Page 21 of Celestial Shadows
I find them in the war room just as Variant enters from the other door. His chest is bare and his trousers are smudged with soot and burned in places. Eilish gasps at the sight of him and it’s clear that Variant was the one who produced the flash fire that lessened the Obiqui’s numbers. I hurry into the room and prop my mirror against the wall. “There is something I must do,” I call out to the others. “It may be the only thing that can buy us some time before the next wave of attacks.”
“What is it?” Eilish moves to my side, placing a hand on my arm. “What are you trying to do, Theren? I think we should discuss it.”
“We don’t have much time. I need to use the mirror to track my father’s movements. If we know where Elioth is and what he’s doing, we can be better prepared for what’s coming next.”
“How dangerous is it?” she asks. I can see the concern in her beautiful eyes. My hand reaches out to her as though I’m helpless to stop it. I pull Eilish against my chest and kiss hersoftly. She sighs and curls her fingers over my shoulders. Baron separates us.
“Don’t start that shit right now. I’m hard as a rock and I need to feed, so let’s get this over with as quickly as possible.” He pauses and glares at me. “Answer her questions, asshole.”
I nod and look back at Eilish. “It’s… dangerous. I may need Variant’s help to make sure I don’t become ensnared by the mirror.”
Eilish tries to move around Baron, but Variant blocks her path. “Wait,” she says. “Theren, you don’t have to do this. We can find another way without taking such a risk.”
Eilish knows my greatest fear is to be lost to the glass, trapped inside the endless darkness between worlds. But, I love her and nothing less than love would inspire me to attempt this.
“I have to…”
“And how will you come back? How do you make sure you don’t get ensnared inside the mirror?” she demands. Then she turns to face Pyre. “Could you make sure Theren comes back?”
“It’s very complicated, Eilish,” Pyre points to the mirror. “The world beyond that glass isn’t physical nor spiritual. It isn’t my realm and so my power is useless against it. While Theren trusts Variant to try and pull him back before becoming ensnared, if Theren is lost in that other world, then there isn’t a thing any of us can do to help him. Only an equally skilled catoptromancer would be able to bring Theren back.”
“And your father would like nothing more than to trap you,” Eilish says.
I nod. “If he catches me, then I’m better off dead anyway.”
I move over to the mirror and flinch as Variant draws near. It isn’t often that I have someone at my back who isn’t Cambion, but I need to do this without my brother. “Are you ready, Variant?” I ask.
He nods.
I continue. “It would be wise to watch my eyes. They will be black as marbles while I’m gone, but if they become as reflective as the mirror, you must break the connection immediately. I may attempt to fight you…”
“I’m ready,” Variant interrupts. “Just be quick.”
I stand before the mirror and see only myself staring back. Variant and the others don’t reflect on its surface, for the glass obeys no one. I feel the pull and, once again, I find myself wading through darkness. Whispers glide across my skin. I’m alone with my past, my present, and my future as the air around me breathes. I use my magic to probe the darkness, searching for my father. A window appears. Drops of water slide down the glass as I reach to open it. The smell of Earlann’s market reaches my nose and I climb through the opening.
People run through the streets, screaming as they beg for mercy. The Knights of Umbria soar through the clouds on their wyverns. Fire explodes on the rooftops of buildings. Through the thick smoke and debris, I see Elioth.
Cambion? Can you hear me, brother?I call out in thought.
By the gods, Theren. Where are you?
I have found Elioth. Earlann is burning. I’m tracking him now.
Don’t! He will sense your presence.
We don’t have any other choice,I argue.This is the only way.
I move closer, listening as Elioth shouts to his minions. Shadow demons ravage the shops and homes nearby. “Move faster, you wretched vermin! When sunrise comes, I want all of you in Oronrel. The Unseelie will either bow to me or perish!” Elioth yells.
And with the Unseelie Army, Abedon’s darkness will spread and Elioth will march through the Mortal Realm until we’re all captured. I turn back towards the opening of the window. Rainweighs down my robes, making it difficult to slide through. I close the window and see my father pause. He turns towards me, not seeing but sensing me near.
“Come out, Theren! Or must I remind you what happens when children play with dark magic?”
Pain… excruciating pain lances through my body and I stumble back. I crawl through the shadows, keeping my eyes trained on the window until it shatters. But the pain still lingers. And it’s stemming from my hands. I look down, watching in terror as silver climbs up my hands and then my arms like vines. The mirror is taking me. “Variant! Break the connection!”
I hear a loud scream in the distance before everything goes dark and I feel myself falling to the ground. I open my eyes and lights and shapes accost my view as Variant cushions my landing, but only just so. Something drips from my eyes and when I touch the liquid, my fingers are covered in red. Blood.
Eilish rushes over. “We couldn’t get you out!”
