Where had the Dark Mirror gone? Who had taken it? Did Master Harwin know it was gone?
She stared at the empty spot, unsure what to do. She couldn’t tell Harwin it was missing. Then he would know she was in here when she wasn’t supposed to be.
She turned the corner at the end of the aisle and saw yet another empty spot that appeared to have been where something once resided. It, too, was gone. The label readEnchanted Mirror.
Another mirror missing.
Her hands shook as she took another step down the row to see yet another vacant space with a label identifying it asMagic Mirror.
Three mirrors. All missing. Stolen? And if so, how did someone get past Harwin to steal them? How did someone know the elves had them?
Harwin had told her they removed magical items from the dark wizard’s cabin. Were these mirrors some of those items?
She backed away, then turned and ran up the aisle. She was here to find out about enchanted weapons, but now discovered another mystery. At the front of the room, she paused to catch her breath. Did she dare stay to find out about the enchanted weapons, or leave and try again another day?
Knowing she shouldn’t be in there, she decided to do the right thing and leave. Twisting the knob, she pushed open the door and peered out. All was as she had left it when she entered the room. Stepping out, she softly closed the door.
Turning, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she came face to face with Master Harwin. He stood behind the desk, still in the same state as earlier that day when they shared tea. He held a candle in one hand, the faint light flickering over his face pinched with a cross between fury and disappointment.
“Snow, would you like to tell me what you were up to?”
“I-I…” She didn’t know what to say.
Her heart was throbbing so hard, it made her lightheaded. Her head pounded with a sudden shooting pain. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger to make it stop.
“Well?” he prompted.
“I had a question for you,” she began.
“At this time of night? Shouldn’t you be at the festival?” His tone had a hard edge.
“I don’t much enjoy the festival,” she said without thinking.
Some of the anger faded from his face. “Neither do I. That’s why I never go. Well, come on then. Since you woke me up and you have questions, you may as well have some tea.” He sounded more weary than angry.
He shuffled back through the door on the right into his cozy home. Stunned, it took her a moment to follow. She stumbled after him, closing the door behind her. He was already putting a kettle on to boil. The candle he had carried was placed in a holder in the middle of the table.
There were only a few candles burning in the place, giving it a warm glow. She perched on the edge of the seat she had occupied earlier that day and waited while he prepared the tea.
“I’m sorry, Master Harwin. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Something must be very urgent for you to be here in the dark of night.” He brought over the tray with two cups, creamer, sugar, and teapot. He placed it on the table, then poured a cup.
“I did knock,” she said, accepting the cup he offered. “But there was no answer.”
He gave her a curious glance full of question. She rushed on.
“I didn’t mean to go in the archives, but, I…well, I…” She placed her shaking hands in her lap. “I’m sorry.” She blew out a breath, her shoulders slumping.
He poured himself a cup and sat in the chair opposite. “The archives are sacred. They represent our history. There are documents and books there that were written thousands of years ago.”
“I know. That’s why I thought you might have the answer.”
“About the dark wizard?” he asked.
“About enchanted weapons,” she said.
He gave her a tight smile as his brows drew together, his eyes full of doubt as he stared at her a long moment, then took a sip of his tea. “Where did you hear about enchanted weapons?”
