Page 96 of Lucifer's Mirror
It occurs to me that safety, especially here, is just an illusion. We’re an island in the midst of chaos. Beyond the wards lies a land of monsters and encroaching darkness.
Zayne’s departure weighs heavily on my heart, leaving an ache that seems to echo with each hoofbeat of Stella’s rhythmic gait. We go back much slower than we came, keeping to an ambling walk—I let Stella decide the speed, my mind on other things. Because although I’m sad that Zayne’s gone, I’m at peace with myself and with him. We’re good.
As the sun dips lower, it casts long shadows across the land. I’m not sure how long I’ve been riding when I shiver. A chill races down my spine, and I raise my head to find the sun has disappeared beyond the horizon. Shouldn’t we be home by now? I look around and realize I have no clue where we are. We’ve wandered off the main track onto a smaller one that’s overgrown and looks like it hasn’t been used in a long, long time.
“Where have you brought me?” I murmur to Stella, who doesn’t answer; she just continues on her way like she knows where she’s heading. I’m about to stop her and turn when, up ahead, the silhouette of what looks like an ancient structure catches my eye. My body stiffens, and Stella comes to a halt and snorts.
The light is dimming, but I can still make out what I’m guessing is a crumbling temple. Its gray stones are weathered by time and neglect, blending into the overgrown vegetation that crawls over the walls and columns. Intrigued, I guide Stella toward the eerie structure, the sound of hooves muffled by the soft grass under her feet.
As I get closer, the temple emerges like a ghost from the past, its columns leaning and vines snaking up its sides. Straight in front of me, the entrance yawns wide, twin marble pillars towering over us, nearly a hundred feet high.
I slide off Stella’s back and tread slowly forward, wary yet somehow drawn to this place. A sense of reverence fills the air as I step between the pillars. In front of me is a vast chamber, open to the darkening sky. Dust motes dance in the slanting rays of the last light of the sun as I move farther inside. The remnants of ancient murals adorn the walls, their colors bleached by the passing of the years, no doubt telling stories long faded from memory.
In the center of the temple stands a pedestal with a huge statue almost as tall as the pillars at the entrance. A woman. She looks regal, and even with her features worn by time and weather, I can tell she was beautiful. Who was she? Maybe a long-ago queen. Or a goddess. Some relation of Khaosti’s, perhaps?
There’s something carved into the stone of the base—I’m not sure what. I peer closer. It looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before, even in books. A cross between a unicorn and a flying horse, a combination of power, grace, and beauty.
I reach out and touch it, and a jolt of electricity rushes through me. Racing along the nerves of my arm, through my body, it pierces my heart. I crash to my knees as everything goes dark around me.
For the longest time, I’m aware of nothing. Then stars light up the darkness, and deep inside me, an awareness flickers to life.
Come back.
For a moment, I get a fleeting glimpse of a forgotten world, a hint of memories just out of reach. A shadowy forest where a gleaming white unicorn steps daintily toward me, tossing her head, wickedly pointed horn glinting in the sunlight, silver wings furled at her back. Words shiver through the air.
You must be strong, my daughter.
I want to ask why, but already the image is fading to nothing. I blink open my eyes to find I’m lying in the cool sand at the foot of the great statue.
I raise my head and stare up at the figure.
What the fuck just happened?
I feel different, changed somehow.
I suppose an electric shock might do that to you. Or not.
Stella nuzzles me, and I jump. I’d forgotten she was there. I think she’s telling me it’s time to go. Part of me doesn’t want to leave. But the temple is shrouded in darkness now. Hecate will worry if I’m not back, and I promised myself I wouldn’t be selfish again. I turn to go, but at the last moment, I hesitate and place my palm on the worn stone of her foot. A prickle runs along my nerves. But nothing more. No jolt of power.
Come back.
The familiar words whisper in my mind but are gone before I can catch hold of them. This time, I turn and walk away.
But as I turn, I notice a second plinth beside the statue. This one is empty, and I can’t help but wonder who once stood beside the woman and why they are gone. There’s a creature etched into the stone, this time one I recognize: a dragon, wings outspread, flames curling from its nostrils. I reach out to touch it but change my mind at the last second. No more electric shocks for me tonight; I need to get home.
Outside, I mount Stella once more, and we leave the derelict temple behind. I glance back over my shoulder once. The columns are bathed in an ethereal glow, catching the first light from the rising moon.
I still have no clue where I am, but soon we reach the main track again, and I know the way home. And the way back to the temple.
I can’t help but think that there are answers to be found within the forgotten stones of that ancient place.
By the time the village comes into sight, the moon is high in the sky, and a tall black horse and rider are coming toward me.
Khaosti pulls up as we meet. “I came to find you,” he says. “Hecate was worried.”
Obviously,hewasn’t. “I’m sorry. We got a little lost on the way back.”
“You shouldn’t be out after dark.”
