Page 200 of Lady of Starfire

“Can we eliminate any of them?” Rayner asked, crossing his arms while he continued to study the symbols. “Maybe process of elimination can help us narrow it down.”

Sorin passed the paper to his Third. “None of these are listed there,” he said, looking helplessly around the room for anything that might help.

“She gave you nothing else?” Rayner asked, flipping the page over and finding the back blank.

“This book might help.”

They both whirled to find Cethin and Kailia at the chamber entrance. Cethin held a book in his hand, and he was flipping pages as they closed the space between them.

“It is one we used when trying to find this city. Razik had figured out a few things, but most of the knowledge evaded even him,” Cethin explained, holding the book out.

“What is this?” Sorin asked, reading through words Razik had translated.

Devram.

Nordrir.

Orlandria.

Waelore.

Siadrin.

“The best we could come up with was that they are other worlds,” Cethin answered. “But some symbols appear to correlate.”

Sorin glanced up to find he was right. There were several symbols around the mirror that matched the ones in this book. The problem was, none of them were translated. Rayner and Cethin crowded around him.

“This is not going to help,” Sorin said in frustration, continuing to study the book, hoping something would jump out at him. He had an entire vial of blood. Maybe he simply needed to start trying symbols, and pray to— Well, maybe not the gods. Not anymore. But pray to the Fates that he didn’t summon something he shouldn’t.

“Perhaps she can help,” Kailia said.

They all turned to the Avonleyan Queen, who perched on the table that ran the length of the room. She nodded towards the mirror, and Sorin slowly turned back.

There was a female standing there. She appeared to be in her mid-twenties, but that didn’t mean anything if she’d gone through her Staying. She had arched ears, and long red hair so dark it was more burgundy than red. It was pulled back and tied high on the top of her head. She was of average height, and she was sipping something from a cup as she studied them. Her blue pants hugged her legs and hips, and the tunic she wore was too short, exposing her torso. She had Marks along her arms and across her chest, and what appeared to be some type of jewelry in her navel and nose, as well as her ears. But none of that was what had Sorin taking a step back.

No, that was her honey-colored eyes.

Eyes that he would recognize anywhere. The female he was staring at might be shorter and have a different hair color, but those eyes danced with the same amusement and slight insanity of another.

The female smiled at him, and that was the same as another too. She pulled something from her pocket. It was a small box of some sort, her thumb moving rapidly across it. Then she held it up.

Sorin stepped closer. There was an even smaller screen on the small box, and he peered closely to see what was on it. A Runic Symbol, if he was seeing it correctly.

His gaze darted back up to the female’s. “How do you know where she is?” he asked, not sure if she could hear him or not. The last being they’d seen in this mirror hadn’t been able to hear them.

She could though. Not only that, she could understand him.

“She has taken from him. He is not very pleased,” the female said, casually taking another sip from her cup. It looked like it was made of paper.

“You speak of Achaz?” Sorin asked.

The female nodded. “I hear he is in quite the rage.”

“How does he know already?” That panic he’d been keeping at bay was starting to surge up.

The female scoffed at the question. “When a power likethatis released, the entirety of the universe knows it. Hope she is strong enough to harness it.”

Sorin shifted uncomfortably at the words. “What world are you in? His?”

---