The Beast of Talesend (Beaumont and Beasley Book 1)

by Kyle Shultz

  “Punching him will be quicker.”

  “There’s no need for that!”

  I put a finger to my lips. “Hang on.” Hearing the man draw closer, I stepped right out in front of him. “I’m sorry to do this,” I said, pulling back my fist.

  He drew in his breath at the sight of me and dropped his flashlight with a clatter. Before I could take a swing at him, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he slumped to the floor.

  “Did you hit him?” asked Cordelia, her voice muffled by the wall between us.

  I rolled my eyes. “Didn’t have to. He fainted.”

  She poked her head around the corner. “Oh,” she said, looking down at the unfortunate guard. “Well. That’s convenient.”

  “Come on.” I beckoned to her and strode further into the room. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Cordelia hurried to each doorway to cast her barrier spells. I looked around as I waited. For the most part, the hall was filled with fairly unimpressive artifacts - a few rusty swords from the Battle of Hamelin, a large bust of King Charming VII of Contefay, and three paintings by Nicolai Geppetto (two of which I recognized as forgeries). But all these paled in comparison to the enormous mirror hanging on the wall before me. It was roughly eight feet tall and four feet wide. The metalwork of the golden frame was exquisite, if macabre - with intricate designs of hideous, shrieking faces carved along the edges. The glass was impossibly clean, without a single smudge or speck of dust marring its surface.

  And yet, the reflections within it seemed somehow...wrong.

  I couldn’t put my finger on precisely what was wrong with them. The only source of illumination in the room was the full moon beaming through the skylight, so it was difficult for me to make a careful study. But in the mirror, the shadows looked even more dense. My own form looked far more hideous than what I remembered from my last glimpse of my reflection, and there was a subtle hint of menace in my expression which certainly didn’t match how I really felt. I watched in the Mirror as Cordelia, having finished her spell-work, turned and walked up behind me. There was a deathly paleness in her features, and a cold, hard glint in her eyes.

  The fur on the back of my neck shot up, and I stifled an involuntary growl. I spun around to see Cordelia in the flesh. There was no paleness or hatred on her face; just an expression of surprise and confusion. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I said quickly. “I just - that thing’s rather spooky, isn’t it?” I gestured toward the mirror.

  Her eyes widened. “You noticed?”

  “I’m not sure what I noticed.”

  “The reflection doesn’t look right to you, does it?”

  “No. Though I’ve no idea why; I’ve seen this thing before and it always seemed normal.”

  She watched her own reflection for a moment, then turned away with a slight shudder. “Not many people can tell,” she said. “Charmbloods can, of course. And your senses are stronger now. Most monsters have a nose for dark magic.” Her eyes darted briefly in my direction. “No—”

  “Wait,” I interrupted, holding up a hand. “Let’s just agree right now that you don’t have to say ‘no offense’ every time you make a reference to the fact that I’m not quite myself these days. Otherwise, it’s going to get very tiresome for both of us.”

  She nodded. “Good idea.”

  I turned my attention back to the Mirror, twitching my tail back and forth and watching to make sure the distorted image in the glass followed my movements. It made me feel like I still had some degree of control over the situation. “Right then; you’re the Princess Charming. Explain the weird reflections.”

  “Charmblood,” Cordelia corrected, looking annoyed.

  I suppressed a grin. “Whatever.”

  “I should begin by explaining that almost everything you’ve heard about the story of Snow White is wrong.”

  I groaned. “You’re not going to tell me a bedtime story, are you?”

  “I’ll keep it short. It all started with a king whose wife died in childbirth.”

  “Yes, yes, I remember. So he married again, and the second wife was evil.”

  “No, actually. He refused to accept his wife’s death. So he asked a fairy to help him bring her back to life.”

  I blinked. “That’s new.”

  “Naturally, she told him that resurrecting the dead was impossible. But he continued to plead with her, so she also told him about an ancient, enchanted mirror that held impressions of all creatures that had been born since its creation. Echoes, if you will.”

  I frowned, puzzled. “What, like a film reel?”

  She shrugged. “Sort of. A lot more than that, obviously, but I suppose the analogy works. Anyway, the mirror was intended to be used only to retrieve information. The ‘echoes’ weren’t people, just fragments. They were never supposed to get out of the mirror realm into the physical world. But the fairy told the king that she could pull out the reflection of his wife and make her real.”

  “I’m guessing that was a bad idea.”

  “Exactly. The ‘resurrected’ queen wasn’t fully human. She had no heart, to be precise. If she was going to survive in the real world, she would need to take one from somebody else. Somebody with the blood of the real queen in her veins.”

  “Aha!” I said triumphantly. “I think I see where this is going.”

  “Fortunately, Snow White was a lot more clever than the stories give her credit for. And she was a Charmblood, which helped her chances. She went to the Brotherhood of Seven, a band of—”

  “Dwarves,” I guessed.

  “—and commissioned them to make her a coffin from mirror-glass. Then she enchanted it and sealed herself inside it. The queen’s huntsman was secretly an ally of Snow White, and he told the queen that he had been successful in killing the princess. But when the queen touched the coffin, she was drawn back into the mirror realm, never to escape again.”

  I blinked. “Wait a minute. Are you saying she’s still in there? The Wicked Queen herself?”

  “Yes.” She lifted a hand toward the Mirror. “And we’re about to let her out.”

  My ears shot straight up. I reached out and caught her wrist in mid-air. “Are you insane?”

  She smiled. “I thought you already knew that.”

  “You’re going to free this - this thing?”

  “I’m not going to ‘free’ it. I’m just going to draw it out for a couple of minutes. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it stays tethered to the Mirror.”

  “But why take the risk?”

  “I told you. Information. That was the Mirror’s original purpose, after all. Granted, it’s been through a lot since then, and I imagine there will be a price for any questions it answers, but at least we’ll find a way to change you back.”

  “No,” I said firmly, pulling her away from the Mirror. “It’s not worth it. Not for me. We’ll find another way.”

  “There is no other way,” she insisted. “Besides, it’s not only about you. I want to find out how to stop my father, too.”

  I sighed. “You’re sure you can keep the Queen-thingummy under control?”

  “Fairly sure. Don’t be so doubtful; you’ve seen me in action. I’m actually quite good at magic.”

  “I’ve seen you cast one spell you can’t break and another that wore off too quickly. I’m not exactly overwhelmed with confidence.”

  She tapped her foot impatiently. “Fine,” she said, marching over to a nearby glass case. She cast a few runes toward it which shattered the glass, then retrieved a long, spiked mace from inside. With some difficulty, she hefted it over to me and shoved it into my hands. “Here,” she said with a grunt. “Insurance policy. If anything goes wrong, haul off and smash the Mirror. You’ll be destroying a priceless artifact, but at least we won’t get our faces melted off or anything like that.”

  “I hope not,” I said, testing the weight of the weapon. “My face looks bad enough as it is.”

  “Oh, and one other thin
g - follow my lead. Don’t speak to it, and whatever you do, don’t ask any questions whatsoever.”

  “Why not?”

  “Just don’t.” She shoved me out of the way. “Give me some space. This is going to be tricky.” Taking a deep breath, she stretched her hands toward the Mirror and closed her eyes.

  Runes appeared instantly and swirled against the glass, but for a few moments, nothing else happened. Then the Mirror began to shake violently. An eerie green light blazed so brightly inside the glass that I had to put up a hand to shield my eyes. The light rapidly congealed into a vaguely feminine form. The figure bulged out from the glass, stretching its mouth into a grotesque grin. It sucked the runes down its throat, like a shark swallowing a school of fish. Then it floated down from the mirror’s frame, advancing into the room. But just as it was about to reach us, some invisible tether pulled back on it, drawing it closer to the Mirror once more.

  “It’s all right,” said Cordelia, glancing at me. “See? The tether is holding.”

  The entity threw open its mouth again, this time in a furious shriek.

  “That’s going to bring the guards,” I said.

  “Barrier spells, remember?” Cordelia reminded me. “They’ll think the room is empty and quiet, and they’ll feel inexplicably reluctant to come inside. We’re safe.”

  The creature gave another unearthly wail, struggling to break free from the mirror.

  “I don’t feel safe,” I muttered.

  As Cordelia waved her hand, long chains of runes streamed toward the wraith, wrapping around its limbs and binding them to the Mirror’s frame.

  “A little extra security,” she explained.

  I clapped my hands over my ears. “Is it ever going to stop screaming?”

  Apparently, it heard me. The spectre gave a final hiss, then hugged itself as if in pain. The green flow faded as the creature changed shape, rapidly transforming into…

  “You?” I exclaimed, glancing at Cordelia in astonishment. The thing chained to the mirror now looked exactly like her - though it had the same pale skin and murderous glare I had seen on her reflection earlier.

  The real Cordelia shrugged. “It’s a mirror. What do you expect?”

  “Besides,” added Mirrordelia, “Cordelia and I are old, old friends.” Turning her soulless eyes on Cordelia, she gave a low, hideous chuckle, and added, “Aren’t we, darling?”

  As she spoke, her voice deepened, and her form rippled and changed once more. Now a tall, lanky young man in his late teens hung in front of the mirror, still wearing the same malicious smirk. He had long blond hair, and his clothes were torn and dirty. The left side of his face was handsome, but the right half was badly scarred, as if it had once been burned.

  “Apparently it knows you,” I said to Cordelia. “Have you done this before? And who’s he?”

  The color had drained from Cordelia’s face. She stared up at the mirror, ignoring my question.

  “Found a new boyfriend, Cordelia?” the scarred youth taunted. “And I thought the last one was ugly.”

  “Shut up,” she choked.

  “What was that nasty little nickname you invented for him, back when you first met him?” He snapped his fingers. “Right. I remember. The Scarecr—”

  “I said shut up!” Cordelia clenched her fists as she shouted at the creature. Red light flashed in her eyes, and the blue runes binding the wraith to the mirror shone crimson as well.

  The entity cried out in pain, but the sound was mixed with triumphant laughter.

  I felt the heat from the now-fiery runes singe my fur. Tentatively, I touched Cordelia’s shoulder. “It’s all right,” I said softly. “Don’t let him - it - make you angry. That’s what it wants.”

  She turned to look at me, the furious light still glowing in her eyes. But her expression began to soften. She inhaled deeply, and the runes turned blue once more. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “We don’t have to do this.”

  “Oh, yes, you do,” said the wraith, now speaking in a voice I recognized. My own. Or, to be more specific, my own before it had acquired a deeper, growling undertone. My human self now hovered in front of the mirror.

  “Don’t you want to be this handsome again?” it asked, giving me a mocking smile.

  “Actually,” I said, stroking my chin as I appraised the image, “truth be told, that’s not a very good likeness. The eyes are all wrong, and that nose - the real me is much better-looking.”

  Cordelia gave me a warning look. “Careful, Nick.”

  The creature shifted back into Mirrordelia. “You’re fun,” it said, tilting its head and regarding me with interest. “I’m going to enjoy playing with you. Can’t promise that you’ll like it, though.”

  “We’re not here for games,” said Cordelia. “You know what we want.”

  “Of course,” sneered her doppelganger. “I know everything. But why should I give you what you want? Clearly, all it’s going to get me is a few more centuries trapped behind a pane of glass.”

  “What’s your price?” I asked.

  “Wait!” cried Cordelia. “I told you not to—”

  Mirrordelia laughed. “Straight to the bargaining. I knew I liked you. But in order to discuss terms, I really must insist that we move to a more comfortable venue. Well, more comfortable for me, anyway. I don’t do business in chains.”

  “What are you talking about?” Cordelia demanded.

  “You want to make a deal with me, and you want my knowledge. For both those things, I need full use of my powers. I don’t have that in this realm. So you’re going to have to come over to mine.”

  “Oh, come on,” I said impatiently. “Of course we’re not going to do that. We’re not stupid.”

  “I beg to differ. Didn’t Cordelia say something to you about not asking any questions?”

  I froze. “Oops. But - wait, I only asked you what your price was!”

  “It doesn’t matter. Rules are rules. Now that you’ve asked me a question, the bargain has begun. That means that while I am, to a certain degree, under your power, you are also under mine.”

  Cordelia sighed. “I told you.”

  “You didn’t tell me what would happen!”

  “Do you have to be informed of the potentially soul-threatening consequences in order to keep from doing something? Can’t you just listen?”

  Mirrordelia cleared her throat loudly. “Getting back to the point, boys and girls - I may not be able to escape this Mirror. But now that the ancient ceremony has been set in motion, I can pull the two of you inside.”

  The wraith flung out its hands, and an invisible force caught hold of me, dragging me closer to the Mirror. I swiped at it with the mace, but the weapon swung wide and flew from my grasp, crashing into the wall. Beside me, Cordelia stumbled and fell, struggling against the tide. Crouching to all fours, I dug my claws into the tiles beneath us and reached out to her. “Take my hand!”

  “Too late,” the creature cackled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement that benefits us all. And if not...well, I could always do with some company to while away the millennia.”

  Just as Cordelia caught hold of my hand, I felt the wraith’s ice-cold touch on my shoulder. There was a sound like a train roaring through a tunnel as sickly-green light swallowed us whole.

  CHAPTER NINE

  It Could Be Worse

  “Nick?”

  “Nnggg.”

  “Nick?”

  “Jus’…five more minutes.”

  “Nick, wake up!” I felt someone give my tail a sharp jerk.

  “Yeowch!” I sat bolt upright and saw Cordelia standing over me. “That’s not the bell-pull for calling your maid, you know!” I flicked the appendage out of her reach.

  She was too preoccupied with taking in our surroundings to acknowledge my complaint. There wasn’t much to look at. We were almost completely surrounded by a thick mist, and only able to see about ten feet in any direction. The ground was pe
rfectly flat, and pure white in color. Behind us, there was a high black wall, with another Mirror hanging on it. The design of the original Mirror had not been completely symmetrical, and I could see that the design of this mirror’s frame was reversed. It was a backwards version of the one we had come through.

  I dug a claw into the white surface beneath us. “Is this snow?”

  “No,” said Cordelia, “it’s grass.” She bent down on one knee and plucked a few blades. “Very short grass. And that black stuff’s not a wall; it’s an incredibly well-trimmed hedge. Somebody’s been keeping up with their gardening.”

  I got to my feet. “Where did the spooky shapeshifter-lady go?”

  “No idea.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Great. On top of everything else, I’m now trapped in a mirror for all eternity.”

  “Well, if we are, it’s your fault.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, then realized I didn’t have anything to say in my defense. “You’re right,” I said, drooping my ears and tail in resignation. “I’m sorry.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You know, you don’t apologize often, but when you do - you actually look kind of adorable.”

  “Er - thanks?” I said uncertainly. “I suppose we should—”

  Cordelia seized the lapels of my coat, pulled my face down to her level, and kissed me.

  At that moment, I realized something. My eyes narrowed in suspicion as she released me and gazed adoringly into my face.

  “You’re not Cordelia,” I said.

  Mirrordelia pouted. “Of course I’m not,” she said in irritation. “But couldn’t you have pretended I was?”

  “Where’s the real Cordelia?” I demanded.

  She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, she’s here. She’s just invisible. And inaudible, and intangible. On this side of the glass, you only sense what I want you to.”

  “Bring her back,” I growled.

  The wraith clicked her tongue in annoyance, then waved her hand. A blurred, translucent figure appeared beside me, slowly materializing into Cordelia. She was staring at me in horror. “You kissed that thing?” she exclaimed.

  I winced. “You saw that?”