Page 18 of Mirror of Vanity

“Go on,” my brother urged.

I drew a deep breath, and Justice squeezed my knee as if to say I’m here with you.

As I drew on his strength and my brother’s faith, I cleared my throat. “There was an ancient library with dusty tomes and old manuscripts. I think it held the first clue to our quest, but I don’t know where it is.”

I sipped my stout to give me more courage. “Then I saw a shadowy figure standing before an abandoned mansion draped with cobwebs. The figure beckoned me to follow him into an attic, where a dusty mirror stood, its surface reflecting more than the physical realm.”

“How big was the mirror?” Jonas asked. His question stunned me since I didn’t know whether size mattered. Maybe the size of the mirror determined how powerful the magic would be.

I blinked. “Um, it was a portrait mirror in an ornate gold frame.”

Chelby tapped her glass nervously. “Go on, Sawyer.”

“The last thing I saw was a serene lake. There was a statue of an angel at the edge, its gaze fixed on a point across the water. In the middle of the lake was an island with a dilapidated chapel house. I’m not sure what they all mean, but I feel like they’re connected somehow.”

“Mmmm,” Garrick drew out. “Tell me more about this library. Was there anything in it besides books and manuscripts?”

I closed my eyes and thought about the library, then looked at him. “I remember a painting that hung in the shadows. It depicted a group of Fae dressed in formal attire under a blood-red moon. It looked like they had battled each other and were making a pact.”

I stared at him as I thought of one of the figures in the painting. A chill ran up my spine, and every hair stood on edge. I frowned. “One of them looked like you.”

Garrick chuckled, tossing his hair back while tapping his fingers on the table. His laughter faded, and his gaze met mine. “That’s because it is me.”

CHAPTER TEN

Silence swept over the table, stealing our voices. Even the constant chatter of the other patrons’ voices around us seemed to grow unusually quiet. The clink of glasses and dishes faded away as if the brewery strained to hear the Unseelie King’s forthcoming revelation. The wooden chairs felt hard and stiff, amplifying the tension that crackled through the air.

I risked a glance at the others gathered around the long oak table. Justice’s jaw had clenched, and the lines around his eyes and mouth were hard. On the other side of me, my brother sat taller in his seat and gripped his knife as if he were going to use it as a weapon.

At the head of the table, Chelby leaned forward, her face a porcelain mask that barely concealed the apprehension beneath the surface. The unease in her eyes left my skin prickling.

This was bad. Falling down a rabbit hole bad. A one-way ticket to the Unseelie Realm bad.

Garrick commanded the room. He lounged in his chair like a sleek panther poised to pounce, all coiled grace and lethal beauty. When he finally spoke, his voice was a razor blade wrapped in honey, mesmerizing and dangerous.

“I suppose you’re all wondering about the painting. To satisfy your curiosity, it is called ‘The Covenant of Shadows.’” He broke out in a slow predator’s smile that made me shiver. “More important is the library it depicts. It’s known as The Archive of Shadows. An ancient trove of secrets, forgotten by most but not by me. Never by me.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. I exchanged a nervous glance with Justice, seeing my questions reflected in his dark eyes. What was so important about this library? What game was Garrick playing?

“That library is located in the Veil of Shadows,” Garrick continued. “It is built upon an ancient ground where the Unseelie and the Fae had a bloody battle. Its purpose is to keep those dark days of the battle alive so we can remember the pact of peace. Now, evil has descended upon it, and the souls of the dead have been stolen.”

I swallowed the lump of dread in my throat, my voice quivering as I asked, “What evil?”

Garrick’s eyes glittered dangerously in the candlelight. “The Seven Deadly Sins had penetrated the realm before we could cast them out, and they left a guardian, a Grimoire Warden, for the library. It’s a spectral entity bound to the library, crafted from the ink and parchment of the library’s tomes.” He paused, letting his words hang in the air before continuing. “This warden interrogates all who wish to enter, demanding they sacrifice memories or secrets to pass.”

The tension ratcheted up another notch as he leaned forward, his obsidian gaze sweeping over us. I held my breath, both dreading and desperate to hear what he would say next.

Suddenly, glasses crashed behind me, and I jumped, my heart pounding. Behind me, a waitress had dropped a tray of empty pilsners onto the floor. The shattering sound echoed through the room. With trembling fingers, I rubbed beads of sweat off my brow, the clamminess of my skin betraying my unease. I didn’t like where this was going.

Brody met Garrick’s gaze, his voice steady and firm as he demanded, “Garrick, you need to be clear about what’s at stake here. How exactly did these Demons of the Seven Deadly Sin get into your realm, and what is required of us to ensure they do not cause further harm in your realm or on Earth?”

Garrick took another swig of ale. The tankard clunked heavily on the table as he set it down before answering, “I believe a portal was opened for them. To ensure this doesn’t happen again in my realm or yours, you’ll have to steal the key that opens the portals. This war happened many years ago, so it wasn’t Maci. It could be someone else. Someone who had access to portals and was in league with dark forces.”

Brody drew his brows into a deep frown. “Is that what you and Maggie discovered? Is she pursuing this possible league?”

Another shadow fell across Garrick’s face. “No. She’s following something else, and I haven’t heard from her yet. As soon as I do, I’ll let you know.”

Chelby leaned back in her chair, the wood creaking under her weight as she crossed her arms. Her brow furrowed in thought. “So, you and Maggie think someone else is pulling Maci’s strings?”

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