“See you on the other side, Starfire.”
It’s strangely comforting, even if it’s probably meant to be a taunt. I take my first step, and the moment my toes dip into the mirror, everything around me turns black.
Wilder and the king are no longer at my sides. There is nothing but a void of light and space. It chirps like the forest at night. The presence of something hangs at a distance.
What is this?
“What are you?”a voice asks in return, but it’s not Wilder’s.
It’s somethingother.
As if the mirror is sentient, or maybe I’m simply talking to myself.
“I’m a human.”
“That is a lie.”A breeze tickles the back of my neck.
“I’m half-human. Half-Fae,” I clarify.
“Is that all you are?”The vibration of the voice ripples through me.
It is not from around; it is from within. And as I blink at the dark space, small threads of light begin to form and make an endless web.
“Fate is not such a grand thing unless it is played with. One thread can change everything.”At a distance, something snaps, and the entire weave of light collapses.“Why are you here?”
“To get your blessing?”
“You’re uncertain.”
My skin prickles as everything around me cools.
“I’m not uncertain.” My voice is firm this time. “I wish to perform the Rite and save my realm.”
“A realm you destroy.”
“I didn’t destroy anything.”
“Are you sure?”The web of light appears again, but this time, it’s fraying. Dying.“They would have been peaceful, but you could not leave well enough alone. You woke the heart. What should have been is not what is.”
I woke the heart?
Are the fates upset with me about Wilder?
“It was an accident.”
“There are no accidents in fate, even when it is broken. What a mess you’ve made, daughter of the stars.”
My heart tightens in my chest, as if a fist wraps around it and squeezes tight.
“Are you prepared to do what must be done to fix what you broke?”The fingers of the invisible force squeeze harder.
“Yes.”
Still, the grip doesn’t release me. It pulls me down, and I’m nolonger in darkness; I’m bathed in white light. A violent wave flips me around, and I’m floating. Threads tug at my fingers. My toes. They pull me in every direction while the edges of the light melt with darkness. My mind floods with shadows and nightmares.
Father’s hand reaching.
Letia screaming at the top of her lungs.
