Page 38 of The Other Side of the Mirror

Bash was silent, his shoulders tense as he led me toward the mirror that would bring us to Morehaven. I wanted to grab his hand as we neared it, wanted the comfort of him as dread pooled in my gut.

But I didn’t, and he walked briskly out of my reach.

Yael and Rivan waited by the mirror. But it was a struggle to keep my eyes off Bash, even with the building strain of my nerves. He leaned against the wall, his arm flexing as he dragged a hand through his ever-tousled auburn hair. His form-fitting jacket showed off those powerful shoulders, dark gray, like the castle walls of Imyr—so austere compared to the colorful tones within. The asymmetric lapel was covered in gleaming silver buttons that matched the brushed suede of his shoes. A cape hung over one shoulder in a regal swoop.

Bash looked like the king he was, so beautiful my heart skipped a beat.

I had fastened a midnight blue cloak over my dress back in my room, but soon realized it was foolish as I took in the other’s obviously indoor attire. Of course no cloak would be required. Not when the mirror would take us directly inside the castle.

Looking down, I hoped no one noticed my hands shaking as I fumbled with the clasp before finally swinging it off my shoulders. The movement rustled the sky-blue skirts of the long, silken dress I found in my dresser.

My dress was simple, but not understated. Long sleeves came down to a point over the knuckle of my middle fingers, the dress draping gracefully over my curves with an elegance I rarely felt without a weapon in my hand. The wide scoop neck left my shoulders nearly bare, my star amulet shining on my chest. I had tried to quickly tame my hair after taking advantage of that clawfoot tub post training, and it fell over my collarbone in chestnut waves.

Bash looked at me. And went completely still, his eyes darkening as he drank me in. I felt my cheeks heat as I watched his gaze slide down my body like a caress—hungrily tracing each curve like he couldn’t bring himself to look away.

“You clean up nice,” Rivan said with a languid smile. His own black jacket strained against the bulge of his biceps, its light purple embroidery bringing out his lavender eyes.

Yael cleared her throat, a hand on her cocked hip. From behind, I thought she was wearing a gown, the high neckline juxtaposing with her bare shoulders. But her emerald skirt split in the front to reveal sophisticated fitted pants, a braided gold belt wrapped around her waist. Her scars were on full display, and my eyes fixed on them before meeting hers with a smile.

“Honestly…” Yael sighed dramatically. “That’sthe best compliment you could come up with?”

Rivan grinned. “You look nice too.”

She rolled her eyes, sucking on a tooth.

“You look breathtaking,” I said with a smirk. “Absolutely ravishing.”

She walked over and linked her arm in mine, giving me a sultry wink. “Now that’s more like it.”

Rivan let out a long-suffering sigh. “Come on now, let’s not keep His Highness waiting.”

But Yael held up a hand. “One more thing…”

Reaching into a pocket, she untangled a dark brown piece of leather with a loop in the middle and an unobtrusive buckle on one end. I raised a brow as she handed it to me.

Yael shrugged. “I’m not much for wrapping, but it’s for your dagger. I assume plenty of gowns with nowhere to put it are in your future. You can use it as a waist belt or tie it around your thigh if you prefer some subtlety.”

I grinned. “Thank you.”

Rivan gestured toward the mirror with a flourish. “Shall we?”

A shiver went down my spine, though whether from the curdling anticipation or the thought of walking through that mirror, I couldn’t say.

Bash hung back as they brought me toward the enormous rectangular mirror I had seen when we first arrived. The pit in my stomach grew with every step I took. I wasn’t sure if it was fear or intuition telling me not to go any further.

Suddenly, my anxiety was choking me. And I knew that if I so much as glanced at the looming mirror, I wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer.

But time was up, whether I was ready or not.

Definitely ‘or not.’

I could feel Bash’s stare boring into my back, like he could read my apprehension from the way my shoulder blades cinched together. When I finally looked up, the glass was rippling as if a rock had been tossed in the placid waters of its surface. Like the mirror had somehow read our intention. The scrolling silver on its sides reminded me unsettlingly of the gilded mirror in my living room, and I couldn’t stop that old terror from breaking through. Absently, I rubbed the scar on my palm as Yael, then Rivan, simply stepped through the glass as if walking into another room, leaving me a few steps behind.

With a shudder, I took one more timid step, the mirror towering menacingly…and halted as I felt a lick of flames at my back. Closing my eyes, I clenched my scarred hand into a fist as it seared as though freshly burned. My breathing turned jagged as the memories I had tried so hard to keep at bay flooded my consciousness, my mother’s screams reverberating through my mind?—

A hand on my shoulder made me jump.

“Are you alright?”

---