Page 6 of Wicked Prince of Mirrors
After a beat, he nodded. “It shall be done.”
He left without another word, without bowing either or addressing my father with the respect his station demanded. Had there been tension between them? Or had I imagined it?
My father held out his hand. “You will join me for the execution.”
My mouth went dry.
“Perhaps I have been too gentle with you.”
I rose to my feet, one hand fisted, the other I slipped into the crook of his arm, hoping the slight glow was not visible beyond his voluminous sleeves. As we left his chambers, the bells tolled, summoning everyone who could hear them to make their way to the plaza. It was located outside the palace in full view of all who lived nearby. By law, all were required to stop what they were doing and attend when the bell rang.
My breath came fast and shallow. I fought to keepmy body under control as we left the palace, taking the bridge to the tower that overlooked the execution plaza. A crowd had already arrived and there on a platform stood the woman, hands tied above her head, eyes blindfolded. From a distance, it was difficult to tell how old she might be, yet from the brown stains on her clothing, I sensed she’d been treated badly.
Bile rose in my stomach. I turned to my father, intending to beg to leave, until I saw the coldness of his gaze. He fixed his hard eyes on me. “You see, Esmira, it is not always easy to rule. One must be cold, ruthless. One wrong decision, one act of mercy, could cause countless to suffer.”
The Captain of the Venator’s voice boomed across the gathering, listing the name of the woman and her sins, but my father kept talking, telling me the story in his own words.
“She was found practicing the art of Mirror Magic. She lived in a cave with a collection of mirrors and each day she’d light a flame and practice her magic, chanting forbidden spells, asking the mirrors to release the Wicked Prince. The very same Wicked Prince who brought famine and death to our world, who unleashed monsters and other horrors on us. Can you imagine what we’d face if he were to return? So tell me, daughter of mine, in your eyes I see fear and anger. I see your desire to run, to hide from justice. But tell me this, if you were queen this day and you ruled, what would be your verdict? One death? Or the death of a thousand?”
I pressed my lips together, knowing the answer which would make himproud and yet . . . “How would I know she was evil? How would I know she practiced the art?”
“You would know because your men told you, you would know because you saw it with your own eyes, yet even if you didn’t, you would need to pass judgment. What would your judgment be? Look at the prisoner. Decide her fate. One death or a thousand? Blood will always be on your hands. You determine how much. Decide.”
A hoarse whisper left my lips. “The knives.”
My father lifted his hand.
Silence blanketed the plaza. The Captain of the Venators also lifted his hand, then dropped it.
Knives shot out of the air, twirling towards the woman. One by one, they sliced through skin, sinking into bone and marrow. A keening cry came from her lips, the wail of the dead, a torment of pain.
“Again!” boomed the Captain.
This time, I heard the blades slice through the air, the smack of steel against flesh. Even without looking, I knew the moment the woman was dead, when her screams of pain were replaced with cheers from the crowd.
I spun away from my father, fury rushing over me, but he caught me by the waist. “This is why you are going to the southern lands, this is why you are a bride, not a commander. You do not have the stomach to do what needs to be done to keep the peace. There is no mercy for those with Mirror Magic. They all must die by the blade.”
3
ESMIRA
Ifled back to my bedroom, locked the door with shaking fingers and dragged the heavy curtains over the windows. Kneeling at my bedside I buried my face in a pillow and let one twisted sob of fear and frustration roll out of me. Then I forced myself to stop.
My father’s words rang in my ears. A princess was strong, but I’d shown weakness. A princess shouldered the burden of her responsibilities, and I’d fled. A princess had to make tough decisions, to know whom to save and whom to doom. I’d descended into tears.
Lifting my chin I stood, dashing the tears from my face. I was to marry the Prince of Elquin. I was leaving my home to go south and start a new life there. Would Rhea come with me or did my father have plans for her too? My thoughts went to my mother. Did she have a choice when my father chose her? I thought of the stark fear I’d seen in her eyes on occasion. Why?
The flicker of my glowing fingers drew my attentionas I stepped into the washroom. Swallowing down the fear of earlier, I faced the mirror again, using a towel to dry my face. I’d be expected at supper tonight with my father, which gave me time to change again and figure out what to do with my hands.
Dropping the towel, I held up my hands. I had to know the truth. Did I have Mirror Magic?
Whispers licked at my ears. My reflection rippled as though I were looking at a pool of water which had recently been disturbed. The tingling in my fingertips became more intense, urgent, just as it had at the Night Market.
I recalled the way my father had looked at my hands, the dark gaze of the Captain of the Venator’s boring into me as though he could guess my secret. But louder in my ears was the sound of blades cutting through air and the scream of the woman accused of Mirror Magic, put to death by blade. Had I sealed her doom? Had her death been my fault?
The mirror warped as guilt rose like a wave. I yanked my hands away, too late. The mirror shattered, tiny shards of light falling to the floor. I backed away, my body shaking as I stared at the void beyond the mirror. For just a moment it appeared like an empty hole, and something shifted inside, almost like a shrouded arm, reaching for me.
I blinked and it was only the broken mirror against the wall, glass covering the floor. Backing out of the washroom I sank to the floor, staring at my hands. Denial faded under the raw truth. Something hadawoken within me, a magic that reacted to mirrors. Mirror Magic.
