Dark Mirror 2 - Dark Passage

by M. J. Putney

  Allarde glanced skyward. “Nick, can you guide us back to the cave before daylight? The rain is clearing and it won’t be long before the sky lightens.”

  “We should just make it.” Nick set a brisk pace up the hill in the direction they’d come from. Tory followed, Allarde bringing up the rear.

  As Allarde had predicted, the rain clouds moved on and the sky was lightening fast. Better visibility helped with their footing but made Tory feel vulnerable as they made their way along twisting lanes and minor roads.

  Though they avoided farmhouses, once a farmer driving a horse-drawn wagon passed them coming from the other direction. He looked at them curiously, but only nodded when Allarde greeted him in French.

  Later they had to move off the lane while a shepherd passed with a flock of sheep. The countryside was getting busy.

  Tory was relieved to enter the woods at the foot of the hill that concealed the cave. As she trudged doggedly along behind Nick, she prayed she’d be able to make the last stretch without dropping in her tracks.

  She squeaked when Allarde’s arms came around her. “You look ready to collapse,” he said as he swept her from her feet. “You’ve had a stiff hike as well as burning a large amount of power getting us in and out of the laboratory.”

  After an instant of shock, she tried to struggle free. “You shouldn’t have to carry me!” she protested. “You burned a lot of power, too.”

  “You hardly weigh more than a sparrow.” He smiled with intimate mischievousness. “Or a gosling. Relax and enjoy the ride.” He resumed his uphill climb, moving faster now that he wasn’t matching her pace.

  Surrendering, she closed her eyes and relaxed against him, her muscles shaking from fatigue. His warmth and strength were so familiar, so painfully welcome. When her forehead rested against his cheek, she felt a tingle of whiskers against her skin. The sensation was startlingly sensual.

  She bit her lip. How fortunate there was still enough rain dripping from the trees to disguise any vagrant tears.

  They reached the cave just as the sun came over the horizon, splashing the top of the hill with golden autumn light. Allarde set Tory down just inside the entrance.

  “Thank you,” she said as she forced herself to let go of his arm. “I’m sorry you had to carry me, but I’m just not as strong and fast as the two of you.”

  She thought Allarde murmured, “I’ll always carry you if you need me, Tory.”

  His words were drowned out by Nick saying, “Pound for pound, you’re probably stronger than either of us, Tory. You just don’t have many pounds.”

  “More pounds than a gosling!” She gave him a withering glare, then sat down against the wall and wrapped her tattered blanket around herself. The blanket offered warmth, but didn’t do much to soften the hardness.

  Allarde and Nick also retrieved their blankets and settled down in the cave’s antechamber. The space was about six feet wide and not much more than that high. Allarde had to be careful not to knock his head on lower sections of the ceiling. He sat a couple of feet to Tory’s right while Nick sat opposite, next to their small store of food.

  Not exactly luxury quarters, but there was enough natural light so mage lights weren’t needed. Tory was so drained that even that much magic would be too much.

  “We all burned a lot of power.” Nick produced his folding knife and opened the paper-wrapped chunk of cheese. “We’re lucky your shopkeeper was so generous, Allarde.” He cut slices of cheese and bread and passed them across the cave.

  Tory wolfed down the remaining food with a haste that would have shocked her mother. The others were equally ravenous. The wine had been finished off the night before, but Allarde had refilled the bottle with clear spring water from a pool farther back in the cave. Tory tried not to think about how lovely hot tea would taste.

  With hunger slaked, she felt much stronger. Ready to think about the future. “Nick, I’m sure you haven’t given up hope of rescuing Dr. Weiss.”

  He smiled ruefully. “It was disappointing to make heroic efforts, use masses of magic, find our man, and then have him refuse to leave. But yes, I do have another plan.”

  “We’ll have to perform two rescues the same night, and the castle would be much, much harder to enter and escape. Particularly with three people,” Allarde remarked.

  “A pity there are no true invisibility spells,” Tory said wistfully.

  “My plan is mostly nonmagical, actually.” Nick cleaned his knife on the paper that wrapped the cheese, then tucked it away. “Remember that Jack mentioned Castle Bouchard having hidden tunnels? If we can find one, that might overcome the chief difficulty. If we can get up to the castle without being seen, magic should make it possible to do the rest.”

  “Is it even possible that a tunnel runs all the way from the bottom of the escarpment up to the castle?” Tory asked.

  Allarde nodded. “There are castles in England that have medieval tunnels like that. Nottingham Castle has a famous tunnel called Mortimer’s Hole.”

  “If Castle Bouchard has a similar passage, we could enter that way rather than risk flying so far, and we could save our magic for other things,” Tory agreed. “But if there’s a well-known tunnel, it might be guarded. And if it isn’t well-known, that could mean it has collapsed since our time.”

  “Can your finder talent locate the tunnel so we could see if it would suit our purposes?” Allarde asked.

  Nick hesitated. “That would take time. I’m better with finding people. As soon as Dr. Weiss said his family was in the castle, I knew exactly where they were. I could go right to them. But I don’t have any sense of a tunnel.”

  “When he mentioned his family, I saw your face change. Was that because you knew where to find them?” Tory asked.

  Nick nodded. “In my mind, there’s a glowing light that shows where they are. It was the same with Dr. Weiss. As soon as he mentioned his family, I realized they’re an essential part of this intuition that has me by the throat. I must free them all.”

  “If his wife is his research partner, I can see why.” Allarde’s voice became brisk. “We have the start of a plan. Now we must make it more specific. I hope the three of us have enough weather magic to get inside the camp again. Nick, will they be able to repair the pole so that lightning can’t destroy it in the future?”

  “They might install a big lightning rod that would ground the energy so the pole wouldn’t be damaged. In that case, we could hit the generator shed nearby and take out the generator itself. That would give us more time.”

  “We’ll need a real weather mage like Jack, though,” Tory said. “We’re not likely to get another such storm at exactly the right time.”

  “A good thing Jack volunteered to help,” Nick said.

  Tory groaned. “I’ll need to go home to guide him through the mirror. I’m not looking forward to that.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Allarde cautioned. “First we need to find if there’s a tunnel up to the castle. We can do that by sending a message so Jack can get the information we need from Comte du Bouchard.”

  “If we can get a message to Jack, and he can get one back to us,” Nick said pessimistically. “It could take days.”

  “Maybe, but surely the Irregulars are keeping a close eye out for messages,” Allarde said. “It’s worth trying this to spare the strain on Tory.” He gave her one of those unsettlingly intimate smiles that made her bones feel like melting.

  Looking away, she said, “Assuming a tunnel leads up the castle, we’ll have to stage two rescue missions at the same time. Who do we need besides Jack?”

  “If Jack joins us, we’ll have two teams of two,” Nick said. “I need to go to the castle to find the Weiss family.”

  “Maybe you can go to the castle and I can go to the laboratory since Dr. Weiss will recognize me,” Allarde said. “Tory and Jack can stay outside the compound. No sense in them risking themselves unnecessarily.”

  “Nick needs someone to unlock door
s,” Tory said. “Plus, I may be needed to speak French to the Weisses.”

  Allarde said reluctantly, “I suppose you’re right. Maybe Jack can stay outside in case he needs to do more with the weather.”

  “Jack won’t want to stay in safety and work weather again,” Nick said. “He can go with you and work weather on the run.”

  “Of course, all of this is tentative,” Tory pointed out. “If there’s no tunnel to the castle, we may have to accept that rescue is impossible.”

  Nick’s jaw set. “Never.”

  “Has anyone ever said you’re pigheaded?” Tory asked pleasantly.

  Nick relaxed into a grin. “Many have. Most often, my mother.”

  “Who, as we all know, is a remarkably intelligent woman,” Allarde said with a lurking smile as he got to his feet. “Let’s take this one step at a time. First I’ll check the mirror to see if there has been a response to our message. If so, we’ll know that communication has been established.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Tory also stood, needing to stretch her aching muscles. “If a rock arrived when we were out, I wouldn’t have felt it.”

  “If we send another message, ask for food,” Nick said as he rose. “Another foraging trip might not be so successful.”

  They headed toward the mirror single file. Tory wrinkled her nose when they hit the repulsion spells designed to send casual cave explorers in a different direction, but they weren’t too bad since she knew what they were.

  A paper-wrapped stone awaited them when they reached the widened area of the cave where the mirror energy simmered just out of sight. She scooped it up and read the terse sentences. “Jack says they’re glad we’re alive, and he’s ready to come after us if we don’t send another message within two days.”

  Allarde scanned the paper, then handed it to Nick. “I’ll write a note asking for tunnel information and food supplies. Now that the connection has been established, we should hear back fairly quickly.”

  After Nick read the note, Allarde printed their message on the back of Jack’s note. Tory tossed it through the mirror and wished that she were the one going home instead of this piece of rock.

  CHAPTER 25

  As Cynthia and Elspeth entered the corridor that held Merlin’s mirror, they discovered that Jack had arrived there first, and he’d found a message stone. He looked up from the paper with a grin.

  “They’re safe, they’ve located Dr. Weiss, and they want information from Comte du Bouchard on any tunnels into the castle.” He glanced back down. “They also want food since they’re living in a cave and have to be careful about going out.”

  “Jack, shall we take a trip through time once we have the castle information and supplies?” Elspeth asked.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Jack said. “I’ve already had the count map the tunnels. I can be back here in two hours with the map and supplies so we can leave.”

  The matter-of-fact words jolted Cynthia. Jack was going to travel through the mirror to heaven only knew where or when? “All they want now is information. If they can’t use the tunnels, they’ll have to come back, so there’s no point in making a blind jump that could take you somewhere unexpected.” And be really uncomfortable in the process. And dangerous! “Tory is the one with mirror talent and experience.”

  “It’s not a blind jump.” Elspeth’s eyes narrowed as she regarded the invisible portal. “I’m reasonably sure I can get us there, Jack. I’ll go back to my room and get anything that might be useful and meet you back here in two hours.”

  “Are you two mad?” Cynthia exclaimed. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to wait and find out if another mirror passage is even necessary?”

  “It’s necessary,” Elspeth said grimly. “I’ve known that ever since Nick came back. Time is of the essence and I don’t want to wait any longer.”

  “We’ll be all right, Cynthia.” Jack smiled cheerfully. “Probably. I agree with Elspeth, we’re needed, and waiting is making me twitch. You don’t have to go. Covering up the absences at the abbey is important, too.”

  The thought of him going off to war without her made her pulse spike. The idiot needed her, even if he didn’t realize it. He’d get himself killed, or he’d fall in love with Elspeth as they shared excitement and danger.

  She wasn’t sure which fate was worse.

  “If you think I’m going to let you go jumping into this particular fire without me, you’re even madder than I realized,” she snapped. “I’m going with you. Besides weather work, I’ve been practicing my illusion magic and I’ve learned a few useful tricks.”

  Her companions looked interested. “What have you learned?” Elspeth asked.

  Cynthia closed her eyes and concentrated on the illusions she wanted to create. Then she laid one hand on Elspeth’s arm and the other on Jack’s. Jack’s strong, warm arm that felt so good when he’d held her …

  Mentally slapping herself, she created her illusions, then dropped her hand. Jack and Elspeth both gasped. “What do you see?” Cynthia asked.

  “Nick,” Elspeth said. “I see Nick.”

  “And I see Tory.” Jack sounded like Nick. He studied his hands. “I see myself as I am, but Elspeth looks just like Tory. Amazing, Cynthia! A very useful skill for an undercover mission into occupied territory.”

  “Illusion magic might help us, but going through the mirror almost killed you before,” Elspeth said, frowning. “I was able to revive you then, but what if I couldn’t this time? I’ll have to burn a great deal of magic to get us through the mirror. I might not have healing power available at the other end.”

  Wishing she didn’t have to explain this, Cynthia said, “I’ve been holding illusion magic on myself for so many years that it’s automatic.” She snapped her fingers and the illusions vanished, including the one she held on herself. “When Tory realized that, she guessed that if I wasn’t using illusion power when going through the mirror, the passage might not be as hard on me.”

  “Perhaps, but we won’t know until you try, and I don’t want to take that risk,” Elspeth said firmly. “I’m a healer. I do not want to kill a friend.”

  Elspeth thought of her as a friend? Cynthia found that cheering. “You said yourself that this mission is necessary. Isn’t that worth some risk?”

  “It’s not me I’m risking, but you, which is quite another matter,” the other girl said acerbically.

  “I think you’ll be all right.” Jack took Cynthia’s hand in his. “You’ll be between Elspeth and me. We’ll get you through safely.”

  His warm, confident smile lifted Cynthia’s spirits even more. “Two hours then.” And she hoped to heaven she was doing the right thing.

  * * *

  Tory jolted from sleep into full wakefulness. “The mirror! Something large has come through!”

  Nick, who had also been drowsing, became alert. “Food?” he said hopefully.

  “Let’s find out.” Allarde had been standing in the cave entrance admiring the afternoon sunlight on the brilliant autumn foliage, but he turned and joined them as they headed into the cave.

  Tory led the way, her pace quickening as she neared the mirror. The disturbance she’d felt in the energy seemed too great for a rock or even a bag of food.

  She wasn’t surprised to burst into the mirror chamber and see her friends sprawled on the floor. “Elspeth! Jack!” But then she blinked in shock to see her roommate. “Cynthia? Are you all right?”

  Cynthia pushed herself up blearily. For an instant, the scar on her cheek was visible. Then her image shifted and her face was flawless again. She muttered, “It looks like your theory about my mirror travel was correct.”

  Jack and Elspeth were also sitting up and taking stock. Jack carried a sizable knapsack while both girls had smaller ones. Nick stepped up and offered Jack a hand. “I’m even more interested in the tunnel information than the food, cousin.”

  Jack laughed as he got to his feet with Nick’s help, hanging on until his balance steadied. “I h
ave both.”

  Allarde knelt so he wasn’t towering over Cynthia and Elspeth. “You did well with the mirror magic.”

  Elspeth made a face. “Sending the messages back and forth created a sort of trail of breadcrumbs that I followed here. It burned a lot of magic, though. I’m not going to be good for much until I’ve had some rest.”

  “And some food.” Jack shrugged out of his knapsack and opened it, removing a lumpy packet from his knapsack. He poured a pile of brightly colored balls into his other hand. “Marzipan sweets,” he explained. “My mother thought these would be good for helping recovery from a mirror passage.” He offered them to Elspeth and Cynthia. “Take several. Nick doesn’t get any until the three of us are recovered.”

  “I’ll behave,” Nick promised. “But I do hope some are left over.”

  After the new arrivals had consumed enough to regain some energy, Jack gave the remaining half dozen pieces of marzipan to Tory and Allarde and Nick. They were delicious, and a nice change from bread and cheese.

  Twitching from proximity to the mirror, Tory said, “If everyone can walk, let’s move toward the front of the cave. It’s more restful there.”

  Elspeth made a face as she stood with Allarde’s help. “Guiding us through the mirror has made me more sensitive to the energy, so I’ll be glad to move away.”

  Jack offered Cynthia a hand. “You came through better than on your other passages, but you still look a bit gray.”

  “You are so flattering,” she grumbled. “At least I’m breathing.”

  She wavered when she stood and Jack put an arm around her for support. Tory blinked as subtle energy shimmered over the two of them. There was definitely something going on there. Though slowly, given the way Cynthia broke away after a few moments of leaning into him.

  Allarde and Nick scooped up the backpacks and carried them forward until they reached the front section of the cave they’d dubbed the drawing room. Once there, Nick almost jumped on Jack. “The map?”

  Jack pulled a folded paper from inside his coat and handed it over. “There’s a long tunnel up through the rock to the castle and several shorter ones under the castle only, but since I haven’t seen the terrain, I don’t know if they’ll suit your purposes.”