Page 46 of Mirror of Malice
Penn stiffened behind me, his body tensing for just a second, before he relaxed. “You don’t know what that mirror does, do you?”
Busted.
“The mirror has the power to show you anything you desire,” Penn said.
Last night, he’d told Wayfinder that information was too dangerous to share with anyone, so I wondered why he was divulging this information with me now. Maybe he trusted me with it, knew I wouldn’t use the mirror after seeing how it had destroyed my court. Or maybe he thought by sharing it I’d be more invested in whatever mission he had for me.
Up ahead, the forest began to clear, opening up to grassy fields, the sun slowly rising and painting the world with its golden hue. The other thieves rode on their horses behind us, and I twisted to look at Penn.
“Anything you desire? Meaning what?”
Penn sighed. “If she wanted to know where you were right now, for example, and she had the mirror in her possession, she could simply ask it. She could ask the mirror what the best day to plan an attack would be. She could ask the mirror how to strengthen her power. The mirror knows all.”
My mouth dropped open. “This explains so much,” I muttered to myself. “How she knows...”
“How she knows what?”
My gaze lifted to meet Penn’s, and I realized our faces were far too close for comfort. I twisted forward.
“How she knows what, Lilypad?”
I was too tired to yell at him for calling me that. “Babies are brought to the castle, almost daily. They come in with the powers they’re born with, and we watch them leave without their magic.We didn’t know that was what was happening at first. But we’d heard rumors and never were able to confirm them. Now I know how she locates all these babies, how she knows when a new one is born. We still don’t know how she steals their powers, though.”
A slight breeze rustled the grassy plain around us, the long weeds swaying.
“Yes,” Penn said. “That is exactly how she does it.”
“You knew?” I couldn’t help the betrayal in my voice. “You knew and you let her do something so vile?”
“Why do you think I stole the mirror?” he asked. “Do you know how long it took to plan that mission? It’s not easy to steal from a queen who has that kind of power.”
“I hate her,” I said. “I hate that she’s taken so much from me. She even planned her attack on what was supposed to be the best day of my life.”
“And when was that?”
Tears pricked my eyes. “My wedding day.”
Penn swore softly behind me.
I still remembered how I’d woken up that day, so full of hope and excitement for my impending nuptials.
“The best day of my life quickly turned into the worst.”
“I’m sorry,” Penn said.
I shook my head as an eagle soared overhead, so majestic and beautiful. “I always thought she chose that day to hurt me because she knew how much I was looking forward to my wedding. It was on my twenty-fifth birthday. She knew where all the guards were stationed, exactly how to attack to kill them. She knew we’d have our guard down, everyone celebrating the future king and queen of Elwen.”
I still remembered how I’d been searching for my father. He was never late to anything, and yet, he hadn’t been on time to my own wedding. Of course I hadn’t known it was because theHuntsman had been squeezing the life from him in his own private chambers.
“That was the day she took our powers, no one able to fight against her.” I shook my head, remembering the way the fire court had run away, none of them able to fight back against her, the way I’d lost sight of Jasper in the chaos of the blood and screams.
“Lilypad, that’s... terrible.” Penn’s voice was genuine, none of his usual snark or amusement or sternness present.
“None of us could fight back because our magic was suddenly gone, and that’s how she overtook everyone so quickly. If we knew how she was stealing our powers, maybe we’d be better equipped to stop her.”
“We know as much as you do, that she uses that mirror to track all the new babies born in the earth court, to take their earth magic from them so that she’s the only one with power.”
Disappointment welled in me. Part of me had hoped he’d have more answers than I did. “So you don’t know if there’s any way to get our magic back? To restore it?”
