Page 214 of Lady for Embers

“Fair point,” Cassius said. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know,” Cyrus said. He couldn’t see much behind the Fae Queen. All he could tell was that she was by water. A moment later, she was gone from the re?ection again. He glanced up, spotting Sawyer with Briar, Neve, and Azrael across the hall. “But I’m guessing he might.”

“Of course he will also want it back,” Cassius said, getting to his feet to follow Cyrus, who was already making his way between bodies, heading towards Sawyer.

“Yes, but Talwyn is up to something. If we can use this mirror to watch her? It’s a fair tradeoff. I can nick it again another time,” Cyrus said, Cassius reaching his side in a few long strides.

They made it to the other Fae within a few minutes, and Cyrus sidled in between Sawyer and Azrael. He slung an arm around Sawyer’s shoulders. “Question for you.”

Sawyer’s eyes narrowed in suspicion while Briar huffed a laugh, sipping from his drink.

Cyrus took the mirror from his pocket, toying with it between his ?ngers. “Tell me about this mirror.”

“It is mine,” Sawyer snapped, a hand darting out to snatch it from him.

Cyrus yanked it back out of his reach. “Finders keepers, right?” “Godsdamnit, Cyrus. You are a bastard,” Sawyer muttered.

“Well established fact,” he agreed. “But I’ll make you a deal, Baby Drayce. You tell me about your fancy mirror, and I’ll give it back to you.”

“Just like that?” Sawyer asked suspiciously.

“Just like that.”

“Even I do not believe you,” Briar said with another laugh, watching the exchange.

“We saw... ” Cyrus paused, glancing at Azrael. The male might have sworn loyalty to Scarlett, but he didn’t know where the prince stood with Talwyn at this point. “We saw someone in the mirror.”

“Who?” Briar asked, slowly lowering his cup that had been halfway to his lips.

“Better question,” Cyrus countered. “Where?”

“The mirror was passed down from our father,” Briar said, reaching for it. Cyrus let him take it without fuss. “We were told the ?rst Water Court Prince made it. I was not quite sure I believed him, but knowing now he was Avonleyan and had Anahita’s bloodline running in his veins, it makes it more believable.”

“Do you have one too?” Cassius asked.

“No,” Briar said, handing it over to his brother. “There was only one. I do not know who our father intended on passing it down to, but I do remember Sawyer was obsessed with it as a child. Would spend hours playing with it, listening to father’s stories about it.” Sawyer had gone quiet, the mirror clutched so tightly in his ?st, his knuckles were turning white. “When our parents were killed, I insisted Sawyer take it. It had always meant more to him than me.”

Well, Cyrus definitely felt like the bastard he’d been called now.He’d known the mirror was special to Sawyer but had never known why.

Cyrus shoved his guilt aside, asking, “So he would be the most knowledgeable about the mirror?”

Briar nodded, Azrael and Neve listening intently to every word being said beside him.

“How does it work?” Cassius asked.

“It is really not that complicated,” Sawyer said tightly, opening his palm to look at the mirror. “It was imbued in Anahita’s Springs.”

“The hidden springs of the Water Court?” Cyrus asked.

“Those are the ones. It shows the re?ection of the springs. If someone is looking into the waters, you would see them in the mirror ,” Sawyer explained.

“And you do not have to be a Water Gazer to utilize it?” Cassius clari?ed.

Sawyer shook his head. “The magic is in the mirror itself, not the holder or the person on the other side.” He paused for a moment before he asked again, “Who did you see?”

“Not important,” Cyrus said, gripping Cassius’s forearm and tugging him backwards. “Thanks for the history lesson.”

“Cyrus... ” Briar said, his eyes narrowing in warning. “Where is Sorin?”

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