Page 89 of The Other Side of the Mirror

I leapt down noiselessly, then knelt by one of the unconscious guards, snagging a set of keys from his belt. Rivan and I pulled their limp bodies into a dark corner, tying and gagging them should they wake too soon. On the other side of the walkway was the non-descript entry point outlined in our intel.

Striding forward, I held out the stolen keys and located the one that matched the lock. Then we walked through the door that would lead us to Eva’s brother.

The stairwell was quiet, and though we stopped at each landing to listen, we found no servants or guards lying in wait. Something prickled on the back of my neck at the lack of difficulty. From the tension on my companion’s faces, they felt the same.

A pair of guards were waiting around the next corner, and I almost breathed a sigh of relief. Yael stole the air from their lungs before they could shout the alarm, then knocked their heads together with a crack. My shadows wrapped around their ankles, dragging them into a storage closet.

Yet I couldn’t ease the consternation in my spine as we slipped down the next stairwell. It was eerily silent as we hurried along, magically muffling our footfalls. As we reached a long, empty hallway that was too bright for our magics to hide us, my shadows retreated back to my hands like storm clouds, a few tendrils reaching toward Eva like dark spurts of lightning.

I pushed away the urge to hold her hand as we raced down the hall, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Our spies had determined Morehaven’s guards had gone back to their normal routine after the flurry post Eva’s escape…but it still felt too easy.

Four guards waited at the entrance of the dungeons as expected, one nearly dozing off when we turned the corner. Yael silenced them, but they rushed forward even as they fought for breath, swords in hand. Eva’s sword locked with the closest. She kicked him in the chest, then her darkness enveloped him. His body went limp before it hit the ground.

There was a burst of fire from the one closest to me. I dodged it as my shadows wrapped around him, binding him like ropes, before I knocked him unconscious with the hilt of my sword. White stone shot from the opposing wall, knocking out the remaining guards. Rivan smirked at me as I reached down to grab one by the ankles, my shadows dragging the others behind me.

Yael motioned at the imposing doorway, clearly expecting trouble once we made it through. Sweat rolled down my back, not from exertion but unease. I couldn’t send my shadows ahead of us with the iron, though Eva had only ever seen one guard stationed inside. Rivan walked up to it, his muscles bulging as he slowly pulled the doors open.

My shadows rushed through the crack in the door as if expecting an ambush. But there was only the solitary guard waiting inside the dank prison, whom I quickly knocked out. Rivan stooped beside him, removing his keys while I dragged the unconscious guards into the dungeon with us using ropes of shadow, then deposited them into a cell. There was a creak of iron hinges as Rivan closed the doors behind us.

It took a second before I saw the brown-haired male slumped against the wall of his cell in the back of the otherwise empty dungeon. He stood up in surprise, his eyes only on her. But I knew him, even with the mask. I didn’t know how I didn’t recognize the resemblance before.

She’ll never forgive me for this.

Chapter35

Eva

“Eva?” Tobias croaked in shock, the single word obviously hard won.

Bash took a protective step towards me, but I was already running forward.

“Tobias,” I whisper-shouted as loudly as I dared.

I lunged for my brother, the bars between us stopping me short of reaching him. Trembling, I clung to them. Rivan was already by the lock, muttering as he tried to find the right key. There were tears on Tobias’s face streaming under the edge of the mask, and I felt matching ones trailing down my cheeks.

We had never been able to help but cry when the other one did.

Rivan made a satisfied sound as a key finally turned in the lock, and I rushed inside, trying to ignore the familiarity of the musty cell.

“Don’t worry, we’re going to get you out of here,” I promised, unable to take my eyes off him.

Rivan came up behind Tobias, handing me the key ring. Then he removed a satchel from his shoulder, bringing out the strange instrument Marin had used to free me from my collar. The device began to glow, releasing that same gentle hum as Rivan held it to my brother’s mask.

My hands shook as I tried to match the right key to the shackles on my brother’s wrists. Then the band broke from behind Tobias’s head, and his mask fell into my hands.

“Eva…” Tobias’s voice was gruff from disuse, my name two long syllables like he was testing them out. His face was slack with surprise as he continued to stare at me, barely noticing the fae warriors I had brought with me. I handed the keys to Rivan, unable to focus on anything but my brother’s face.

“Toby,” I choked out, suddenly struggling to draw breath as I looked into the eyes that were the reflection of my own.

His face was older than I had last seen it. Those features were mine but stronger, beautiful but male, and far too pale after so long behind the mask. He was thin, but in remarkably good shape. A scruffy brown beard covered his chin, and long, chestnut hair fell into his hazel eyes, almost hiding the familiar crown of gold surrounding his pupils. That tilt of the lips, the dark lashes, our almond eyes…my twin brother had always been my male mirror.

Bash was staring back and forth between Tobias and me, his gaze unreadable. There was something gritty through our bond, something bleak. But I was too happy to see my brother’s face again to put a finger on it.

“I thought you were dead,” we both said at the same time.

A choked laugh bubbled up from my throat at how in sync we still were.

“Well, at least some things never change,” Tobias said slowly, a slight stutter to his words. “When Aviel dragged you out of here…”

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