Page 127 of Damned and Broken Gods
My reflection appeared as formless mist and shadow, eye whites gleaming like pearl. I knew instinctively what part of me this was.
The part that I’d taught to be silent.
I placed my hand on the glass, my throat pinching. “I see you. I fucking see you. There’s no need to hide.”
The mist thickened, coalescing into a proper form.
Into me.
I lifted a hand, and the reflection lifted hers.
It’s you, Leela,Araz said, his tone thick with emotion. You did it. You tamed all the mirrors.
My reflection faded, and the glass went dark.
“The Silent One rests,” the voice said. “You may pass.”
It’s a door. We can walk through it now.
“You’ll stay with me?”
Always.
I reached for the frame to brace myself, then stepped through.
A river blocked my path,the bank stretching out on either side of me as far as the eye could see. Fog lay heavy on the water, making it impossible to see the other side.
There’s a boat,Araz said.To the left.
I spotted it and hurried over. It was a rowboat, large enough to carry two people. But there were no oars.
“How do I get it across without oars?”
I have a feeling it will make its own way across.
“Good point.” I was about to climb in when I spotted a plaque bolted to the side of the boat. I leaned in to read it. Strange symbols greeted me, but as I stared, they shifted and rearranged themselves into words.
To find yourself you must first lose yourself.
“What does that mean?”
I’m not sure,Araz said. But we must continue.
“Where are you anyway? I need to find you and free you.”
I don’t know. I can’t see. I’m surrounded by glass and…
“And what?”
Nothing. Let’s continue.
There was something he wasn’t telling me, but I trusted him enough to know he’d share it when the time was right. I climbedinto the boat, and as soon as I sat, it began to move across the water.
Fog closed in around me, leaving wet kisses on my skin. Visibility was low, barely a few feet around the boat, where the dark water lapped at the hull.
“I don’t like this.”
I’m with you. I’ve got you.
