“Careful—there isn’t any water nearby. Your Beast is at a disadvantage.”
They wereallat a disadvantage, Barclay realized. Viola’s light would only be reflected off mirrors. His wind wasn’t strong enough to shatter the glass. Tadg might have a better offensive chance with Abel and Ethel’s powers, but without his Beast out of its Mark, he would be the weakest among them.
“I wouldn’t worry about me,” Tadg threw back.
Suddenly several mirrors appeared around them, forming—not a wall—but a circular enclosure. Each of their reflections stretched out endlessly in every direction, as did the Doppelgheists’. As always, Abel and Ethel slipped inside the glass.
Viola, Barclay, and Tadg stood back-to-back. “How do we stop them from jumping out if they’reeverywhere?” Viola asked.
“You don’t,” said Tadg. “Whatever you do, don’t let the water touch you.”
Water bubbled up from the grass and seeped across their enclosed circle. Viola and Barclay nervously backed up to the glass.
“I wouldn’t do that,” Ethel told Barclay, directly behind him.
Tadg pressed his palm into the puddle and let out a spark of electricity. One of the mirrors shattered, but it was quickly replaced by another.
“You can’t trap us in the mirrors when there are this many of them,” Abel told him.
“And you’ll electrocute Barclay and Viola if you’re not careful,” Ethel warned.
Tadg’s expression darkened.
One of the puddles beside Barclay rippled from an invisible splash, and he looked at the circle of mirrors to see it was Abel’s Beast advancing toward him. Barclay froze. The last time he’d faced one of their Doppelgheists, he’d run. But now he had nowhere to go, no idea how to fight against something you could only see through its endless reflections.
Root lurched forward and tackled it, and Mitzi pounced on Ethel’s Beast on the other side of the ring. It was very strange to watch them wrestle with something invisible, as though they were thrashing in midair.
“If Root and Mitzi handle the Beasts,” Barclay said lowly to Viola and Tadg, “then we only need to overpower Ethel and Abel.”
“But how?” Viola asked.
As she spoke, Ethel darted across the mirrors. With so many of her reflections surrounding them, it was impossible to guess where she’d emerge.
Then she leaped out behind Viola and tripped her. Viola landed in the puddle, soaking herself. By the time she had gathered herself enough to grab at Ethel, Ethel had already jumped back into her reflection.
Abel darted out from the glass behind Barclay. Barclay whipped around in time for Abel to punch him in the stomach. He doubled over, and Abel fled right back into the mirror.
“We don’t want to hurt you more than we have to,” Abel said. “But Soren told us we can’t let anyone inside Gravaldor’s den. You can’t win this. Surrender, and we’ll let you live.”
“Ow!” Viola yelped. Ethel had pulled one of her hair buns. Moments later Abel kicked Tadg behind the knees.
“One of you need to do something,” Tadg grunted.
“Mitzi, try some light,” Viola said to Mitzi, who was in the midst of struggling with Ethel’s Beast. Mitzi bounced off it and opened her mouth, and let out a huge burst of light, so bright that Barclay needed to shield his eyes with his hands.
It must have been working, because Abel’s and Ethel’s jabs and punches momentarily stopped. But the light reflecting around them in every direction made it extraordinarily hot in their circle. Sweat broke out over his forehead.
“I think it’s working,” Viola told them.
“But I can’t open my eyes,” Barclay said.
“And you’re cooking us,” Tadg added.
“Thenyoutwo do something,” Viola hissed.
Barclay didn’t know what he or Root could contribute in this situation. But they were desperate and out of options, so Barclay reached his hands out and summoned as much wind as he could muster.
Gusts began to pick up amid their circle, swirling and whirling so fast, they needed to lock arms to prevent themselves from being dragged away.
