Page 48 of The Mirror in the Mountain

“Told you,” I said dryly.

Rivan threw up his hands in exasperation.

“At least we know it’s not some form of gate,” Tobias exclaimed as he jumped down.

“How kind of you to make sure,” I said, walking past him. “But the children in those stories always seemed to find what they were looking for on the other side, didn’t they?”

“Except for the ones who never returned,” Tobias said darkly.

“What stories?” Quinn asked, her gaze amused as she looked between us.

I stopped at the edge of the mushrooms, the large lid of one nearly up to my knees. “A book my dad used to read to us about faerie circles and the children they stole away. Seems more accurate to the mirrors here, unless I’m about to fall through the veil to elsewhere and find my deepest desire, only to realize it was back where I started all along…”

Taking a large step over the mushrooms, I made it to the top of the mound feeling vaguely foolish. I stood there, looking at them all looking at me, for what felt like forever in the chilled night before I let out a loud huff of impatience.

Bash chuckled softly, though I knew he had already felt the emotion down our bond. Rivan gave us both an annoyed look.

“They’re not going to come if you aren’t quiet,” Rivan muttered.

Quinn turned to him. “Did you also have a bedtime story about faerie mounds and sprites that has you so knowledgeable?”

Bash smirked. “I feel vaguely left out.”

“They’re not going to come at all with a crowd,” I said, exasperated. “Just go wait back at the horses and give me some time on my own.”

Bash looked like he wanted to argue but nodded. “We’ll return in an hour to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Two,” I replied pointedly.

“The woods here aren’t necessarily safe,” Bash said warily. “There’s no telling what creatures reside here, and even if we’re close by?—”

“Two,” I insisted. “I can take care of myself. You’ll feel it if anything goes wrong, and I can hold my own long enough for you to return. With all the circling we did, we’re not that far from where we started. Not to mention I can easily reach you.”

Pointedly, I tapped my finger against my palm, the iridescent quill on my other hand shimmering as I wrote two words.

Stop worrying.

Bash shot me a baleful look as he read the message on his hand, before scribbling one back.

Don’t count on it.

I could sense his anxiety at the thought of leaving me here, the bad memories it stirred. But he didn’t argue as they all acquiesced to my demand.

“Remember,” Rivan said, turning back to me at the edge of the clearing, “don’t make any promises. Don’t make any threats. Anddon’tpiss it off.”

Bash paused, his eyes darting back to mine before he turned to leave, his shadows mixing with the dusk as they lingered behind him like they didn’t want to go either. As the soft sounds of their footsteps were swallowed by the woods, I tried not to feel uneasy, even as I heard the rustle of wings from somewhere above me.

Perhaps it was just a bat. Perhaps it was something far more dangerous.

Carefully, I tightened my hold on my bond with Bash, unwilling to have him ruin my stakeout should some small creature surprise me.

I started to pace, then stopped, afraid I might trample upon something sacred. With a sigh, I sank into a seat, folding my legs beneath me as my hands balled nervously into fists. My fingers rubbed against my palm, tracing the rose whose ridges I had long since memorized. Struggling not to jump at each rustle of leaves or the occasional crack of branches as I tried not to worry this had all been for nothing.

“Hello friend,” I whispered under my breath, trying not to feel silly for talking to the empty air. “I owe you a debt, one I’d like to thank you for in person. And I have a question or two…if you don’t mind.”

My nails bit into my palm as the forest didn’t deign to answer. Closing my eyes, I thought back to the frantic terror of that night. Had I done anything inadvertent to summon it? I hadn’t used my magic, not with that collar around my neck. Hadn’t said anything of note, at least not that I could remember in my delirium. Only pure adrenaline and fear had kept me moving, the forest floor slicing my feet so badly I had left behind a trail of…

Blood.

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