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I can see by the turmoil in his eyes that he wants to argue but can’t come up with anything that makes sense.” Finally, he heaves a huge sigh. “Okay.”

“Did you just say ‘okay’. No more arguments? Are you feeling well?”

“Hah.” He shrugs. “In this instance, I think you might be right. If you’re caught, me being there won’t save you. Your best bet is to go in quietly.”

“Hey, I just said that!”

“And we have to think about this guy,” he says, smiling at Josh. “He’s way more important than any number of worlds.”

“I can protect you,” Josh says. “I can fight.”

I hug him closer. “One day.”

Chapter 9

All Aboard the Bad Decision Express

The chill seeps into my blood and bites at my bones as we descend the steep stone staircase that leads deep into the bowels of the Earth beneath the house. Torches splutter on the wall, lighting up as we approach, casting flickering shadows on the walls. More magic. I’ve been this way once before with Khaosti. My heart trips at the thought. While my brain might not be too sure of what I think about Khaosti, my heart has no doubts. Ugh.

How will this go?

Hopefully within hours, I’ll have rescued him, and we’ll be safe—well relatively safe, I don’t think anywhere is safe on any world right now—in Valandria.

Oh God, please let that happen.

I can hear Zayne and Josh behind me.

Finally, just as I’m about to believe that we can make it to Hell just by keeping going—who needs a mirror?—the staircase stops abruptly, the way barred by a dark metal door.

I whisper the words of an opening spell—one of the rudimentary spells my mother implanted in my mind before she dumped me on her sister—and the door swings open.

Behind me Zayne whistles—he’s impressed.

Beyond the door is a small, circular room, lit by a single torch in a sconce on the wall. And straight in front of me is the mirror that will take us directly to the Chamber of Mirrors on Astralis.

The Astrali people believe—wrongly—that all mirrors must go to the Chamber. Most do, but that’s only because of how they’d been set up. And it takes less magic, so the weaker mirror witches can make them. But a more powerful witch can direct the mirrors to wherever they want them to go—for example, from Earth directly to Valandria. I’m a mirror mage on my mother’s side. So one day, hopefully, I will be able to do that.

The mirror glows with a faint golden light and as I step into the room, the surface ripples as though it recognizes my presence. And maybe it does.

“This place gives me the creeps,” Zayne mutters.

I glance at him, and I can see the distaste on his screwed-up face. I don’t feel the same. I feel a sense of…belonging. Beside him, Josh clings to his hand but seems unconcerned. He trusts us. Which is nice, if a little misguided.

“You go first,” I say to Zayne.

“Why? In case it’s been booby-trapped or something?”

“Exactly.” Actually, I hadn’t even thought of that. But Sheela has been coming through the mirror and not exploding. Unless she’s working with Khronus and this is all a set-up. MaybeKhaosti’s not a prisoner after all and he’s working with his father as well and—

Zayne snaps his fingers in front of my face, and I jump. “I was kidding,” he says. “I don’t think it’s booby-trapped. Honest.”

I give myself a little shake. I’ve been trying to pass for cool, calm, and collected. But clearly, I’m a jumbled-up mess with panic simmering just below the surface. I need to be better than this.

Breathe.

I cast Zayne a dirty look and then turn back to the mirror and whisper the words of the spell that will open the passageway between worlds.

The mirror glows brighter.