Page 57 of The Oracle's Journey

“Did you see something on the way here, Lhoris?” the young duke asked, a hint of suspicion under the words.

I knew, however, it was not suspicion of me.

“Indeed, I did.” A pale blue stone caught my eye, despite my shadow glass. Picking it up, I handed it to Nicolas.

“Beach glass,” Nicolas explained before handing it to Emma to see. “You have a sharp eye.”

“Somebody here likes using mirrors to spy. I saw them all over the property. They were just a curiosity in the house. I initially thought maybe it was some sort trend in decoration, but having so many of them outside … I assume they’re for more than just admiring oneself.” Some of the mirrors I spied must have been in place for years—the trees had grown to partially engulf them.

Emma and Nicolas looked at each other and questioned in unison. “What mirrors?”

Ah, that’s it! The mirrors must be concealed by a glamor or illusion. I sighed and withdrew a pink object from the debris and handed it directly to Emma.

“That’s a scallop shell,” Nicolas explained.

“My particular species of elf has an inclination to see through minor illusion,” I explained. “There’s a mirror behind us, in the grass. You almost walked into it, but somehow managed to step around at the last moment. I’d recommend only speaking while facing the water.”

“No wonder my uncle was furious about your presence!” Nicolas eyes went wide for a moment before he frowned and fidgeted with a smooth piece of wood he’d picked up moments before. “There are only mirrors in the bedrooms, my study, and front hall from what I can see.”

“They’re all over the interior of the residence, in the courtyard; everywhere we toured today. Mirrors are very good tools in magic. You have some talent yourself, correct?” I asked.

“Yes, some,” Nicolas said, brows furrowed, “but my talents are in divination. I don’t have a mage’s talent. Not like my uncle. He must have been eavesdropping on our conversation in the princess’s suite last night, through the mirror. He knew things from that conversation that I didn’t tell anyone. I assume from your hesitancy to talk about the problem with your kinsmen meant that you didn’t tell anyone else in the chateau.” He paused, eyes darting up and down the beach. “We should move down the line a little bit to make it look like we are still trying to find things.”

So, we did just that.

“Does your uncle have control issues?” I asked, trying to assess how much of a threat these mirrors were. “Because I don’t like the idea that someone has such access to personal spaces.” Also, the circumstances that set Emma on her journey here were all odd. I’d even said once that it reeked of wizard bullshit, and here was a wizard that spies on the household and fields around the chateau.

Nicolas snorted. “Oh yes. He acts as my steward and did not like it when I came of age to truly run the province. We still argue over the most mundane issues. Though now that I know there are hidden mirrors everywhere, the possibility of disturbing them may have been the center of those arguments.” He went on to explain what he saw in his mirror while scrying the night before. “It’s worse than I feared,” he lamented quietly.

“He sounds like an asshole,” Emma said, her face sullen as she picked through the pebbles.

Nicolas cleared his throat. “That’s one way to describe him.”

“Tell me,” I said, “did your uncle play a part in arranging this marriage?”

“Well, yes. He and some of the other mages thought it would be an excellent pairing considering our talents.”

I pursed my lips and frowned. “Would you say that he and his friends are the sort to gather power any way they can? Would they curse a king and his lands to force him to hand over his daughter?”

Nodding, Nicolas closed his eyes. “They’re not at all altruistic. If I thought I could easily expel Ubras, I would have before Emmelina came here.” He paused then added, “They weren’t always like that. I wish I knew what changed.”

“So, we have a demi-god with unstable, possibly reality bending abilities under the same roof as a power-hungry wizard,” I grumbled. “I do not like this.”

Nicolas took Emma’s hand. “Nor do I after all you’ve said.”

Emma's face was drawn in anguish. “I … I could do what I did to that elf that almost killed Ozanna.” Squeezing a handful of wet sand, the murky sea water spilled between her fingers.

“Emma,” I gasped, a prickle of fear making the hairs on my neck stand up, “according to Onyxtoe’s book, what you do with your power shapes what you will become. Is that what you want the shape of your power to take? It wouldn’t be like the elf; that death wasn’t calculated.” I turned to Nicolas and said, “You know more about how things work here. What options do we have? Can we run? Should we fight? Reach out to your brother, the King?”

“My uncle has sway over the older portion of the guardsmen ... Marshal Tibbott for certain.” Nicolas paused and his eyes had a faraway look to them. “The younger members I feel like I can trust. Perhaps we could run to the King. My loyal guards could hinder my uncle’s men or give us an opening so we can escape.”

“That’s not a bad plan,” I nodded. “Lobikno and I could hide you and the princess in shadow until we are out of the castle. Carry on like my family is leaving so our trouble with the other elves doesn’t come here. We’ll put you two in the cart and go.”

“We could need a day or two to get everything in place with my guard.” Nicolas said, fully abandoning the beachcombing. “Arrange for supplies to send with you on your journey and give Emmelina the opportunity to pretend that she’s angry that you’re leaving.”

“Would he mistreat my maids if we leave them behind?” Emma asked, biting her lip. “I know trying to leave with them would be hard, but I don’t want any harm to come to them.”

“I could ask my men to keep an eye out for them. Once we are gone, we don’t have to worry about stealth. If my uncle wants to come after us, he will send his loyal men. We could have the maids hidden away then.” Nicolas stated his plan with such reassuring confidence that Emma visibly relaxed.

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