Page 110 of Mirror of Malice
“Things were good for a while. You were growing up before my eyes, and we might have disagreed about the way I ruled, but we were happy. Elwen was doing well. Then I started hearing about this king of thieves. From Mosswood Forest. How he was traipsing all over the continent, stealing from other courts, stealing from our court. I suspected he might be the false king and queen’s son. I’d thought the prince dead, but my sources confirmed he was alive, and he was causing trouble.
“The other courts had already been displeased over our war with Mosswood Forest, unhappy with the border that had trapped those mountain dwellers. I feared that if I didn’t get a handle on the king of thieves, they’d blame me, that they’d step in and intervene like I’d feared so many years ago. I tried to catch the thief, sent my best men out to find him, but no matterwhat I did, I couldn’t capture him. Once again, I turned to the shadow court.”
He’d been after Penn, not because Penn was breaking the law, but because Penn threatened his power.
“I found the mirror on the island and realized it would be perfect. I could use it to track the king of thieves and capture him. Not only would that take care of my problem, but everyone would see me as a hero.”
I thought back to my conversation with Penn about the mirror and realized he never told me who took it or how it arrived in Elwen. I assumed it had been my stepmother, but I’d been wrong—and Penn hadn’t corrected me. I wasn’t sure I could hear anymore. I wanted to run from this cove and forget everything my father was telling me.
“How did you just waltz into the shadow court and steal those items?”
He sighed heavily. “I think that’s exactly what they wanted me to do. All the items on their island have a darker purpose; all require a price to be paid.” He sucked in a shuddering breath. “They knew these items would sow the seeds of discord, that by using them I’d ruin us so they didn’t have to.”
So I was right. We all were. Sorrengard was yet again at play.
“I returned to our castle with the mirror, but in order for it to work, someone had to pay the price, give up their freedom and be the eyes and ears of the mirror. I decided your stepmother would be perfect.”
“You were going to trap her?” I asked, yet again horrified.
My father nodded, no regret, no shame, no emotion coming from him. “But she was more cunning than I’d given her credit for, was no longer the naive girl I’d married. She stole the mirror.”
“That still doesn’t explain how she’s taken our magic.”
My father pursed his lips. “I wasn’t the only one in league with Sorrengard. She also got something from them, something that helped her steal our earth magic, but that’s all I know.” His head hung. “She betrayed me on your wedding day, trapping me in that mirror. I had to watch as she destroyed my court, threw my daughter in prison, stole magic from my people, turned that magic into something twisted and dark. I’ve watched it all for the last two years.” Finally, his calm voice broke. “And I’ve realized how stupid I was. I thought your stepmother nothing more than some idiot girl who thought herself in love. But she’d been watching, paying more attention than anyone else.”
“She protected herself. Like you, she went about it in the wrong way. But this is your fault, Father. Not hers.”
“I know that.” His voice was quiet. “Believe me, I know.”
I sat back down next to him. “As I got older, I knew I wanted to do things differently than you. I had ideas, and you shut them down at every turn. When I was supposed to ascend to the throne, you told me I wasn’t ready. It hurt at the time, but then I grew up and realized it wasn’t about my failings, but yours. That maybe you wanted more time to right your wrongs, to do better. That wasn’t it at all. You just wanted to hold onto power. Were you ever going to let me be queen?”
His shoulders hunched at my words, my confident, assured father gone, a broken man in his place.
“Of course I was, but you have to understand, it was hard... I... I’d ruled for so long, and?—”
I straightened, no longer needing to hear any more. I knew what needed to be done. “You’re going to stay here, and I’m going to ask Gabrielle to keep you locked in her dungeons. Once I’ve taken back the earth court, then I’ll deal with you.”
My father reached out to me, but I flinched away, and he withdrew his hand. “Let me help. Let me come with you.”
“No,” I said. “After everything you’ve just told me, I don’t know if I can even trust you right now. You caused so much pain, so much death, with your selfish actions.”
“Liliath, what was I supposed to do?” His tone was pleading. “I had to protect the crown!”
“You wanted to protect yourself!” My chest rose and fell, my pulse hammering. I thought of Penn, how he’d shouldered the burdens of everyone in Mosswood Forest. How he did everything for his people, sacrificing his own happiness. I thought of Gabrielle, how much she cared about her court, how she knew everyone by name. “You want to know what you could’ve done?” I asked. “You could’ve listened. You could’ve taken the time to hear your people and their concerns. You could’ve addressed the issues they had. Not ignored them.”
His eyes welled with tears. “Liliath, please?—”
His voice caught in his throat, and he made a gurgling sound, clawing at his stomach. His face turned red, then purple.
“Father!” I rushed to him, grabbing him and laying him down as blood dribbled out of his mouth. “Father!” I shook his shoulders. “What’s happening? Did Penn do this?”
He rasped out a “no,” and whispered, “All magic has a price.” He grasped my shoulders tight, eyes widening as he rasped out, “Fight the dark with light, Liliath. Fight with the light.” Then his eyes fluttered closed, and he was gone.
I pounded his chest. “No, no. You can’t just leave me again.” I grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “No, please. Wake up. You have to wake up.”
His words echoed in my mind.All magic has a price.But the price for the mirror had already been paid. We hadn’t used any other magic, except... the pixie dust. Penn used the pixie dust to destroy the mirror, and my father had paid the price.
I squeezed my eyes shut, numbness once again overtaking me.
