Page 31 of Charmless
It was far more ornate than the one I had at home. Although the barrel was constructed of wood, it was banded with thin strips of silver etched with mysterious symbols like the ones that glittered on Mercato’s robes. The crank attached to the side was also fashioned of purest silver. A chute protruded from the bottom of the barrel. Was this how auras were distilled, this unusual churn somehow working in conjunction with those mirrors?
I should have flung the cloth back over the apparatus and sneaked back out of the Aura Chamber. I have often scolded my sister Netta for being too inquisitive, but it was a trait that I shared with her. I stared at the churn until I was unable to resist giving the crank an experimental turn. When it shuddered beneath my touch, I snatched my hand back, but it was too late.
I watched with horrified fascination as the churn’s lid slid back, revealing a diamond-shaped crystal. It pulsed with light, directing a ray toward the central looking glass. All three of the mirrors began to shimmer, rippling like the surface of a pond ruffled by a strong wind. Suddenly, I could see my reflection, three Ellas gaping back at me, with their mouths hanging open.
What had my foolish curiosity set into motion? I didn’t know, but the answer to one question was now clear. What kind of idiotgirl messes about with something that she should never have touched?
Me.
Six
Itried not to panic. Perhaps if I gave the handle another crank, I could shut down the aura collector. Before I could make the attempt, I was dazed by a powerful glow emanating from the mirrors. All the images of myself became silhouetted with light. Was that what an aura looked like?
The light became so intense, my vision began to blur. Three rays shot from the mirrors, converging into a single beam aimed straight at me. I gasped as the light went through me like a fiery arrow piercing my heart. It should have been incredibly painful, but it wasn’t except for my eyes. They were dazzled by the fierce light.
I closed them and tried to move, but I couldn’t, as though the arrow of light pinned me in place. Shivering from chills, the icy sensation that swept through me was indescribable. I felt all my memories, my hopes and dreams, everything that made me Ella Marie Upton, being drained from my body. My knees started to buckle, and I feared I was going to faint.
Then suddenly, it all stopped, the chamber quiet except for my ragged breathing. It took several moments more before I ceased feeling dizzy and was able to open my eyes. I glanceddown at my body, frantically patting the region of my heart, dreading to find some gaping wound.
But there was nothing, no light passing through me, no rays emanating from the looking glasses. The mirrors had stopped rippling, the surfaces no longer displaying my reflection. But there was another image in the mirrors, a fairy whose gossamer wings seemed at odds with his tall, strong body. Tall and proud, his face was almost unbearably beautiful with finely chiseled cheekbones and delicate brows arched over his silver-blue eyes. Triplicate warrior fairies and all three of them were glaring at me.
Gasping, I spun around to find Withypole Fugitate standing behind me, but in his usual hunched over disguise. I blinked and stared at him, then back at the mirror images that did not match the person with me in the room.
“What the frap?” I faltered.
“Shh!” Withypole hissed at me.
He turned away from me, studying the aura churn. The lid had closed, covering up the diamond-shaped crystal. He inspected the device as though assuring himself it truly had shut down. Something protruded from the chute at the bottom of the barrel. I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a broken off shard of icicle. Withypole pocketed it before I had a chance to get a good look.
Seizing me by the wrist, he growled, “Come on! You need to get out of here.”
I was too dazed to resist. I doubt that I could have in any case. Withypole might bear the aspect of a wizened little man, but his strong grip was more like that of the warrior fairy I had glimpsed in the mirror.
He dragged me out of the Aura Chamber, only pausing as we passed by the sleeping wizard. To my dismay, Mercato wasstartled awake. Sitting up in his chair, he rubbed his eyes and squinted fiercely at me and Withypole.
“What’s this?” the wizard demanded. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing. You have seen nothing.” Holding his palm beneath his chin, Withypole blew a soft gust of air in Mercato’s direction.
The wizard’s head jerked back as though Withypole had socked him right between the eyes. Mercato slumped down on his chair, tumbling back into sleep with a low murmur. “Nothing… there was nothing there.”
I stared at the wizard as he resumed snoring, but Withypole left me no time to gawk. He yanked my arm, pulling me toward the stairs. We descended at such a rapid pace, I stumbled in my efforts to keep up with him. I still felt weak from my strange ordeal in the aura chamber. By the time we reached the last few steps, I could go no further.
“Stop!” I panted. “I need to rest.”
“You can rest when you are safe at home,” Withypole snapped.
I wriggled free of his grasp and sank down upon one of the lower steps. Withypole tried to haul me back to my feet, but I thwarted him by locking my arms behind my back.
He glowered at me, and I glared right back.
“I am not stirring another step until you explain,” I said. “What happened up there?”
“Youhappened, that’s what! Blundering about in the aura chamber, setting that accursed device into motion. If I hadn’t chanced along when I did?—”
“Chanced along! You followed me.”
“No.” Withypole pursed his lips together and then admitted, “All right, so what if I did? What else did you expect when I noticed you acting all shifty?”
