Page 47 of The Mirror in the Mountain

“If you need to talk about it, I’m here,” I said gently, remembering the look in Bash’s eyes when he told me the same. “When you’re ready. But I am sorry I didn’t save you from him sooner, no matter the circumstances.”

My fingers rested on his arm, lightly running up his forearm in an ascending arpeggio. An old habit, one he had once made fun of me for, of playing piano even when there wasn’t one.

You know no one can hear it, right?he had once asked me as I ran scales along my desk, his tone full of wry amusement.

I had merely shrugged.I can.

His eyes flared in recognition, followed by a shadow of that familiar smile. “I guess we both need to work on our savior complexes.”

I choked out a laugh. “After what happened in Morehaven, Bash would agree with you.”

“I think we would all feel better if you listened to him,” Tobias grumbled. “Youranima…who’s growing on me despite my best efforts.”

I couldn’t help my smile. “I’m glad to hear you two are getting along. I knew you would like him.”

Tobias’s mouth twitched. “There’s no need to look so smug about it.”

I wrapped my arm around his waist, then leaned against him. His arm snaked around my shoulders, his breathing shaky as we sat and stared at the stars—those of our own creation fading into the ones far away.

“Come on,” Tobias said in a low murmur, helping me to my feet. “We do have a job to do.”

It felt like we had been circling the same spot in the forest for hours when we finally heard Rivan yell excitedly, “Found it!”

By the time we reached him, the others had already gathered. In the middle of an eerily perfect circle of trees stood a large mound of earth, covered in a thick layer of moss and glistening with dew in the moonlight. It was encircled by a ring of white mushrooms unlike any I had seen before, some as wide as dinner plates, each gleaming with an otherworldly light.

It felt unnervinglyalive, pulsing with a strange energy I could feel in my bones.

Tobias and I swapped a glance, and I knew we were both thinking of the same bedtime story our father had read to us long ago. The one where the faeries had stolen the children away the second they were foolish enough to enter the circle. He frowned; his trepidation obvious.

Obviously, it was going to be me. I was the one the sprite had found once before when they led me through that forest. The one meant to rule this realm—and maybe the Little Folk knew that too.

I took a step forward, but Tobias grabbed my hand. I twisted back toward him, giving him an irritated look that he returned in kind.

His eyes narrowed, and I knew what he was thinking.Like hell you will.

My mouth pursed.We both know I’m going to be the one to do this.

The look he gave me was pure challenge.Try it and see what happens.

I rolled my eyes. If he was so afraid of what would happen when I stepped on the mound, he could go first, before my inevitable turn.

Crossing my arms, I said, “Go ahead, if you feel so strongly about it.”

“What?” Rivan asked, and I realized we hadn’t been speaking aloud. Yael looked faintly amused.

“Twins,” Bash grumbled. “There couldn’t be anything more fae.”

Quinn looked curious. “What doesthatmean?”

Yael laughed; the soft sound quickly swallowed by the dense woods. “He means that twins, doppelgangers, spirit doubles…in our realm, they tend to be known for trouble and tricks.”

“Well, that tracks,” I said with a wicked grin.

Tobias merely rolled his eyes, the gesture so quintessentially like the old him, I couldn’t help my small sigh of relief. Maybe Aviel hadn’t stolen that from him entirely. With time, he might be able to regain some of what he had lost during those years, even if I knew that neither of us would ever be those carefree children again.

Muttering under his breath, he stepped over the ring of mushrooms, leaping gracefully into the middle of the mound. I held my breath for a long moment, waiting for something—anything—to happen. Despite the sudden, ominous hush of the forest creatures the moment he stepped foot into the faerie circle, no sprite appeared.

Tobias turned in a slow, expectant circle. Nothing happened.

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