“How would someone break in and take them under your nose?” she asked.
“They didn’t break in through the front door.” He rocked on his heels, staring at the place where the label forDark Mirrorhad been.
“Then how?”
“There is only one way. Through a portal. This is my fault.” He paced a short distance back and forth, his agitation clear.
“I don’t see how it could be,” she said. “You’ve always carefully supervised the archive room.”
“And yet you were able to enter it with ease.”
His piercing stare bore into her, causing an icy chill to creep up her spine. The weight of his disappointment pressed down on her, making it hard to breathe. Anxiety gnawed at the edges of her mind as she desperately searched for words to ease the tension that hung heavy in the air.
“However,” he added, “if you hadn’t, then I would have never known the mirrors were missing.”
She wasn’t sure if he was thanking her for that or not, so she remained silent.
“I must alert the Elders,” he said.
“What will happen then?”
“Then? I will likely be removed as Master of Archives.”
As she gazed into his eyes, she saw the weight of his sadness etched deep within them. The lines on his face seemed to deepen, revealing a profound sorrow that tugged at her heartstrings. It was as if every ounce of joy had been drained from him, leaving behind an overwhelming sense of despair.
Harwin had been Master of Archives longer than she had been part of the elves’ village. Longer than Yirrie and Elator had been alive, even. She stepped toward him and hugged him. He was so surprised by that he didn’t return the hug.
“What was that for?” he asked when she pulled away.
“You looked like you needed it.” She glanced at the vacant space, chewing on her lower lip. “Do you have to tell them now? Maybe you should wait until after festival.”
He glanced from her to the void and back again. “You want me to lie?”
“Not lie,” she said. “Just wait to tell them. Only you and I know the mirrors are missing. The others don’t. And, by the looks of the spaces along the walls, it appears they have been missing for quite some time.”
“But…”
“Perhaps I can help,” she rushed on.
He narrowed his gaze at her. “How?”
“Let me see if I can find out something.”
He tilted his head to one side, question lingering in his eyes. “How will you do that?”
“I have some ideas.” She patted his arm for reassurance. “Let me try. I feel like this is partially my fault.”
“No, Snow, not your fault at all.”
Perhaps not, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. Something or someone had wanted her to see the archive room. She didn’t tell him the door was ajar. She decided to use her nature powers to find out more information about the dark wizard and the mirrors. She wanted to find the wizard’s home. If it still existed, perhaps there were answers hidden there.
She stifled a yawn. “I should go.”
He walked with her toward the door and then out of the archive room. Once they were out, he shut it and tested the knob to make sure it was locked. He followed her as she made her way around the desk.
“Thank you, Snow,” he said.
She turned to face him. “For what?”
