by Jenn Nixon
She waved him off as her cheeks pinked. “Rune’s rubbed off on me.”
Huh? He turned from the rock wall.
“Just lending a friendly ear,” she replied, gazing up at the sky, looking for the last member of their party.
Jack surveyed the mansion. “Looks smaller.”
You’re taller.
“True.” He chuckled. “And there’s a barrier around it now?”
“Yeah, so, I’d test it with a hand first,” Cyndra said, approaching his side. “Mergan can’t get out, probably because of the watercasting barrier, which could work both ways.”
Rune stepped over the wall and nodded to Jack who slowly lifted his hand. He bypassed the barrier without any issues and hopped over while Cyndra stayed in place, waiting.
“Cool it worked.”
“Now try this side.”
Jack reached up again and jerked back when his fingers zapped against the barrier. “Shit.”
Guess Cyndra or I will have to get you out.
“Yeah, I’m not taking this one down anytime soon.” Cyndra shuddered when Zorin landed behind her. Jack and Rune acknowledged him. Swallowing, she tilted her head slightly and extended her left arm. He laced his fingers through hers, taking the residual power from her body, inadvertently goading her to evoke her elements.
Cyndra tamped it down, went over first and Zorin followed, squeezing her hand slightly before releasing his grip. Moving to Rune’s side helped the heat stay off her cheeks, even if her mind kept thinking about what would happen later when they finally let their bodies and powers do whatever felt natural.
“You did this?” Jack asked as they rounded the far side of the mansion near the damaged tower. Rune happily nodded, shielding his eyes as he gazed up to the spiraling staircase of vines and tree roots.
“Amazing, right?” Cyndra led the way up.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what two can accomplish,” Zorin said.
“Probably won’t take much to master my water, I’m not that strong,” he said, shrugging.
You’ll get stronger, no doubt about that, Rune said. Cyndra said this isn’t a competition. She’s right. Neither of us has water, you do. Right there you’re stronger. It’s all about perspective.
“He’s right,” Zorin added, smirking over at the group. “You all complement each other well.”
“We all,” Cyndra corrected as she paused at the top, vine-like step. “So, this is the mansion. This is where the staircase was before I blew it to smithereens.”
Rune smirked and walked down the hall. This is where Evie imprisoned Mergan behind a wall only Zorin could see.
“And then fell into that mirror,” Zorin replied with a grumble.
Cyndra shuddered and walked in behind Jack and Rune, slowing near the middle of the room. Zorin brushed his hand against her as he walked by to join the other two.
Anything new coming back? Rune tilted his head, glancing at the mirror.
Jack sighed. “No, sorry.”
“It wasn’t expected, not many knew of this prison-realm until it was too late,” Zorin said, gazing toward the mirror. “Some imprisoned are of my own doing.”
“Most are in there because of Mergan and Evie, even me if we’re handing blame out,” Cyndra said, sighing and kicked a few pieces of glass toward the wall. “Regardless, none of them deserve this.”
Jack rubbed his water brand with his thumb. “If you unlock the barriers, everyone can get out.”
“That’s the assumption.”
“Conversely someone goes in, and?”
“It’s possible they will not come out,” Zorin said, crossing his arms over his chest.
But can talk to people inside and gather information.
“With no certain way to communicate it back.” Cyndra shook her head, she’d prepared better arguments against this, and every word seemed to slip her mind.
“Less risk than letting Mergan out first,” Zorin added, drawing a smile off Rune.
“Figured you’d be on their side.” Cyndra frowned. She was out numbered. Stalling wouldn’t work anymore since they knew her tactics.
Zorin lifted a brow. “I’m still weighing the risks.”
“Going in leaves us one or two elements down depending on who—”
You know I want to go in, Cyndra. With Jack here, you still have the same elements.
“And Zorin and I have the strongest bond,” she said, glancing over to all three men, settling on Rune. “I know you said you didn’t care if you come back—”
The mirror rippled like water. Black smoky tendrils and blue fabric shot out of the silvery liquid and curled around Zorin’s limbs. Cyndra gasped. Zorin’s eyes filled with the same fear striking her heart. Jack and Rune spun around as the tendrils dragged her gargoyle into the mirror.
Cyndra reached out with her left hand. “Zorin!”
He extended his hand and wings, growling as he sank deeper.
“No!” The energy swirled around her fingers, targeting him.
“Don’t,” Zorin whispered, meeting her eyes. Listen for me, caster.
“Please, no!” Running to him, Cyndra crashed into Jack’s arms. He held her back as Zorin vanished into the silver pool.
Fire sparked along her entire right side. Rune pulled Jack away and clapped his hands, trying to draw her gaze. Energy swirled along her left arm and down her torso, reaching her waist for the first time.
Cyndra, focus on me.
“He’s gone,” Cyndra whimpered as her eyes clouded over.
“No, just in the mirror,” Jack said, staying at Rune’s side. “We didn’t survive this long to come together just to give up now. Listen to Rune, focus.”
Cyndra squeezed her hands into fists, trying to reel her power back. “You don’t understand…he’s my siphon, my…”
We can go after him, but you have to calm down first.
“I don’t know if I can…go, just in case, please,” Cyndra said, shaking harder. Tears stung her eyes. When her emotions were involved, the power was too overwhelming without Zorin.
“Rune?” Jack’s tone pitched when the room shook.
Cyndra…
“Go!” The floor and walls vibrated as Jack pushed Rune out of eyesight. Too much power surged through her to tamp it all down. Cyndra shut her eyes and directed her flames against the stone wall where it’d do the least damage. The fingers on her left hand twitched. Still outside her full control, the energy, not to be outdone by fire, covered her hip.
Aware releasing her energy may destroy the mirror, Cyndra made a fist holding it in.
Cyndra? Zorin called.
Imagination or not, hearing his voice calmed her just enough to try her grandmother’s trick before it was too late. She faced away from the mirror, took a deep breath, thought of Zorin, and clasped both hands together.
Chapter 14
Zorin groaned and lifted his head from the cold stone floor of the prison room. He ignored the pain in his limbs and wings and jumped to his feet, whipping his head around, searching for the mirror. The slight sound of footsteps on stone echoed just beyond the door.
“Cyndra?”
The wood creaked open. Zorin extended his wings, readying his fists for a fight. Cyndra’s much smaller cousin, Pristy, peeked around the doorframe. Her big eyes got larger and her smile matched Cyndra’s, warming his chest.
He blinked. “Pristy?”
“Omigod, it is you,” she said, bursting into the room. “Is Cyndra okay?”
“Yes,” he replied, confused as she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the door.
“Hurry, you don’t want to be in here if they come back.”
“If who comes back?” Zorin stumbled toward the exit and into the untouched hallway, jerking Pristy to a halt when they reached the intact staircase. He gazed down, getting no sense of her powers.
“Those things—”
He stripped his arm away. “Another trick, Mergan?”
“Who’s Mergan?�
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“Shh,” a female voice called from the bottom of the stairs.
Pristy pressed a finger to her mouth and rushed down, pausing halfway to look back and wave him onward. Zorin narrowed his gaze, but followed to see where the dream would lead him.
They entered the brightly lit hall and ducked into the first empty room. As she shut the door, Pristy sighed and rested her head against the frame. She glanced into the room. “It’s okay, he’s a friend.”
“I remember you,” the female said, walking out of the attached lavatory. She lifted her jade eyes in Zorin’s directions. “You were on the island when I was young.”
Trying not to roll his eyes, Zorin glanced around the room, marveling at the exacting detail of the dream.
“You know Zorin too?” Pristy said to the woman, meeting her near the middle.
“Yes.” She tilted her head and smiled. “I guess he looks like a gar—”
Zorin peered at the woman then turned to Pristy, who seemed to be the focus of his dream. “What do you want?”
She frowned and tilted her head. “Your help. Those wraith-things are still lurking around and some crazy lady ran through here a couple of hours ago with three more of them.”
Zorin lifted his brow. Did Mergan think he’d fall for such a ruse?
“Tulli, tell him what you told me. She’s been here longer,” Pristy said, tugging on his elbow. “Please just listen.”
Zorin pinched the bridge of his nose. Now the other woman was Tulli Chan? Mergan’s dream was pulling out all the stops. He leaned against the wall, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded. “Go on.”
The woman brushed the jet-black hair from her face and shuddered as she met his eyes. “I’ve been here about two days now and I think there are other people out there. Whatever this mirror-place is, we’re not alone.”
Zorin’s heart stopped. His body froze in place. “This isn’t a dream.”
“Dream?” Pristy said. “No. We’re in that stupid mirror on the island.”
Zorin grunted as the memories flashed in his head. He moved toward the exit. “I need to get back.”
“You can’t,” Tulli said. “The mirror only materializes for those wraiths, but they haven’t gone back through since that other lady came.”
Mergan. Zorin locked his jaw.
“Did you come in after me?” Pristy asked. Zorin pressed his lip tight and shook his head, seeing the light fade from her eyes. “Oh. So, you can’t help us…”
“I’m unsure.” Zorin glanced down hating the next question he had to ask. “How long have you been here, Pristy?”
“About a day, why?”
Zorin shut his eyes, rubbing a hand down his face to mask the shuddered. Only Mergan’s twisted mind could conjure up such a torturous prison. Pristy clutched his hand, worry plastered across her face. He didn’t feel her casting power. His hunger was gone too. The truth was almost too cruel. “You’ve been gone for two weeks on the outside, Pristy. Time does not run the same here it seems.”
“Are you certain?” Tulli asked.
Nodding, Zorin made his way to the door, getting it halfway open before Pristy blocked the way. “I may be able to help, but we cannot stay here. There are others here I need to see.”
“Who?”
“Your Aunt Lily for one.” Zorin entered the hall. He paused at the corner, glancing back to both women. He had no time to stall. Depending on how long he’d been unconscious, hours or days could have passed for Cyndra, Rune, and Jack.
“You know where my aunt is?”
“No, I must search. You can stay or come with me.” He turned to Tulli, mystery solved. “We may find others you know as well.”
“I think I’ll stay,” Tulli said, glancing down the hall.
“I’ll go,” Pristy replied, smiling back. “I’ll come back when I can, promise.”
“The wraiths will not bother you.” Zorin gazed back at the timid woman. “Their purpose was to bring you here and it’s fulfilled, you don’t need to stay here.”
“I’ll wait for you guys to come back,” Tulli said, shrugging. “Looks like the island, but it’s not. It feels…wrong.”
Zorin nodded and pressed his lips together to refrain from saying more and scaring Tulli.
“Good luck, Tulli.” Pristy smiled slightly.
“You too.”
Grateful for the company, Zorin led the younger Raine cousin through the empty mansion and into the back yard without seeing anyone. The dull gray sky overhead cast the island in a depressing hue, draining its natural beauty. Wrong indeed. He paused at the rock wall guarding the lawn. Pristy hopped over.
Zorin reached out. His hand passed through the air. He stepped over the wall, tested the opposite side to the same result, and smirked at Pristy’s curious glance.
“You and Cyndra are much alike,” he said.
“No one has ever said that about us,” Pristy replied, crinkling her brow. “How so?”
“Inquisitive eyes.” Zorin’s chest warmed when she smiled. “There’s a barrier around the real mansion.”
“Ah.” Pristy nodded. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”
“I’m partially responsible for you being here.”
“Not really, but thanks for saying that.” Pristy shrugged. “Cyndra warned me before I touched the crystal. Just wish I knew more.”
“I can try to answer your questions.” Zorin regretted the offer instantly.
She asked every question Cyndra and Rune had asked plus a dozen more before they reached the field beyond the woods.
“That’s the lighthouse, from my memories, isn’t it?” Pristy asked, walking into the grassy field, staying close to his side. Zorin nodded. “Well, a mirror of it. Who else is in here?”
“Potentially thousands of people. Rune’s father—”
“If I’ve been here for two weeks, but it feels like a day and they’ve been here for twenty-five years…”
“It may only seem like months have passed,” Zorin replied through a clenched jaw as they cleared the field and gazed up at the mirror-realm’s lighthouse. “Thousands of angry, grieving people with fresh memories of a war between casters and humans and siphons.”
“Where, is the big question?” Pristy followed his stare. “Seems familiar just feels strange. Will my memories come back?”
“I’m not sure how memories are affected here. Most of Cyndra’s have returned, she remembered being on the island with you, Rune, and another caster, Jack,” Zorin offered, slowing the nearer he got to the door. He didn’t think anyone was inside, but from the top, he could survey the entire island and with luck find someone. “Once we leave here, yours should return too.”
“Is she going to come after us?”
“I hope not.” Zorin frowned. “At least until I learn something to help and contact her.”
“You know this is Cyndra we’re talking about,” Pristy said through a chuckle. “You really think we can get out of here?”
“I am certain there’s a way.” Zorin approached the door and tried to tug it open. Dipping his brow, he tried again.
“Locked?” Pristy tilted her head.
“There is no mechanism to physically lock the door.”
“Maybe it’s fake, like everything else here. It all seems fake.”
“Quite possible, Mergan didn’t create this realm for comfort,” Zorin said, holding back a grunt. Without caster power, he’d never get enough lift to fly over the island. He’d have to search on foot, which only wasted more time.
“Who is she? I should probably know who we’re up against,” Pristy sighed, gazing at the fog surrounding the island.
Resigned to answering more questions and searching the island, Zorin tried not to think of Cyndra as they entered an exact replica of the island town before the flare. He explained Mergan and his role in the war as they walked the empty and lifeless, town and answered all her caster questions for another hour while heading to the opposite side of the island.
“And if they’re angry siphons who don’t like my kind?”
“I will be at your side in a moment, you have my word.”
“Nobody has powers?”
Zorin shook his head.
“You’re strong, right?”
“I’ll keep you safe, Pristy,” Zorin said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Ask if anyone knows your aunt or a man named Bale. Don’t tell them your family name, and don’t give any information about the outside.”
“Play dumb, got it,” she replied, glancing down at her hand. “Swirl is a dead giveaway though.”
“Stay sharp, if no one has a brand, make your leave.”
“You’re positive I’m the better option?”
“You do remember what happened when we met,” Zorin asked, lifting his brow. “And, I may have put some of these people in here. You are the best option.”
“Least if they passed out we could tie them up,” Pristy murmured softly as she sighed and nodded her head. “Okay. Long as you’ll be right here.”
“I will. We must not waste time, Pristy. Can you do this?”
She nodded, glanced toward the sound of the voices, and marched forward.
Willing himself not to count the seconds in his mind, Zorin silently followed, keeping far enough behind to hide, yet close enough to intervene.
Once words formed out of the indecipherable noise, he slowed down, found a thick tree to hide behind, and listened carefully as Pristy approached the group.
Chapter 15
A glint of dimming sunlight reflected off the mirror blinding Cyndra. It didn’t matter, she was already teary eyed, but she didn’t let them fall.
Stay strong.
Despite how hard she tried, she still died a little every hour that passed while she sat and watched the mirror. Screaming at the damn thing didn’t bring them. Baiting them with her powers proved unsuccessful. No wraiths came. When she was calm enough, she listened, for hours, sometimes hearing Zorin’s voice simply from memory because it was the only thing keeping her sane.