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“You must look into the mirror, child,” the cat said in a booming voice.
I hesitated for a moment, but then I walked forward and peered into the mirror.
At first, I saw only my reflection. Black hair, sallow skin, and large brown eyes. But then the image changed. Foggy letters appeared, spelling out a phrase.
Speak now, hearth caster. Midar will rise again.
I frowned and stepped back from the mirror. “What does that mean?” I asked the cat, but it only gazed at me with its golden eyes. It turned around and walked away, its tail swishing.
I turned to the mirror again and looked at my reflection. But I wasn’t alone anymore. A second figure had appeared in the mirror. A girl with long black hair and golden eyes.
She stared at me for a moment, and then she reached out her hand. I hesitated for a moment, but then I reached out and touched the surface. Fire shot through my veins and I felt myself being pulled into the mirror.
The last thing I saw was the black cat disappearing down the tunnel, its tail disappearing into the darkness.
And then I was falling. Down, down, down into the darkness. I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel something. A presence. Something magic.
I landed with a thud on something hard. I felt around in the darkness and my hand brushed against what felt like a stone wall. I followed it until I came to a corner and then I turned.
My hand bumped into something, and I yelped in surprise. I felt around until my hand closed around a slender neck. A small body. A cat.
I picked it up and held it close, stroking its fur. It purred softly in response and I felt my body relax.
“Where am I?” I whispered into the darkness.
There was a soft chuckle, and then a light appeared. A figure materialized out of the light. The woman with long black hair and golden eyes.
“You are in the domain of magic, child,” she said, her voice echoing in my head.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“That’s not the question you need to ask,” she said. “The question you need to ask is, what do I want?”
I frowned and thought about it for a moment. This was a dream, wasn’t it? It had to be. There was no way this could be real.
“You want power,” I said finally. “You want to control magic?”
All around us, the darkness swirled. I could see images taking shape. A kingdom in ruin. A woman on a throne. An army marching.
“That’s part of it,” she said. “But there’s more.”
The images changed and I saw a new scene. A group of people standing around a fire. They were chanting and waving their hands. And in the center of the fire was a person. A girl with long black hair and golden eyes.
“I am magic,” the woman said. “And I have been losing my power for centuries. But you, child. You have the potential to give me back my power.”
“Magic is magic. It’s not a sentient being,” I said, shaking my head.
“But it is,” the woman said. “And I am its essence. I am what gives magic its power. Magic is me. All hearth casters use my power, but they do not know it.”
My mother’s words echoed in my head. Magic has a mind of its own. You must be careful with it.
The very thought of it made me shiver. This was too much. I wanted to wake up.
“I can’t do this,” I said, shaking my head.
She placed her hand on my cheek and I felt a jolt of power go through me. “Forget your fears.”
My mind cleared and all my doubts disappeared.
