Page 3 of The Mirror in the Mountain

As we walked up the staircase, Adrian tucked my arm in his without releasing my hand. We stayed silent, though I couldn’t keep from tensing the closer we got to the ballroom. Adrian’s thumb rubbed gently against the back of my hand, and I knew he had noticed.

We reached the ballroom with our fingers still entwined. And though Ishouldlet go of his hand, I didn’t just yet, letting him lead me toward Queen Amerie’s ancient throne. Reluctantly, I removed my hand from his as we got closer, not missing the queen’s raised eyebrow as she took in the movement.

I stopped in front of her and dropped into a low curtsy. Adrian bowed low beside me.

“Good.” The High Queen’s blue eyes twinkled as we rose together, a rare smile on her wrinkle-lined lips. “You’ve finally found youranima.”

Chapter 2

Eva

Iwoke up chained to an all too familiar bed, trapped in a living nightmare from which I was desperate to awaken. My eyelids were unbearably heavy from the remnants of the drug that had finally released me from its cloying grasp, and I was too drained to open my eyes more than a crack. Everything inside me felt bruised and raw from the aftereffects of the battle against Aviel, the hammering in my head worsening as I silently screamed at myself for what I had done.

But I would sacrifice myself for them again in a heartbeat. For myanima,my faerie soulmate, Bastian, though he had always been Bash or a teasing ‘freckles’ to me. For our friends, Yael and Rivan—the latter of whom had been barely breathing when I last saw him. For Tobias, my twin brother who had survived the fire I had assumed he had died in. Instead, he had made it to the faerie realm of Agadot first, where he had learned that our parents were truly Queen Estelle and King Adrian…and they had fled to the human realm because I was the heir not only to the hidden northern kingdom of Soleara but to all of Agadot. That was why the False King had hunted me while hiding in plain sight pretending to be his own son, Prince Aviel. It was why he had spread the lie that the curse warping the magic of theland was due to the need to find his lostanima—leading to my true fae soulmate bringing me to him.And it was why Aviel had grown obsessed with claiming me in order to somehow use my power to become High King.

My sacrifice had been worth it, even if I was left to face the consequences.

Determinedly, I forced my eyes fully open. Then let out a short, relieved breath. I appeared to be alone…for now. Though the reprieve was likely Aviel trying to make me squirm from the dread of anticipating his arrival—a monster playing with its prey.

Fear unfurled in my stomach, cords of apprehension lacing around my lungs, binding each breath. Closing around my throat as surely as if he were strangling me.

I curled into as tight of a ball as I could with my hands bound above my head, manacles securing my wrists, the gleaming silver headboard they were shackled to shining dully. Ignoring the pain radiating down my side, I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to hold back my sudden rush of tears. One slipped out anyway, rolling across my temple.

Big breath in, my father’s voice commanded me as I attempted to inhale.Count each second.

There was a sharp, stabbing pain in my ribs as I finally managed to suck in a shaky breath, my wounds struggling to heal with the band blocking my magic. On instinct, I reached out for Bash…and came up against an adamant wall where our bond should be, his calming presence entirely out of reach. Then cringed at the yawning emptiness where my darkness should live. At the static where I should feel my magic roiling.

It was horrifyingly silent to be alone inside my head again after growing used to that constant flow of love and warmth. My heart throbbed, painfully aware of the half it was missing.

At least he was safe. They were all safe for now, having been forced back through the mirror to Imyr, the Southern kingdom, before Aviel had closed the gateway to Morehaven to them. And assuming Marin had been able to heal Rivan after Aviel had suffocated him with the light magic he had leeched from my brother. They weresafe, I repeated to myself firmly, though I doubted they would be content to stay that way.

As much as I ached at Bash’s absence, we had been lucky in that one small instance. I hadn’t been sure if Aviel would really let him go—not when he could use him, or Tobias, or any of my friends as leverage to control me. He could have easily used their presence and continued safety to force my obedience, even though I had already promised it.

Unfortunately, something told me Aviel had something more sinister in mind for me. Pulling fruitlessly at the shackles binding me, I suppressed my mounting dread and desperation before it could escape me in a cry of despair. I would never forget that feeling of being held down against my will in this bed, never forget that utter helplessness, but I couldn’t let my mind take me back there. I needed to stay strong, stay vigilant for any chance to escape. To hone my rage into a weapon that would ensure I wouldneverfeel that way again.

I uncurled from my fetal position, wincing as the shackles dug into my wrists as I tested their limits, the scarred skin stinging. It had been too much to hope that Aviel would trust me at my word to stay in line after I had agreed to do so to save my friends. Nor should he.

My upper teeth sank into my dry lower lip as I glanced at the doorway. Wherewashe?

The waiting almost made it worse…so much so that when I did hear footsteps, I was almost grateful for a reprieve from the anticipation, my heart racing even as I braced myself for what came next.

Aviel had come for me, and the time had come to fight with everything I had left.

I bit the inside of my cheek, the iron taste of my blood grounding me as I lay on that cursed bed I had so recently escaped. My hands had started to tremble at some point, and I found myself unable to stop the shaking that overtook me. I closed my eyes, willing my body to stop but failing. The footsteps neared and I held my breath, tensing to strike when the opportunity best presented itself.

But the hand that stroked my face was soft, female, and familiar.

“Poor little bird, caught in the serpent’s nest once again,” said an annoyingly sing-song voice. “You don’t need to pretend you’re asleep. He’s not here.”

I cracked one eye open, groaning at the jolt of pain from my broken rib as I tried and failed to take in a deep enough breath. “Where is he?”

“He’s gone to feed from the land like the vampire he is,” Alette half-sang in my ear, her voice raising the hair on my arms. She had helped me escape the last time I had been trapped here after I had convinced her to stop doing Aviel’s bidding. I had no doubt that her strange resemblance to me was the reason he had enslaved and abused her, and I held back my wince as her gaze met mine, a hint of madness in her too-wide eyes. “He used too much magic fighting you and yours. But at least we have some time alone.” Her grin was maniacal as she tugged on a loose strand of my hair, the chestnut brown a match to her own. “Should have flown further, little bird.”

My lips parted, but I bit back my retort as I glared at her. For all the good it would do as she closed her eyes, humming four eerie notes over and over.

“What do you mean, feed from the land?”

Her wild gray eyes flew open, her expression almost pitying. “From the Source, of course. The lake of magic that lies deep beneath this very castle and branches out throughout this realm. Or did you think he got so powerful from feeding off your brother? Not to mention the others who weren’t so lucky as to get away with their lives…”

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