Mirror Realm

by Jenn Nixon

  Amazing.

  Cyndra grinned at her friends, then focused all her thoughts into the barrier, what they needed from it and sensed it forming around the crystal as the colors of their power converged and twisted into place. When the barrier turned translucent and a gust of her energy slammed back, Cyndra lowered her hand and released her grip on Jack. He stared down at his hand.

  “I’m close, I can feel it,” he said, flexing his fingers.

  I think I am, too. Rune pointed the staff toward the mirror. May I?

  Jack and Cyndra nodded.

  Rune inched the crystal closer. Again, the mirror rippled. He pushed the staff straight into the mirror. Everyone gasped. Rune quickly pulled it out. The crystal was still attached, unharmed.

  Jack and Rune both smiled. The nervous energy buzzing inside shook her outsides. She unclasped her pendant chain from her neck and handed it over to Rune for safekeeping while she unwrapped the expendable crystal from the staff.

  Instead of putting it around her neck, she secured it around her wrist and turned toward the mirror. Rune’s hand fell to her shoulder. Jack squeezed her fingers.

  “Step back, I’m going to test it first,” Cyndra said, moving to the side of the mirror. She gripped the frame and shoved her hand toward the mirror pane. As she breathed in, the reflection moved, but nothing lashed out to grab her.

  Ignoring the shaking, she pressed her hand into the liquid, gasping at the icy blast on her skin, and pushed in until her wrist vanished. Cyndra jerked her hand back and evoked her fire to warm her body when she shivered.

  “It worked,” Jack whispered.

  Cyndra?

  She turned back to a teary-eyed Rune. They crashed into a tight hug, neither of them able to hide the fear. “I’m gonna be okay.”

  I know.

  “Keep an eye on the mirror for a little while, okay?”

  Yes.

  Jack hugged her next and kissed the top of her head. “Be safe, firebug.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she chuckled. “Evie can help, I know it. Once I find Zorin, he’ll take me to her and I’ll ask her to help me contact you.”

  “You better.”

  She nodded. “I promise, soon as I get there.”

  If you see my father…tell him I’m safe.

  “I will,” Cyndra said, turning away. She didn’t know if it would hurt the farther in she went and didn’t want to leave them with more troubling thoughts than they were going to experience with her on the other side. Hoping she was doing the right thing, praying it wasn’t a trick, Cyndra shut her eyes and jumped into the mirror.

  The icy liquid enveloped her body, shocking her entire system, paralyzing her. Time stopped moving. For a moment, she felt lost in an abyss of frigid darkness.

  She fell through the other side, landing belly flop style on the hard floor knocking the air from her lungs. Lifting her head turned the world fuzzy. Cyndra’s head spun then went blank.

  Chapter 19

  The second slap across his cheek woke him up to face the mental anguish Mergan inflicted on him during the dream. Her torturous methods of manipulation were nothing compared to the physical pain she was able to manifest while he slept. Perhaps she did have more control over him than he realized. Regardless of her tactics, Zorin won. Mergan couldn’t get into Cyndra’s mind without more power.

  Satisfied he’d finally done something to help, Zorin lifted his head, smirking at Mergan still sleeping across from him, leaning against the wall of the lighthouse. He tested the strength of his metal bonds, only to wake her with the creaking sound his attempt to break free made.

  Mergan pouted dramatically. “Why didn’t you ask her? I so wanted to see it.”

  “Fuck you, Mergan.”

  Her eyes widened in fake disgust. Then she rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You really think she can love something as unnatural as you?”

  “I won’t waste my breath explaining it to you. She’s safe, from you. That’s all I care about.”

  “It’s only a matter of time before I gain enough power to ride you out of here, my pet.” Mergan stood up, approached him, and jerked his head up. “And when I do, I’ll give her one final chance to save everyone in this realm, your island, all of it, including you.”

  “She’ll never help you, Mergan.”

  “Then I will destroy her,” she spat, shoving his head back, and balling her hands. “If I can’t leave this island, no one can!”

  Zorin watched her stomp away, understanding why she continued to use the same threat against him and Cyndra. Mergan couldn’t leave the island. Nothing made him happier. Even if she escaped the mirror-realm and got beyond the mansion barrier, she’d remain imprisoned on the island. If Cyndra lowered the protections around the mirror and let everyone out, Mergan didn’t stand a chance. Maybe they needed to take the risk.

  The slight throb in the back of his head made knocking himself out again too risky, the injury was still tender. After trying the hard way to fall asleep, Zorin stood up to stretch his limbs and wings, calculating how much time had passed on the outside. The longer he stayed here, the harder it became to track.

  With no change in the atmosphere or weather, no sunrise or sunset, time here seemed like one long endless moment stretched out into nothingness. Having no hunger for caster power, though odd, didn’t bother him as much as losing the crystal bond with Cyndra, Rune, and even Jack.

  Thinking of them, especially Cyndra, still warmed his chest. He needed to hold on to all the good moments, the heart-racing moments, keep them at the forefront of his mind, not only to taunt Mergan, but to keep his spirits high.

  Somehow, he had to get back to Cyndra. Being with her as she mastered her energy ensured her safety. Regardless of what she thought of him or how she saw him in her mind, they were connected and a few days apart didn’t change that. He needed her, too, perhaps not in the same ways, yet just as strongly.

  As his thoughts continued to wander, he heard Mergan laughing inside the lighthouse again. One of her wraiths screeched and circled around the building, vanishing into a window on the side.

  “Lovely news. I couldn’t have planned it better, oh wait, I did,” she cackled, as two more wraiths approached the lighthouse from opposite sides of the island. All three circled around the light, then swooped down in the same direction.

  Zorin craned his neck to see where they were going. He caught sight of the mirror-wraiths zigzagging over the field toward the mansion and lost sight of them when they reached the forest. Mergan’s laughter rose from the ground below. Pulling on his restraints, Zorin growled and kicked the railing with the heel of his foot. Anger wouldn’t help him break free, and Cyndra would suggest thinking practically.

  As his mind turned to Cyndra, he shook his head, thinking he heard her calling his name. Instead, the wraiths screeched in the distance, far beyond the field and forest. Glancing from side to side, Zorin studied the sturdy railing behind him, looking for the closest post. There’d be no safe way to break free. He’d tumble to the ground without caster power to strengthen his wings. He tried to lean over the railing to see around the lighthouse. Unable to get a better visual, Zorin grunted and hung his head.

  Helpless was almost as bad as being under the control of someone else.

  “Zorin!” Cyndra’s voice echoed through the air.

  His heart stopped beating. Was he dreaming again? Did Mergan put him under before she left and he missed it because Cyndra couldn’t be here…

  She’d never come into the mirror and sacrifice her freedom. Tired of Mergan’s tricks, he roared and pulled on his restraints, gazing toward the ground, looking for her.

  Cyndra shouted, “I’m coming!”

  Resigned to waiting for the apparition of Cyndra to appear, Zorin tightened every muscle of his body preparing to fight, psychically or mentally, for whatever came at him next.

  Cyndra groaned and rolled onto her back, letting eyes adjust and her body naturally warm after the icy trip through th
e mirror, which somehow vanished from sight. She lifted her head, felt it whirl and set it back down for another minute. Despite being in the mirror-realm, all her powers seemed at the tips of her fingers. Cyndra sat up slowly, rubbed the side of her face and got to her feet, checking to see the crystal secure around her wrist.

  The same room she entered she exited, except the hallway at the end was still there, not blown apart by her powers. As she dashed down the stairs and through the mansion, Cyndra thought she heard something, but didn’t stop or slow, having only one thought in mind.

  Find Zorin.

  At the top of the landing, she gazed out to see the forest and field and the lighthouse beyond the mansion. Realizing the mirror-realm was actually a copy of the island with crappy weather, Cyndra wasted no time heading to the tree line, knowing someone else had to be nearby.

  While running through the woods, she recalled her dream-talk with Pristy, wishing she had indicated where she was. The island was bigger than just the mansion and lighthouse.

  Ten feet from the edge of the woods, a wraith shrieked behind her. Two emerged from the fog, zigzagging through the trees, heading right toward her. If she evoked her elements, they’d probably sense it, so Cyndra hid against a fallen tree trunk, reeled it all in, hoping the residual power flooding her body didn’t give her away.

  The wraiths continued toward the mansion. Cyndra darted in the opposite direction, picking up speed halfway through the field. Out of habit, she glanced up at the lighthouse, spotting a dark shadow moving on the walkway.

  She altered her direction toward the door, seeing the side of the building come into view. The shadow moved again.

  “Zorin?” Cyndra froze at the edge of the field.

  Her pulse skyrocketed.

  She bolted for the lighthouse.

  “Zorin!” The door was stuck. Cyndra moistened her lips and glanced back toward the mansion. Even if she called the wraiths by casting, it was worth the risk. She lifted her left hand, evoked her power, blasting the door inward with one sharp gust of energy.

  Zorin growled from the walkway.

  “I’m coming!” Cyndra rushed up the stairs, taking two at a time, unsure what was making her heart beat faster as she reached the odd looking living area of this lighthouse. Pushing her legs to the max, she raced up two more fights until she reached the lantern room leading to the walkway. Her heart dropped seeing him restrained against the railing. His head lifted and eyes narrowed on the doorway. “Zorin?”

  “I won’t fall for your tricks,” he grumbled, straining against the railing trapping him in place. The veins on his neck bulged as his face tightened.

  “No tricks,” she said, panting and stepping onto the walkway. His steely blue eyes studied every movement, exciting her more than it should. She lifted her hand and touched his cheek. “Just me.”

  “Cyndra,” he gasped. “Why are you here?”

  “I felt what she was doing to you. I couldn’t leave you here any longer. I…” She crashed into him, throwing her arms around his neck. All her fire, every bit of energy came to the surface and rushed into his body.

  Zorin trembled and absorbed her elements. You still have your powers?

  Cyndra leaned back, not hiding the tears in her eyes. Yeah. I have a crystal.

  “You do?”

  “Jack and I cloaked it,” she said, watching his face fall. “What’s wrong?”

  “We must go, Cyndra, now,” Zorin replied, grunting and popping his restraints as if they were paper ribbon.

  “What?” She shook her head and stepped back. “Not yet, we need to—”

  “I should have known. This is probably Mergan’s plan.” Zorin moved behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and jumped over the railing.

  “Wait!” Cyndra gripped his wrists, shuddering against him as they fell rapidly toward the ground. “I want to see my mother and Evie.”

  “We must leave now, Cyndra,” Zorin growled as he soared upward and aimed for the forest, tightening his hold on her and taking more of her power, even if he didn’t realize it.

  “Why?”

  “Must you always be so defiant?”

  “Can you ever answer a fucking question?” Cyndra turned, staring at the side of his face. He refused to look at her. “So much for being happy to see me.”

  “You shouldn’t have come. You were safe on the outside.” His dark, gray jaw locked and he kept his gaze forward purposefully.

  “Yeah, well you weren’t safe inside.”

  “Neither of us is safe now,” he grunted, slowing his speed as they neared the mansion. He glided toward the stairs leading to the back entrance. “Once we land, be ready to run.”

  Cyndra shook her head. “I’m not leaving.”

  When a mirror-wraith screeched from below, Zorin’s entire body stiffened, and his arms squeezed her tight.

  “Yes, we are,” he said deeply against her ear, lifting and altering his direction, heading toward the tower. “I’m sorry, Cyndra.”

  “For what?” She furrowed her brow.

  Zorin peaked high in the air then zoomed down at an angle, heading straight for the window at the top of the tower staircase. He used one hand to cover the top of her head as his wings tucked back and they spiraled down.

  Holding in her screech, Cyndra shut her eyes when Zorin smashed through the window. His wings expanded, keeping them aloft. She looked up as they sped toward the prison room at the end of the hall, clawing his wrists but seeing no mirror and thinking he lost his mind. What are you doing?

  When they crossed the threshold of the room, the mirror materialized against the wall.

  “No, Zorin don’t, please,” she cried.

  Zorin squeezed her against his chest. His lips caressed the side of her forehead. We must, caster. Trust me and brace yourself.

  The cold shock from the mirror blasted her body. They crashed with a hard thud in the prison room on the other side.

  “Whoa, shit,” Jack yelped. “Uh…you’re back?”

  Zorin, flat on his back, groaned as Cyndra lifted her head from his chest and met eyes with a completely surprised Jack standing next to them offering a hand. She accepted and got to her feet as Zorin scrubbed his face and sat upright.

  Jack grinned.

  Cyndra did too and said, “It worked.”

  “I can see. Wasn’t expecting you this soon.”

  “Why? How long was I gone?”

  “About ten hours.”

  “No way, it seemed like minutes for me.”

  “Rune and I were taking turns, you actually just missed him,” Jack said, glancing over to Zorin who grumbled as he got to his feet. “What’s the matter?”

  “He’s pissed I came after him. No good deed goes unpunished, right?”

  “I’m not pissed, merely concerned. There’s no guessing what Mergan will do now that I’m gone. I was her means of escape.”

  “Unreal,” Cyndra said, shaking her head. “Good, let her fucking rot.”

  “You think she will stop?” He glared, raising his voice.

  “What can she do with no power? What could possibly be worse, Zorin?”

  “Using imprisoned casters to give up the location of all remaining offspring.” Zorin stared down, angrier than she’d ever seen him. “Someone will know where those children were. Someone will break. Then Mergan will get the power she needs to…”

  She tilted her head. “To what?”

  “Manipulate you again,” he barked.

  “Again?”

  “Easy,” Jack said, moving between the two, similar to how Rune always played buffer. “You’ve both been through a lot, maybe we should head back—”

  “I need to clear my head,” Zorin said, heading for the exit, never once looking back.

  Jack frowned.

  “You should go talk to him.” Cyndra nudged him by the arm, knowing she was too hot to talk calmly with Zorin presently.

  “Me?”

  “Better than me right now, honest. I
’ll go tell Rune we’re back.”

  Nodding, Jack hugged her quickly before dashing into the hall and calling after Zorin. She waited for them to disappear down Rune’s staircase before glancing toward the mirror.

  Not stupid enough to go in a second time, Cyndra backed away, exited the room, and saw Zorin and Jack walking toward the beach west of the lighthouse.

  Keeping Rune waiting any longer seemed cruel, so she pushed everything deep, skipped down the stairs and jumped over the rock wall, using the burst of strength she got from Zorin to pick up the pace and go tell her friend the good news. Well, good news that Zorin was back, at least.

  She barely reached the top of the landing when Rune threw his arms around her. Cyndra hugged back, holding tight. “Told ya I’d be okay.”

  He signed, what happened, twice because she didn’t get it the first time. Cyndra gave him the recap as she got something to drink and exchanged her crystal for the cloaked pendant then put it away in the caster box. After he made her sit, she sighed from across the table and finished the story.

  “He said we had to leave, crashed right through the tower window. Mirror appeared when he got closer. You know I trust him, I just wish he’d tell me shit before doing it.”

  You are both—

  “Used to being alone, I know.”

  You can rely on your friends and trust us to make the right decisions, Cyndra.

  “With Zorin, it goes a whole deeper level. Sometimes it feels like my powers…like I’m dependent on him and I don’t like that, regardless of how he makes me feel,” she confessed.

  You’re thinking like a survivor still, Cyndra. Think like a caster, we’re meant to share our gifts, belong to a community. Bonds like ours are typical. I think what you and Zorin have can be something much stronger if you’ll allow it.

  “Maybe,” she said, shrugging. “Thanks for watching out for me.”

  You’re welcome. Rune covered his mouth, yawning. Long day. See you at breakfast?

  “Yep, whole gang back together,” Cyndra said, giving him another hug before heading to the bedroom.