Page 33 of Wicked Prince of Mirrors
“I don’t know her name. It was at the Night Market, after . . .” I paused, the strange night coming back to me. “It was all very odd. I went with my cousin and we got separated. There was a booth full of mirrors, which should have been impossible since mirrors are outlawed.”
“Lest the Wicked Prince return, I’ve heard that sentiment,” Lyra said, a hint of bitterness in her tone. “What happened?”
“I saw a shadow behind the mirror, a world of mist and when I reached out to touch it, it shattered.”
“The mirror?”
“Yes. My hands were glowing, tingling, it was such an odd sensation. A woman—I assume she worked the booth—took me into the back andbound my cuts. She told me to flee the palace and gave me those words.”
“Was that all? Did she try to help you?”
“No I—I left because she knew my title and claimed she could not help me. Odd though, when I looked back her booth had vanished. I thought it was a joke for the Night Market is rumored to be full of tricks.”
“Odd indeed,” Lyra echoed. “Yet you got the message and now you’re here.”
“I have her to thank, because without her words, I never would have gone searching for the tunnels underneath the palace, nor would I have found Prince Methrin. Right now, I’d probably be . . .” I trailed off, refusing to even consider my own execution.
“I’m glad you’re here.” Lyra touched my arm, encouraging me to keep walking.
“Me too,” I echoed, the words stated with a sincerity that surprised even myself.
I was grateful to be alive, and while the circumstances were not ideal, I’d escaped. I’d been saved from the Venators and perhaps even from a fate similar to my mothers. It occurred to me that I’d had very little opportunity to be grateful for my status or the ease that my title as daughter of the king gave me. With everything I’d once known stripped away I became aware of tiny, insignificant necessities I’d once taken for granted. The softness of fabric against my body, the feeling of a full belly, the relief of soaking in a hot bath and being able to scrub filth from my hair.
Lyra’s words meant more to me because friendship and trust did not come easy in the palace. Rhea was myclosest friend, and it hurt to think of her. I hadn’t told her my hands were glowing because—like me—she was raised to believe the worst about those with magic.
Those with magic.
“Lyra, what magic do you have?”
She laughed lightly. “I’m so curious about you I often forget you might be curious about me. Yes, of course, I have Succor Magic.”
“What is it?”
“I am kind of a healer, not of the body but of mind. My magic brings inner peace, and calm, but it has its dangers too. My aura has a strong sway to influence others to like me, which is tempting because I’m lonely here.”
I recalled when I’d first met her, and she walked into the room, her presence felt warm, comfortable, like coming home. “How does it work? I think I’ve felt it.”
“It’s hard to hide, I’m often signaling my location with my aura, sometimes unintentionally. Remember the first night you were here? You heard the wolves outside in the mist and they frightened you. If I’d allowed my magic to spill over you, instead of fear you would have felt peace.”
I gave her a rueful smile. “It would have been comforting.”
“Yes, but you still would have known it was too dangerous to go out. Imagine if you didn’t know wolves were dangerous, you might have been curious, might have been drawn to go outside and . . .”
The light in her eyes diminished, and I wondered what she had battled.
“But I didn’t,” I encouraged.
Lyra shook herself. “That’s the danger of it though. During the war, many with Succor Magic were rounded up and used to push back the beasts and force them behind the Boundary. I often go to the Boundary, run my hands over the magic, feel the emotions of the creatures on the other side. They are full of rage, frantic at being imprisoned. They want to be free.”
I swallowed down words about treason and war, and the reason the beasts were kept away. Lyra disagreed, but a world full of beasts was a world full of death and devastation.
“Here we are.”
Rydlin’s voice cut through my thoughts, sending a fresh wave of panic surging through me.
We were about to cross into the Boundary where we’d see the beasts face to face. “Are we sure this is wise?” I whispered to Lyra, wanting any excuse to turn back.
Lyra squeezed my hand. “Think of it this way, although we walk into the valley of beasts, I am a Succor, my father is a sorcerer, and you and Prince Methrin have Mirror Magic. We will protect each other.”
