Page 7 of The Mirror in the Mountain

Only when Marin took my hand did I realize it was shaking.

“So we wait,” I gritted out, the word tasting like ash on my tongue.

“And recover,” Marin said, giving Rivan a pointed look before spearing each of us with one in turn. “We’ll all need to be at full strength when the time comes to save her.”

“A full-frontal attack on Morehaven was never a good option anyway, even without the Source as a factor,” Rivan muttered. “It’s too well fortified. But if we can catch up to them in transit or find a way to head them off at their end location…” I could practically see the battle plans being devised behind his eyes. “This needs to be a surgical strike.”

“Marin and I can make sure everything is ready to go when the time comes and keep an eye on any communication about where they’re going,” Yael said. My sister nodded in agreement.

I let out a long breath. “I’ll see if I can find anything else about the Source. Something that could help us.”

Yael shook her head, gently taking my hand. “We can do that too. You need to try to sleep and see if you can find her.”

My mouth dropped open as I stared at my friend. I should’ve thought of that. Though being able to calm my body enough tosleep when myanimawas the False King’s prisoner—when she needed me—would be another battle entirely.

But if it gave me the chance to talk to her…

“And you two need to rest and heal,” Marin chimed in, staring down Rivan before turning to Tobias. “Especially if you want your magic at full strength when it’s time to fight.”

He looked ready to argue but seemed to think better of it, giving my sister a short nod as a muscle flexed in his jaw. Yael helped Rivan to his feet, Marin on his other side as they brought him toward his room.

Tobias followed me, the stairwell painfully silent as we ascended. Tilting my head at the correct hallway, I led him to Eva’s old room, which the house had long since magically cleaned. Though the scent of her on the sheets was long gone, it still held the memory of her within its walls, andI couldn’t help my surge of longing for her. I saw her everywhere. I could almost hear the sound of her laughter, still feel the touch of her fingers against mine as we all gathered for breakfast at that table by the window. Could practically see the way she had looked in the moonlight—wide-eyed and far too stunning for having just woken up from a nightmare. The one about the monster who now held her captive.

Tobias was looking at me strangely. I realized I was just standing there, staring blankly ahead, my hands slowly clenching and unclenching.

“You love her, don’t you?”

It wasn’t a question, but I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

“We’ll get her back,” Tobias said in a low voice, eyes glimmering with deadly promise.

“Or die trying,” I swore hoarsely. “But Iams?—”

“Don’t apologize again. I heard you the first time,” Tobias said coldly. “I may not like what you did, but if we’re both going to be in her life, I can try to forgive you for it.”

“If you need to take a swing at me first, I won’t stop you,” I said, meaning it. I dropped my hands to my sides, steeling myself in case he decided to take me up on the offer immediately.

Tobias stared at me before letting out a short, rough laugh. “I’d prefer to do so in a fair fight.”

“We’ll train together soon then,” I promised, relieved to have moved past at least some of the discomfort between us. I walked toward the door just as my sister arrived, carrying a tray of food: a hearty-looking soup, boiled eggs, and some thick, crusty bread coated in butter, alongside a pot of tea.

Tobias was too thin, a testament to his treatment while in captivity, but to his credit, muscled in a way that showed he hadn’t let himself languish. I pondered how lonely, how isolating it must have been exercising alone in that cell after an entire childhood of having Eva train at his side.

He thanked Marin as she set the tray down on a table, dunking the bread in the broth of the soup before tearing the piece off with his teeth like he was starving.

Marin looked at me expectantly, and I felt the muscles in my jaw flex.

“If anything changes, or if you find out anything useful, wake me,” I demanded.

“Of course. Rest while you can,” Marin ordered in return. I barely resisted my retort that it would be easier said than done, though she seemed to understand the sentiment from the look on my face. She poured a cup of faintly steaming tea from the kettle on Tobias’s tray, holding it out to me. “This should help.”

“Thank you,” I said wholeheartedly, the scent of chamomile and mint filling my nose as I brought the cup to my mouth.

“If you find her, tell her thank you,” Marin added softly. “And to give him hell.”

She squeezed my hand before leaving the room. I stared at Tobias, who was now methodically polishing off the eggs one by one, his soup bowl empty. “Can I get you anything?”

The kettle shook slightly as he poured himself some tea. “No.”

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