Page 195 of Mountain of Mirrors and Starlight
The odds were hard to calculate. Aislinn had no idea how many soldiers Owen had managed to bring with him through the Mirror, or how many dwarves Venus had at her disposal. Meanwhile, even with the knights Juliana and Hawthorn had brought, they had less than two dozen.
Even with magic, even with taking out the Mirror… the numbers could not be on their side.
Minerva placed her fists against the table. “Well, we’ll iron out the final points later,” she said. “For now, everyone get some rest. Spend some time with your loved ones. Sharpen some weapons. Save your strength, though—we’ll need it for tomorrow.”
Flora climbed to her feet. “I’ll go and see if I can find us some food.”
“Oh!” said Luna. “I should come too—”
Flora shook her head. “I’m the least noticeable of any of you. Even Bell’s too recognisable. But a haggard old dwarf like me? No one thinks twice.”
“She has a point,” said Beau.
Flora nodded, collecting a battered basket from the side of the room, and slipping out into the streets.
Aislinn looked to Caer, and angled her head towards the stairs. If she didn’t ask him soon, she was afraid she’d lose her nerve. She led him into one of the upstairs rooms and shut the door behind them.
“I know I told you I would never force you to go back,” she said, “and I meant it. But we need to talk about the possibility that we might not have the choice. Unless… you’re willing to stay here?”
Caer snorted. “Minerva tried that one on me earlier. You can imagine my response.”
“That you still feel responsible for all this and can’t stand idly by whilst we risk our lives on your behalf, even though it would be sensible to stay away from the creepy Mirror that wants to eat you?”
“I might have thrown a few curses in there, but yes. That’s the gist.”
Aislinn half laughed, half sighed. “It’s a terrible idea for you to come with us, you know?”
“I know,” he said. “Are you going to talk me out of it?”
“I’d like to. But I also know that if the situations were reversed, I’d be crawling to your side before I let you go without me.”
He smiled. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
“My father has a… fall back option, as it were. In case everything goes terribly, terribly wrong, and Aeron captures you, and forces you to go into the Mirror.”
Caer raised a black brow. “I’m listening.”
“Do you remember I told you that my parents shared a heart?”
“Vaguely.”
“It’s something the fae are capable of… at least, strong ones. You can share your heart with someone else, allowing them to live if their own is damaged, often granting them a portion of your powers. It’s rare—exceedingly rare. It doesn’t often work, for one. The connection needs to be… pure. Strong. The ceremony itself doesn’t carry many risks, but it’s irreversible, and there’s always the fear that if one dies, the other will too. I’m… willing to do it, though. It’ll give you a fighting chance if the Mirror takes you, might even prevent you from expiring if we don’t manage to sever its hold on you tomorrow.”
Caer stared at her, taking all of this in.
He won’t do it,she realised. He wouldn’t do it because he didn’t want anyone to risk themselves for him, even a little, even though she already felt she’d die if he did.
“How does the ceremony work?” he asked.
Aislinn’s heart leapt. “I’d lead it. I’d need to touch you, preferably on your chest. My father explained it to me a few years ago—”
“We’d have to touch?” he said, his eyes widening. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”
“And I don’t want to watch you die, so suck it up.”
Caer snorted weakly. “Ais…this kind of spell, this bond… it’s forever. We won’t be able to break it.”
“What if I don’t want it broken?” she asked, her voice trembling.
