Page 117 of The Eternal Mirror
Then, in one, I find a painting, and I stop and stare. Like everything else, it is faded and unreal. But it’s them—my mother and father. I’m guessing it’s on their wedding day; she has flowers plaited through her long dark hair. And they look so happy.
I hear an echo of soft laughter.
Staring at that picture, finally the tears that I couldn’t cry begin to fall. And I can’t stop. I think it’s that I finally realize what could have been. What should have been. I would have grown up in this house surrounded by love and laughter.
I sink to the floor, hug my knees to my chest, and cry until there are no tears left. Afterwards, as the tears dry on my face, my mind is clearer.
One thing is crystal clear: Khronus has to die.
But I also realize that if I’d had that perfect life, I would likely never have met Khaosti. Or if I did, I would have been five thousand years older than him.
And Zayne and Josh would never have been part of my life.
I wipe my face on my sleeve, sniff, and get to my feet.
When I return, Josh is awake.
He’s sitting up on the sofa, blinking, as if he’s surfacing from deep water. Grimlet is beside him, chattering softly, holding his hand like he’s afraid Josh will vanish again.
Zayne tosses me a smile, the first genuine one I’ve seen from him in—longer than I remember. Khaosti is leaning against the wall, watching. He gives me a sharp glance, no doubt taking in the evidence of my crying jag. I give him a smile, and he relaxes.
Then I drop to my knees beside Josh.
“Hey,” I say.
Josh looks at me and smiles.
Relief crashes through me—bright and hot and almost enough to knock me over. But then he speaks, and his voice is...strange. It echoes, as if it’s bouncing between two places at once.
“Glad to have you back,” I tell him. “You’ve been asleep for way too long.”
“I dreamed I was inside the stars,” he says.
I freeze. Grimlet does too.
“What else do you remember?” I ask carefully.
“Light. And mirrors. And someone calling my name. But they didn’t call me Josh. It was a different name, but I knew it was me.”
I glance at Khaosti. He’s watching, jaw clenched. No answers there, just worry.
Josh looks down at his hands then back at me. His eyes shimmer faintly, and just for a second, they flash silver, like moonlight on water. He blinks and it’s gone.
I swallow hard. He’s alive but clearly not unchanged. And I have no clue what that means.
Two weeks later, I sit on the stone steps and stare at the faint stars. I know we have to think about leaving. We can’t hide here forever.
This place is starting to blur at the edges. People sleep too much. The colors fade. The food tastes like ash. Even time feels...wrong. Like if we stay too long, we’ll forget why we ever needed to leave.
We’re all rested, and the injured have recovered.
My magic is back to full strength. I can feel it inside me like a fire coaxed back from embers. That deep well of power Selene gave me as a baby is still there. And it wants out.
I’ve been reaching out to Selene, but so far, she’s been impossible to contact.
Khronus will come again. But this time, I won’t wait for him.
This time, I’ll bring the fight to him. I’ve seen his world in my visions. They visit me each night. I’ve witnessed the suffering of the ones I love. Over and over. I won’t let that happen.
