Both twins leaned even closer to Mirror. James stood close enough that his chin grazed her hair as he nodded. “That’s what it looks like.”
She peeked through her fingers. The men appeared to be shrinking, dropping slowly into the water.
“Are they turning into some sort of fish?” His twin glanced at James, expecting him to know the answer.
He didn’t disappoint. “No. I think he’s supposed to be some sort of crocodile, but something seems off about it.”
Rhea shoved both of them back to get a better view. “It’s an alligator. They’re like crocodiles, but they don’t originate around here.”
From behind the twins, Eric frowned. “Does that mean the men aren’t from around here, either?”
James answered, “The better question is, does the king realize he’s employed mages?”
Biting her lip, she tried to puzzle out what the king planned to do. “I want to say maybe he does. Why else would the three of them be placed together?” She pursed her lips and rubbed at the ache forming at the base of her skull.
Beside her, James suddenly went completely still. “I read a book once about a leader who gave mages the option to serve him. If they refused, he found a way to drain their power for himself. Fearful of mages, Queen Aribel removed all schools of magic in these lands after she came into power. After that, the people became afraid of mages. It seems the queen passed her views of magic on to her son because he’s done nothing to stop the abuse most mages go through.”
“What makes you think the king is doing the same thing as the leader in the book?” Rhea questioned.
James shrugged, his cheeks turning a little pink. “Maybe he isn’t, it just feels right.” He rubbed at his chest.
“Mirror?” Rhea questioned.
The bird tilted her head curiously.
“Can you prove or disprove this theory?” She wished her bird would volunteer any information she might need to know, but Rhea was aware she needed to ask the right questions to get the whole story.
Mirror fluttered to the ground, spreading her wings. Pictures appeared on the surface, which made all four of them cringe. At first, it showed a work room. Sunlight barely filtered through the filthy windows, and Rhea squinted, trying to figure out what was going on. Someone walked out of the picture where a young woman lay stretched out on a table, her ankles and wrists manacled in place. Missing various body parts, the woman still seemed to be alive. A man appeared in a doorway, his dark purple robe askew. He spoke to whoever was working on the woman. Whatever answer the other man gave him made him frown deeply. The whole scene seemed like something from their worst nightmares.
James squinted at the man in the doorway. “That’s king Aremus.”
Mirror quickly changed the image at Rhea’s request. “That doesn’t prove anything about mages, though. It does show he’s into some pretty bad things.”
The scene on Mirror’s back changed. Five women wore chains around their ankles, anchoring them to the floor in what seemed like a circle. A chalk outline of a pentagram glowed faintly under the layers of dirt, with each of the women sitting on a point of the star. Three of them stared vacantly at the walls, although two of them seemed to be trying to free themselves.
“Is that proof enough?” James questioned.
Rhea nodded. “Originally I thought we’d be petitioning the king for your pardon. I don’t think that’s going to be possible, now. Not if he’s draining mages.”
His face pinched with worry, Eric replied, “I don’t like heading out without a firm plan in place, but I think we still need to head for the castle. Those women need to be rescued, and no one else is stepping up to help.”
Placing a hand on Eric’s shoulder, Rhea spoke softly, “No one has the power to oppose your king. It would be a suicide mission for anyone to even try.”
Sharing a look, James and Adrian spoke in unison. “Then we’ll help.”
Chapter Six
The Calm Before the Storm
“How far do we need to go before we reach the castle?” Eric asked, studying the image Mirror continued to show them. His shoulders slumped, and he shifted his weight off his ankle, sighing heavily.
“We’ll need to take a ship to get there.” James rushed to give his answer before Mirror could. The small bird proved helpful, but he wanted to show everyone, aside from his healing gift, he could be useful too.
Rhea nodded in agreement. “He’s right, we need to take a boat across the harbor. There’s a port town not far from here, where we can stay at an inn for the night before finding passage on a boat.”
Butterflies flooded James’s stomach as Rhea agreed with him. He liked the fact he didn’t need to defend his knowledge to her. “We’ll find a way to cross the river we watched those men in.” How would they get past them? The river flowed from the sea and went on for miles in the other direction. Crossing the water at that rickety bridge would be their only option.
Biting her bottom lip, going through the possibilities, it turned red as she released it. “My magic might be able to get us across without detection. I know a short-term spell, so we’ll need to hurry once I cast it.”
Something niggled at the back of James’s mind as he watched the worry cross her features before she shook it off. He ran his fingers through his curls, grimacing at the tangled mess. “Shapeshifters, something about…” he trailed off, his mind swiftly sifting through information he read before all this began.
“What about shapeshifters?” Eric turned to James, raising an eyebrow in question.
Nibbling on his thumbnail, James stared unseeing at the ground. “Shapeshifters have an allergy to magic; they react strangely when near it. How do you plan to get past two shapeshifters while using it?”
Rhea rubbed at her neck, her cheeks turning pink. “True shapeshifters are allergic to magic,” she acknowledged, adding, “Which is why our window of opportunity will be smaller than usual.”
“What exactly does that mean?” Eric continued to scowl at the reflective bird.
James wondered the same thing. None of his books went into detail about spells. He read something about one of the royal leaders gathering all spellbooks and burning them. A few ended up in the underground, an illegal market, over the years, but he was never brave enough to risk trying to get his hands on them.
Rhea stared at Mirror, her eyes glazed over, unseeing. “There is a spell, one that makes things completely undetectable. It’s not a type of magic I excel at, but I hope it’ll be enough to get us across undetected.”
“When you say ‘undetectable’, does the spell include shapeshifters?” Clearly, James sensed a flaw in the spell.
She cocked her head quizzically at him, lips parted in surprise. “Yes.”
“You’re holding something back. Don’t most spells include some sort of downfall?”
Her gazed jumped to James, studying him. “Yes.”
Adrian nudged her, drawing her attention. He’d caught on to what James was trying to ask. “The problem with this spell?”
Mirror pulled away from Eric, folded her wings, and perched on Rhea. She looked like some sort of reflective decoration rather than a magical creature.
“Using a spell of this magnitude will weaken my power for a full day…” She hesitated a moment. “Part of my power is used by Mirror. She’ll be a regular bird until my power returns.”
“We won’t be able to rely on her to make sure we don’t run into the militia?” Blue eyes widened with worry and tinged with horror, Eric stiffened.
“No, Adrian will have his connection to the land, and you’ll be able to defend us if we really need it.”
James’s stomach sank. Did Rhea not consider him an important part of this group? He didn’t possess a spectacular power, but he wasn’t completely useless either.
Eric raised a brow. “But Adrian won’t be able to tell if we’re headed into trouble until we’re almost upon it.”
Rhea frowned thoughtfully as she glanc
ed between the twins. “Your gift is powerful enough to reach farther.” She tapped on her lip, watching Adrian absently.
Wiping his damp palms against his tunic, James bit back a sudden stab of jealousy as Rhea focused on his twin. James liked that Adrian didn’t feel left out. James didn’t like it when Adrian got left out, so Rhea including him should have buoyed him with happiness. Biting his lip, James tried to make sense of his emotions.
Rhea spoke again. “We need to practice until we get there. Magic tied to your power can be done unconsciously. Eric could light a fire with his magic and keep it going while sleeping or doing other tasks. James could heal someone unintentionally. Everything is a matter of practice to become better at it.”
“What’s your gift?” Adrian asked.
“I was…” James saw her hesitation before she continued. “I am a mirror mage. I brought Mirror to life, although her power depends on mine.” She averted her eyes to stare at the ground. Could she be lying? Or holding something back? What part would she lie about? James continued to study her. He didn’t want to believe she could be lying to them. Smart and accepting of them, she never questioned the knowledge he shared. His heart thudded in his chest as he made a sudden realization. He was attracted to her.
Nothing could come of it, of course. At times it seemed like they came from different worlds. And he had to add in Adrian. What if James fell in love and ended up leaving him behind? Or worse, what if he fell in love and found out she preferred his twin to him? No, it would be better if he didn’t fall in love with her. He needed to avoid her as best as he could in this situation.
Watching as his older brother placed a hand on her shoulder, he caught her intake of breath. “Shall we get going? The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I can stop worrying.”
“You? Stop worrying? That’s something I need to witness,” Adrian joked, grinning.
Eric shook his head, rolling his eyes.
“Before we get too far, we should probably get something to eat,” Rhea broke in.
The guys agreed, and they spent the rest of the morning gathering food as they travelled. Scattered nearby, they found a few berry bushes, although the berries were small, tart, and scarce. Eric ended up flushing out a small boar and caught it. Simple, but filling food, they managed to pack the leftovers in waxed cloth Rhea had stashed in her bag.
~
After they ate, they continued on their way.
Adrian moved to walk next to Rhea. “A mirror mage?”
“Yes.” Didn’t they already go over this?
“What can you do?”
Shrugging a shoulder, she considered his question. She already knew what they could do. It seemed only fair she answer his questions as truthfully as possible. “I can control and manipulate glass.”
“She watched us for who knows how long, knows all of our secrets, and yet, she still won’t to tell us specifics about herself,” Eric muttered, not meaning for her to overhear, but she clearly did.
“Forgive me, I’ve never tried to explain how my gift works to someone. I can’t create mirrors or glass, but I can do things like portal hop, or make it reflect whatever I wish.” She bit her lip uncertainly, not sure if she explained it in a way they understood.
Eric walked in silence for a moment. “Was it why you watched us? Because we can make glass?”
Adrian spoke at the same time, “Why couldn’t you create a portal for us to travel through? It seems like a portal would be easier than walking all the way there.”
“No, Eric. I only learned you were glass workers after I began to watch over you. I’ll need to ask my mentor the next time I converse with him.”
“You have a mentor?” James questioned as he nearly tripped over a raised tree root.
Adrian righted him as Rhea replied. “Yes.” Turning to Adrian, she answered his question as well. “I can’t use Mirror to portal us because her surface area is too small and won’t be able to carry the four of us. I’ve yet to find a mirror big enough to act as such a portal.”
Releasing a breath, she felt relieved to be telling them something about herself. Maybe if they knew more about her, they could learn to trust her. She couldn’t stand the suspicious glances Eric kept sending in her direction.
Mirror gave a soft chirp to let Rhea know they would reach the river soon. Putting a finger to her lips, Rhea lowered her voice to remind them, “We’ll be within earshot soon. Even after I cast the spell, we’ll need to be as quiet as possible.”
Tenseness strung out between them as Mirror led them through the surrounding area undetected. They kept to the shadows and thicker brush when they could. As they came to the river, Rhea checked with Mirror one last time to make sure the group was just outside of the shifters’ range.
Led to the water’s edge, Mirror’s reflection hadn’t shown them how derelict the bridge had become. A few of the slats appeared to be missing, and it drooped badly in the middle, disappearing into the rushing water.
“Ready?” she asked, gaze darting between Adrian and Eric. Concerned, not for James, but for Adrian and Eric, whose powers were weakened by water, while James could function fine in it.
At their nods, she rubbed her hands together, preparing her spell. Mirror fluttered down, dropping into a pocket on her skirt. Quietly, Rhea murmured the spell, casting it only on the boys. Leaving herself out of the spell would allow them to stay undetected longer. She took a deep breath, hoping they wouldn’t figure out until the completion of the spell.
Once the spell took hold, the boys became invisible, save for the faint outline of their bodies, which were only visible to Rhea. As long as the boys remained touching, they’d be able to see each other. “Eric, take the lead. I’ll bring up the rear.”
They knew the plan. Letting them go ahead of her would allow them a greater chance at escape.
James held his hand out in front of himself. “We’re invisible now?”
“Yes. Now go. The spell won’t last long, and I want to be away from here before it wears off.” Rhea lightly shoved him to the bridge. He followed Eric with Adrian, tagging along on the end. Eric and Adrian spoke in hushed voices, arguing about something. “Both of you, quiet. Shifters could catch sounds better than the average person, and they’ll be able to do it over the rushing water.”
Rhea followed, gripping the rope handrail hard enough for her knuckles to turn white. Once she moved onto the bridge, her feet sank below the surface of the water, getting her skirt wet as well. She tried to put a positive spin on things by being grateful. She had a bridge to cross, instead of having to swim.
Trudging along, she kept an eye on the blurred edge of the guys, making sure they made their way across all right. Hopping over a couple of missing boards, Rhea grimaced as the bridge dunked her deeper, and her skirt sloshed around her legs, causing the fabric to cling.
A large, green snout appeared in her peripheral. Her mind wanted to pretend she saw a wayward log, but she knew better.
Using her power to keep the boys from detection, her foot faltered. Only her grip on the rope kept her from fully plunging into the water.
The shifter watched her, lazily keeping pace. Not yet noticing, the boys continued to slog their way over. No way around it, one or both of the shifters would be coming after her.
“Mirror?” The bird fluttered in her pocket, letting her know she heard her.
“As soon as we get to the other side, you help the boys to safety. I’ll stay behind to make sure they come after me.”
Mirror chirped softly, peeking her small head out of the pocket.
Attention on the not-log, Rhea slipped through another slat. Biting back a gasp, water soaked her skirt up to her knees. She struggled to keep going, the alligator rose to the surface. Taking a deep breath, she calmed her thundering heart. It wouldn’t do any good to panic now.
Arching his back, his tail slid out of the water to stand straight up as he dove under. With a powerful thrust, he headed straight for her.
> Heart thundering in her ears, she watched as Eric hefted himself off the bridge. After he was out he turned, helping James and then Adrian climb out of the water as well.
“Go, Mirror. Get them away from here. The shifters won’t kill me.” As Mirror flew out of her pocket, she picked up her pace, still trying to watch her step. If they caught her in the water, she worried they might kill her first and ask questions later.
Green scales broke the surface of the water, brushing against the bridge and causing it to rock. As her whole body shook with exhaustion, she swallowed hard, forcing more power into her spell to keep the guys safe.
Against her request, Mirror landed on her shoulder, refusing to leave her. Grabbing Mirror, she thrust the bird at James. Mirror squawked with indignation. “Go!”
Eric grabbed James’s arm, pulling him away from Rhea and toward a heavy copse of trees. Reluctant to go without making sure she would be okay, he made Eric work to pull him along. Too late to change course, they were some distance ahead before Eric realized she no longer ran behind them.
Both alligators climbed out of the water, moving faster on land than natural creatures should. They stared at Rhea for a moment before one fluidly shifted into a man; a naked man.
Quickly averting her gaze, Rhea stayed silent as he circled behind her. Her magic slowly dissipated, leaving her lightheaded.
The man came up behind her as she swayed, brushing her damp hair from her neck before bending down to lick it. He sneezed once, grinning when she flinched. “I believe we found the source of the magic, Aleric.”
Aleric let out a small growl, showing off all his teeth. Rhea’s legs threatened to collapse. She didn’t bother to respond to the man still circling her. His nakedness crept her out and made him an easy target if she needed to fight her way out of this, but she didn’t possess the strength to fight.
“Should we eat her?” the man asked, sniffing her hair. He sneezed again, spit flying into her hair and neck. Shuddering, she kept her eyes closed. “Nah. The king will probably reward us for capturing her, though.” Sensing him shifting nearer, she shied back when her skirt jerked until it ripped. He roughly grabbed her wrists, tugging them behind her body. Stumbling, she pulled against him. Using a strip of wet linen he tore from the bottom of her skirt, he tightly bound her hands.
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 88