by Sela Croft
What in the world had been wrong with me?
I turned to Morrigan. “We shouldn’t have let them go,” I said. “But there was some force at work. I’m sure of it. Some sort of spell has been cast.”
That had to be it. There was no other explanation. I wasn’t prone to lapses in control of my faculties. Some outside influence had affected me, prevented me from saving Callie before she’d vanished.
Rage swelled within me. I’d been outfoxed. A magic had worked against mine and had been used to steal Callie. It was intolerable. I had to get her back; I had to figure out what this was all about. But needed Morrigan’s help. I had my own magic, but it didn’t include walking through mirrors.
“Well,” I said. “Are you going to do something?”
“Be quiet for a moment,” my sorceress friend said. “You’re messing with my concentration.”
I watched as she waved her hands in precise patterns, attempting to use sorcery on the mirror the others had passed through. It was a marvel to see, and I envied the talent. Sometimes hand magic was useful, and this was one of those times.
Careful not to interrupt her magic incantations, I remained silent, keeping my complaints to myself. As soon as Morrigan gained control of the mirror, we could travel though it. Then I’d find Callie and be able to make this right.
Morrigan furrowed her brow, and her hand motions became more dramatic. Then she threw her hands up and swore. “This is frustrating. The magic of the mirror is fighting against me.” She expelled a breath. “It’s too late. The window to the other realm has closed.”
I clenched my hands into fists. “It can’t be. Try again.”
Morrigan renewed her efforts, adding in a few additional motions. She chanted some incantations that I didn’t understand. “It’s not going to work,” she said. “The mirror is under another’s control. The portal shut the instant the others stepped through it.”
Then it dawned on me. “We’ve been tricked!” It was all too much, completely infuriating. “It was Amalia. It had to be.”
Morrigan shook her head.
“You know I’m right,” I said. “The princess is an age-old enemy of vampires. She pretended to help, only to usher Callie into her realm. She’s a traitor.”
Morrigan crossed her arms, waiting for me to finish.
“Callie and the others have been led into a trap,” I said, more dismayed than before. “You must see that. We’ve been duped, and there’s not a second to waste.” If Morrigan refused to help, then I’d have to figure something out on my own.
“I disagree,” Morrigan said. “I would have sensed it, if Amalia was using Fae magic against us. I’m not without supernatural sensibilities, you know.”
“But what then?” My patience had worn thin and I was in no mood to put up with her refusal to see the obvious.
Morrigan glared at me. “I’ll tell you what…it was Seth. It had to be.”
I was stunned speechless.
“Think about it,” Morrigan said. “The sorcerer left all of this here, all that we discovered in the cottage, for his daughters to find.”
That was indisputable. The hologram of Sadie Mayfair proved that.
“If Seth set that up…which he did,” Morrigan said. “Then he must have been manipulating his daughters, all along.”
As distasteful as that theory was, I began to think that she was right. “To what end?”
Morrigan smirked. “It couldn’t be clearer. Seth’s plan was to lead his daughters to this cottage, so he could use the mirrors to call them back to the Fae realm.”
The depth of depravity shouldn’t have been as shocking as it was. Yet what had just happened, Callie’s abduction along with her sister, had been planned…years ago. He’d wielded his magic with every one of us as his puppet.
“I should have seen this coming,” I said.
“You couldn’t have,” Morrigan said. “No one could. It was deceitful. His goal had been too well hidden, just as he’d intended.”
“If Seth has the power to bend destiny, what else can he do? What more will he achieve?” I shuddered to think of the insidious nature of his evil. His acts were deadlier, since the events couldn’t be predicted.
My heart sank. What did this mean for Callie…for the future of us all? Was there no force strong enough to stop his destruction?
“We must go after them,” I said. “We have to bring them back.”
When I spun to look in the mirror, all I saw was my reflection. Panicked, I turned to gaze at the other mirrors, but they were all the same. My eyes darted around the room, yet I was unable to find a mirror to serve as a window into another realm.
Morrigan walked the length of the room, staring at each mirror in turn. She paused in front of one and touched its glass surface then continued. I held my breath, hoping that I was wrong.
“We can’t delay,” I said. “There’s no telling what’s already happened. You must get us through the mirror to Fae territory.”
“It’s not possible, right now,” Morrigan said.
“Don’t tell me that!” I shouted. “You’re the sorceress. Find a way. Use your magic.”
Morrigan motioned toward the rows of mirrors. “Some things even I can’t do,” she said. “The mirrors…they have all been depowered.”
“No…no.” My love had slipped from my grasp, yet I was powerless to go after her. My heart ached, and my desperation soared. I wasn’t accustomed to being fooled, and nor was I able to reconcile with the knowledge that my momentary lapse had resulted in Callie’s kidnapping.
For surely, that’s what it had been. Callie had not gone willingly to Seth. She wouldn’t have done that. I could see that now. She’s been tricked the same as I’d been, as we all had been. All that she’d told me about Seth—what he’d said and what he planned—she’d merely been relaying his thoughts.
She hadn’t been under her own volition, any more than I’d been under mine. Some unseen influence had been at work. “Callie wouldn’t have left without me,” I said. “If she’d had a choice.”
“I can’t argue with you,” Morrigan said. “But she went, anyway.”
Chapter 24
Logan
Callie was gone, and she was in great danger. But I was incapable of going after her. Anger filled my veins, turning my vampire blood to fire. With a deep growl I raised my hands, reaching toward the mirrors. Using my telekinetic ability, I lifted one of the largest ones then tossed against the back wall.
The heavy mirror shattered into a million pieces, and shards of glass rained down upon the floor. But I didn’t even pause in my bent for destruction. I elevated two more mirrors then threw them on the floor, breaking them like crystal goblets hitting stone.
In a blind rage, I destroyed another mirror then another. And I would have destroyed them all, but Morrigan stopped me. She directed a strong beam at me, causing me to falter. I stared at her fingertips that were pointed at my eyes.
“That’s enough,” she said. “I warn you that your temper won’t do us any good.”
My body shook with the anger that surged within me. But I didn’t levitate any more mirrors.
“We must figure out another way to help,” Morrigan said. “The best thing is to return to Shadowland.”
My hands trembled but I held my temper in check. I didn’t want to go and was unable to envision what I could do from Shadowland. Callie had left from the cottage. My inclination was to stay there. My heart told me to stay close, in case she came back.
But this time I had to listen to my head. What Morrigan said made sense. And I needed to do whatever would save Callie and the others. My ire calmed, though my determination to go after her didn’t abate. I swore I would do whatever it took to get her back.
I would make it my life’s mission to find Callie and bring her back to safety.
Morrigan stepped through the rubble, glass crunching under her shoes. She put her hands on the ornate frame of one of the mirrors, then appeared to ponde
r it.
“You didn’t have any other way to help before,” I said. “How will you come up with one now?”
Morrigan walked over to another undamaged mirror and gazed into it. Then she looked at another one. “There are some remaining mirrors,” she said. “And even if Seth has depowered them…they are still magical.”
“It’s of little use, if we can’t walk through them,” I said. “And whatever we do, we need to do it immediately.”
Morrigan crossed her arms. “I’m surprised any mirrors survived your rampage. But we’re lucky they did, because I can take them for further examination.”
“Take them where?”
“To my castle, of course. With what I have there, the tools of the trade, I may still be able to make use of the mirrors.”
“You intend to reactivate them?”
“That’s the idea,” Morrigan said. “If I can, then maybe I can figure out how to use them as portals…whether Seth likes it or not.”
“Shouldn’t I stay with you?” I said. “What if you figure out a way into the Fae realm, and I’m not there?”
“You’ll know.” Morrigan rolled her eyes. “I’ll get a message to you. I’m not completely untrustworthy. If I was then I wouldn’t be here in the first place, would I?”
I’d been through good and bad with Morrigan. She hadn’t always been on my side and would change sides, as it suited her. But the truth was that I needed her sorcery. If it was possible to reactivate those magic mirrors, then I had to let her try.
“I don’t like it, but I see no alternative.” With a wave of my arm, I swept away the shattered glass on the floor to make a path to walk through. “I’ll be in Shadowland, if you need me.”
Morrigan didn’t need my assistance to transport the mirrors to her castle. She was quite capable of doing that on her own. Before I’d stepped into the hallway, she’d disappeared, mirrors and all.
The thought of returning to my kingdom without Callie or the others was disheartening. Things hadn’t gone as I’d anticipated. There was no other choice but to return home. My people needed me, and I had to see what had transpired in my absence.
Likely Seth was intent on taking over my land. He wasn’t going to be content having authority over the Fae. He’d come for the rest of us. As much as I’d resisted the idea, it was best that I return to my kingdom to see how it fared.
I was the prince and had no intention of shirking my duties. Yet Callie was foremost in my mind. She was my love and I couldn’t bare the thought that she was in Seth’s grip. Whatever his desires, it didn’t include seeing to his daughters’ welfare.
He’d used his daughters like he’d used everyone else to elevate him to power. Yet I vowed that he wouldn’t succeed. I would rescue Callie, as well as the rest of them. Seth wouldn’t win, so long as I was able to fight him. Whatever he was scheming, it wouldn’t be enough. I’d find a way to take him down.
That thought consoled me, but very little. Until Callie was back in my arms, I wouldn’t rest. I opened the creaky cottage door and stepped into the fresh air. I didn’t bother with the eye protection, since I wouldn’t be there long.
Reaching in my pocket, I felt the hand mirror that Callie had given to me and wondered about it. But I didn’t take it out to look at, since I had to get home. A spark of hope lit my heart. Possibly, Morrigan could use the small mirror to guide me to Callie, wherever she was.
What had Callie said, the last time I’d seen her? “Keep this mirror with you…these special mirrors will allow us to remain in contact with each other…no matter how far apart we are.”
She’d pressed one of the mirrors into my hand and kept another for herself. It was my one connection to her. She’d promised that we’d be together always. That’s what I wanted, more than anything. Maybe the tiny mirrors would pave the way.
Then I transported into the shadows. I didn’t need my human friends or their van. Alone, it was no problem. I was in the other dimension within seconds.
I’d have to get a message to Morrigan to tell her about the hand mirrors. If they could be used to communicate, she would know.
Crystal City was a welcome site. But I felt empty. The loss of Callie, combined with my desperation to find her, muted any joy I might have had at being back home.
One thing I was certain of: Callie and I were stronger united than alone. Our power together was mighty. She had my vampire blood and I had her sorceress blood. But our connection went beyond that. Our oneness was carved from our eternal love. It was a bond that could not be severed, not even by an evil sorcerer—no matter his power.
Chapter 25
Callie
I’d been dazed by Seth’s plea to help him change everything. Then his voice assaulted my senses. “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said, dead calm.
I didn’t understand how he could say that. A moment ago, he’d asked me to join him in his takeover of the realms, an action that I’d deemed morally wrong—as well as dangerous.
The palace that surrounded me was foreign, filled with Fae under the sorcerer’s influence. There were no friends in sight, no possible ally. It was unsettling.
I had only myself to rely on, and that was a shaky proposition. Right then, I teetered between worlds. Despite turning into a vampire, I hadn’t completely lost my humanity. I remembered what it had felt like to be human and vulnerable.
Even more, I was still in touch with my values—or I had been.
A part of me didn’t want to be anywhere near Seth. That part nagged at me to leave, to try to find another route of escape. And if I could not, then refuse to participate. It wasn’t right. His offer violated all that I’d committed myself to.
But another part of me weakened. That part was tempted. Seth claimed he almost had enough power to rule all realms, and it seemed that was true. He appeared confident and those around him cowered before him. Deep inside a voice told me that I could share that power.
Seth held out his hand, then waited for me to hold it. I stared at the exquisite leather glove he wore. The part of me that was drawn to him itched to reach out. I was eager for his acceptance, anxious to feel his touch. I resisted, knowing that it was wrong.
His hand was all I could see. He didn’t tremble but was calm. That comforted me, so I questioned my hesitation. The part of me that wanted to do the right thing was quiet, had no further advice. The sorcerer’s force compelled me, giving strength to my need.
I tentatively held out my hand. Seth wrapped his larger one around mine. It was done. I couldn’t pull back. A line had been crossed, so there was no return. I didn’t want to escape anymore. My mind acquiesced; this is where I belonged. All along, I’d been destined for this role.
Seth’s leather-covered hand locked onto mine, causing the energy coursing through him to flow into me. The shock was nearly too much, yet I was unable to pull away. My reaction was immediate, and I would have yanked my hand away as if I’d felt a hot stove.
But my hand didn’t budge, didn’t even jerk. I couldn’t pull away from his grip. My eyes were riveted on the connection; our hands seemed as one. As soon as I’d let him take my hand, the connection had been inseverable.
The energy surged, filling my body and creating a force field around me. The strength of it caused me to shudder. The flow was intense, and my head felt like it would explode. The way I’d melded to Seth made me fear that parting was impossible.
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. The overwhelming flow had stunned me.
It was as though Seth read my mind. “Yes, I agree that there is only so much a body can handle of such power,” he said. “Even I have my limits. Trust me, my daughter, there is no reason for you to be afraid.”
When Seth released me, I gasped then drew air into my lungs. The force abated, and my body calmed. Still the energy flowed within me, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. I stared at my palm to see if it had been scorched by the current, but it appeared normal.
“I’ve learned
my tolerance,” Seth said. “Yours may be different.”
“You pushed me to a limit. I don’t know how much more I could have handled.”
Seth’s dark eyes were flat, emotionless. “I insist that your body was nowhere near its limit. You are infused with the dual power of vampire and sorceress. Thus, your potential is greater than you know.”
The flattery fed my ego, so I didn’t reject his assertion.
“There are things that I can teach you,” Seth said. “You have much to gain, and little to lose.”
That seemed true. When envisioned what he offered, the future was limitless. Having the power that he’d spoken of would make all things possible. It occurred to me that he’d been aware of that, for some time. That was the reason he sought control over the realms.
His proposal made sense. I was considering it. There was something that nagged at me, but I couldn’t bring it to mind. Whatever it was couldn’t be that important. That energy, that force running through me was the only thing that mattered.
“I wish to show you something,” Seth said with a wave toward a long hall.
The path was dark, so I balked. Yet there seemed to be no way to refuse him. Even as my mind questioned the wisdom of my actions, my body followed his commands.
“This way,” he said then headed away from the light.
And I allowed him to lead me down the dim hallway, to a balcony in his palace. My heart was as dark as the gloom that surrounded me. But I was compelled to do as Seth asked. As if drawn by an unseen magnet, I walked beside him to the railing and gazed below.
From above, Seth surveyed the world beneath him. The currents of energy I’d felt upon my arrival were still present. From this vantage point, I had an even greater sense of the force below. Before my eyes the kingdom was transforming.
Ever so slowly, the city and its inhabitants were molded into new images. What they’d been before, I wasn’t sure. But what I witnessed was a transformation like no other I’d seen. No creature avoided Seth’s power. Each served only one purpose, filled a singular need.
