The Mirror's Gaze

by Rae D. Magdon

  Now, I knew. This was the woman who had raised me. There was no telling when Umbra had begun to infect her, or how, but it didn't matter. The last of my sympathy snuffed out like the dying flame of a candle.

  "I won't let you do this," I told her. Fire blossomed around my hands, blazing hot and raw. "You only saw me as one of your treasures, and you gave Raisa to me like some kind of pet. Neva's a person, not a body to be possessed!"

  Mogra's expression faltered. Her eyes softened, and the lines carved into her face faded. But then her lip peeled back, and her gaze narrowed to a thin, sharp line. "Ruach!"

  Rufas, Cate, and Larna charged, but we were already too slow. The cavern around us trembled, shaken by a blustering gale of wind, and Mogra began rising into the air. Her auburn hair whipped about her head in a storm, her cape fluttering behind her like the ragged wings of a raven. She rose toward the hole of light high above us, but I refused to let her reach it. She was my mother, my responsibility.

  "Erets!"

  The Word seared my tongue and the earth beneath the four of us moved. It shuddered, groaning and grating as it cracked, and we shot toward the cavern ceiling on a pillar of stone. Mogra broke through the roof of the catacombs, soaring away into the sky. Cate and Larna landed a short distance away, but I clung to the fur of Rufas' back, shouting into his shoulder. "Don't let her get away!"

  "I won't. Hold on tight."

  He bristled, muscles tensing in preparation, and when we exploded into the world above, he leapt. His paws hit the ground hard, and he ran, following the flashing black shadow above us. The darkness made Mogra difficult to see, but the corrupted call of her magic shone like a beacon. I would have been able to follow it for miles.

  We raced through what seemed to be a courtyard, heading toward a giant gate several times our height. It towered above us, but as Mogra sailed over the wall, Rufas didn't slow. He continued barreling forward, picking up speed.

  "Bring it down," he barked, and I summoned everything I had, letting the force of my rage surge through my arms. Stone rumbled. Fire blazed. Metal melted and wood splintered. The gate burst wide open, giving beneath the force.

  Rufas jumped over the smoldering wreckage and sprinted out into an open space lit from one end to the other with torches. Suddenly, we were flying through the wide streets of a city. Figures swarmed all around us—human, liarre, and dwellyn; wyr, kerak, and shadowkin. Dragons roared and veered above us, setting the world ablaze. Smoke and ash clogged my throat, and I gagged on the biting stench of magic.

  While I choked and sputtered, Rufas ran. He was locked onto Mogra like a hunting dog, every point in his body quivering. I bent low over his back, trusting him to carry me. A coward like Mogra wouldn't stay in this chaos. She had to be making her way toward clearer ground. At last, we found it, a patch of green amidst the burning buildings. It had once been an open square, but a full third of it had been devoured by flame, leaving scorched tracks across the torn ground. I saw Mogra's dark shape trying to rise higher, but the flashing sky was just as dangerous.

  As the beating of wings and spinning columns of dragonfire forced her down, I saw our chance. "Rufas, go!"

  He rushed forward. I summoned my flames. Mogra met them with a jutting slab of earth, and the two of us vaulted over, buoyed by a gust of air. Rufas raised his club high above his head, but he never got to bring it crashing down. A heavy blast of wind buffeted us backwards, and I toppled from his shoulders. I hit the ground hard, rolling several feet before coming to rest against the newly made wall.

  Or what had once been a wall. With a sickening crack, Mogra brought it crashing down. I covered my face with my arms, acting on instinct. "Secutem!"

  My shield sprang to life just in time. Loose rock crumbled everywhere, beating against the barrier, but somehow, it held. I fed it with all my strength, gritting my teeth and sealing the weak spots until the shower of stone had stopped. As the dust settled, I climbed to my knees, ignoring the ache in my bones. I whipped my head around and saw Rufas had not joined me. He lay on his side, most of his body trapped beneath a mountain of rubble.

  I crawled over, preparing to shift it, but when I saw the glazed look in his eyes, I knew it wouldn't do any good. My shield had saved me, but it hadn't been big enough for him. "Rufas, I—"

  "Don't," he rasped. His voice was half breath, and a ribbon of dark, crimson blood leaked from his mouth onto the ground, forming a sticky pool. "End her." He jerked his head slightly, and I saw Mogra's shadow approaching. She had finally decided to stop running from this fight. I squared my shoulders, preparing to struggle to my feet and face her.

  "It was an honor…to carry you…Ailynn."

  When Rufas said my name, I froze. First, I had been “human” or “witch.” After I had helped bring the dragons and saved his warriors, he had addressed me as fire princess. Now, at last, he had finally called me Ailynn like an equal.

  I swallowed and nodded, my face a mess of smudged dirt and tears. When his eyes closed, I forced myself up, teeth gritted in anger. "It's over, Mother." Threads of heat crackled around my clenched fists. I released a brilliant stream of fire, not at Mogra, but high into the air, hoping someone would see it amidst the flashing flames of the dragons. I had watched Mogra kill more people than I could bear to think about, but Rufas would be the last. Even if I fell while fighting her, surely someone would see the flames and come. I couldn’t allow her to escape and continue her destruction.

  My display didn’t seem to unsettle Mogra. She pulled back her hood again, and I gazed into a copy of my face, watching it twist with smug hatred. “Are you calling for help because you don’t think you can kill me on your own, Ailynn?” She summoned her own fire, flashing her teeth. “You’ve always been weak. I should have taught you better.”

  “The only thing you’ve taught me is the price of greed and selfishness.”

  Mogra's face contorted. The earth beneath me quaked, rumbling as it split open, and my footing slipped. I staggered, struggling to regain my balance, only to see Mogra extend her arm. A whirling column of fire and wind whipped toward me, ripping through the air.

  I reached into the ground beneath me, tugging hard. A slab of solid stone shot up, shielding me from the blast. My wall cracked and warped under the intense heat, melting into slag, but it held long enough for me to recover. When it came down, I was ready with a sharp gust of air.

  Mogra redirected it with a wave of her hand, as if she was banishing a gnat. "Your shields won't help you, Ailynn." Flames wreathed her entire body, and she almost didn't look human anymore. "You can't hold them forever."

  But I didn't have to hold them forever, just long enough to take her down. Rapid jabs of fire flew toward me, one after another, but I was better prepared. I wove across the courtyard, sweeping them aside. She had made a mistake in using fire. Mogra seemed to realize it, too, because she changed tactics. The shattered remnants of my wall quivered, rising into the air and shooting straight toward me.

  I leapt, catching a few sharp stones across my cheek before I made it clear of the avalanche. The blows stung, and something wet ran down one side of my face, but I raced for the other side of the courtyard, feet barely even skimming the ground.

  Mogra was after me in an instant. Streams of air propelled her forward, and it was everything I could do to stay one step ahead of her. Gusts of air and clods of earth kept hurling toward me, cutting off every avenue of escape. There was only one place left to go—the sky. I jumped, letting a surge of flame and air carry me upwards.

  It was a mistake. I only made it about five feet off the ground before a sound like thunder tore through the sky. A sharp gust of wind hit me head on, throwing me off course. I tried to shout, but all the breath had left my lungs. I sailed backwards, slamming into something.

  The collision sent me lurching. I shook myself, trying to clamber back to my feet, but my limbs trembled, refusing to obey. I slipped several times, clambering over the rubble of what had once been a building. Mogra's
attacks were tearing the city apart piece by piece.

  "Foolish girl," Mogra screeched, and I whirled to see her closing in from above. She touched the ground gracefully, her cloak fluttering around her. "You can't fly away from me, either."

  I braced myself, planting my feet and squaring my shoulders. "I'm not running. That's your game."

  Mogra sent another beam of fire racing toward me, but desperation lent me speed. I matched it with my own, pouring out all the heat and anger I had within me. Our flames met, spitting and crackling, feeding from each other and swelling high above our heads. I felt the push of her magic, a wave of boiling fury, and I met it with every ounce of defiance I possessed. I won't let her fire eat mine. I won't let her hatred consume me.

  But Mogra was stronger than I expected. She pushed again, an overwhelming surge of raw strength, and I faltered. The writhing mass of flame slipped from my grasp. Mine melted into hers, doubling its size, and the courtyard blazed bright as day. Mogra held the towering inferno high over her head, preparing to unleash all its power.

  There wasn't even time for a Word of Power. Mogra sent her flames hurtling toward me, and I threw up my arms, shielding myself with everything I had left. A cushion of air surrounded my body, whirling around me in a small storm and sealing me in. Broken bits of rock whipped toward me, caught up in the spiral. Strands of fire wove in between, and I tightened the laces of the net. Mogra's flames hit with a shuddering explosion. I couldn’t hear it, but I shook with the force of the blast. Still, my shield held in the eerie, brilliant silence. Sweat rolled down my face and heat scoured my skin, but the cocoon I had made didn't crack.

  When the flames finally dissipated, I was in the middle of a deep, charred pit. All that remained was scorched earth, Mogra, and me. The broken building and courtyard had disintegrated. When she saw that I had survived, she screeched with rage, hurling angry, unpredictable bursts of fire and rock in my direction. None of them made it through. She couldn't touch me, and she knew it. The two of us were at a stalemate.

  "Witch!" A great shout carried across the battlefield, rising above Mogra's howl and the throbbing hum of magic.

  Through the blurry edges of my shield, I saw a figure approach, enormous even from a distance. He jumped down into the pit, approaching with giant, determined strides, and I saw the gleam of metal against his shoulder.

  Jethro! I realized at once. He must have seen my signal.

  Mogra turned away from me, whirling on him with a snarl. "Who are you?" She spat in disgust. "How do you dare—"

  "It doesn't matter who I am." Jethro hefted his axe, and his barrel chest swelled. "You're finished. I'm going to put you down like the rabid dog you are."

  Mogra rolled her eyes at the threat. She waved her arm with an almost disgusted motion, summoning more fire around her hand. Jethro didn't wait for her to unleash it. He charged, axe raised high, and Mogra drew back her flames.

  While she was distracted, I took my chance. I unleashed all the power in my shield, sending it straight toward her. By the time she saw my magic, it was too late. She raised her arms, trying to block. A shower of rock, air, and fire sent her flying backward, crashing into the side of the pit. I hit the ground running, prepared to attack again, but she didn't get up.

  Jethro and I reached Mogra at the same time. She wasn't dead, but clearly injured, trying to claw up the side of the pit. Her face read pain and desperation, and the look made my stomach lurch. She looked like an old woman once more, ancient and exhausted. I steeled myself, burning hands clenched. My mother. My responsibility. I looked at Jethro. He was waiting expectantly, a look of fury still on his face. I closed my eyes then opened them again slowly.

  "You do it," I told him. "For your wife." And because Raisa and all of my friends were right. I shouldn't have to live with this.

  He nodded once, almost in gratitude, and I turned my back. Moments later, the wet thud of an axe fell. I brought my sleeve up to my face, wiping away blood and tears. I had expected Mogra's death to bring me some kind of closure, but instead, I felt only emptiness. My eyes went to the other side of the pit, where Rufas' body had lain. Mogra's great fire had devoured nearly everything, and I wasn't sure where the remains of his corpse were, but I would find them. He deserved that and more.

  I'm so sorry, Rufas, I thought, hanging my head. And I'm sorry, Mother.

  Chapter Seven

  Taken from the letters of Cathelin Raybrook, edited by Lady Eleanor Kingsclere

  LARNA AND I LOPED out through the gate, stumbling onto a raging battlefield. Torches blazed everywhere, and dragons spiraled high overhead. Humans, liarre, and dwellyn battled Mogra's forces, but in the chaos, it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand. Corpses littered the ground, and smoke thickened the air.

  "This way," Larna barked, jerking her head left. We ran as one, weaving through the mass of bodies, tearing down any kerak that stood in our way. A shadowkin loomed over us, teeth bared, but to my shock, it didn't attack. Instead, its tongue lolled out of its giant mouth, and its tail began wagging in greeting.

  "Stinky?" I asked, not quite believing it. "How did you find your way back here from the mountains?"

  Stinky tilted his head, ears perking up.

  "Do you know where Neva is?"

  At the sound of Neva's name, Stinky let out a booming bark before turning and plowing his way through the mass of bodies. Kerak and wyr scattered beneath his enormous paws, leaving a clear path ahead. We took off behind him, following the trail of destruction. It led straight through the heart of what looked like a large city, although several of the buildings were on fire. Enemies and allies alike had thinned out, and we only came across a few stragglers.

  With Stinky leading the way, we made swift progress, and the giant white walls grew taller and taller as we approached the edge of the city. He lifted his head halfway down an empty street, seeming to catch a scent, and sped up, baying in excitement.

  Try as we could, Larna and I couldn't match his pace. We lagged behind, slowing to a trot and trying to catch our breath. "Where is he going?" Larna huffed beside me.

  "Not sure," I panted. "The walls? That's where Ellie and Neva were going to wait."

  Larna didn't answer. She came to an abrupt stop, nose pointed up. She sniffed, and a low rumble started in her throat. "Catie," she growled, "what do you smell?"

  I inhaled, and my blood turned to ice. A rotting, sickly-sweet smell crept in from all sides, filling the air and clogging my throat. I choked, whipping around to try and find the source, but I saw no signs of Luciana among the burning wreckage of the buildings. "She's here," I whispered, heart hammering inside my chest. "Larna, I know she's here."

  Movement came from off to one side, and I whipped my head around. I couldn't see her, but I could feel her presence, and every instinct screamed at me to run. Larna seemed to agree. She turned, looking toward the nearby walls. "Cate, go find Ellie. Be telling her—"

  A large black shape exploded out of the darkness, crashing into Larna's side and sending her skidding across the ground. The two of them tangled together, snarling and writhing, slashing at each other. I lunged toward them, trying to tear them apart, but I couldn't tell where Larna began and the hulking form on top of her ended. They were a mass of claws and teeth, fur and leathery hide.

  They finally did break away from each other, one of Larna's sides streamed with blood, and I got my first look at her opponent. Luciana stood before us, in her monstrous other-shape, fangs bared and spines quivering. Her rotting grey flesh was cracked in some places, sloughing in others, and the stench of death made my eyes water. The twisted snarls of her eyes fixed on Larna, and her lips peeled in a horrifying version of a smile. "I see you have a guard dog this time," she laughed, in a rasping voice.

  Larna bristled beside me, muscles bunching. She took a step in front of me, shielding me with her body. "Go find Ellie."

  Fear crawled through every inch of my body, but I didn't budge. "No, Tuathe." Larna was my mate, and L
uciana was my fight. I would not turn my back on either of them.

  "Ellie?" Luciana said, head tilted in a kind of terrifying curiosity. "And I suppose my sister is here with her. Perfect."

  I circled Larna to stand by her side. "I won't let you hurt them, and I won't let you hurt my mate."

  Luciana's sightless gaze fixed on Larna again. "Oh? Try and stop me."

  She leapt for me, and Larna met her halfway in the air, putting herself between us again. They came together, bodies thrashing, fighting to find a hold. Once more, I tried to intervene, but it happened too quickly. Larna ended up flat on her back, kicking up with her back paws and clawing at Luciana's belly. Luciana recoiled, but she responded with a darting snap. Her teeth dug deep into Larna's shoulder, and Larna let out a piercing yelp. Her kicking stopped, and instead, she began to jerk. After a moment, she went limp. Blood pooled beneath her, and her muscles twitched.

  I charged, trying to reach her, but Luciana blocked my path, coiling around Larna's body almost like a serpent. "She won't last long," she said, sneering. "If the bleeding doesn't kill her, the poison will."

  I refused to listen. I would not let that happen. I crouched, haunches bunching as I prepared to spring.

  Luciana didn't seem to take the threat seriously. "You think you can do better?" Her laughter was mocking, high and cold, amplified but otherwise every bit the same as it had always been. "That, I want to see."

  The two of us crashed together in a clash of fangs and claws. Luciana's first blow swiped just above my head. I ducked, ramming my shoulder into her stomach. Pain jolted up through my arm like a spike of lightning, but it worked. She staggered, grunting in surprise, and I followed after her, jaws snapping in search of a hold.

  I wasn't quite fast enough. She threw me off and knocked me aside again with an inhuman surge of strength. My teeth clicked through empty air.