Page 74 of The Eternal Mirror
“Don’t look so worried. I think we can find you better accommodation than this. But that’s really up to you.”
The silver trails still lead from the cracked mirror to the individual cells. Some are faint, some bright and pulsing.
Khronus steps closer, and I brace myself, waiting for the blow to land. But he just comes to stand a foot away—so close that I know the celestial fire could burn him to a crisp before he could move away.
Except I can sense the hum of the wards around him; my fire would likely just bounce off them. “So, have you used your time wisely?” he asks. “Are you ready to be my...ally and not my enemy?”
I nod. “I told you—that’s why I came back. I want to help you destroy the rebels. I want revenge for Khaosti.”
He purses his lips. “Did you love my son?”
None of your goddamn business.“Yes.” I can’t say any more—it doesn’t feel right talking about Khaosti with this man.
He shrugs. “You’ll get over it. You’re young.”
He’s silent for a moment, and I force myself to look straight at the mirror; the glass is dark, showing nothing. Khronus moves around so he’s standing at my shoulder as we both stare into the broken glass.
“Do you know what it is?” he asks.
“A mirror?”
“It’s not just any mirror. It’s a splinter of the Eternal Mirror—the mirror that Selene and Vortex came through when they created this world.”
Is that true? I wouldn’t know, but Khronus clearly believes it. And I don’t really know what it means.
I reach out with my magic, and the mirror glows. Then ripples run through the glass, and our reflections form. I see myself—gods, I look like crap. And I see Khronus. He’s not looking into themirror but down at me, and there’s something in his eyes… Something that makes the bile rise in my throat. I swallow and force myself to stand still.
His gaze shifts to meet mine in the mirror. “You remind me so much of your mother.” He reaches out, and I freeze. But his hand drops before it reaches me. Maybe the wards prevent him touching me.
This is the man who was responsible for everything that happened to my father, my mother, and me. My shit childhood was solely due to this monster. Is he so egotistical that he believes I could ever care for him?
I suspect the answer is yes.
A flash of dark hatred radiates through me. My reflection shows nothing of my feelings. Maybe Iamfinally learning to act. But it seems the mirror senses my emotions. A pulse of crimson runs through the glass, then it fades along with our reflections. There’s darkness, then the pinprick of stars, and finally, the rings of silver form in the distance, whirling and shimmering, made of starlight.
Behind me, Khronus takes a sharp breath. “The Eternal Mirror,” he whispers. “It sees you.”
I think he’s right. I can feel it calling to me, pulling me forward. My hand lifts of its own accord, and I reach out slowly. The rings grow bigger, drawing closer, until they fill the frame, and I’m overwhelmed with an almost irresistible desire to dive headfirst into them.
At the last moment, I feel the bond with Khaosti pulse, and I go still. Then my hand drops to my side, and I take a step back.
Go, I whisper in my mind. The silver rings retreat farther and farther until they are nothing but a speck of starlight, and then they are gone, leaving the mirror blank once more.
The room is filled with silence. I’m not quite sure what just happened, but it feels significant. I take a deep breath and turn to face Khronus. He’s watching me with narrowed eyes. I suspect he’s both annoyed and pleased.
Finally, he says, “Sometimes I have seen flashes of the Eternal Mirror in the darkness, and I knew I was close to making the connection. But you? From the moment you arrived, the mirror was aware. For some reason, you call, and it answers. Why you?” His words are tinged with dark emotion, maybe jealousy.
I suspect it has something to do with the gifts Selene bestowed upon me to help defeat my father. Or maybe that I am a child of dark magic. Also, perhaps the bond with Khaosti was forged from Vortex’s magic. Vortex is the source of all dark magic, but maybe he got it from the mirror.
Khronus shoves his hands in his pockets and watches me with his golden eyes; he’s clearly deep in thought. I hope he comes up with something good. I hope his need for success outweighs his jealousy that I can do something better than him.
“I thought you were a tool I could use to achieve my ultimate goal,” he says, studying me so intently that I want to twitch under his gaze. “But I’m beginning to understand that you are so much more than a tool. Together, we could be something beyond imagining.”
Well, I certainly can’t imagine it. I’m not even going to try.
He smiles, and it’s really creepy, as if he’s suddenly seen the light and likes it. “Clearly, you were sent to me by the gods,” he muses. “They used to have the power to create a bond between two people.”
I almost splutter at that. I make an odd choking sound in the back of my throat. Khronus doesn’t seem to notice; he’s too wrapped up in his vision of the future. He’s probably planning a white wedding or whatever they do here.
