Page 32 of Wicked Prince of Mirrors
“Oh.” Lyra laughed. “I didn’t meanher. I call these the smuggler tunnels, it’s what my father and I do.”
It dawned on me that I’d never asked what she and her father did, aside from hide and survive, but everyone’s life had a purpose.
“What do you smuggle?”
“People.” She paused, and then. “Do you want the truth? I’m aware it might be difficult for you to hear considering your father’s stance on magic.”
“My father’s views on magic are his own,” I said, although a quiet voice within reminded me that not too long ago I would have blindly agreed with all my father’s laws without asking questions.
“As you are aware, many people across the kingdom have magic.”
I nodded, filling in the rest. “They are hunted by the Venators. Those with Mirror Magic, executed.” I swallowed hard as the memory of knives sinking into flesh rose. “Those with other magic are brought to the Boundary, to strengthen it.”
“There’s more,” Lyra said. “Many with magic flee for their lives, because the academy is brutal, they are ill-treated, forced into labor. We have a secret network, inviting those with magic to come here for safety. But they can’t stay here because too much magic in one place attracts the Venators.”
Too much magic in one place.I tilted my head, studying Lyra with fresh eyes. “You have magic,” I breathed.
She smiled but a sadness clung to her. “I am my father’s daughter.”
I worried my lower lip between my teeth. Lyra was evasive with some questions, we’d never discussed what happened to her mother. “Is magic passed through the bloodline?”
“It’s tricky. Scholars haven’t discovered how magic is passed from generation to generation. At the academy, the Venators experiment with blood, and sometimes entire families are imprisoned there, just to see who manifests magic and who doesn’t. Most of the time only one or two members of a magical family end up with magic. More often, families who have never had magic suddenly have someone manifest.”
I started to piece together what she was telling me. The Venators did far more than I imagined. I felt sick at the very idea of what went on at the academy. It wasn’t a place to teach magic but a prison camp. “So those with magic find out about you and come here. How do you help them? Especially with the Boundary so close? I assumed the magic emitting from the Boundary protected the castle from being discovered.”
“I’d hoped so too, but the wolves come every night. You’ve heard them. It’s too risky. One day the Venators will come.”
“Can you stand and fight?”
Lyra squeezed my arm. “I like your spirit. It’s a common misunderstanding that just because someone has magic, they are trained in warfare. The Venators are a trained army, hunters, they are good. Very good. We are scattered, leaderless, and no one quite knows theextent of their power. Think on it, if you were asked to stand and fight today, this very moment, what would you do?”
Shame crept around me. “I don’t know what Mirror Magic is nor how to use it. I’ve seen what Methrin—Prince Methrin has done with his but I’m not sure I’d be able to do the same.”
“Many echo your words. I’d love to start a school, like Seer Isoule did, and teach those with magic how to use it, not to fear it, not to let it overwhelm and overcome them. There is a danger to magic that few speak of. If unchecked and untrained it is dangerous and leads to madness. Many lose themselves to magic.”
I shivered.
“I’ve done what I can, but there’s not enough time to teach and train. After one to two weeks here, my father and I guide those with magic through these tunnels, to the other side of the Boundary to start their new lives.”
My mouth went dry. “With the beasts? Isn’t that a death sentence?”
“It is challenging, but I believe the beasts are misunderstood. They are dangerous, yes, but think of the wolves and bears that live in the forest. The fear of them does not stop any from hunting or from going into the wood. You must be adequately prepared to fight or flee.”
“But they are much bigger and stronger than bears or wolves.”
“True. But life on the other side of the Boundary is better than torture and abuse and fear of execution. Sometimes though, I wonder if we are doing enough. Ifword is passing quickly enough: ‘If you wish to keep your life, escape through the tunnels and go where they are afraid to go, for the closer you are to danger, the further you are from death.’’’
My feet came to a stop and I pressed a hand to my heated cheeks as though I’d been slapped.
Those words.
The very same words the woman at the Night Market had spoken. I’d assumed she’d meant the tunnels underneath the palace, but what if she were speaking ofthiscastle, the home of the sorcerer?
Lyra prodded my shoulder. “Esmira? What’s wrong?”
“Those words, I’d heard them before.”
Lyra’s eyes went wide. “You, too, heard the message,” she said in awe. “Who gave it to you?”
