Page 12 of The Mirror in the Mountain

Silvius tutted as he readied a syringe. “A shame you haven’t learned to be better behaved for His Majesty. All in due time, I suppose. Perhaps I’ll figure out a serum for that too.”

His grip closed like a vise on my upper arm as I tried to twist away.

No…not again.

I couldn’t breathe as I saw that syringe, a wave of dread shuddering through me. Silvius’s lips curled into a smirk of satisfaction before he stabbed me with it. I gritted my teeth, looking away from the sight of the needle piercing my skin, trying to stop myself from hyperventilating.

Anger ignited within me as I felt the toxin dragging me into nothingness. I latched onto its flame, letting it burn away the fear and hopelessness even as my limbs grew heavy.

“I’m going to kill you,” I promised, my words slurring as Silvius backed away.

I needed to write something, anything to Bash in the seconds I had left before I lost consciousness. To let him know where I was, that I was alive…knowing he would be frantically trying tofind a way to save me. But the guard’s eyes remained on me, tracking my every movement.

Then I froze as my gaze fixed on a large portrait behind the guard. The young couple was familiar even if I didn’t recognize the crowns on my parents’ heads.

Seeing them there, so young and lifelike, made my heart clench. It was strange to see their faces when all I harbored were the watercolor memories of them; the details fading with time. The picture I had of them in my head had grown more intangible over the years as I lost the memory of those little things that made their faces theirs, replaced by an amalgamation of the photos I had left behind in another realm. To see them like this, an image of them that wasnew, made my breath catch, a sudden wave of grief slamming into me before I could steel myself against it.

The world tilted as their faces went slightly blurry, intangible in a way that made it feel like I could reach out and touch them.

Desperately, I refocused on Bash as unconsciousness tried to take me once more. Maybe…just maybe, I could find him in the space between our dreams.

Bash’s name was the last thought in my head as my mind finally gave into the drug coursing through my body. And then I was gone.

Chapter 7

Bash

Ididn’t want to fall asleep. Couldn’t—not when every cell in my body screamed that I should be going after Eva, my heart bellowing at me togo get herwithout wasting another second. Torturing myself with everything that could be happening to her while I lay here, safe in my bed, because of what she had given up.

I couldn’t stand it, being apart from her. Not for one more heartbeat.

But I knew there was a chance she would be able to dreamwalk to me if I could only get my body to cooperate. It took much longer than I wanted to calm my mind enough to fall asleep, despite Marin’s tea. Especially as I kept startling awake every time I silently begged our bond to reach her, to find her.

Where are you? Whereareyou? Where?—

I shouldn’t have worried about the logistics of it. My mind found hers as easily as breathing.

Here I am,it seemed to say.Come to me.

I obeyed.

My eyes were still closed, and for a moment, I forgot about everything except the feeling of her in my arms. When I opened them, I found myself in a forest glen, sharing a familiar sleepmat. The night glittered strangely, and I realized that the trees surrounding us faded quickly into a deep, rumbling fog.

For a second, Eva stilled, barely seeming to breathe as she stared at me.

“Bash.”

The way she said my name made my heart stop for a second, more of a sob than a word. Her lips found mine in an instant, so quickly I couldn’t tell which one of us had reached for the other first. Then she was everywhere—her hands in my hair, her leg hitching around my waist, her body molding against mine.

Even forced apart, we still belonged to each other. But while I couldn’t help but savor the taste of her, we didn’t have time to waste. As if we had the same thought, we both pulled away, though my arms remained around her waist, her hands clasped around my neck.

“You insanely reckless?—”

Eva’s eyes flared. “I wasn’t going to let any of you?—”

“—selflessly noble, irresponsibly brave love of my life.”

“…die.”

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