“I thought you were gone…” I looked at him with scared eyes and muttered, “I thought I was gone.”
“I was just a little preoccupied with some hands down the hall; sorry it took me so long,” he said as he flashed one of his gleaming smiles.
I grabbed his hand as quickly as possible, with no intention of letting go.
“What is this place?” I asked, confused.
“We are in the hallway of the castle,” Finn whispered.
“How do you know?”
“This was my fear.” He let out a strong sigh.
-25-
MIRROR, MIRROR
There were tall stands with burning candles placed at the end of the dark hallway. Once we passed the candles, we entered a room filled with the strong feeling of death. The floor, ceiling, and walls were a polished black stone. Everywhere we turned, we could see our blurry reflection looking back us. A square chandelier dropped from the black ceiling. Two women dressed in black shawls stood next to a throne; they all seemed to be a part of the stone wall. Victor sat proudly on his throne with his long fingers intertwined, resting loosely in his lap.
“Well, well…it is nice of you to join us. I’ve been waiting for this day.”
In a blink of an eye, he was standing right in front of me. Finn drew his sword and hurled it forward at Victor, but the blade stopped inches away from his throat.
“That’s no way to treat your host.” Victor smiled, and then nodded his head.
With a blank stare, we watched as Finn’s sword went spiraling upward in the air. The sword spun until the point of the blade balanced on the ceiling, next to the chandelier. Suddenly, I heard Finn gasp and looked just in time to see a rope thrown around his neck, pulling him into the shadows of the room.
“I told you it would be easier if we were friends.” The voice was haunting coming from the dark. Erik.
Finn wrestled, throwing one elbow back after another, but as the rope tightened, his efforts were useless.
“Finn,” I cried.
Before I could run to him, Victor’s eyes locked with mine. It was the same mesmerizing stare Edmund had used to leave me intoxicated. His aura grabbed me like a black panther going in for the kill. I could hear Finn struggle from behind, but I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed in Victor’s trance.
“I have the answers you seek,” he said.
I unintentionally followed him like a lost puppy to the corner of the hall where a scarlet cloak was draped over the surface of a tall, wide object, resting on a stand. The cloak was the same as the one I had followed into the cave. For a moment, that thought broke his trance.
“Where did you get this?”
“From you, my dear.” He grabbed the red fabric and flung it high in the air. I watched as the scarlet material rained down through the air, elegantly collecting on the floor in a red puddle. He motioned to the newly exposed surface of a black mirror. Through the deep black of the surface, I could see my own reflection, staring in confusion.
“Look—look deep into yourself,” his voice commanded.
“Don’t listen to him. Look away,” Finn said with a pleading tone.
It was already too late. I watched as my own reflection turned against me. I could hear no sound from the hall, only a faint whisper in my head. A blurry image of a child appeared—the same girl I had chased once before. The girl from my dreams, the girl from the cave—we were one and the same.
I slowly stepped toward the mirror. The golden decorated edges were completely out of focus now. I couldn’t take my eyes off the girl. As I neared the mirror, I reached out to touch the surface, just like I had once before. It was smooth, cold, and very much real. Instead of the image disappearing, like it had when I touched the mirror at Maytide’s, the girl started to appear more in focus. Blurry images swirled around her. Bright strands of green grass formed below the girl’s feet, and then long-stemmed daisies popped from the ground. I watched, dazed, as the young girl skipped and twirled through the field of daisies—I suddenly could remember everything.
These were images from my life—through my own eyes. The memories I had searched for were finally right before me, playing like a perfectly directed movie.
I placed my other hand to the black glass. A tall, handsome man, with bright eyes and dark hair, appeared holding the hand of a beautiful woman. I knew their faces right away—my parents. I felt my face tighten while I tried to hold back tears of undeniable joy. I watched as the small wrinkles around my dad’s eyes smiled at my mother. My mom’s blonde hair was flying in the wind—her wheat-colored curls danced and shimmered in the light, like branches of pine needles from the enchanted forest. Her skin was bright and flawless in the sun.
The images jumped to another moment from my life.
I was a little older, running around a castle playing hide-and-seek with a boy. He always found me, no matter where I was hiding, and he would grab my hand every time. I could remember it all. Finn. This image quickly faded, while another one appeared.
I was a teenager, and my father was teaching me how to use a sword. His eyes were so kind, and he smiled a proud smile as I learned the forms. He called me his little angel. I watched an image of him holding me tightly in a fatherly embrace, and I could smell the rich scent of pine on his skin—it felt like he was right there with me.
My mother came into focus. She sat by a fire, rocking back and forth in a wooden chair. She looked so happy, so beautiful. I remembered her smile, her tender hands, how every night she would kiss me on the cheek and whisper, “Dream of daisies, my sweet child.”
Another memory emerged. A teenage boy walked along the water’s edge skipping stones and yelling my name. I ran to him, giggling and twirling a white nightgown around my waist. I was wearing a scarlet cape.
He pulled me near. “Promise you’ll never grow tired of me, Clara.”
“That would be impossible. Things will never change between us,” I promised.
The dashing young Finn placed a hand in my hair, then leaned in to press his cheek to mine. A simple embrace, but I could feel the love in my soul as I watched him pull away.
“Clara, I love—”
A loud explosion broke free in the night, sending us into an unexpected panic. The happy moment was lost.
We were running from the water of the ocean--running to the castle. Everyone was screaming—the castle was being invaded.
I watched helplessly from the mirror, feeling the fear I had felt at that exact moment. My breathing quickened, and I pressed my palm to the glass—wishing I could break through to help. Hundreds of men, all with swords drawn tall, paraded through the castle entrance. There were not enough men to stop them—my father and the crusade had been off fighting a war in the north. There was no one left to fight, the intruders had known. It was an ambush.
Finn grabbed my hand and led me to the side of the castle. Together we slid a stone out of place on the outermost wall and snuck into the castle through a secret tunnel. We quickly made our way to his brother’s room. No one was there. We crawled through another tunnel that led to where my mother was staying—she was gone. I remembered praying that she had gotten away in time. We continued down the tunnel and jumped into a small opening that led to a vent in the king and queen’s room. Through the holes of the vent, we watched as dozens of men surrounded his mother and brother. The queen held his young brother tightly as the men tore the room apart. Finn tried to call out to her, but I quickly placed my hand over his mouth. While the men grabbed items from the room, the queen’s eyes looked to the vent. She knew we were there, watching. Sadness like no other had filled her eyes; she subtly motioned with her hand for us to stay in place and mouthed three little words, I love you.
A man dressed all in black entered the room with a crown in his hand. Victor. “Don’t make the same mistake as your husband. Kneel and give your souls freely to me. In return, you will live a life like you’ve never known.”
The queen slid Finn’s brother behind he
r. Through her tears she found the strength to face him. “Our souls belong to the one true God. We will never bow to you.”
Victor stepped up to her and slid his glove down her neck to her chest. She pushed his hands away.
“Such a pity, you would have been a beautiful addition,” he said.
In one swift movement, the end of his sword went through the queen’s delicate gown and out into her son’s chest. They both fell limp to the floor.
“Say hello to your God for me.” He grinned a devilish grin and walked away with blood dripping from his sword. Like puppets, the men followed their master.
Finn kicked down the wooden screen, and we ran to them. But they were already gone.
I could feel the sadness and the hate burning inside of me as I watched through the mirror—helpless once more.
The vision faded to another.
“Take this,” Finn said, closing my fingers around his cross pendant. “I love you, Clara.”
I was suddenly being pulled away from him. Blood ran down his side, soaking his clothes. His hand was pressed to his chest as he stumbled back on a balcony.
“No! No!” I screamed.
Finn struggled, but managed to stay upright to face his dark enemy. Victor paced in front of him with his bloody sword by his side, speaking words that I couldn’t quite hear over a ringing in my ears. He forced Finn’s body against the rail of the balcony, so hard I could barely watch, and then, with one fluid motion, Finn was cast from the edge.
Victor dragged me, kicking and screaming, to the grand hall of the castle. Edmund stood in the middle of the room with his hands reaching out to greet me. Victor handed Edmund a crown and shoved me into his arms.
“You did well. You have earned this crown—and here is your queen.”
Victor smiled and then trotted off down a passage in the castle.
“What have you done?” I cried.
I beat at his chest over and over, yelling and screaming at the top of my lungs. His arms were tight around my waist, pulling me in so that I couldn’t escape.
The image dissolved and another appeared.
There was fire everywhere. I ran down the hall of the castle, spreading flames while I screamed for all that I’d lost. I only had minutes before I would start to lose my memory. I had to act fast. Edmund caught me before I could finish the deed, before I could completely destroy everything. He knocked me to the wall as if I weighed nothing. My head was pounding, and my ears were ringing again. This time the pain was so intense that I couldn’t fight back.
Then I was flying through a red door on to a bed. He left me there—he knew I would forget soon, that I would be his. But that was his mistake; I had other plans. I stood on the rail of the balcony now, looking down into crashing water. While my mind clung to the remaining memories of Finn, I stepped off the rail of the balcony and fell through the night air.
The images faded once more. My almost lifeless body was floating to shore. Fergus’s face appeared, leaning down to pull me from the sand. He carried me. He saved me.
His face quickly dissolved in the mirror, until the mirror was back to its original state of blackness. All I could see was my own reflection, now crying.
My emotions soon turned angry—angry for the years I had lost, the love I had forgotten, the life that was stolen away from me. I snatched the candelabra that had been resting on a pillar to the right of the mirror and pounded the metal into the glass. I screamed through the tears as the glass shattered all around me. I did not notice or care about the small pieces that sliced into my skin.
Victor screamed, “Damn you!”
I threw the candelabra at his head, but with one quick motion of his hand, it dropped straight to the stone floor. He made another motion in the air with his hand, and my body lifted and then began to float in the air toward him. My lack of control over my emotions and fear made me his puppet.
Finn yelled again, “Leave her alone!”
“Isn’t this precious? Young love.”
“Take me! Take me instead—leave her!” he screamed.
I turned my head to catch Finn’s adoring stare. My secret passion grew for him—stronger, and then deeper, as I floated helplessly in the air.
“I wanted to tell you, Clara. I wanted to tell you everything.” His voice faded as Erik pulled at the rope around Finn’s neck.
I could feel a cold air wrap around my chest, causing each breath to become a struggle.
“Let’s get you dressed for the occasion, shall we?”
The cold air coursed the entire length of my body while I was suspended in air. The force of the air spun me around—my clothing and sword fell to the ground. I watched my blurry reflection from the shiny black stone above his throne as a black velvet corset appeared from nowhere. The V-neckline was edged in red velvet and rubies. My pendant lay hidden just under the lining. I gasped as the corset wrapped around my body and air weaved the lacing in the back and fastened the front. Black net and lace emerged over the corset and camouflaged my exposed abdomen. In seconds the netting was sprinkled with sparkling diamonds. As the cool air worked its way down, a bustling of red silk gathered at my hips and dropped just above my knees. The dress was beautiful, yet appalling.
“Stop!” Finn groaned.
“But she is not yet ready.” Victor chuckled.
As Victor smiled, I felt the cold air wind through my short hair. The air tugged and twisted until my hair was away from my face. Then, out of thin air, sparkles dropped down—I glanced up to see the rain of sparkles shape into a diamond headpiece that formed a pair of wings. The wings were placed in my hair, and then a matching choker of diamonds wrapped around my neck. As soon as the jewelry was snapped into place, my skin became paler than I had ever seen, my lips turned blood red, and a shadow fell over my eyes.
“Your fear and your doubt pleases me,” he continued. “Your soul is weakening. I think this calls for a little celebration.”
He waved his hand, and the room instantly filled with hundreds of people dressed in fancy black clothes. There was another gesture of his hand. The curtains from around the room began to drop like flies, exposing dozens of mirrors.
“Look at your beauty—just like your mother.” His eyes scanned my body from head to foot. “You belong here with me.”
Air forced my floating body to the wall of mirrors; sadness filled my heart as I saw a reflection of myself dressed in the garments of his taste. He stood behind me looking pleased at what he had created—he smiled while he hooked diamond earrings into my ears. It was hard to recognize the pale face looking back at me in the mirror. I felt lost.
I looked to Finn. He was pulling at his throat, trying his best to keep his composure. Gorgeous women danced freely around him, smiling and laughing as if he were not there. There were men juggling knives—and a few exhaling flames high into the air. But then, I looked back to the mirror, and I could see their true reflection.
The room was filled with sad, soulless creatures. Their image of beauty had been erased long ago and was replaced with the reflection of disfigured humans. The men and women who were dancing had gray and withering skin and were twisting and turning about in burnt shrouds. Both of the men jugglers were missing their noses, and the men who breathed fire, well, they were missing their eyes. They were all his broken puppets.
I stared hard into the mirror at Victor and watched as his reflection of beauty began to fade. I watched his flawless skin turn gray and scaly, his pearly teeth turn dull and pointed, his eyes turn black and angry, and his long locks of hair turn white and wiry. I tried to pull away
His flaky lips smirked. “So it is true? Why…this is quite delightful. You can see what others cannot. I can see why Edmund wanted you for himself.” He yanked me around so that we were face-to-face. Now I was staring at a gorgeous face—the face of seduction.
“You will make a great dark angel.” His hand grazed across my cheek.
“I will never turn!”
“Never say
never, little nightingale.”
He made a sweeping gesture through the air with his free hand, calling forth the two women from his throne. They immediately obeyed; throwing the shawls from their faces, they stepped forth to expose their true identities. Bleach-blonde hair tumbled from the first cloth, framing the slender face of a tall female. Her eyes were darker than usual, but her face still held the same proud smirk I had seen many times. Lydia. Behind the other dark shroud was the redhead who had chased me through the swamp.
“I should have known you were evil!” I shouted to Lydia.
“You should have known a lot of things,” she replied smugly.
Victor snapped, and then both girls strutted past to one of the dark halls.
Soon, I heard the sound of rattling chains. Lydia and the redhead reentered the room dragging two reluctant caped figures into the light. The first chained prisoner struggled underneath the long black material and suddenly fell to the hard floor. Lydia forced the other prisoner to join.
Victor glided to the first broken human and lifted the heavy hood. I weakened when I saw her face.
“Mom?” I whispered. Her eyes moved from the floor to me.
She was beautiful—a blonde angel, exactly how I had imagined her. Wisps of delight were followed with spurts of fear. She was finally here, finally real. I could almost touch her. The remains of anger still lingered inside of me, but I could no longer act on it. I began to walk to her, but stopped in my tracks when Victor lurched over her with his silver blade.
“Where is your God now?” he questioned with the most sinister and evil look in his eyes.
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