by Jenn Nixon
“Unless being a caster outweighs Mergan’s transformation.” Jack reached across the table, taking her hand. “We’re both ready to follow your lead, Cyndra.”
“I want nothing more than to jump in there and find him. I also know what that means if the protections are still around that mirror. No one gets out.” Cyndra sighed. “I even thought of just removing my elements, one by one, but the barriers don’t work that way. All elements, all at once, which means three casters are needed at a minimum.”
“Multi-casts are the toughest to counter. I remember seeing a hurricane, back home in Florida, before the island. I only learned later it was a group of air and water casters.” Jack sighed, rubbing his brand. “They ended up destroying most of the state with one huge storm.”
That’s why Southzone is so small. Rune shook his head, aghast. I honestly never thought I’d say this, Cyndra, but we may have to make the hardest decision of all.
Cyndra picked at the plate of cheese, wishing she were hungry, hating to waste food. “What’s that?”
Do nothing.
“Which means?” Jack glanced between the two.
Shutting her eyes, Cyndra took in a deep breath, hating herself for thinking, let alone saying it aloud. “Everyone stays in the mirror. We stay here, guarding it.”
“And that’s it?”
Cyndra shrugged. “This island still has barriers that none of us know about. The lighthouse too. We’re safest here, from the soulless, wraiths, even the siphons out there.”
I never even thought about it. There may be hundreds in the Eastzone.
“Some of which are as old as us, and may have a bunch of new childhood memories in their head about the war and missing loved ones,” Cyndra huffed, rising from her seat, feeling her hand heating up. “This wasn’t supposed to be this fucking complicated.”
“Hey,” Jack said softly, coming to her side and offering his hand. Cyndra took it, happy to strengthen their bond. She needed all the connections and distractions possible. “There’s also one last choice, Cyndra.”
“What?” she and Rune asked together.
“You and Rune go in while I stand guard.”
“No way.” Cyndra tugged her hand back. “Not without knowing there’s a way out. We don’t know what twisted place Mergan created, could be worse than the darklands in there.”
Jack nodded solemnly, moving to the icebox and retrieving a couple of juice boxes.
Still, it’s something to consider.
“I know you want to see your father, Rune—”
And I want to help those innocent people in there.
“We’re sure all of them are? Aside from whatever they did during the war, a lot can happen in twenty-five years. You’ve heard survival horror stories. There are thousands of people in there.”
“We have rules, Cyndra,” Jack said, holding back a smile. “If we do let everyone out, we can have elections and tribunals, hold people accountable if needed.”
Lead with logic, decide by majority. Rune used her grandmother’s words against her.
The casters would know how to conduct themselves in the real world. They’d lived thousands of years in peace until the humans turned the casters’ siphons against them.
Nodding, Cyndra smiled at her friends, super grateful to have them on her side. “So what does the majority decide we do today?”
“Rune and I have an idea. Neither of us really like sleeping in the lighthouse, and it is cramped, so we were thinking of making tiny sleeping coves from roots and earth beside the garden.”
“That sounds way cool. Can’t really help, but I’d love to watch,” Cyndra said, picking up a cube of cheese and taking small bites.
“Oh, you can help, we want to dig out the areas first,” Jack said, smirking. “By hand.”
Save the earthcasting for the hard stuff.
“You mean decorating.” Cyndra chuckled. “Really want to make tree-chairs, don’t you?”
Rune nodded and trilled at her.
“Sounds like a fun day. I’m going to shower maybe take a walk over the mansion,” she added, watching them both frown. “I won’t go past the barrier. I just want to listen.”
“It’s Rune’s turn to clean up, would you like some company?”
“I would.”
Jack grinned at her. “Walk first then shower, it’s hot out.”
“Good thinking,” she said, turned back to Rune and softly punching his shoulder. “Meet you in the garden when we’re done. Bring the water bottle with you.”
Rune nodded then smiled and got to work clearing the table. Cyndra followed Jack to the staircase, then paused and ran to her backpack in the corner to get her Army hat. After she tossed it on her head, she jogged down to a cleaner storage room at the bottom.
“Find anything good?” She gave it a quick glimpse as she walked through to the door.
“Not really, a stash of guns hidden in back, empty boxes, a couple of bookcases that may come in handy.” Jack followed her out and into the field. He slowed when they reached the trees. “What happened to all the other stuff?”
“Huh?”
“Everything in the mansion? There were like a hundred people living here before the flare.”
“No idea,” Cyndra said, pursing her lips. “Now that you mention it, I wondered about everyone’s crystals. Zorin said many were destroyed, but some had to survive. Where are they? They can’t go through the mirror.”
“Are you certain?”
“Pristy and Mergan were both holding crystals when they went in. The crystals didn’t.”
“Then they should be here, somewhere.”
“The protections on the island,” Cyndra gasped. “The ones Mergan wanted me to unlock. She threatened Rune and Zorin, wanted me to lower all the barriers. I figured she meant the ones around the mansion and lighthouse. What if another one is hiding the crystals? Okay, that sounds stu—”
“Brilliant.” Jack’s eyes lit up. “Watercasting barriers are well known for reflecting or cloaking items.”
“Evie used it on Mergan’s prison so casters couldn’t see her.”
“Exactly.”
“That’s enough for Mergan to want out of her prison. She’s a siphon. All that power in hundreds or thousands of crystals. No one could stop her.” Cyndra paused when they reached the end of the woods and gazed toward the tower, almost able to see the mirror from here. Jack squeezed her hand as his other arm wrapped around her back. Cyndra set her head on his shoulder, sighing. “I don’t think we can fight her, Jack. She was out of that prison for ten minutes and I couldn’t even keep up. I wasn’t ready.”
“Then we need to practice more.”
“Yeah, I know.” Cyndra stepped closer to the barrier, keeping hold of Jack’s hand. “Might actually be easier for me—”
Her vision clouded over and spikes of ice dug into her mind locking her in place.
“Cyndra?”
She released his hand and evoked her fire, keeping it within, using it to fight the cold. Zorin’s scream echoed through her head. “No!”
“Cyndra,” Jack said, sternly, shaking her by the shoulders.
“She’s hurting him!” Cyndra cried, staring at Jack, struggling in his grasp. “I have to help him.”
“How?”
“I…” She gasped. “Need him, Jack.”
“I know,” he said softly, which didn’t help the rising panic. “We’ll find a way.”
The sharp ice shard pierced her temple again. She grabbed her head and collapsed to the ground, screaming. Zorin’s pain became her pain.
“Shit,” Jack spat.
“Mergan, stop,” Cyndra wheezed, struggling to breathe, battling two fronts.
Her surroundings blurred. Jack’s voice slowed and made no sense to her fuzzy mind. Frozen in place, Cyndra fought the tundra in her mind, trying to get Mergan out. The agony, however, pushed her to the brink, turning everything dark.
Chapter 17
Zorin jerked awak
e. Ignoring the burn of his muscles, he pulled on his restraints, feeling the grating of the widow’s walk digging into his knees and shins. He opened his mouth to call for Mergan and heard her hideous laugh echo inside the lighthouse.
“You’ve been here all of a day and have a plan to get out?” an angry male asked.
Zorin didn’t recognize the voice and listened closely to the conversation, giving his body time to recover from all the pain Mergan inflicted.
“Of course, I created this realm,” she sneered. “I’m happy to help those who help me.”
“Why should I trust you? You put most of us in here.”
“War is hell, dear. We’ve all paid our dues,” Mergan said. “Do you want another twenty-five years to pass?”
“What do you want?”
“More power. I need to know where the remaining children are.”
“I don’t know,” the man said.
“Would you tell me if you did know?”
A shudder ran up Zorin’s spine. Mergan’s barrier around the mirror made it impossible for any caster to leave, yet, she acted as if her escape was possible. Tilting his head, he shut his eyes and focused on listening.
The man huffed. “We don’t have our powers here, what good does it do to have more casters—”
“My wraiths need to feed.”
“Why?”
Mergan chuckled.
“Why? They can’t take anyone out of the mirror.”
“No, they can’t, but someone else can.”
Two sets of footsteps grew louder and closer. Faking sleep would never work on Mergan, so he gingerly rose to his feet, locked his wobbly legs in place and stretched his shoulders back, extending his wings. He narrowed his gaze as she cleared the stairs and moved toward the doorway to the widow’s walk. Her features emerged from the dark room. Zorin didn’t recognize the man behind her, but watched his eyes widen with fear.
“Sleep well, my pet?” she cooed, moving into his personal space and running her hand up his chest. “How I do miss siphoning you, Zorin.”
He kept his focus on the man, knowing it’d piss Mergan off.
“What is he?” the man asked.
Mergan sighed. “Does it matter? He’s our way out.”
“Like hell,” Zorin snapped.
“I only need a smidge of power,” she said to the man. “My dark ones siphon the casters and feed the wraiths who will feed me and then I shall feed him. Once I regain my mental hold over him, he’ll fly us right out of here.”
“She lies, there’s a barrier in place,” Zorin spat, playing up the anger to mask the fear.
“Do you think I don’t have contingencies, even for my own imprisonment,” Mergan laughed.
“Even if it were true, a smidge of power will never work. You have no hold over me.”
“We’ll see.” Mergan’s eyes narrowed and darkened before she turned to her companion. “Find out where the other caster children are if you wish to regain your freedom.”
Zorin locked his jaw. Convincing this man of anything contradicting Mergan seemed pointless, he needed to reach Cyndra, somehow relay what he learned.
“I will bring your proposal to my group,” the man said.
Mergan scoffed as she led him back into the lighthouse. “Whatever you feel the need to do. You have four hours to decide.”
Shutting his eyes, Zorin sighed and tucked his wings back so he could sit and ease the strain on his arms. Four hours here was about two days on the outside. With no way of getting out or contacting Pristy or Evie, he only had one option, reaching Cyndra’s dreams.
He dropped his head, trying to force his mind to quiet, willing his body to relax. Sleep was the furthest thought from his mind.
After ten minutes, Zorin glanced at the railing, debating a hard whack to knock him out cold, anything to get him under. Clenching his fists and jaw, he lowered his head until his chin touched his chest. He breathed in deeply, then again.
“This isn’t what I wanted,” Mergan’s unusually soft voice filled the air.
Zorin lifted his head.
“Being here, without any powers, I…feel like a child again, no hardships, family curses—”
“That’s always been your downfall, what I came to believe after you twisted my grief.” Zorin shook his head. “Casting elements is a gift, Mergan. Given to our ancestors because of our care for the planet, for others—”
“What care did they have for you? For me and the rest of our group?”
“You challenged everything they taught us and look where it led you? Bondless, power starved, and raving mad.”
“Our bond is strong, pet.”
“No, it’s not. It never was. You…have no concept of a true bond, Mergan.”
Mergan’s eyes flickered. “You think a bond with a monster can be true?”
“I’m not a monster,” he grunted.
“No, sorry, gargoyle. That’s what she thinks, in her mind.”
“Lies.”
She chortled. “If I had the power to send you to her dreams I would, just to see the look on your face.”
Gritting his teeth kept him from responding.
Mergan pushed a hand through her graying hair, shaking her head slightly as she gazed down at him. “The dark ones will find the casters or a crystal and return to the island, no matter how long it takes. When they do, I’ll make sure they drain your precious Cyndra dry.”
“Rune and Cyndra are strong enough to protect themselves now, your pathetic soulless are useless.”
“Then I’ll just have to find another way to get the power I need and the consequences will be on your head, Zorin.”
“Give it your best shot.”
She snarled. “You’re starting to speak like her. How sad.”
Zorin laughed.
Mergan curled her lip, clenched both hands before turning and storming away. He laughed louder, on purpose, hearing her heavy footsteps stomp down the stairs. In the haze of lost memories, he’d forgotten how easy it was to goad Mergan with his disobedience. Challenging her had been a favorite pastime in his previous life before he became her monster.
She no longer had sway over his mind. He no longer needed her crystal power to survive. Zorin chuckled, letting it fade naturally, and sighed as he gazed up at the fake mirror-realm sky. He pictured Cyndra’s smile and cracked his head on the railing.
The tinny door chime echoed through the air pulling Cyndra away from her meager breakfast. She gazed up and blinked seeing Pristy walk in.
“Hey, cuz, what’s shaking,” she asked, crinkling her brow. “What’s wrong?”
“Surprised to see you here, I’ve been in Turner’s Village for over five years now, and you never stop long enough to visit.”
“I’m visiting now, aren’t I?”
Cyndra walked around the counter and met Pristy in the middle for a hug.
Pristy’s voice rang in her mind. Cyndra!
Shaking her head, Cyndra broke from the hug, hearing the voice call a second time. “What is that?”
“Huh?” Pristy tilted her head to the side. “Got anything—”
“Shh,” Cyndra said, shutting her eyes, listening.
Cyndra! Can you hear me?
Yes? she thought back to the voice.
Finally. Don’t freak out, you’re probably dreaming…
Cyndra opened her eyes to see she was no longer in her trailer, rather standing in the middle of a grassy field that seemed to stretch to eternity. Pristy?
Yep, it’s me. I’m in the mirror-realm…and you’re not going to believe this. Evie, Lily ,my dad and Rune’s, they’re all here.
Grandma Evie’s alive?
Yes, she hasn’t changed, time runs differently here. She taught me how to contact you.
What?
I have to be quick. Zorin’s here, too, you know that. Sorry. Mergan has him, Cyndra. He made me promise to tell you. Grandma said the wraiths are trapped here because those soulless aren’t feeding on enough caster pow
er.
Good.
No, not good. Mergan’s trying to escape.
How?
We’re not sure, yet. She created this place, I’m sure she made a back door so to speak.
What does Evie know about the protections around the island?
I don’t know, never came up. But she doesn’t want you lowering the barriers until Mergan’s stopped.
Who’s going to do that?
There was no reply.
Pristy? Cyndra shouted, “Pristy!” The scenery changed again to the island, near the mansion. She tried calling out to her cousin again.
Zorin’s voice echoed back.
Cyndra’s eyes popped open and filled with tears. “No.”
Rolling into the mattress, Cyndra screamed and kicked her feet as she balled the sheet in her hands. Zorin was there, in her dream.
“Cyndra?” Jack stood at the top of the stairs, staring across the room.
She covered her face, stopped the tears, and took a deep breath. “Had a dream with Pristy…and Zorin was there, I heard him and then I woke up.”
“Damn,” he replied softly. “Do you want me to leave?”
Shaking her head, Cyndra wiped her cheeks and glanced up. “The opposite, get Rune and meet me in the kitchen. We have to talk.”
Jack nodded and disappeared downstairs, leaving her with the pit in her stomach and the hollow spot in her heart which ached more with each breath. Remembering Pristy’s cryptic message word for word, Cyndra got up, changed into a pair of shorts and T-shirt, and then bounded downstairs, holding all her emotions from her face. The moment Rune called her out she’d fall apart again.
Neither of them was present when she reached the living space, giving her a moment to find something to drink and take a few sips of tea in peace and quiet. A couple minutes later, two sets of footsteps jogged up the lighthouse staircase. Rune, first up, smiled at her gently, forgoing the usual afternoon greeting.
How are you feeling?
“Debatable. Grateful Mergan didn’t get into my head, but Pristy did,” she said, shrugging to Jack as the duo sat on opposite sides of the table. She scooted closer to the middle. “The good news, your dad is there.”
