The MirrorMasters (20 page)

"Was that an earthquake?" I asked. It had felt different somehow from any I was used to. Glancing up at the sky once more, I gasped.

"Oh, no..." Brian breathed, his eyes wide as he took in the sight that had caught my attention.

"The blue flames in the heavens." I couldn't tear my gaze away.

"We have to set out first thing tomorrow morning." Korin's declaration drew nods from Brian and me, and as a trio, we rushed inside to inform the prime minister and first lady.

A
lone in my bedroom
, I wandered out onto the balcony through a wide crystal door as it slid open for me. Of all the places I'd seen so far on Jantyr, the castle, and especially my luxurious room, felt most like home. It was all familiar somehow. An eerie blue glow still lingered in the sky, but otherwise the view was as I remembered, with the castle lit from within all around me, its iridescence brilliant against the darkness of the night. I could just make out the constellations beginning to appear and wished I had the time to learn them. Would I find my sun, and Earth, somewhere among them? No, not my sun anymore. It didn't matter — my prospects of seeing Earth or my family again, of living long enough to figure out where I wanted to make my future, were infinitesimal.

I
pushed away thoughts of Earth and the ache in my chest whenever I dwelled on everyone I missed — most of all my parents, David, Jenny, Kara, and Kevin — and focused on the journey ahead. So many people had already died when the blue flames struck. Each life lost was like a punch in the gut. If I'd known about all this years ago, those lives might have been saved. At least, tomorrow I would place the Illusion Crystal and activate the second part of the device, and I'd be one step closer to stopping the apocalypse before anyone else was lost.

Afterward, I'd race to find the remaining crystals and wield them before Aedalina and Erik could get in a position to stop me. Even at this moment, they were probably tracking down the locations of the crystals and places spoken of in the legends. It wouldn't be long before they made it to one of them first, so they could attack as I arrived. Was that what they were up to now? Or were they gathering support for their plan, whatever it was? I had the sense, both from what my mother said and what my father refused to say, that the criminals' plan went deeper and was more complicated than I could yet guess.

"Where are they now?" I whispered, leaning against the railing. Because the mirrors in the throne room were only allowed to be used for matters of Astorian security or planetary emergencies, I hadn't been able to find out yet. Using them to contact my family was strictly forbidden. I let out a frustrated cry and pounded a fist against the railing. What was the good of being a MirrorMaster if I had such limited access to mirrors? Still, I should be able to spy on Aedalina and Erik. Nobody could tell me it wasn't a planetary security issue.

Half tempted to go right then to the Hall of Mirrors, I gave one last lingering look at the stars and stalked back inside. Before I could leave my room, I imagined what my birth parents — or worse, their annoying security chief — would say if they happened to catch me in the act. They could punish me for breaking the rules by locking me away, or believe I was too reckless, too unpredictable to handle the mission. But I had to do something now.

Maybe I could learn to control those vivid dreams like I'd learned to control mirrors. Yes, that was it! Kara had said it was all a matter of letting your mind give you the answers. If a mirror was just a way of showing those answers, dreams could be, too.

I lay on my grand four-poster canopy bed, slipping beneath the most luxuriously soft sheets I'd ever touched. Squeezing my eyes shut, I kept Aedalina and Erik in my thoughts as I let sleep claim me. Sometime later, I found myself in a different part of the jungle, amid several warriors, all huddled together beneath a village in the trees. I could see bridges and houses in the branches high above me.

"Do not hinder her when she arrives," Aedalina was saying to the chief warrior. "We will deal with her in our own time. The more she accomplishes before we take over, the better. Now, you said you have an idea of the next crystal's location. We have an understanding, then? You will cede to us?"

"Yes."

Then the chief froze and glanced around as if sensing my presence. I stepped back behind a tree, not wanting to be discovered there, but the snapping of a twig underfoot betrayed my presence. All five of them turned toward me. Erik smirked, like he'd been expecting this, and Aedalina had a fierce gleam of triumph in her eyes as she stalked toward me. "Ah, Leah. Glad you could make it here."

Wake up, I told myself sternly, my heart thudding painfully against my ribcage. Something terrible would happen if I didn't. I willed myself awake, even tried to shake my body awake until I found my skin fading, turning translucent just as Aedalina reached me. My last sight was of the shock on their faces as I disappeared in front of them.

Wide awake and furious that I missed out on hearing what the chief might have said next, I refused to fall asleep again the rest of the night.

T
he next morning
, Brian, Korin, and I packed a breakfast of fruits, nuts, cheese, and bread to take with us. Prime Minister Roland and First Lady Rhianna were there to see us off, knowing we wanted to set out early. Caleb joined us in the Hall of Mirrors, having gathered some useful gear for the journey. He would have to stay behind to return to his duties as chief advisor.

"Be careful, you three, and come back as soon as you get done."

"We will, Mom." I hugged my parents and then turned to Caleb. "Watch out for the guy we saw in the library yesterday. You know, the one who recognized me? At the ball, I heard him talking to some others, and they want to stop us." In detail, I explained what I'd overheard the previous night.

"Why didn't you tell us this before, Leah?" Brian cut in.

"It kind of slipped my mind when we saw the blue flames light up the sky!" I retorted.

"Let's set out before they realize we're going, then." Korin jerked his head toward the mirror, impatient to set out as soon as possible.

"Another thing," I remembered. "We should be careful, too. Last night, I had another dream. Aedalina and Erik were in the jungle, and their chief and a couple of his warriors are in league with them. They might not interfere yet, but we might run into trouble."

"We hate to see you go so soon after you got here." Prime Minister Roland appeared more serious than I had ever seen him, and he reached out and pulled me into a hug.

After I accepted a handshake from Caleb, Brian captured my attention with a pointed glance between me and the mirror. I nodded and stepped back, then stopped as I realized something.

"We need a contingency plan to evacuate offworld," I said. "If something happens to me, or this doesn't work, there has to be a second plan in place. Is there anywhere else we can evacuate everyone to? Maybe a habitable world that doesn't have other people on it yet, or one whose people are willing to take us in?"

"The world you grew up on, Earth, is the only other world we know of." First Lady Rhianna frowned in concern. "Where else would our people go if Jantyr cannot be saved? However, it's likely too close to the destruction. I have faith in you, Leah, but I believe you're right. We need to figure out another option — one outside the galaxy."

Swallowing hard, I fought back terror that threatened to crush me like the weight of all the water in the ocean. I can't fail. I can't let myself fail. If I do, this contingency plan won't save everyone. Millions, maybe billions, on countless worlds will die.

Caleb rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What about other nearby star systems that might be outside the danger zone? On Earth, their scientists have a growing catalog of worlds potentially like ours, so I may have some data we could sort through. And by all records, the MirrorMasters in ancient times used their abilities to explore the cosmos. There might be information in their records also."

"Good," Prime Minister Roland nodded in approval. "We will start on that today. I recommend calling all available MirrorMasters — a few others still remain — to stand ready to handle the evacuations if need be."

A wave of excitement surged in my belly, melting away some of the terror. I'd get to meet others like me and Brian if we survived this. What were they like, and what had they learned about our abilities?

Korin tapped his foot and gestured toward the mirror. "Let's go, preferably before security commander Lars and his men stop us."

"Good advice. One can never keep a secret in this castle for too long." Caleb put a hand on Brian's shoulder. "Take care of yourself, son, and come back."

I can't lose you, too.

I could almost hear Caleb's unspoken thought, and Brian seemed to pick up on it as well, because he nodded and clapped his father on the back. With our goodbyes made, I gave my parents one last, lingering glance before Brian and I stepped up to the mirror.

We each placed a palm against the cool glass, and soon the image of the Hall of Mirrors began to fade. Now the glass shimmered and rippled until it became liquid. The liquid glass parted to reveal a lush landscape beyond, filled with palm trees, exotic flowering bushes, and all sorts of tropical greenery. The jungle appeared well-tended and manicured, with no wild overgrowth in sight.

Brian and I followed Korin through, and we found ourselves in a clearing by a flowing river of clear blue water. A short distance ahead, we could see a path into the jungle. As the mirror-portal closed behind us, a gentle breeze stirred, bringing with it a blast of hot, humid air.

Scanning our surroundings, I took several steps forward, and the air seemed to become more stifling with every step. Suddenly a splash of icy cold water from the river hit me from behind, eliciting a startled yelp. I pivoted to find Brian laughing.

"Refreshing, isn't it?"

I laughed and ran to the river, wasting no time in splashing him back. "Chilly. How does this water stay so cold?"

Brian gazed off into the distance, toward a mountain stream. "The river comes from the mountains over there."

"That explains it. Now can we move along?" King Korin nodded toward the jungle entrance.

Brian and I shared a mischievous grin and splashed him, laughing again. I had no idea how he could stay so cool and composed when I'd been practically wilting in the heat before Brian splashed me. An epic splash fight ensued, and King Korin turned out to be a fierce competitor. Brian and I aligned naturally against him, and the two of us just managed to keep up. When our little battle ended, Brian gave him a stunned look, probably as surprised at Korin's prowess as I was.

"What? I have four brothers, and we did this all the time growing up. But that was in my childhood." Emphasis on the childhood. The corners of Korin's mouth curved upwards slightly.

I stifled a snort. As mature as he always attempted to be, he'd still allowed us to draw him into a childish game.

King Korin dunked me, and I came up spluttering and laughing. The three of us horsed around for a bit longer until the king said, "We should get started. We have no idea how long it will take us to find the monolith."

"Yeah." I sighed, reluctant to emerge from the water. Brian and I lingered in the river as Korin stepped out onto the grass. Incredibly, his light travel robes were already dry.

Brian followed my gaze. "How did he do that?"

I shrugged, my eyes wide with curiosity and admiration. "It is a nifty trick, but I don't think I want to know how to do that. We'll feel cooler longer if we keep our clothes wet." Glancing down at the water, I wondered if it was safe to drink.

Brian must have been thinking along the same lines. "We should fill up the extra canteen while we're here, if the water is potable."

Korin blinked at him in sheer confusion. "Why in the name of Hylia wouldn't it be?" His gaze shifted heavenward to the ringed gas giant planet at the mention of its name.

"You mean, all the water on this planet is pure?" I asked. My mouth dropped open in awe as I considered the idea. Was it possible that polluted waters were a foreign concept to this world? "Back on Earth, some of the water isn't safe to drink, because of pollution or because of toxic stuff growing in it."

"Do you mean that people there poison their waters?" He arched an eyebrow, as if stunned at the sheer lunacy of this. "There must be something sick in the environment for it to happen naturally, but for it to be done deliberately..." His voice trailed off, and he shook his head.

"Yeah." Brian nodded in agreement. What more was there to say? "Anyway, we should fill up the extra canteens before we go."

Once we'd done so, Brian and I followed Korin into the jungle.

We had not gone far along the path when I thought I might have heard rustling in the branches high overhead. "What was that?" Were we about to be attacked?

Brian and I searched for whatever might have caused the sound, squinting our eyes against the sunlight that filtered through the trees swaying in the breeze.

"Shh!" Korin searched the shadows around us, broken only by the sunlit patterns on the ground shifting and changing with the breeze above. Instead of lifting his gaze, Korin's concern remained closer to the ground.

We didn't have long to wait. I no sooner heard the sound of a footfall crunching against a dried leaf and the snapping of a fallen twig, then we were surrounded. At least fifteen imposing figures emerged from the bushes lining the path on both sides. How had they moved so silently, with only a single misstep betraying their presence?

The men surrounding us appeared to be warriors, I surmised by a fierce-looking tattoo on each of their foreheads, a uniform of green-and-brown shirt and cargo pants in a pattern that blended into the jungle leaves, and the tall spear-like branches they carried. These were obviously weapons, and now the men pointed them at us. From the tip emerged a long, thin line of green crystal that moved fluidly, like a vine.
Heavens
— I had no doubt this could rope us in and cut us to pieces in the process. I swallowed, my mouth going dry. Brian edged closer to me, moving me in between himself and Korin for protection.

Korin calmly faced the leader, the tallest of the men and the only one of the warriors wearing a leather band around his bicep. The king took action, gracefully sweeping his right arm wide in front of him. "Greetings, friends. Today we have come on a matter of utmost urgency. The time of renewal is now, and a lost MirrorMaster-First Daughter, Leandra of Astoria, has returned just as foretold in the prophecy. We have the Crystal of Illusion, if you would allow us safe passage through the jungle to the place where Leah must wield it."