by J. W. Lolite
My lips curled in disgust at the sight. “I wouldn’t recommend keeping that cursed piece of trash. It only shows ugly things.”
“It’s a Nibiru mirror.”
“A what?”
“It’s a very rare and special glass,” Emba said, her eyes transfixed on the shards. “Glass made from stardust.”
I stared at her, surprised. “You mean that stuff that chokes you when you use the keystones? You can make glass from that?”
“Yes.” Emba let out a soft smile. “It’s quite special.”
“I’ll say. Aureliel just appeared in this one. I still don’t understand how – ”
“A pair,” Emba answered, cutting me off. “Two mirrors made from the same stardust. They are connected, even across the realms.”
“So that means . . .”
“Aureliel has the other mirror. She’s been using it to speak with your aunt.”
“She’s been tormenting her this whole time,” I said, feeling miserable. “Right here and I did nothing.”
“There was no way you could have known.”
“But I did know. She’s been acting so strange, and I just shunned her. And I still don’t understand. How did she get the mirror in the first place?”
Emba looked down at the mirror shards again, breaking our eye contact. “It was your mother’s,” she whispered. I didn’t say anything, letting the new information sink in. “Lugal Uturik,” she paused, “your father gave it to her, so he could watch over her while he was in Kigal.”
“And Aureliel now has his,” I stated.
Emba nodded, still looking down. “I’m very sorry that such a gift of . . . of,” she paused again, taking in a deep breath, “of love had to be used like this.”
I didn’t answer her, turning to look into the tiny pink flame. It was a little bright for me, but I didn’t care. My mind wasn’t focused on my vision anyway. The mirror had been a gift from my father to my mother. Did Auntie know that when she found it in the attic? Did she even care? What about Aureliel? Hadn’t Auntie recognized her as the one who killed him?
“She took the Orion Stone for her,” I said at last. Memories of Ty, Lesia, and me in my room came to me. “And she told her about Lesia. She must have heard us that night.”
All of the sudden, something grabbed my chin, and my head was tilted until the pink flame I was staring at turned into a pair of glowing pink eyes.
“Listen to me,” Emba commanded, her voice lining with a stern edge. “That wasn’t your aunt’s fault. It was all Aureliel’s doing. She is,” Emba stopped and quirked her lips as though searching for the right words, “unbound.”
“Unbound?” I repeated.
“Yes,” she said. “But you need to get some rest, Ingrid. Your body can’t start to heal if you don’t get some sleep.” She stood up and brushed off her armor.
“Where are you going?” I asked, a little startled at the sudden change of topic.
“To check things out.” She smirked back at me. “It’s looks like I’ll be stuck here for awhile. I might as well make myself familiar with the area.”
“Oh.” It was all I could think to say. Up until this point, it hadn’t occurred to me that without a keystone Emba wouldn’t be able to return home. “You can stay with me if you need to.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ve got some things I want to check on first. Besides,” she said, winking at me, “I’m sure you’ll have plenty to occupy your time. I’ll just be in the way.”
“If you say so,” I replied, yawning. Emba bringing up my lack of rest triggered my realization of how tired I really was. I looked out the window as a thin beam of light ascended over the horizon. Dawn was here, and I still hadn’t gotten any sleep. I lay back on the floor. My eyelids were getting heavier by the second. “Good morning, Emba,” I mumbled. I heard the door click shut, and I turned my head to the side. I would wake up later and go visit Ty and Auntie at the hospital, and then I would go see Lesia and Loxley. Everything would be good. I looked at the carpet in front of me and saw three blurry crystals. How pretty . . .
Chapter 33
Stardust
Mrs. Delaney did a good job, especially on such short notice. The violet flowers were perfect: bright, beautiful, and full of life – they suited her perfectly. The cool porcelain under my fingertips a fine quality.
I gazed off into the horizon in my wrinkled black uniform, defiantly ignoring the looks of pity from the people descending down the steep stone steps and away from the temple. I’d been getting those looks all day, and I couldn’t stand it. Even Kaira’s nod of acknowledgement had been less stiff than usual. My grip tightened, and I let out a shaky breath. You’d think I’d be used to this by now.
“The world goes on – even when we feel our own has stopped.”
“Thanks for the advice, Grandma, but I’m really not in the mood for any wise old sayings.”
Meissa came to stand beside me, looking into the distance with me. “Don’t be ridiculous, girl. I don’t need any sayings, just the truth.”
“Well, it still sucks,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ve done this a couple of times already. You’d think it’d get easier.”
“It never gets easier,” Meissa admitted, a distant tone in her voice. “No matter how many times you do it.”
We both stayed silent, looking at the peaceful town below. I could barely make out some small figures going about their daily business as usual. Their lives hadn’t been changed by any of this. They had no idea what happened. Their worlds kept turning.
“Thank you,” I whispered, “for letting us use the temple.”
“It was only fitting.”
“Even after she stole the keystone . . .”
“That is irrelevant,” Meissa said. “Today we celebrate a great warrior. All else has no meaning at this moment.”
“Great warrior, huh?” I smiled, lifting the small lid off of the oval jar. “Did you hear that, Auntie? Finally some recognition.” My eyes stung, the corners quickly becoming wet. A strong breeze blew, ruffling my hair. “You’re finally free, Auntie,” I whispered, voice cracking. “You can be with them. Go, Auntie. Go be with Adeline and Sebastian. Find them!”
I threw the urn forwards, flinging the ash into the wind. It whirled and danced wildly, free of any inhibitions – just like Kaline. I watched as she traveled through the air, sparkling in the sun – just like stardust.
I leaned forwards, tears streaming down my face. I let out a loud sob and buried my face into my hands. In an instant, I felt two pairs of arms embrace me. I didn’t have to look to know who they belonged to. We’d been together too long, known each other so well.
Meissa said that everything else in the world was irrelevant right now, but that wasn’t true. This was relevant. My friends were relevant. I swore at that moment that I would never go through this again. I would protect them with everything in my being, and I wouldn’t fail. But she would. I would make sure of it. I would do it for them and for Aunt Kaline. My world would keep turning. Just as sure as the sun and stars in the sky.