—their term for anyone not of their race.
Netira excused herself once she felt odd pains in her chest. She knew Talisa and Shadow noticed the strange behavior, but they hadn’t inquired about it. She was thankful for that.
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