The Mirror's Gaze

by Rae D. Magdon

  "Cate, what happened?" Sooner than I expected, Ailynn came rushing out of a nearby tent, looking just as alarmed as Raisa. She hurried to my side, leaning in nervously. "Raisa told me you fell. Was it another vision?"

  I gave a reluctant nod. Although I didn't want to cause Ailynn any unnecessary distress, she needed to know what I had seen. "Yes. I know where your mother is."

  Ailynn hesitated. Her worry turned to anger, and her eyes narrowed. "Where is she? What was she doing?"

  "Chasing Princess Neva, under the Queen's orders. She's enchanting more magical objects as well. I think she tried to kill the princess with a comb."

  "She didn't succeed, though," Ailynn said, willing me to give her the answer she wanted to hear.

  "No. She was interrupted. I heard a cat hissing, and Ellie's voice." I shook my head, sorting through my memory for the truly important details. "They were in darkness, some distance away. A cave, perhaps?"

  "Caves and beautiful enchanted objects," Ailynn muttered, rolling her eyes. "That certainly sounds like my mother. Do you know where I can find her?"

  "I don't think you need to. The Queen has sent her and Luciana to kill Neva. If Ellie and Belle bring the princess to the rebel camp, both of them will come to us."

  Ailynn's frown deepened. I could see she wasn't pleased with waiting, although she didn't say so. "Let's hope you're right. I'd rather face her on her own in the Forest than at Kalmarin with an army at her back."

  I began picking myself up off the ground, and both Ailynn and Raisa extended a hand to help me. "Thank you,” I said, accepting their help. “Please, don't tell Larna about this. My visions haven't been this persistent since I watched her die over and over again. They'll only get worse, and I don't want to worry her any more than necessary. She has a pack to lead and a battle to fight."

  "We won't say anything," Raisa promised. "Right, Ailynn?"

  Ailynn looked as though she wanted to object, but a look from her lover had her nodding. "You still look pale. At least let us get you something to eat."

  "Would you do me a favor and bring it to my tent? I need to rest for a minute." In reality, I was itching to open my journal. Although I didn't think Ellie, Belle, or Princess Neva had been harmed, I wanted to make sure.

  Raisa began to agree, but Ailynn objected. "I'll do it. I don't want you handling raw meat."

  "I'm not made of glass, Ailynn," Raisa protested. "I've been helping some of the other civilians prepare food almost every day. Next, you'll be taking the cooking knives away from me."

  As they continued to bicker, I slipped away on quiet feet, retiring to my tent before they could notice. It was simple, but spacious enough for two, with room for two bedrolls and our packs. Once I was alone, I sighed and sank down beside my pack. Ailynn and Raisa had become good friends, but they couldn't truly understand what I had seen. No one but an oracle or another shaman could.

  I suddenly found myself missing Kalwyn with bitter fierceness. Even though I had only trained with her for a few months before her death, she had been my mentor. She had taught me my history, put me in touch with my powers, and shown me how to control the most frightening of my visions. At least, I thought she had. These new visions were some of the most detailed—and the most horrible—I had ever suffered through. On impulse, I reached beneath my shirt, folding my fingers around the deadeye.

  "I wish you were here," I whispered to the empty tent, staring sadly at my pack. "You would know how to help me."

  To my surprise, the pack tipped over, falling against my thigh. I opened it, and I wasn't sure whether to feel sad or wistful when I saw the gleaming hourglass on top of my supplies. Perhaps it was my imagination, but the golden dragons twined around its body almost seemed to glow as well. I picked it up, twisting it in my hands and letting the subtle heat of old magic blossom against my palms. It felt much like the deadeye, and I felt an answering hum against my chest.

  It took me several moments to realize what about the hourglass had captured my attention. The sand inside moved, draining into the lower half. I blinked, shaking myself to make sure I hadn't been imagining things. The sand continued to slide, just a trickle, but enough to clear my doubts. Every single time I had looked before, the sand had stayed frozen, remaining stationary even when I turned the hourglass over. I flipped it upside down, but the sand didn't fall back to the bottom. It kept climbing the wrong way, flying into the top.

  It seemed impossible, but there could be no mistake. If Kalwyn's magic hourglass had begun to move again, and the deadeye had responded to it, that meant the dragons had awoken from their centuries-long slumber. No one had seen them in recent memory, and even written accounts of the beasts were scarce. They were legends now, passed down through stories and songs, and most people believed them to be extinct. I had doubted their existence myself until Kalwyn taught me otherwise. But after all I had witnessed since coming to Amendyr, the return of the dragons didn't seem fantastical. In fact, the timing seemed strangely appropriate, and even exciting. My mother had told me stories of dragons before I had gone to live in Seria, and the thought of such giant beasts made of pure magic had always amazed me.

  "Cate? I brought you something to eat." I looked up with a start, tucking the hourglass back into the open bag. Raisa stood at the entrance to my tent, but instead of looking worried, she seemed almost curious. "What was that?" she asked, staring at my pack.

  I hesitated. There was no reason to conceal the hourglass's existence, but for some reason, the thought of sharing it made me nervous. After a few moments' thought, I withdrew it and held it up for her to see. Raisa gasped, setting aside the bundle she had brought and dropping to her knees for a closer look. "It was a gift from my teacher," I explained as she studied the hourglass. "She told me it's supposed to mark the time of the dragons' return to Amendyr. Before she gave it to me, the sand inside never moved, no matter which way you turned it."

  "Well, it's moving now," Raisa said. "When did it start?"

  "Just now. Here, watch." I turned the hourglass upside down, but the sand continued flying the same way, filling the upturned bottom chamber.

  Raisa scooted closer. "But the dragons have been gone for centuries. Most people think they're extinct. Why now?"

  I shrugged and set the hourglass down between us. "I wish I knew."

  A thoughtful look came over Raisa's face. "You know, dragons have shaped Amendyr's history and legends from the beginning. Perhaps this is a little insane, but what if—"

  She never got a chance to finish. Moments later, Larna and Ailynn both burst into the tent, one looking worried and the other guilty. “Cate,” Larna said, hurrying to kneel by my side and folding an arm around my shoulder. I relaxed at the comforting weight, but felt guilty Ailynn had fetched her. “Be you all right? Ailynn was telling me—”

  “I specifically told her not to tell you,” I said, aiming a sour look in Ailynn’s direction. Ailynn bit her lip, while Larna started to protest. I silenced her with a finger to her lips. “You watch me endure enough. You don’t have to know every detail.”

  Larna didn’t argue, but she didn’t look happy, either. She kept her arm around me, pulling me against her chest for comfort. Once she stopped fussing over me, straightening the front of my shirt and checking my visible skin for bruises, her eyes fell on the hourglass.

  Ailynn noticed where she was looking, and her eyes narrowed. “What is that?” she asked, almost suspicious. “It’s enchanted. I can feel it from here. Where did you get it?”

  “Not from Mogra,” I assured her. “My old mentor gave this to me. It’s supposed to mark the time of the dragons’ return to Amendyr.”

  “Do you believe that’s what it does?” Ailynn knelt with the rest of us, studying the hourglass closely without touching it.

  “I do.” Raisa’s enthusiasm had returned, and her face almost glowed. “In fact, I just had an idea I wanted to run by the three of you. Who was the last dragon to appear in the old Amendyrri legends?”

&
nbsp; I frowned. “Feradith and her hatchling, but—”

  “Exactly,” Raisa continued. “And who was her greatest enemy?”

  “Umbra and the High Ariada,” Ailynn said. “I told you that story when you were just a girl.”

  “So, doesn’t it make sense that if some shadow of Umbra has awakened and possessed the Queen, Mogra, and Luciana, the dragons might awaken as well? Perhaps they can sense Umbra’s presence in them.”

  Her theory made a startling amount of sense. “But why would they awaken now?” I asked, even as I became more and more convinced. “Umbra possessed Luciana years ago through the sorcerer’s chain.”

  Raisa wasn’t discouraged. “I imagine waking from a centuries-long sleep doesn’t happen overnight. Or perhaps his presence simply wasn’t strong enough to alert them until now. But if the dragons have awakened because of Umbra’s return, they might be our allies.”

  “You’re crazy,” Ailynn said, shaking her head. “You want us to ally with dragons? If we could even find them, how would we manage to ask them for help before they ate us? You’re conveniently forgetting what Feradith did to the rest of the High Ariada after Umbra’s death.”

  Raisa only smiled. “Actually, I had some thoughts about that, too.”

  Chapter Four

  Taken from the verbal accounts of Ailynn Gothel, edited by Lady Eleanor Kingsclere

  THE BLAST OF WIND took me by surprise, buffeting my legs and threatening to steal my footing. I skidded backwards, struggling for balance as I scrambled to summon a cushion of air. “Secutem!” The Word of Power worked, but barely. Doran’s next attack didn’t send me sprawling, and I searched for cover before he could strike again.

  There were few options. The open plains south of the forest had no trees, and even rocks were scarce. When a bright ball of fire flew too close to my cheek for comfort, I had no choice but to make my own. I braced myself, reaching through my feet to the earth beneath and calling it up. “Erets!” A wall of rock jutted up from the ground, protecting my face from the next flurry of flames.

  “You can’t just defend yourself forever,” Doran called out as I ducked behind my makeshift shield. “Mogra won’t give you time to figure out an attack.”

  I knew he was right, and hearing my mother’s name sent a flare of anger through me. I summoned another gust of air, vaulting myself over the ridge of rock and calling to the heat that always lived in my hands. I had no need for Words of Power now. Fire was my element, and I could call it with nothing but my mind.

  The attack was fast enough to put Doran on the defensive. He summoned his own shield, but he wasn’t quite fast enough. A few of the sparks singed the edge of his wild white hair, and he smiled. “Better,” he said, returning fire with a volley of earth. The plume of dust stung my eyes, and I couldn’t see well enough to aim.

  “That’s cheating,” I said, blowing aside the dirt with a swipe of my hand. Threads of fire wove through the wind I called, but I didn’t suppress them. Calling the other elements was always easier when I added my favorite.

  More earth showered on top of me, and I had to summon another shield to protect my head. I didn’t need to shout the word, but the barrier was weaker. It soon shattered under the larger rocks, and I was forced to return to cover.

  Doran chuckled. “And you think Mogra won’t cheat?”

  “Stop bringing her up,” I begged, panting. Fire lashed out from my arms, whipping toward Doran through the wind that blustered between us. “I don’t want to talk about her.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” Doran said. Unlike me, he wasn’t even out of breath. However, I was gratified to see that his barriers of earth crumbled beneath the heat of my flames. “She’s had decades to master the elements, as well as forbidden magic she should never have touched. You need to be prepared.”

  I lost my temper. The earth beneath my feet began to quake, and I reached deep within, calling up all the heat I could. The rock bubbled and cracked, melting under the force of my will. A sea of glowing, red-gold earth and fire flowed toward Doran, sweeping up into a giant wave.

  “Ailynn!”

  His cry startled me, and I pulled the wave back before it could crash. I didn’t know whether the blow would have hit or not, but when Doran circled the molten puddle to rejoin me, he smiled. “Much better, Acha,” he said, giving me a nod. “You’re still too reliant on your Words of Power, but you’re faster and more consistent than I’ve ever seen you.”

  Despite my annoyance, I was flattered. “That’s your doing, not mine.”

  “Be that as it may, you might stand a chance against Mogra now.”

  “I would stand a better chance if you helped me,” I suggested hopefully. “I still think we should fight her together.”

  Doran shook his head, although he seemed regretful. “No, Ailynn. I am much older and weaker than you know. Too old to fight against someone of her power, and too weak to kill her even if I won.”

  I understood what he meant. While my guilt drove me to stop Mogra, the thought of killing her was still painful to contemplate. Doran had been her lover once. Surely he felt the same. “You’re not that old,” I mumbled, trying to ignore the familiar burn of guilt in the pit of my stomach. “Actually, you’ve never told me your age.”

  “My real age and the age of my body are two separate things,” Doran explained. “One of the magical adventures in my youth stole more years from me than I like to admit.”

  I sensed there was more to the tale, but also that Doran did not want to explain it. I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what had ended his relationship with my mother. It might have been his mysterious magical accident, but it could have just as easily been some toxic part of Mogra’s personality. Although she had possessed some good qualities before her corruption, she had never been an easy person to deal with, and she was kind only when she felt like it.

  “You don’t have to explain,” I said as the two of us headed back toward camp. Afternoon was fading into evening, but there was still plenty of light for us to find our way. “And you’re right. Killing her is my job. I’m the one who let her slip into madness. I’m the one who should put her out of her misery.”

  A frown tugged at Doran’s weathered face, and when he fixed his gaze on me, I noticed sadness in his eyes. “You don’t have to kill anyone, Acha,” he said, squeezing my arm with one of his gnarled hands. “I didn’t train you because I think killing Mogra is your sole purpose, or the only way to atone for your perceived sins. I trained you because Mogra will come after you whether we like it or not, and I want you to be prepared.”

  “But the offensive attacks,” I protested. “You were telling me I shouldn’t just defend myself.”

  Doran gave me a small smile. “Defeating your enemy is part of defending yourself. That doesn’t mean I want you to seek your enemies out, whether it’s Mogra or anyone else. Fight when you need to, but don’t throw your life away to save your soul.”

  I was saved from searching for a response by the arrival of another figure near the edge of camp. His height and the broad shape of his shoulders gave him away from a fair distance, and I smiled “Don’t let Jethro hear you say that. I promised him I would help hunt Mogra down to avenge the death of his wife.”

  Doran sighed. “Then you’re both idiots,” he mumbled, tottering off and disappearing between a pair of tents before I could stop him. There was no time to follow even if I wanted to. Jethro approached me, swinging his enormous axe up to rest on his shoulder.

  “How do you even lift that?” I asked, peering up at him in amazement. Looking at Jethro always put a crick in my neck.

  “Easily,” he joked. “I’ve been looking for you, Ailynn. Cate has someone she wants to introduce you to.”

  It took me a moment to put the pieces together, but when I did, I began beaming. “Did Ellie, Belladonna, and the princess finally arrive?”

  “Aye, with seven dwellyn in their party and a pair of fine horses. Cate was weeping all over a short blo
nde woman before she sent me to fetch you. They’re just past the Farseer cookfires if you want to join them.”

  I nodded my thanks and hurried away, passing several other people headed in the same direction. Apparently, news of the princess' arrival had spread throughout the camp. A sizable crowd stood around Jett Bahari's tent, whispering excitedly amongst each other, but I wove my way through and passed to the other side without stopping. Surely Cate and Ellie wouldn't want to have their reunion in front of curious onlookers.

  It didn't take me long to spot them. A smaller group was gathered around the Farseer fire pit, just where Jethro had said. As I drew closer, I noticed Cate holding a short, blonde woman's hands. The stranger—surely Ellie, judging by Cate’s numerous descriptions—had bright green eyes, and her cheeks dimpled as she smiled. Despite the generous scattering of freckles across her face, she didn't look Amendyrri. She was Serian, although I could tell she was Ariada before I even reached her side.

  Next to her stood a tall woman in traveling clothes. While Ellie was charming enough to look at, Belladonna was uncomfortably beautiful. Her face was almost too perfect, and her black hair gleamed like a raven's wing. Her pale skin added to the illusion of a carefully carved statue instead of a human being. I was intimidated before I even spoke to her.

  Before I could figure out how to introduce myself, Cate noticed me standing awkwardly on the sidelines. "Ailynn, come here," she said in Serian, motioning me over. "Ellie and Belle just arrived a few minutes ago. I sent Jethro to bring Larna, but it seems he found you first."

  I shuffled forward when summoned, forcing a smile. Although I did want to meet them, I wasn't much for social niceties. Living alone in a forest with only my mother and Raisa for company hadn't given me many opportunities to practice. "Hello," I said, sticking my hand out for an awkward handshake. "I'm Ailynn."

  "Oh good, you speak Serian," Ellie said, squeezing my hand in a surprisingly strong grip. "That saves Cate the trouble of translating. I'm trying to learn some Amendyrri, but I don't have much more than the basics down yet. I'm Ellie, by the way. It's a pleasure to meet you."