She stood and stepped towards Darren but fumbled. He caught her as she slipped and spun her around to where they faced the fiery mirror, still aglow. She stared at their images as her mind scrambled to find a way out of his embrace.

Darren smiled coldly and snarled at her as he held her hair in one of his hands. His other arm encircled her chest holding her arms down. He squeezed her tight as he nuzzled her neck and whispered into her ear. “What do you see Shade? Do you like the heat? You see how pathetic you are? No human should be so special. I really don’t get why they chose you. You’re so fragile, weak and pathetic. Why not choose a great faery warrior like myself for instance? You’re a tarnish to our race; and I think I will be doing us a great favor if I get rid of you.” His fire began to burn high and licked the air around them; and his face could no longer be seen in the mirror.

Shade stared at her reflection. Her cheek had an angry shade of red from his hits and as the flames grew around her, she felt her panic rage. Soon she began to see his face again and it grew more serious now; he appeared deep in thought, as he examined her reflection.

“Maybe we can have some fun first. You’re not so ugly. What do you think about that, love? Don’t find me appealing?” He pulled her head back, making her gasp. His nose grazed her cheek and earlobe, making her cringe. She attempted to pull her head away from his hot breath. He laughed again and let up on his hold so she could see their reflections again. “Do you like my mirror? I placed it here just for you, just so I could watch your every move. That’s my magic, a specialized talent not a lot of Teleen possess, the gift of traveling through mirrors. I have the matching one in my room: so wherever I place this one, I can go, even into your locked chamber. What good did the locks do you now, Shade? No lock can keep me out; no door could close on me. It’ll be our, little, secret.” He laughed hard, his chest shaking behind her back.

He suddenly lapsed on his grip of her head for a moment, and Shade had felt his careless release. She shoved him back with her entire body weight making him lose his balance for a moment, landing on the bed. She ran to the mirror and looked around for something to smash it with. The dagger she had left on the table gleamed at her and glowed as bright as Darren’s fire. She laced her fingers around the hilt, squeezing it hard until her knuckles turned white. She swung her arm with the dagger and shoved her strength into it, ramming the metal into the mirror. The crash sounded in the cave as it smashed into a thousand glittering shards.

“No! How did you know…what have you done?” Darren had just reached her and grabbed her free arm, yanking at Shade. His momentum stopped suddenly, as he was pulled into the glass along with a flash of lightning. The last glint of it blinded her and plunged the room into darkness.

Her eyes focused on the dagger as it returned to its glow the moment she wished for some light. She stared at the mirror shards, shattered and shimmering all over the room. They didn’t look unusual in any way, just plain mirror pieces glittering across the floor, like diamonds. She limped to the light on the nightstand, jabbing her bare feet on the glass. Blood trailed her steps in smudges and drips from cuts stinging her flesh. Her legs, weak and shaky, began to drag under her. She fell to the floor by the bed and slipped into the developing darkness. Soon the glow of her dagger was fading into the dark, as it fell from her grasp, and then it seemed the whole world was swallowed with it.

Chapter Seven

“Shade? Can you hear me? Shade? Braelynn! She’s rousing, not quite awake yet though. It’s ok Shade. You’re going to be ok. You’re safe now. No one will hurt you. Can you hear me, Shade?”

The voice sounded familiar, safe, and gentle. Shade wondered if her mother had come. Maybe this was the hospital. Maybe she was dreaming, or worse, dead. She couldn’t open her eyes yet but she could hear the commotion all around her. She tried to move but her body did not respond.

“It’s alright Shade, you’re still hurt, don’t try to move too much. We’ve healed most of your wounds but you should still move slowly. Your head is still healing.”

Shade opened her eyes a sliver. The room’s light was blinding and the brightness stung her eyes. She blinked and reached up to cover them. A thousand prickling sharp pains shot through her arm and down her side. She flinched and stopped moving, groaning as she sank back down on the bed. Every movement was enveloped in pain, screaming down her body. She felt like she’d been hit by a freight train.

“Shade, are you still feeling some pain now?”

She managed a slight nod.

“Take this liquid, it will make you feel better,” Braelynn’s soft voice seemed to echo in her head. She felt the warm liquid touch her lips and slip into her mouth. It tasted sweet across her dry, parched tongue, like honey-sweetened tea. A moment later, the sharp aches faded and she was able to blink once more, her eyes adjusting to the dim light in the room. It somehow didn’t seem so bright anymore. They must have dimmed the lights, when they realized she couldn’t take the blinding light.

“What happened?” Her voice was a harsh whisper for her throat felt like sandpaper, rough and dry. The room came into focus, and she noticed not only Braelynn but also Sary standing near her. She slowly sat up as Braelynn slipped a few pillows behind her, propping her up. She glanced down at her arms, studying a scatter of healing scabbed slash wounds. Her left hand also had been stitched across the palm and was in a good state of healing. She held it up to her face to study it more closely. Most of the wounds were in a mid-stage of healing, as if she had been hurt days ago, and not hours.

“How long was I out of it?” She dreaded to hear the answer.

“You were attacked in your room about five days ago, Shade. You have been unconscious since then. You’ll be fine; your wounds are healing well. Braelynn was able to stop the bleeding inside your head but it drained her so much, she was unable to heal all your cuts completely. She was unable to wake you up too, even though your head is fine now. It’s almost like you were under some sort of spell.”

Sary sat in the bed next to her. A sweet, concerned smile lit her face, crinkling her sparkling eyes as she patted Shade’s arm. Her hair draped around her neck in soft waves of crimson fire.

“It was Darren, he attacked me, and he came out of the mirror in the room!” Shade swallowed back her panic, feeling the events of that night rushing back. “Where is he? He really wanted to hurt me. He wanted me dead!” Tears stung behind her eyes and for that moment, she wished so hard to be back at home with her mother. Her room seemed like a distant sanctuary in a forgotten dream. Sary hugged her tightly as her sobs overcame her.

“It’s alright Shade. I don’t know how you did it but somehow you trapped him in the mirror when you smashed it. He was incredibly angry and rendered quite harmless. He has been released from the mirror prison by the Teleen warlock and placed into one of the cavern confinement cells, where he has been since. We have waited for you to awaken; The Queen is most upset and anxious to seal his fate,” Sary said, with her shining eyes, and they were lovely and burning like jewels on fire. She stood up and retrieved a cup from beside the bed. She handed it to Shade, nodding to her to drink it. “Drink Shade, you must be very thirsty. We gave you fluids similar to IV’s in the human world, but nothing refreshes like real fluid, drunken into your body.”

Shade nodded and gripped the cup. The cool water felt amazing going down her throat. She immediately felt better, not as upset and instantly more awake. She finished the drink and handed the cup back. She was really starting to like faery food and drinks. She sighed and glanced around the room, relieved it wasn’t the same room she had been attacked in. It was similar but lighter in color. It had no mirrors. Yay! She didn’t think she could handle any more mirrors quite yet. Her backpack lay on a table by the door and the sheets and blankets were all crisp and white. This was probably their version of a hospital room.

“What are they going to do to him?” Shade’s voice seemed small, her eyes staring down into the floor while she thought about her attacker. She shivered as the memory made her cringe. He had stolen something with his brutality. She felt vulnerable, more than ever, and weak. She was not cut out for this magical world. She would have to start training right away if she was going to just survive this journey. Two threats on her life in one day had been two she could have lived without. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into and didn’t like how that made her feel. Darren had taught her a harsh and vicious lesson.

“That will be up to Queen Gretel. I hear they take offenses quite seriously among the Teleen. He will probably be expected to pay an equal price for your attack. Most attempted murders are punished quite harshly, even death is considered an adequate punishment if he was planning to kill you. This I expect is what he was out to do from the state of things in your room, and the amount of injuries he caused you. He must pay for what he did to you, Shade.” Braelynn looked seriously at her from the wicker chair near the end of the bed. Shade suspected that she had sat there a great deal during her period of unconsciousness.

“He said that he could travel through mirrors, at least a matching pair of them. He placed that mirror in my room to get to me. I even locked my door but it didn’t matter.” Her voice quivered as she recalled his dark words. “He said he was going to kill me, and that I tarnished the fey races. I didn’t do anything to him and he hates me. Why?”

“That is the question, is it not, Shade?” Jack interrupted from the doorway. He took up most of the entrance with the bulk of his muscle bound body. “Right now, he has refused to speak of his reasons, during his interrogation. He won’t say if he has any accomplices for that matter, either. I have come to summon all of you, that is, if Shade can walk, to Darren’s trial. The Queen has gotten word that you have awoken and is anxious to proceed. We need you there for Queen Gretel to issue his sentence. How well are you Shade; can you come?” He sighed and rubbed his eyes as if he hadn’t been sleeping well. He was still standing in the entrance holding the door ajar.

Shade looked at him, feeling almost petrified at the thought that more fey may be out to get her. She tried to shake the feeling off and nodded. She was feeling a lot better now with the potion they had given her. She shifted her legs out to the side of the bed and felt the cool stone under her scabbed feet. She paused, wondering if her legs would hold. She stood up slowly and found her legs sturdy and strong. Her smile stretched across her face. That medicine is good stuff; I’m going to have stock up on some for the whole clumsy family and me!

She straightened and accepted Sary’s support, as the warrior princess jumped to offer a hand. Shade nodded and smiled at her. Sary smiled back, nodding in understanding as she slipped her arm under Shade’s. Braelynn placed two soft leather slippers in front of Shade’s feet. The leather was very smooth, almost like silk against her skin. She shuffled forward, and headed towards the door.

Jack took her free side, letting her hold his arm for support. They walked slowly down the hall to the great chamber, where it was lit bright as daylight once more. For the first time, Shade peeked up at the roof and noticed how much it looked like a bluish white sky at mid-noon. They were deep underground and the sky stood there as natural as it was outside, she still couldn’t make out the source. She looked around them and saw that everyone, all the Teleen clan and her entourage were there, waiting for them. The room was crammed full of faery people, like the night of their welcome feast. She wondered what had been going on the days she had been out. How much time had been wasted of their journey, all because of what had happened to her, with Darren?

They ushered her up the steps. Queen Gretel stood up from her throne as they approached. She glided towards Shade, stepping down slowly and bowing her head at her. She followed along, noticing how Sary and the others reciprocated the bow. Queen Gretel, who now wore human glamour that shielded her fire, reached out and held Shade’s hands. She smiled warmly but spoke quickly and seriously. “Dear Shade, I am most pleased at your quick recovery. I apologize for our guard’s indiscretion and most unfortunate actions. Please, come with me.” She pulled her up the steps to sit at a chair placed next to the massive stone throne. Shade sat down and looked up at the queen as she addressed the crowd standing before them.

“Shade was attacked, here in our own great cavernous dwelling. Our home has been the scene of bloodshed and pain. This is not allowed among the Teleen and such brutality will come with a dear price. Accused for such crimes against our guests and us stands Darren, one of our own Teleen guards. He stands now for his punishment.”

Shade sat up straighter and sucked her breath in at the mention of her perpetrator. She had been feeling much better, that is, until she spied Darren. The crowd opened for a double line of guards who were escorting Darren through the room and towards the throne. His head was hanging down, with his long dark hair disheveled and riddled with tangles. He looked like he had not slept in days. His wrists were bound with strips of thick leather and each arm was held firmly by a guard. Captain Dylan stood in front of him and bowed before the queen.

“My queen, Darren has confessed to his crime. What price shall our queen make him pay for his violations?” Dylan appeared strong and commanding: in full Teleen guard attire but with his helmet missing. He remained bowed and awaited her answer. Darren and his guard escorts mimicked his movements, though Darren appeared to be shoved into submission.

“Please stand, Captain Dylan and guards. I have come to the conclusion that only one punishment will suffice for such a deliberate and violent attack.” She looked up and scanned the crowd amongst them. The silence was heavy and hung in the room like thick smog. Shade was sweating, her heart raced with nauseating anxiety as she waited. She just wanted to have Darren gone, away from her sight, or run from him as fast as she could. His presence was like a bad nightmare come to life, like a suffocating presence.