Page 20 of The Eternal Mirror (Lucifer’s Mirror #3)

Little Miss Rebel Princess?

O f course, I don’t manage to go to sleep.

Every time I close my eyes, I remember where I am: deep inside the palace of a megalomaniac with ambitions to become a true god. A new Vortex. With the power to create and destroy entire worlds.

And let’s not forget the super fun detail where he thinks I’m a gift from the gods—one he’s just dying to unwrap. I want to believe he’s delusional. I really do. But I don’t.

There’s something down in that dungeon, something that’s feeding his ambitions—something alive, and twisted, and wrong. And I need to find out what.

But first, I need sleep .

My body is wrecked, but my mind is doing cartwheels, like it thinks sleep is for the weak and sanity is overrated.

I toss and turn on my not-very-comfortable sofa—like everything else in this place, it’s designed to look impressive and feel like punishment.

In the end, I get up and tiptoe out of the room so as not to wake Zayne and Josh. Khronus has kept his word, and I do have freedom at the palace—just not anywhere else. At least it gives me the illusion of freedom and of being alone.

I miss being alone.

The sun is just rising as I make my way out onto one of the many roof terraces, the sky a glorious mix of purple shading to orange.

Above my head, the stars still twinkle. This world is so beautiful, and for a moment, I clear my mind and just breathe.

At times like this, it’s easy to believe this world is a creation of the gods. So why did they abandon it?

I cross the terraced area and peer over the parapet that surrounds this section of flat roof. It’s quite near the center of the palace, so when I look over the edge, all I see is more palace.

Everything is quiet. Then I see a flick of movement off to the left. There are a couple of soldiers stationed in what looks like a watchtower that rises high above where I’m now standing. They’re archers—I can see the longbows on their backs. I wonder what I’d have to do to make them shoot.

I hear footsteps behind me and whirl around.

Zayne is walking toward me, and he doesn’t look happy. He looks like he’s got something really important on his mind. And I guess I’m going to hear it, though I suspect I already know what it is.

He stops in front of me. He’s aged in the last few days. Lines that shouldn’t be there mark his young face. His eyes are shadowed. His lips are pressed in a tight line. I know he’s scared, but right now he’s also angry.

“We have to leave,” he says without so much as a good morning. “And we have to leave now.”

“Right now?” I ask.

“Don’t be facetious,” he snaps. “I fucking want out of this place. And you—” he points a finger at my chest, “—seem way too happy to stay here and play little miss rebel princess. Are you even trying to get us out of here?”

“It’s a work in progress.” Perhaps now is the time to tell him the good news: my mirror magic works outside the palace, and I have a way to get us out unseen—literally. But he doesn’t give me a chance.

He smiles, but it’s grim. “Well, time to speed up the fucking progress, princess.” He blows out a breath.

“I spoke with Sheela before you turned up yesterday. We can join them—or you can magic up one of your mirrors when we get out of here—and we can go wherever we like. But we’re leaving this palace.

Look, I’ve been thinking about it… I can shift.

So can you. We’ll get Winter’s brother. One of us can carry Josh, and one of us can carry him, and we’ll just fly straight off this fucking roof. ”

“That won’t work,” I say.

“We have to make it work. I can’t stay here.”

I nod toward the watchtower. “They’d shoot us down.”

“Shit,” he growls.

“Besides, I really do not want any of us in non-human form around Khronus.”

Zayne runs a hand through his already messy hair. There’s stubble on his face.

“Where’s Josh?” I ask.

“He’s still sleeping. He woke up in the night and—” Zayne swallows.

“He found you gone. He was hysterical. Screaming. Clawing at the blankets like he thought—” He stops, presses his fist to his mouth, and shakes his head.

“He thought Khronus had taken you. And I couldn’t calm him. I didn’t know what to do.”

He finally looks at me. For the first time, I notice that his eyes are red-rimmed.

“He thinks if he sleeps,” Zayne continues, “someone will disappear. Or that the bad man will come back and get him. How do I fix that?”

Crap. I’m aware Khronus sees Josh as expendable, and every minute we stay here is a risk.

But there are things I need to know before we can leave—like what Khronus is hiding in that dungeon.

Still, I have to put Zayne’s mind at rest. “Look, I can get us out. I’ve got a plan.

And once we’re out of here, I can make a mirror, and we can get off this world.

Go wherever we like. I checked last night—I left the palace. I can do it. And so can you, and Josh.”

“Then let’s go now. ”

“I can’t. Not yet. I just need more time. I need to find out what’s going on. What Khronus is up to. He’s got this plan to get more power, and if he succeeds, we won’t be safe from him anywhere.”

“Jesus.” Zayne’s voice breaks mid-word. “Don’t you get it?

It doesn’t matter what’s going on. You think you can outsmart him.

” He wipes his face with the heel of his hand, and I realize he’s crying, and my heart aches.

“But you can’t. He’s always ahead. He enjoys this.

That’s why he’s given us a little bit of freedom, so it’s more fun when he finally breaks us.

” He looks around wildly. “He’s probably watching us now. ”

I can’t take this. He’s breaking me. Zayne has always been so strong. I close the space between us, wrap my arms around him, and hold him tight. I feel him trembling against me. “He’s not watching us,” I say. “I’d sense him.”

But Zayne doesn’t seem to hear me. He’s lost in a hell of his own.

Then he pushes himself away. “He was going to make me kill Josh. And I couldn’t stop it.

I was so close to burning my own brother alive.

” He presses his lips together. “Just let it go, Amber. Let us go. This isn’t our war—this isn’t our world. ”

“Maybe not. Though actually, I suppose it is my world. But that’s not the point. Do you really think that Khronus is going to let us walk away and not come after us? We’ll always be looking over our shoulders. We’ll never be safe anywhere. Do you want that for the future?”

“I’m not worried about the future. I’m worried about Josh right now. He’s not safe here. ”

I know he’s right. I’ve been too caught up in trying to figure out what’s going on to see clearly.

But now I do, and I realize I have to get them out.

Josh is going to have nightmares for life as it is.

And probably Zayne, as well. And Khronus is unstable.

He’s playing nice right now, but who knows how long that will last?

But maybe I can get them out of here and then come back.

“I’m not sleeping,” Zayne says suddenly. “Not really. I lie there and listen for footsteps. For Josh to cry out. For Khronus to come through the fucking door. And I wait. I wait for something bad to happen, because it always does.”

He grabs my shoulders. Not rough—but desperate.

“I can’t keep holding it together. I’m trying. But I think something inside me cracked, and I don’t know how to fix it. Not here. Come on, Amber. You saved the world from the devil. Can’t you save us?”

And just like that, I see it. Not the anger. Not the sarcasm.

The wreckage.

It’s not just fear in his eyes—it’s total collapse. He’s held it in so long, wrapped himself around Josh like armor. But inside, he’s falling apart. And I didn’t see it. Because I’ve been so busy holding myself together, I forgot he’s bleeding too.

Khronus didn’t have to lay a finger on him—he tore Zayne apart with words, threats, and fear. Partly fear of what Zayne himself might do. And now he’s holding on by sheer force of will. For Josh. For me.

And I’ve been acting like I’m the only one walking around with trauma carved into my bones .

I nod. “Okay. We’ll go tonight. But we’re not jumping off the fucking roof.”

I catch the faint glimmer of a smile as he nods. “Thank you.”