“Sit down, and I’ll show you the unicorn,” Viv said, and Nan and Inessa sat on the other couch with Sasha. Inessa kept looking at Micah, but Viv paused as she headed for the weaving room and placed a hand on the table in front of Micah, like she knew he couldn’t bear to be touched just then. “Do you want to come with me?”
She was asking if Micah wanted to hide in the weaving room. He shook his head, and she tapped the table with her fingers before moving away. She came back out with a tapestry in her arms, and she unfurled it to reveal a beautiful scene of a unicorn in a field of flowers, its pearly horn cleverly fashioned to give it the look of gleaming bone.
“Damn!” Inessa whistled, but Viv was looking at Nan, a small line between her brows.
Nan squinted at the fabric. “You listened when I told you about the weave for the flowers. That’s good. If you have time, I can show you how to give the fur texture.”
Viv sighed, which was strange. Micah would have wilted with his work under that kind of scrutiny, but it seemed like Viv wanted it. “Yes. Next time.”
“You said in your message your new friend’s a toymaker?” Inessa turned her focus back to Micah, and Micah held his breath. “You know, I have a boy with a birthday coming up. Timon. He’s eight this year, obsessed with the ocean. I’ll trade you more robes for a boat.”
Oh, gods, she was talking to him. Micah tried to open his mouth to reply and looked to Sasha for help.
“Don’t boss people around, Ness.”
“I’m not bossing, I’m just talking to him.”
Micah clutched his book, and Nan gave him a quick glance before turning to her granddaughter. “Inessa, my bones ache. Can you fetch me a warm drink, please?”
“Sasha, fetch Nan a drink. It’s your house.”
Sasha and Inessa broke into another comfortable argument, and Nan gave Micah a tiny nod. Micah only just managed to nod back.
“So,” Nan said, patting Viv on the knee, “what’s this about a spirit with another person’s face?”
Viv explained in a soft voice while Inessa and Sasha got drinks and distributed them, and Nan’s frown deepened, her mouth pressed into a thin line.
“I see,” she said after a brief silence. “There are many stories about mirror people. That’s what they’re called. But they’re meant to be just that: stories. Tales to explain why some live unexamined lives, or why people have sudden changes of mood or think they see something in the distance that isn’t there.”
“Are there any tales that… aren’t just stories?”
Nan shrugged. “I can look into it. Winter isn’t so close that I can’t make the trek here again. But in all the stories, the mirror people are most dangerous to the one they imitate. And… it’s strange, but I think they all need to be invited in. You need to welcome them into the house, thinking they’re your lover or friend. So, if this is real, if it isn’t just your mind playing tricks on you, you’ll need to make certain you have a way to know who is the real Vivian and who is not.”
“I can always recognize my Viv,” Sasha said, and Nan leaned over to pat his leg.
“I know. As I said, they’re stories. But I’ll look into this, see if there are any old tapestries or paintings that can help. And if I see you, Vivian, what should I ask to know you are my girl?”
Viv’s cheeks went pink. “My favorite story. Out of the ones you used to tell.”
“‘The Witch-Girl’s Gown.’” Nan smiled. “Yes, that’ll do.”
“I think it’s probably nothing,” Inessa said. “I mean, sticks? Moss? A stone in a spring? You probably ate something bad, Sasha, that’s all.”
“You wouldn’t say that if you saw it.”
Micah slowly opened his book. He’d read something about mirrors once. How to make one, in any case, out of glass and metal. It wasn’t a story like Sasha’s grandmother’s, but it was something to focus on, and when he found it, he looked at the writing on the page and narrowed his eyes.
Mirrors work when ink is scarce.Micah read the line over and over, but he couldn’t parse it. What did mirrors have to do with ink? What made ink better? What was the mirror in the book for? The diagram was simple, and he could probably recreate it. There was a drawing of someone looking into the mirror, and another of a bowl of ink. But he didn’t know if it would do anything. Maybe it wasn’t the right spell for the situation.
“Remember to ask Micah about the boat, Sasha,” Inessa said, and Micah glanced up. Inessa and Nan were already getting to their feet, and Micah hadn’t said a word to them the entire time. He stood uneasily, then froze when Nan looked his way. She nodded again, and he raised his hand, unable to do more. Then she left a bundle on the table and gave Viv a pat on the shoulder before heading to the door.
Micah didn’t breathe again until Nan and Inessa were gone. Then it all came out in a rush, and Sasha gave him a concerned look while Viv shrugged and started going through the bundle.
“Sorry,” Micah blurted, standing stock-still by the couch. “I couldn’t help it.”
“It’s fine. My family’s a lot.” Sasha grinned at him. “My sister has four kids now, all boys. When we’re together, it’s like a pack of wolves got set loose.”
“He isn’t kidding.” Viv picked up the bundle and approached Micah, looking him up and down. “You know we don’t think less of you just because you’re nervous.”
