Page 58 of The Mirror of Beasts

“The sooner we find the mirror, the sooner we can return for them,” Olwen reasoned, though she didn’t quite sound convinced herself.

“Emrys said to look for Tennyson’s Idylls of the King,” I said. Unfortunately for us, we had no idea why.

With a hard breath through her nose, Caitriona finally relented, and forced herself to join us as we searched the shelves.

“Oh—here!” Olwen called. She was in front of the bookcase just to the right of the fireplace. Her fingers skimmed along the old cloth spines. And somehow, even before she tried to tug the book free, I knew what would happen.

With a horrible scraping groan, the fireplace—swords, mantel, and all—slid down into the floor, and behind it were the very modern silver doors of an elevator.

“Great Mother,” Olwen breathed out, leaning around the bookcase with wide eyes.

“Okay,” I said begrudgingly. “That was a little cool.”

It was a small lift, big enough for two people at most, and only had a single button.

“I’ll meet you down there in a second,” I told them, bundling a hesitant Caitriona and Olwen inside. I stepped back to keep watch on the entrance to the library. The elevator doors closed.

Why did he point out the pin? I thought, circling back to that moment, to the unguarded look of alarm on Emrys’s face.

The elevator doors opened again. Caitriona and Olwen stood there, flummoxed. I stared back, equally confused before I realized my mistake.

Caitriona stomped a foot to the ground.

“Down!” she ordered in an imperious tone.

“Please?” Olwen offered, staring up at the ceiling, in case that helped.

Flipping the book back into place, I managed to leap over the fireplace before it closed the elevator off from the room again.

“Sorry, sorry, I forgot.” I squeezed in with them, weight limit be damned, and leaned forward so the sensors would allow the doors to shut. I reached behind me, and after assessing the various emergency and call buttons, hit the one labeled CELLAR.

Caitriona’s hands shot out to steady us as the elevator rumbled to life and began its descent.

“So this is what we call an elevator,” I told them, watching their expressions transform from fear to curiosity. “An alternative to stairs. It also rises.”

“Oh,” Olwen said, looking all too tempted by the panel of buttons in front of her. “Marvelous!”

Caitriona looked ready to pry the doors open by force. “This is unnatural.”

“But convenient!” I said, a bit too cheerful.

The trip down into the cellar was mercifully short. Before we spilled out into the narrow stone hall, I twisted toward Olwen. “Can you take out the little red velvet bag from the front pocket of my jacket?”

“What is this?” Olwen whispered, holding it up. “It feels …”

“Dark,” Caitriona finished.

I took it from her, letting the spent crystals spill out into my palm. The magic trapped inside thrummed against my skin. “Take one.”

Olwen held hers close to her eye, studying the rippling light trapped inside the quartz.

“They’ve absorbed the magic of curses,” I told them. “They’ll interfere with any electronic security system down here, including cameras.”

I might as well have been speaking in tongues.

“Electronic … cameras?” Olwen repeated, testing the sound of the words.

“I promise I’ll explain it later, when we’re not about to commit theft,” I said. “Follow close behind me, and let me know if you see any strange symbols on the wall—”

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