Page 46 of The Mirror in the Mountain

“Couldn’t be better,” I cut in before my father could say otherwise.

He shot me a look. “I believe we’re done here. Unless you have any questions about ourpriorities.”

Silently, I shook my head. I knew exactly whathispriorities were.

Adrian frowned slightly as he took in the coldness in my father’s tone. “I was planning to take your daughter to the stables. I hear she’s quite the equestrian.”

My father waved a hand dismissively. “Fine. Though don’t stay away too long.”

I straightened on impulse as he walked toward me, but he passed me without a second glance. Letting out a breath I hadn’t realized I had been holding, I tried not to let my shoulders slump with the sudden heaviness that had descended upon me. When Adrian reached for me, I stepped away as though I hadn’t noticed he had done so, moving swiftly to my dresser.

His swallow was audible. “Estelle…is everything okay?”

“Of course,” I said woodenly. “I’ll just be a minute.”

I chanced a glance back at him as my fingers curled against the cool, curved metal of the drawer’s handles. Adrian’s brow was furrowed with concern, his hands flexing at his sides like he didn’t know what to do with them. But his gaze softened as it met mine, and that creature that had awoken inside me seemed to settle as well.

“Take your time,” he said earnestly. “I’ll be here whenever you’re ready. I’ll always be there for you.”

A faint blush tinged his cheeks before he turned around, shutting the door behind him before he could see the tears that sprang to my eyes at the casual declaration. The way he offered it so easily, and without expectation.

I furtively wiped my eyes as I bent down to put on my riding boots, wondering if I had ever been loved without conditions. Or if that even counted as love at all.

Chapter 21

Eva

The cool night air settled against my skin like it was waiting for me. A crisp wind whispered secrets through the branches of the towering pines above, casting swaying shadows as we wandered aimlessly through the mountain woods. I was thankful for the thick navy cloak Quinn had procured for me before we left as I wrapped it more tightly around myself.

Rivan had explained that we would know what we were looking for when we saw it—a fairy mound. The usually circular pile of earth where the Little Folk came to revel in the moonlight, and grant an audience to those seeking their council, should they find them worthy of their time. Quinn’s jubilation at the prospect of meeting such a creature almost made me forget the stakes if we failed.

We split up, ambling through the moon bright forest, though my brother followed the same path as mine. The awkward silence between us seemed to deepen with every rustle of leaves. As we passed a desiccated section of earth, I winced at the thought of the curse so close to what was once again my home. Now that I understood the reason behind it, it was almost asthough I could feel the absence of magic; the nothingness in its place making a shiver go down my spine.

When I looked Tobias’s way, his shoulders were hunched, looking as though he was struggling to find his words. Like that iron mask was once again blocking what he wanted to say.

I had already forgiven him. I shouldn’t have lashed out like I had in the first place. Not when we had been granted the chance to be together again, for gods knew how long. That ever-present anxious feeling in the back of my mind seemed to hum louder at that thought—knowing that our time together was as uncertain as whether we would survive what came next.

Quietly, I sat down on a moss-covered log, a curve in the wood serving as a seat. Beckoning my brother to join me with a jerk of my head, I took my canteen from my pack, taking a long sip as he did the same.

Night had deepened around us, though dappled moonlight still found a way in through the thick canopy above, the faint glow of fireflies lighting up the underbrush. On instinct, I sent a scattered wave of darkness up to meet it, letting it swirl around my twin and I like a dark current. I never wanted to know the feeling of not having my magic ever again.

Tobias looked up with awe, and I realized he had never had the chance to see what I could do beyond that final fateful battle with Aviel.

“I can’t believe we went so long without knowing about this,” I whispered into the beautiful, fractured darkness.

Tobias reached up a hand, and my magic swirled around it in response. A rare smile flitted across his mouth—then he sent a stream of sparks into the air, melding into my darkness like stars in the night sky. Together they left the somewhat startling impression that the sky had fallen down around us.

“You’re right, you know,” Tobias said, his voice scratchy. “I should have come back for you sooner.”

“Toby—” I started, but he shook his head.

“Once I made it to Soleara and learned how to mirror back…I should have come back for you right away.” Tobias hung his head, his chestnut hair falling around his face. “But I knew you were safer there. He was hunting for you and had been for so long, and everything I learned about him made keeping you in the dark sound like the only option.” He blew out a long breath before looking me in the eyes. “Maybe it was hubris. Maybe it was the grief of watching what happened to our parents and not wanting it to happen to you too. But I thought I could stop him…fix it, somehow, before you even found out about this realm and what awaited you here.”

I leaned against his shoulder, watching his stars flicker above us.

“I wish you had too,” I said simply. “But we can’t rewrite the past. I’m just sorry I didn’t know sooner so I could’ve been there to saveyou.” I took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know how you endured it. I was only trapped there for a few days, and I was going out of my mind being chained and magicless. And you enduredyearsof that torture.”

His eyes flickered, something cold and dark flashing across his face at whatever memory I had conjured.

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