Page 12 of Crowned By the Shadow
I glanced at the Starforged Mirror, its surface rippling like liquid moonlight. Fenvalur stood between us, his hands weaving increasingly complex patterns as the surrounding air crackled with building magic.
“You don’t know how to use it,” Fenvalur sneered, his composure cracking. “If I hadn’t read the ancient scrolls from the archives, then it would have been as useless to me as it is to you now.”
But something in me knew exactly what to do. The Mirror called to me, resonating with my mark in a way I couldn’t explain but instinctively understood. I feinted left, then darted right, using the momentum to slide past Fenvalur’s defenses. He anticipated my move, though, and sent a blast of magic that caught my shoulder, burning through the stolen uniform.
Pain lanced down my arm, but I pushed through it, rolling to my feet directly in front of the Mirror. Its surface shifted, showing not my reflection but fragments of memories, the last of which broke my heart. It was a younger Sebastian, and he was clearly in distress as he silently screamed wild eyed and clutching at his chest.
“Senara!” Thorn shouted in warning.
I spun just as Fenvalur lunged at me, his face contorted with rage. Without thinking, I grabbed the Mirror’s frame and turned it toward him. The surface flashed blindingly bright, andFenvalur’s spell rebounded, catching him squarely in the chest. He flew backward, slamming into the far wall with a sickening crack.
“How did you—” he gasped, struggling to rise.
I didn’t wait for him to recover. Clutching the Mirror to my chest, I ran to where Thorn supported Sebastian’s weakened form.
“We need to go,” I said, glancing back at Fenvalur, who was already pushing himself up, blood trickling from his nose. “Now.”
Something cracked behind me, and I turned, raising the Mirror instinctively. Its surface flashed again, but instead of reflecting whatever magic Fenvalur was trying to throw at us, this time it seemed to bend the surrounding light, creating a disorienting blur.
“He can’t see us clearly,” Sebastian murmured, his voice gaining strength. “The Mirror protects its bearer from those who would do harm.”
“We have to go,” Thorn growled, clearly worried about impending reinforcements that might show up at any time. I wasn’t, though. Anyone who had spent any time around Fenvalur’s lab would know that screams and the sounds of things breaking were normal around here.
Still, we began to edge out of the smaller room that had been hidden by the tapestry and into the larger one.
“What about them?” I asked, looking up. Guilt knotted in my stomach. I had abandoned them all once before, and I wasn’t sure I had it in me to do it again. Not when I had the chance to do something about it.
The weight of Sebastian’s gaze bore down on me. My heart raced, torn between the urgency of escape and the longing to understand what this reunion meant. The world outside Fenvalur’s lab loomed large, full of danger and uncertainty, yethere stood the man I had been searching for in whispers and shadows.
I could still hear Fenvalur’s grunts of frustration behind us, his magic flaring as he tried to gather himself.
“We can’t leave them,” I said, my voice shaking with the intensity of my emotions. “We have to find a way to help.”
Thorn shook his head, his expression grim. “Senara, we need to focus on getting you out first. Fenvalur is a threat?—”
“He’s not just a threat,” I interrupted, my pulse quickening. “He’s part of all this—my past.”
Sebastian’s hand gripped my shoulder firmly, grounding me. “Senara,” he said softly, urgency lacing his words. “Fenvalur will not stop until he has you back under his control. We must move before he regains his strength.”
But the thought of leaving those who had no one to help them but me behind twisted in my gut like a dagger. Fenvalur had done terrible things; I couldn’t let him continue unchallenged.
“Just give me a moment,” I urged Thorn, catching a glimpse of the fading images in the Mirror—a woman smiling weakly at a child that looked so much like me—and an idea sparked.
“Fenvalur is obsessed with power and knowledge,” I muttered to myself as pieces fell into place. “If we can turn that obsession against him...”
“What do you mean?” Thorn asked, glancing between Sebastian and me as if sensing the change in my demeanor.
“Fenvalur thinks he knows everything about magic and bloodlines,” I said slowly, mind racing ahead of my thoughts. “But what if we could show him something he doesn’t? Something that would make him doubt himself?”
The notion settled like a stone in my stomach, but there was little time for hesitation.
“I can use the Mirror,” I continued, meeting Sebastian’s gaze again. “If it truly reflects truths hidden by time... then maybe itcan show Fenvalur what he’s been missing about me, about us, about…everything.”
Thorn frowned but didn’t argue further; he trusted me even when I didn’t trust myself.
“Just tell me how to use it,” I said to Sebastian, determination hardening within me.
Sebastian stepped closer to the Mirror as it shimmered with possibility. “It responds to your intent and emotions. Channel your feelings through it; show him what you know, what you’ve learned about your past.”
