Page 71

The boy shrugged. “I know a thing or two about demons.” A pause. “It’s a good idea, Shiori, but it’s not without great risk. You have to know that the Forgotten Isles are rife with ghosts and demons—they thrive there. The ghosts of Lapzur can turn you into one of them with just a touch, and the demons…they’ll toy with you slowly. They’ll prey on your fears and distort your memories until you can’t even remember your name. Then they’ll kill you.”

“Sounds like the perfect place to leave Bandur,” I replied. “He’ll feel right at home.”

Gen frowned, as if my flippant response troubled him.

“I’ve had enough experience with demons,” I reassured him. “I won’t fall for their tricks.”

“With so much demon power concentrated on the isles, Bandur’s strength will be greater there,” he warned. “The first thing he’ll try to do is get the amulet back. Take care that he doesn’t.”

“I will.”

Takkan nodded too. He’d been quiet, considering the plan from all angles, I presumed. This he confirmed by asking: “Do we know how to get to Lapzur?”

“I have maps that allude to its location,” Gen responded, “but Lapzur is a place kept secret by the enchanters.” He grimaced. “If only I’d been able to steal that mirror for Elang. I’d—”

“The mirror of truth?” I reached into my satchel and held up the shard I’d won from Lady Solzaya.

“You have a piece of it?” Gen exclaimed, snatching the shard. “Why didn’t you tell me? This—this is how you’ll find Lapzur.”

“Lady Nahma said it won’t show me the Forgotten Isles.”

“Not by itself, it won’t,” Gen agreed, and before I could stop him, he dropped the shard into the pool behind us. “But it will with some help.”

“Gen!”

The boy put his finger to his lips. “Look. The water’s enchanted. Can’t you tell? Even with a broken nose, I sensed it.”

I whirled, finally taking in our surroundings. There was something familiar about this place, this pool…. My mind flashed back to the day Raikama had cast my brothers and me out of the palace. I’d followed her here! I didn’t know it then, but she’d come to ask the waters if I was in danger.

“It’s the Tears of Emuri’en,” I said, finally remembering. “The waters reveal fate’s possibilities.” Something I wished I had known long ago. Maybe then I wouldn’t have assumed Raikama was trying to kill me. Maybe she’d still be alive now.

“Emuri’en’s magic should heighten the mirror’s ability,” said Gen. “Go on, try it.”

As I drew closer to the pool, my own power manifested itself, pale filaments of silvery gold wisping from my fingertips. “Strands of my soul,” I murmured, fascinated. “I saw them for the first time in Ai’long.”

“Your magic is your own,” replied Gen simply. “It’s always been there for you to see, but you probably weren’t looking hard enough.”

I couldn’t unsee it now. I trailed my fingers over the water, and the strands shone, as if beckoning me forward. Slowly, I pulled my trousers up to my knees and approached the Tears of Emuri’en. The Wraith’s pearl followed in my shadow. Once I entered the water, the mirror shard bubbled to the surface.

I reached into the pool to retrieve it, but as my fingers gripped its smooth edges, my reflection vanished. In its place was the Wraith’s pearl, and the waters darkened to match its black and gleaming surface.

Then, in flashes, I saw.

The Forgotten Isles, shaped like long skeletal fingers scraping against the ocean. A tower where the blood of stars fell. A storm that ravaged the oceans.

This was where I’d find Khramelan. The Wraith.

I started to pull away, but the Tears of Emuri’en hadn’t finished. The waters were still as black as the pearl, and roiling. They gathered around me, throwing me forward into the pool—and into the future.

Six cranes flew me over a sea of red, raging demonfire. We were headed for a dark tower silhouetted against a broken moon, and hundreds of paper birds trailed after us—wildly flapping as the flames singed their wings.

There, on the ramparts, besieged by demons, was Takkan. Blood stained his hair and face, and he was hovering in the air, suspended by invisible strings.

“Takkan!” I shouted.

Bandur loomed into view, his rubescent eyes swathed in darkness. His smile curved like a scythe, and he said nothing, gave no warning. In one terrible stroke, he slashed Takkan through the chest.

And, as if my own heart had been struck, I screamed.