Page 33 of The Eternal Mirror (Lucifer’s Mirror #3)

He Thinks We’re Soulmates. I Think He’s a Psycho

T here's a sharp rap at the door, and I jump.

I slip out of bed and grab my dress off the floor. I really must ask for something else to wear. I pull it on and head to the door, moving the chair out of the way before opening it a crack.

Two of the king’s guards stand on the other side.

“The king requires you,” one of them says.

“Really? At this time? It’s just getting light. Doesn’t he sleep?”

“Not often.”

“Give me a moment.” I shut the door firmly in their faces.

The bed is flat. No Khaos. But yes—he’s still close. I can sense him. I don’t speak; just in case the guards are listening. I head to the bathroom, splash water on my face, and peer into the mirror. Not good.

Back in the bedroom, I hunt for my boots and find them under the bed, tugging them on—it’s a good look, paired with my pink dress—and I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.

The guards are exactly where I left them, standing at attention.

“Let’s go, then,” I suggest and march off.

We head down the corridor, one of them in front of me, one behind. I’m not sure what they’re guarding me from—possible harm or making sure I don’t make a run for it.

It soon becomes clear we’re heading back to the dungeons—down, down, where the air is fetid and soaked with dark magic. I become aware of Khaos following behind us. Silently, thank the gods.

We stop in front of the entrance to the mirror chamber. Dread curls in my gut. I don’t want to see Khronus or the cracked mirror.

“You are to enter,” the guard says.

“Do I have to?” I mutter. It isn’t actually a question, more of a whine—but never mind. The wall fades and I step inside. It closes behind me, with Khaos still on the other side. He’s not going to be pleased.

The air feels pressurized—like the moment before lightning strikes. The magic doesn’t just hum now. It howls . Raw power crackles through the room, thick enough to taste.

This time, there are no reflections within the cracked glass, just the Eternal Mirror spinning endlessly in the void .

I give Khronus a quick sideways glance. He looks happy—which is scary as hell.

As if sensing my gaze, he turns to face me. “It’s responding to us ,” he says, his voice reverent. “I’ve studied the mirror for thousands of years, but it remained dormant—until you. You’re the catalyst. The key that unlocks our divinity.”

That makes me feel decidedly twitchy, but at least it probably means I’m safe from Khronus hooking me up to the mirror and draining me dry. I think we’ve moved past that…I hope.

His gaze drops down over my body in the thin pink dress. Heat flares in his eyes, and I make myself stand still. I do not back away. At least while he’s warded, I’m safe from his touch. He can look, but he can’t do anything else.

Inside the mirror, the rings burn bright, drawing me in. The tug is stronger than yesterday.

“Soon,” Khronus says. “See? It grows more powerful with every moment.”

I take a step back now and glance around the room. The silver threads are glowing brightly—at least, most of them are. One has gone dark. Someone has died.

“One of the witches is gone,” I say.

He shrugs. “Sacrifices must be made.”

I wonder if she agreed. Somehow, I doubt it. The dead thread doesn’t lead to the cell where Sheela’s mother is. I’m grateful for that, at least.

Khronus is practically rubbing his hands together with glee. “It’s almost ready,” he says. “Soon, we’ll become gods. ”

“How exactly do you think that is going to work?”

“At first, I was just experimenting. So much power, so much magic,” he says, like he’s reminiscing about a childhood hobby. “The spell that created your father—it was...timely. He was becoming a problem. The perfect opportunity to test my new power and eliminate a source of irritation.”

My fists tighten at my sides. A fucking source of irritation ? Is he for real?

“Then it gave me the beastmaster gift, which has brought me so much pleasure.” His smile is shark-sharp.

“But the real breakthrough came later. Feeding the splinter.”He grins.

“I’d already drained a few mirror mages—curiosity, mostly.

But their magic didn’t just sustain it..

. it amplified the power. I was able to draw on it myself.

” He steps closer. Reverent. Glowing with the ecstasy of his own madness.

“And then—one day—it opened for me. Just a crack. Through it, I glimpsed the Eternal Mirror. And in that moment, I knew...this was no longer a tool. It was a calling. A divine destiny.”

Asshole.

“So, I feed it. Nurture it. When the time is right, the splinter will take me to the Eternal Mirror itself. And when I pass through, I will become more than a man. More than a king. I will become creation . Destruction . The next True God.”

I glance at the splinter, the whirling silver rings. Yes, he’s clearly insane, but I suspect he’s also dangerously close to succeeding. This isn't a delusion. It's a blueprint .

“But,” I say, “if you pass through, where will the mirror take you?”

He frowns. “Wherever I wish to go.”

I’m not sure that will be the case. Selene said that she and Vortex couldn’t go through the mirror again, not without destroying this world—it was like a one-way ticket.

Presumably that wouldn’t happen if Khronus went through, but where would he end up?

And could he ever get back? Hmm…maybe that’s an option.

Stuck in some other reality. Unfortunately though, Selene also said that if he tries to use the mirror while it is incomplete, the results would be catastrophic.

“Where did it come from?” I ask, nodding my head toward the splinter. “Where did you find it?”

“One of the Coven of the First Flame had a vision. She saw the Eternal Mirror crack and a splinter fall through the stars. She found it and eventually it made its way to me. I knew then that it was sent by the First Gods to help me achieve greatness.”

I don’t like to burst his bubble but… Okay I’m lying. I’d love to burst his fucking bubble. “Actually, it broke off when Selene killed Vortex.”

His frown deepens as he thinks this through. “You know this how?”

“I know it because I have visions as well.” I shrug. “It’s a witch thing.”

“So Vortex is dead,” he muses. “That makes sense. He was no doubt killed at the moment of my birth. ”

“What?” I suspect I just made things worse. That’s what happens when you go around trying to burst other people’s bubbles.

He steps closer, reverent. I resist the urge to take a step back.

“This splinter was sent to me because I am the heir to Vortex’s powers.” His voice is low, full of awe.

Again--what the fuck?

“This is a fragment of Vortex. Broken. Cast out. Reborn. And you...”

He reaches for me. I flinch back before I can stop myself.

“You are my Selene,” he says, almost tenderly. “But this time, you won’t betray me. This time, you’ll stand beside me—as it was meant to be. We will be together for eternity.”

Nope. Nope. Nopity nope.

At that moment, the mirror calls to me, like strings tugging at my mind.

I tune out Khronus and step closer. I reach out a hand, and the glass ripples.

I can feel the magic beckoning to me, so much power.

I wonder if this is the reason my mirror magic doesn’t work in the palace.

Maybe the splinter just sucks all the mirror magic into itself.

I whisper a word, and the spinning silver rings waver.

It occurs to me that this is a mirror. I know—obvious.

But I’m a mirror mage. What if I could make this mirror do my bidding?

Take us out of here. And get it away from Khronus at the same time.

That would make Selene happy. It would also simplify the whole ‘getting out of the palace thing’—because I can’t make the invisibility spell work for this number of people.

I quickly count the silver threads. There are twelve .

“Amber?”

Khronus sounds impatient. I think he likes being the center of attention.

I step back from the mirror and turn to him. “I was just seeing if it would...talk to me. But it’s not saying anything.” I exhale. “I’m not Selene, and you’re certainly not Vortex.” I just want to get that out there.

“I am.” He turns and paces the room, then returns, rubbing his hands together. “It all makes so much sense now. Why I was so certain of my destiny. You were the missing piece. When I enter the Eternal Mirror, my powers will be restored in full.”

Okay, we’re really doing this. Full psychotic delusion with a side of cosmic destiny.

“The gods don’t die,” he murmurs, turning back to the mirror. “They just scatter. Sleep. Wait for the shape of the world to shift. But now the mirror remembers me. It responds. It calls to us both.”

It’s way too early in the morning for this stuff.

“You see?” he says. “This is our future. You and I. Reforging existence. Remaking it in our own vision. Controlled. Beautiful.” He says it like a prayer. Like a lover’s promise.

And I want to puke.

Instead, I nod sagely, as if he’s saying something really profound.

Let him think he’s convincing me. Then I am out of here. “I need time,” I say. “To think. To...remember as well. Maybe I can come up with a spell to speed up the process. ”

For a second, something flickers in his eyes. Suspicion maybe. But he smiles. “Of course. I’ll have you escorted to your rooms. When you’re ready, we’ll speak again.”

“Yeah, good idea.” I look around the room, at the cells with their sad contents.

How many more will die? “You might want to shut it down for the moment. I sense it might be...overheating.” I know it sounds lame, but I have to stop him from killing anyone else while I come up with a plan to get us all out of here.

And get the splinter to Selene, and make sure Khronus goes nowhere near the Eternal Mirror and. ..have some breakfast.

I turn and head for the entrance, forcing my steps to stay steady. Like I’m not dying to run screaming. But I do pause as the wall fades in front of me. “Clothes,” I say. “I need clothes. And nothing pink. I like black. And no dresses. Pants. Oh, and underwear. Get me lots of underwear.”

He raises a brow but nods. “For you, my queen, anything you desire.”

So I do the only thing I can.

I get the fuck out of there.