by Jenn Nixon
“I’m sure she had no shortage of enemies,” Cyndra mumbled, watching Mergan pace back and forth. She touched the glass, near the crystal, focused on Mergan. “Hey, bitch.”
Rune blinked.
Zorin snorted. “Going for shock effect?”
“Worth a shot,” Cyndra shrugged. “We need to test the mirror next.”
I’m not sure we should get too close.
“Rune’s right, I have an odd feeling around it,” Zorin said as he lifted his right hand. “I should be able to determine what was used…”
The siphon between him and Cyndra doubled. Zorin took all her lingering power, began taking more than she had in reserves. Evoking her fire but not the flames, Cyndra covered the back of his fingers, encasing his hand between hers.
Cyndra…
I’m good, find out what we’re up against, Cyndra projected and smiled.
Zorin concentrated on the mirror and absorbed the power of the barrier surrounding it. The energy and air were easiest to sense, the familiar feeling of earth and fire entered the mix next. Zorin frowned when the final element spilled off the mirror.
That bad? Rune asked.
He twisted his mouth and nodded. “All five elements, which of course would be the only way to keep all casters inside. I doubt Mergan did this alone.” The slight sound of a scoff echoed through his mind. Zorin whipped his head back to the misty glass to see Mergan still pacing.
Are you okay? Rune glanced over.
Cyndra frowned. “Zorin?”
You know we’re here. Can you see us too? Zorin ignored both casters, released himself from Cyndra’s grasp, and approached the prison. Whatever your plan, I will stop it. If you escape, I will hunt you down and kill you myself.
If you had the nerve to kill me, you would have done so long ago. Mergan’s voice entered his head, turning his body to stone, funneling rage through his veins.
“Hey, answer me, what’s wrong?” Cyndra attempted to get his attention by placing her warm hand on his forearm.
Is she the one you’ve been dreaming about, the one who gets you hard? Mergan’s face appeared on the glass.
Zorin jerked back, feeling prickles of the soulless’ dark energy filter through the air. Cyndra’s fire, however, warmed his body and helped him focus.
You think this newborn caster can save you?
She’s already stronger than I ever was.
Strong enough to love a man who prefers to live as a monster.
“I’m not a monster,” Zorin roared, shaking the misty white glass as he expanded his wings and clenched his hands.
Cyndra jerked him by the arm, turning him away from the glass. “Zorin, hey. Snap out of it.”
He blinked and met her eyes. “She can hear me, maybe see us.”
“Oh yeah?” Cyndra walked toward the mirror and projected, You know who I am, lady?
The image of Mergan pacing never changed and her face on the glass remained. Zorin knew Mergan wouldn’t hear the casters. They had never bonded with her.
“Seems she only hears me,” Zorin said.
Ask her what she wants, Rune suggested.
Zorin chuckled tersely. “I will try if you wish, but it’s a waste of time. I can ask a thousand questions and she won’t answer one.”
Mergan’s image smirked.
What do you want, Mergan?
The same as you, freedom. I’ve paid my penance—
You helped destroy the world. You should be dead.
And you deserve to live? The flare was your idea in the first place.
Zorin shook his head and backed away from the mirror. “More lies.”
“Don’t let her get into your head, Zorin,” Cyndra said to deaf ears.
Have your precious Cyndra help you remember, turn you back, and heal your blackened heart. I’ve done all I can for you. I always knew you were beyond saving, with all the darkness you carried. I hope you don’t contaminate her the way you did me.
Your madness has no end—
Do you even remember helping me build the mirror?
I would never—
Did you tell Cyndra what you did to her mother?
Enough of your lies!
“Zorin, look at me,” Cyndra called.
Does she know the darkness within is the monster she sees when she looks at you?
Zorin slammed his fist into the prison wall, cracking the glass. Cyndra stopped his second hand with both of hers and backed into the wall due to the sheer force of his punch.
“Stop,” she grunted, holding his fist near her chest.
The embedded crystal softly tinked as it fell to the ground.
Panting, Zorin stared into her eyes, trying to forget Mergan’s words as they seeped into his soul. Fearing Cyndra’s recollection about his knowledge of the mirror now had confirmation, and worrying what else may be true, he stepped away from the caster, easing the siphon to a trickle.
“What are you doing?”
Zorin tugged back. “Release my hand.”
Furrowing her brow, she let go of his fist and stared at him. Rune picked up the crystal from the floor, projected Cyndra’s name and she disappeared from view. Mergan’s image faded from the glass, but inside, she was still pacing. Perhaps that was an illusion as well.
I don’t know, Rune replied to a query he missed and tied the crystal to his belt.
“What do you think?” Cyndra asked.
“Regarding?” Zorin turned away from the prison, gazing in the direction of the mirror he couldn’t see without touching Cyndra.
Rune and I want to put up a barrier on this room, just in case.
Zorin shook his head.
Why not? Rune asked.
I can think of a variety of reasons.
Which are? Cyndra put a hand on her hip and gazed up at him.
You’re not strong enough. The power you’ll evoke will tempt me far more than anything you’ve done yet.
I know you can help me control—
I only siphon what I need, Cyndra. Don’t tempt me.
You know, I got a handle on my shit for you, because I didn’t want to be the reason you…I thought you trusted me.
Zorin rubbed the side of his face and sighed. I do, but I know the depths of this hunger.
I need to try. Whatever her escape plan is, it’s already in motion.
“Think,” he barked. “Casting your power in this mansion may only help her.”
“I thought of that, do we really have another choice?”
“I won’t siphon you.”
“Then why are you still here?”
Staring at the defiant Cyndra, he clenched his jaw and headed toward the exit. She sighed from behind. The glass crack that Zorin created splintered and expanded, piercing the silence of the room. Cyndra gasped, filling the air with her energy and fire.
He spun to see the soulless caster they thought to be Tulli materialized near the mirror as one of the wraiths came out of the glass that rippled like water.
A fireball appeared above Rune’s hand, while Cyndra’s entire arm came to life with flames. Zorin, ready to protect the casters with his last breath, flexed his wings and watched intently to see who would make the first move.
Cyndra let the power build, knowing Zorin would take it if he wanted it or she needed him to ease her back. She shared a look with Rune, similar to the one from the first day they met and ran into the soulless, curious and confused, scared but ready to fight.
There was no chit-chatting this time. No stalling. Not-Really-Tulli lunged for Rune. The wraith spiraled toward Zorin just as another loud crack echoed through the room.
Cyndra blasted her flames toward the wraith and rolled sideways. Zorin’s wing swung through the air, clipping the wraith and making it shrink backward. Rune shot a knife across the room, striking the wraith’s billowy cloak. From her knees, Cyndra evoked the fire and crunched her hand, directing the flare toward the soulless. For some reason, she didn’t dust out like the others despite not havi
ng a crystal this time.
A third crack of the glass caused a wave of terror to rip up her spine. Cyndra ran toward the prison wall, able to see the glass but not Mergan. She lifted her hands and imagined a barrier of energy and fire, something strong enough to keep Mergan contained.
Cyndra! Zorin called from the opposite side of the room.
“Watch my back,” she snapped, evoking both elements without turning. Even though she didn’t want the flames, they sparked to life and covered her arm in a second. Waves of cool energy twisted through her fingers. Zorin wasn’t siphoning her but something pulled at her power.
The fourth crack of glass spread from the top of the wall to the bottom. Zorin jerked her away from the wall. Tiny cracks splintered through the middle and glowed an eerie dark green.
Glass exploded everywhere.
The wraith screeched and vanished into the mirror.
Zorin wrapped his arms around her and spun, extending his wings to shield her and Rune who crouched and covered his head. Cyndra fell out of Zorin’s arms as he dropped to his knees.
He growled in pain and palmed the ground. Glass covered and punctured his wings. Mergan’s laughter filled the air.
Is that…
Cyndra glared across the room. As she stood, both hands twitched and the power began to build.
“The monster, the mute, and the mouth, I should probably say thank you, since you all played your parts beautifully.” Mergan kicked a few pieces of glass out of the way and stepped barefoot into the room, exiting the prison Evie put her in twenty-five years ago. She smoothed the fabric of her simple dark blue dress and smiled at Cyndra like they were friends. “It’ll be fun to watch you suffer now that I’m free.”
“You really are twisted, huh?” Cyndra said, unable to help herself.
“Cyndra, don’t—” Zorin froze.
Mergan lifted her hand. “You only speak when I ask for your input, my pet.”
Zorin rose from the floor slowly, looked directly into Cyndra’s eyes displaying an amount of fear she’d never seen before. Rune, clutching a knife in each hand, stared at her, just as unsure of what to do.
Worried Mergan may hear their conversation through the crystal bond, Cyndra thought like Zorin instead. He’d want to fight. He’d do anything to stop Mergan.
“Is that what you do? Force people to help you? Kinda pathetic.” When the fear in his stare turned to anger, Cyndra lit her hand on fire, knowing it was still stronger, and hoped he’d siphon what he needed to fight.
“Oh, look, the newborn wants to play. Hasn’t he told you who I am?”
“Yeah, not really impressive, if I’m being honest.” Cyndra focused on her energy next, wishing it would snap Zorin out of his daze.
Mergan smirked, stepping closer, her focus solely on Zorin. “You’ll do what I say if you don’t want anything to happen to your…friends, if that’s what you’d call people you use, pet.”
We are his friends, Rune signed angrily as he projected his thoughts.
“Yeah, friends don’t manipulate each other.” She glanced over her shoulder to see Zorin wince when he folded his wings. Cyndra wiggled her fingers, trying to get him to start the siphon. He never took his eyes off Mergan.
The older woman stepped slowly through the glass, focused on Zorin’s face. “He wanted to be stronger, more powerful. I only did as he asked me to do.”
“He wanted to end the war.”
“Did he tell you how many people he killed?”
“Wow, you really think I’m that naive?” Cyndra chuckled, less afraid of her the more she talked.
“Cyndra,” Zorin warned.
“Another word and they both die,” Mergan snapped, lifting her hand higher.
Rune stepped closer, his earthcasting power building. Cyndra met his eyes for a quick second to see he was ready to fight, too. Zorin stayed frozen at the opposite side of the room, fueling their bond with his fear.
“Give it your best shot,” Cyndra said, glaring at the woman as her arm burst into flames.
“I see you inherited your mother’s fire,” Mergan said, smirking. “Did Zorin tell you what he did to her?”
“Baiting me won’t work either.” Cyndra shook her head to hide the surprise. “Whatever he did to survive, he had his reasons. You can’t use his past against him anymore.”
“Feeling grown up, are we?” Mergan’s eyes settled on Rune. “You look so much like your father.”
Where is he? Rune projected.
“He wants—”
“I don’t need the crystal bond to know what he wants. I see the longing in his eyes. I can answer your questions. I know what happened to Bale.” Mergan turned to Cyndra. “I will strike a bargain with you, caster.”
“Oh, this should be good.”
“Remove all the barriers from the island and I will tell you what you want to know and let you leave, unharmed with your friend.”
Cyndra tossed her head back and laughed and sensed Zorin’s fear double via the bond. “And if I don’t?”
“My wraiths and casters will never stop terrorizing you, hunting you until you’re in the mirror with the rest of your kind.”
“Your kind, what the fuck are you talking about?”
“The high-caste families with lineages tracing back to our ancestors. They make the rules, carry out the punishments for those who don’t follow their code. Made those of us who were different feel like pariah. Just like the humans. Now they suffer along with those who defied me.”
“That’s why you’ve locked the casters away? You didn’t fit in. They bullied you. They wouldn’t follow you blindly when you started letting innocent people die? Doesn’t make a lick of difference now. You wanted to destroy the world. Guess what? You did. For some reason, Zorin’s afraid of you, but I’m not.”
“No?”
“No. I’ve been afraid my whole life because of what you did, what I saw. Everything we’ve suffered the last twenty-five years is your doing. There’s only one way you’re stepping foot off this island. Over my dead body.”
“You’re a fool, Cyndra Raine. You’ve seen what I’ve done, you should pledge your loyalty to me before I bend you to my will like Zorin here. He knows what I’ve been doing or has he forgotten?” Mergan smiled, extending her left hand, which had the swirl symbol for energy. The crystal from the wall, tied to Rune’s belt, shot across the room and landed in her palm. “Thank you for talking so much. It’s much easier to recover with Zorin in the room. Our bond is stronger than most, isn’t it, pet?”
Zorin lunged forward. She shifted toward the exit faster than the blink of an eye. Mergan grinned and clutched the crystal. She shifted again, disappearing from sight.
Despite his injured wings, Zorin rushed out, following Mergan with Rune on his heel. As Cyndra dashed for the door, Not-Really-Tulli reappeared in the hallway, opening her siphon, which wasn’t nearly as fun as when Zorin did it. A mixture of orange and greenish-white light spilled from her fingertips making Cyndra sick to her stomach.
“Please, stop,” she gasped and fell to her knees.
The soulless woman sucked the power with wild abandoned. “I need to go back.”
“I can try to help you, just…stop! You were a caster. We’re not meant to fight each other.” Cyndra evoked her fire, hoping to overload the soulless’ siphon.
Tears seemed to fill the woman’s eyes. The siphon lessened. “The hunger is so strong, she lied about everything.”
“What did she do to you?” Cyndra lowered her hand but kept her power on her fingertips at the ready.
“Transformed us…used our darkness and hatred to create the wraiths.”
Cyndra frowned, trying to ignore the shivers down her back and stayed focused. “Why?”
“Mergan told us we were helping. She forced us to drain the casters and siphons she targeted. We took their power to feed to the wraiths so they could enter the mirror,” she said, covering her face as she shook her head.
“There are r
egular humans in there?” Cyndra eyed the mirror feeling sicker than ever.
“Yes,” the woman replied. “The war was real enough, everyone was against each other near the end. Mergan’s lies always seemed to fit the narrative.”
“That’s what manipulators do, they feed on fear. What does she have on Zorin?”
She shook her head. “He was transformed before I came to the island to replace one of the original twelve.”
Cyndra furrowed her brow. “How long were you here before the flare came?”
“Two years.”
“Shit,” Cyndra shut her eyes. “Will you help me?”
“How?”
“I have a really crazy idea, but you’re going to have to control your siphon and…trust me.” Cyndra took a step away from the mirror and lit her hand on fire. “I want you to call your wraith back here.”
Zorin pushed back against the pain, using it to run faster down the corridor leading to the rear of the mansion. Rune, almost as quick, skidded to a halt near the wide-open back door.
Does Mergan have that kind of control over you, Zorin?
“Not anymore,” he replied, stepping closer to the exit, already sensing Mergan’s growing power on the wind. With a crystal, she’d be back to full strength in a matter of hours. “She knows my past deeds, but I have little recollection to verify what’s true. If her manipulations and lies don’t work, she resorts to pain.”
What other barriers are on the island?
“I don’t know, let’s see if we can find out,” Zorin ran outside and down the stairs instead of gliding so he wouldn’t exacerbate the agony surging through his body. At the bottom, he glanced around the lawn, wishing he’d taken more of Cyndra’s power when he had the chance. “Mergan!”
“Yes?” she called from behind. She shifted toward the middle of the staircase and lifted her hand.
Zorin tensed, waiting for the right moment to make his move. “This needs to end.”
“And what’s that? Your transformation? No, you’re not ready to give that up yet. My search for the casters? That’s done. Freedom? One step closer,” Mergan said, smiling as she slinked down the steps slowly, gazing toward Rune again. “Your father turned down my invitation to work together. Will you?”
