Page 46 of The Eternal Mirror
“I do,” I say. “And Khaosti is alive.”
The man’s expression doesn’t change. “You got proof?”
“If I did,” I say, “I’d have brought him with me.”
“You don’t,” one of the others says. He’s short, broad, and built like a wall. “You’re guessing.”
I glare at him. “I don’t guess. We’re bonded mates. I feel him.”
A hush settles over them for long seconds. “Bonded mates?” the leader says. “That hasn’t been heard of in a long time.”
“Well, you’re hearing it now. And I’m telling you—Khaosti is definitely alive.”
Silence.
It stretches.
The tall one—definitely giving off alpha vibes—tilts his head. “I’m Ryke. Last loyal captain of the Wolfpack.”
I nod once. “Thanks for coming.”
“We didn’t come for you,” he says. “We came for him. You say he’s alive. Fine. We want to believe you. But words aren’tenough.”
“I’ll find him,” I say. “When I do, I’ll send word. Then you choose.”
Ryke studies me. “Do you know what he meant to us?”
“I know what he means to me.”
That lands. I see it in the flicker of something behind his eyes.
“He wouldn’t have run,” one of the others mutters. “Why isn’t he here?”
“He didn’t run,” I snap. “He stayed behind because if he’d come here, Khronus would’ve killed him. He gave me a shot at saving my brothers. You want to call that cowardice—go ahead. I call it strategy.”
Another silence.
Then Ryke speaks again. “You’ve got one week.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? And then what?”
“Then we disappear.”
To be honest, I don’t blame them. “I’ll take the week,” I say.
He nods. “We need to go. We have to get out of the city before dawn.”
I have an idea. “I can get you outside the city walls.” Without waiting for him to answer, I whisper the words of a mirror spell. The air shimmers, and a mirror forms. Yay, it works. They all take a step back.
“We can’t go to the Chamber. We’ve heard it’s guarded in case Khaosti returns.”
“Contrary to popular belief—mirrors don’t need the Chamber. That’s anotherof Khronus’s lies.”
“But—”
“Trust me.” He stares into my eyes, then nods again.
I stand back and watch as they disappear one by one. No goodbyes. Then I whisper another spell, and the mirror vanishes.
