Page 106 of The Eternal Mirror
“Is this real?” I ask.
“It soon will be. This place—it’s collapsing. The Eternal Mirror isn’t just unstable anymore; it’s fractured. It’s being drawn toward this world, but it was never meant to exist in reality. It distorts gravity. Time. Magic. The longer it remains, the more unstable everything becomes.”
“Khronus.” I say the name like a curse. Because it is. But on the positive side, this isn’t real, it’s not happening now. It’s a vision of a possible future. I suspect Selene is trying to frighten me. But into doing what?
She nods. “I don’t understand. The splinter should be depleted of power. Instead it seems to grow stronger.”
“That’s because he’s been feeding it with the magic drained from the mirror mages. He had them hooked up to the splinter like some disgusting milking parlor.”
A look of horror flashes across her face. “That is beyond…”
“Revolting, I know. He plans to pass through the splinter to get to the Eternal Mirror and then he’s going to become a true god. Just like you.” To be honest, I’m not impressed. They’re really just like the rest of us but a bit more powerful—there’s nothing divine about them that I can see. “How does that even work?” I ask.
She takes a breath. “The Eternal Mirror is the source of all creation and all destruction. All magic. Every world, every god, every spell—they all trace back to it. To pass through the Mirror is to become something...more. That’s how gods are made.”
“And that’s Khronus’s endgame.”
“He must be stopped. If he tries to pass through the splinter, he will fail, and when he does, the splinter will shatter. And with it, any hope of restoring the Mirror.”
“Then we take the splinter back and do it ourselves properly.”
“We can’t take it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “That’s not usually your attitude.”
Selene steps closer. Her hands are shaking. “I’m bound to the mirror until it is whole again. I cannot return to the Astral Plane. And you have failed to defeat him.”
I’ve done my fucking best. “I don’t have the magic to break through his wards.”
She opens her mouth but then shakes her head. “We don’t have time for pride or rage or even justice. He will destroy thesplinter before he lets you take it, and the Mirror will never be whole. This world—and every world it touches—will unravel.”
Something cold unfurls in my stomach. “What are you saying?”
“I think I should offer him a deal. A sliver of the source. Not the Mirror itself—just enough to taste true godhood. Just enough that he will believe he’s getting what he wants. In return, he gives up the splinter.”
I stare at her. “You want to give him power?” My voice goes sharp. “Do you know what he’s done? What he will do with more power? He thinks he’s goddamn Vortex reborn. And I’m fucking Selene. And he wants to marry me so we can rule together for eternity.” Though I doubt that’s true anymore. It’s more likely that he wants to kill me slowly now. “Is that what you want?” I’m almost yelling the words.
“If we get the splinter, we can rebuild the Mirror. Then we can worry about Khronus.”
I shake my head. “After everything he’s done, you want to offer him a gift?” I step closer. “He dies. That’s the only deal I’m making.”
Selene flinches. Then she stands tall and pulls herself together. She glares. “I think you’re forgetting who you are. And who I am.”
“You’re the fucking goddess who created this mess. Fix it.”
“Fine,” she whispers. “Then kill him. If you can. But I hope you’re ready for what happens when you fail.”
Of course I’m not fucking ready.
And it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that I’m not going to survive this. I’ll do my best, but Khronus is too powerful. And ifI don’t survive, the bond will take Khaos down with me. Unless I set him free first.
I square my shoulders, throat tight. “Have you found a way to break the mating bond?”
She hesitates.
My heart stutters. “Selene. Please.”
“Maybe,” she says. “But if I’m right...the cost will be high. And it won’t be just yours to pay.”
