Page 3

I stifle a laugh as Charming mutters something about ungrateful monsters.

The shadow dragon focuses back on me, the torchlight making its teeth glint menacingly.

“Malice began life as a simple, happy-go-lucky girl,” it begins.

“One who danced through her realm seeking adventure and dreaming of the impossible. It was on one sunny diurnal, when she had already played a board game with a rabbit and bested the queen at a sport, when she stumbled upon the most dangerous artifact in existence: the Mirror of Whispers.”

“Catchy name,” I say. “I have to tell you, I hate anything that whispers. I struggle to understand when people speak plainly, never mind adding misinterpretation to the mix.”

The creature glares at me and moves closer.

I’d shrink back, but I have nowhere to go.

“The Mirror of Whispers grants its holder power over their reflections. It shows you everything you cannot see in yourself, the hidden that lurks beneath your flesh. Malice was seduced by the promise of power it showed her. It whispered secrets to her and drove her to do the unthinkable—controlling Eron, the king of Reflection, through twisting his mind.”

“Metaphorically, or literally twisting?”

“Both,” the creature says. “His head spun three times before settling backward. It was quite the spectacle. She shattered his mirror, the Mirror of Whispers, and stole some of its shards, dooming him to never be whole again. And so he became Eron the Unbalanced.”

Ah, so this is the treachery Eron spoke of.

“When she shattered the mirror,” the shadow dragon continues, “she trapped herself here, unable to return to her world. Over time, people forgot who she was, and her tale became legend.”

“Until me.”

The creature chuckles darkly, its eyes glowing brighter. “Until you. You must have the blood to rewrite the stories.” His tongue flicks out like he’s imagining tasting it.

Charming snorts, but I lean closer. “So Malice is evil? And I’m guessing letting her loose on our realm is a bad idea?”

“Oh, it’s worse than bad. If Malice gets a foothold back into her world while holding the missing shards, she won’t stop at twisting minds. She’ll twist the entire realm. No one will be safe—not you, not the weak prince, not even the mirrors you use to fix your hair.”

Charming gasps. “Not the mirrors!”

I roll my eyes. Charming needs to reevaluate his priorities. Bad hair diurnals are way down the list of issues.

The creature looks smug as he winks at me. “Yes, prince. Even your precious reflection isn’t safe.”

“What about me?” I ask. “If I’m stuck in here, how am I supposed to stop her?”

The shadow dragon cackles, its laugh echoing through the dungeon like a hundred tiny spoons clattering.

“You’ll find a way. But you’ll need help—a special kind of help.

” The creature inches closer, and I notice a faint shimmer around its neck.

Is that… a key? “Lucky for you,” it whispers, “I know a shortcut. But it’ll cost you. ”

I gulp. “What is the cost?”

The creature grins, wide and toothy. “Oh, don’t worry. I mostly mean your pride. Some dignity. And if we survive this, well, we’ll just see what else you’re willing to give.”

I sigh, tilt my head back, and squeeze my eyes closed. I don’t really have any dignity or pride, so the joke is on him. However, I am not stupid enough to enter a deal with such loose terms. “Why is it always like this?” I grumble.

“Your friends and loved ones are at risk. Even now, she plots to get rid of them so she can walk the realm unencumbered by the ties of love,” the shadow dragon pushes.

My stomach clenches, and my chest tightens as he plays on the fears whipping through my mind. “I will wait for Eron,” I decide. At some point, I have to stop making stupid decisions. This seems as good a time as any.

“You will regret it,” the shadow dragon drawls.

“I already do, but I still won’t enter into a deal with you.”

The door to the dungeon clangs open, and Erik appears in front of my cell with a frown. He glares at the shadow dragon and makes a shooing motion. “I hope for your sake you weren’t trying to trick the king’s favorite fair maiden into a deal.”

“He was, but I resisted,” I answer as I climb to my feet.

Erik glares at the being. “Open the door, key master.”

“But she didn’t agree to my deal.”

Erik sighs. “Open the door immediately, or Eron will divest you of your duties and send you back to your realm.”

The shadow dragon hisses and squeezes his body between the bars. He lifts the key and snaps the lock open, then with a flash of his golden eyes, fades into the shadows once more. Creepy.

Erik jerks his head at me. “Eron is awake and has requested your presence immediately.”

I grin at him as I stride out. Erik looks two strikes away from taking my head. “He confirmed Malice attacked us, didn’t he?”

He glares at me. “He did.”

“Daphne, you can’t leave me to rot here,” Charming begs.

“You know this liar?” Erik snarls.

I need to tread carefully. “He is attempting to woo my headstrong sister. He thought she was the maiden who had crossed into the realm.”

“So he did it for love?”

No, he did it for a floof fondle, but perhaps one diurnal, he could feel love. “The possibility of it, I believe.”

“Yes, that’s right. Love makes us do stupid things,” Charming says.

“Do you want him back?” Erik asks.

Charming’s blue gaze collides with mine. “Please, Daphne. I’m too pretty for prison. You know the stories they share?”

No, but I’m sure I don’t want to, either. “I’ll meet with Eron, then decide,” I declare. Charming growls at me. Ooh, very scary—to a mouse, perhaps. “Stop your whining. At least you’re safe here. Behave, and I may return for you. Cause problems, and I’ll leave you here to rot.”

I straighten my dress, check everything female is covered, and stride toward the door with a spring in my step. I am grabbing the diurnal by the horns and riding that sucker out of the Land of Reflection to save my sister and my knights from my evil self. So much to do, so little time.

“Hey, Daphne,” Erik calls.

“Yup,” I answer as I continue down the passage.

“Unless you want a special viewing of the torture room, you might want to turn around and follow me.”

I freeze, spin on my heel, and hold my head in the air. “I was just checking out the accommodations before I report back to Eron. All seems dark and dank, nothing too alarming.”

He chuckles low as I stride past him. “We appear to have gotten rid of one chaotic female in replace of another.”

“I resent being compared to her.”

Charming shakes his head. “If you are my savior, I’ll consider myself doomed and make peace with the Idols.”

I point at him. “Deal. I’ll see you in the next life, Prince Poopfloof.”

His mouth snaps closed, and I consider it to be a good diurnal when I make a prince speechless.

Now, to meet with a king and enact a rescue plan, save my body, not fall foul of the Lady of Lake legend, and above all, reunite with sausage and cheese boards.

Easy peasy. I trip up on the steps. Erik grabs my arm and saves me from faceplanting on the stone stairs.

Okay, one part at a time. I don’t want to enrage the Idols by tackling too many things at once. First on the list is... sausages and cheese. Everyone knows you shouldn’t do heroic things on an empty stomach. Meaty goodness makes everything else far more likely to succeed.

“Why are you mumbling about sausages?” Erik asks.

I raise a brow at him as we stride through the courtyard. “The more important question is, why aren’t you mumbling about them? You look like a little sausage could loosen you up.”

He blinks at me, then shakes his head. What a mellow. Sausages solve everything. I’ll show him the light.