Page 34 of The Eternal Mirror
He smirks. “Bring it on.”
I hope his attitude lasts. But I doubt it. I stare at the dark window. My reflection stares back.
Still me. But not really.
I’m not the same man who stood here a few months ago. I was an obedient son once. A good soldier. Loyal to a monster.
Not anymore.
The door opens and Brown enters, this time pushing a trolley loaded with bread, hard cheese, bowls of thick stew, a jug of water, and mugs.
“It’s done,” he says. “You’ll have a window—ten minutes, maybe fifteen.”
“Enough,” I say, standing. “Thank you.”
“I’ll leave you to eat,” Brown says. “I’ll come for you when it’s time.”
He leaves, and this time the silence isn’t so tense. It’s edged with purpose.
We eat.
Jack digs in like he hasn’t eaten in days. Laura’s a little more cautious, sipping from her mug between bites. Killian just picks at his bread.
I chew mechanically, not tasting anything.
“I guess now’s a good time,” Laura says between bites. “For the part where you explain what the hell we’re walking into.”
I lean back and drain the rest of my water.
Then I tell them.
About Hell. About Lucifer. About Amber’s sacrifice. How she destroyed it all—burned it down to nothing and walked away with blood on her hands and power in her bones.
“Then we got back to Valandria to find that my father had taken her brothers.”
And she’d walked out on me. Logically, I understand why she did it. But when has logic ever played a part in my life? She could have talked to me about it, discussed options. But no, she just fucking turned her back on me and walked away.
She left me, just like everyone else has.
And in that moment I recognize the anger that has been boiling inside me since that moment. Rage at Amber for walking away. I get that she was scared. But instead of turning to me, she turned away.
And ran.
“She made a mirror and headed to Astrali to confront my father. That’s where she is now,” I finish.
Jack swears under his breath. Killian’s face goes blank. “So that’s the plan. We’re going to get Amber back,” he says.
“And Zayne and Josh,” Laura adds.
“Yes, we’ll get them all. But not by charging through the front gates. We need to be smarter than that. And I need to be stronger, if we are going to beat my father.”
Though the truth is, I’m already stronger. I have Vortex’s dark fire and I have Wrath, both given to me to help Amber destroy her father. But maybe they can also help me destroy mine.
Do I want him dead?
Hell, yes.
“Why?” Laura asks. “What is he?”
