"Stop playing the victim, Jorgen. Seriously, I’ve apologised to you countless times. I get it, you lost your father, but I risked my own life just so you could live," I add, raising my voice.
I think I'm done playing the nice and understating Astri. I’ve been doing it for far too long now.
His expression shifts into a more serious one. He’s grieving, I get it, but his people need him. I want the old Jorgen back.
"No one asked you to save me," he points out, sounding bitter.
"Well, I did and you're alive, so I would appreciate it if you showed me even an ounce of gratitude. What happened in the past is done. I made a mistake, and you just have to deal with it. I’ve been doing everything within my power to fix it," I say, taking a few steps towards him. The warmth sizzles between us, I can feel it even if he can't. A wave of gentle sparks moves through his eyes.
"Fine, Astri. Thank you for saving my life. We’re mated, but that doesn't change the fact that I still don't trust you. Can you just leave me alone for now?" he asks and I don't respond.
It's time for me to walk away, to leave him with his own thoughts. Seconds later, I'm heading back towards the camp. My muscles still hurt and I need to take some time out to rest.
The sun begins to rise above the horizon, and the birds are singing. I don't need to be miserable; this whole conversation could’ve gone so much worse. The camp’s buzzing with excitement, and all the shifters are in good spirits. When I join my group, Edvard wants to know what happened with Ruscal. Someone gives me a few pieces of meat and I tell him what happened after I got separated from the group.
Other shifters and mages don't ask about the Duke and in a way, I'm glad. They have no idea that he lost all of his abilities, and that he’s no longer a mage.
The breakfast is delicious: it’s some sort of cured bacon with eggs. Eventually, Jorgen returns and sits next to the elders on the other side of the fire. He's going to avoid me for now, and I'm fine with that. I can't force him to talk to me.
A few more hours pass, and I try to rest and heal. My injuries are minor. It looks like Tom and Alex took good care of me. I catch up on some sleep, trying not to think about Jorgen.
He needs time, and I'm giving it to him by staying away.
Sometime later I see Thayer. He approaches the Duke. The two of them must have talked before, and they instantly get into a heated discussion. They approach the fire where me and the rest of the group are sitting.
"You shouldn't talk to me about this. Astri is the new leader," he snaps loudly enough for everyone around to hear.
The atmosphere grows heavy and serious. I don't feel comfortable being called a leader. I don't think other shifters like that he's acting so hostile. Then everyone looks at me, like they want me to confirm that I should be the deciding voice in what might happen next.
Heat rushes to my face while I try to finish the food in front of me. I never liked being the centre of attention. Suddenly, I'm a little self-conscious and they notice straight away from the expression on my face.
Jorgen needs time to deal with his father’s death, but at least now we made some sort of progress.
I love him and he’s going to forgive me once we reverse the cutting of the mage ritual.
"I told you, Astri. You're our future, and I sense that people want you to lead. We need to know our next move," Emilia says, backing him up, and everyone around is suddenly agreeing with her too. Jorgen looks away, and that hurts me even more. He just doesn't seem interested in what might happen to the city.
"We must seek alliances in other countries. We’re outnumbered. Bratlav and his wild shifters support him. I also don't think it's safe for us to stay out here. I have no doubt that his mages are already out looking for us. They know that I was injured, so they’ll be trying to hunt me down," I explain.
Then Emilia gasps, bringing her hands to her face. Everyone looks at her.
"I'm sorry, don't mind me, but I suddenly remembered something, Astri. The upside-down mirror, do you still have it?" she asks, going slightly red.
I glance at Lenin who’s flying above Aria's head. I don't know why I didn’t think about it sooner, but after my fiasco with Jorgen I couldn't concentrate on anything. Straight after we settled in the old mill, I sent my Pixies away with the bag. He was supposed to take care of it.
"Lenin, what happened to the bag?"
"Me and Jetli hid it near the forest. It’s in a safe place. We were very clever," Lenin states, puffing up his chest.
"Don't get me wrong Emilia, but how’s some old magical mirror going to help us?" Jorgen asks, laughing and I really want to punch him in the face. Okay, maybe that’s a bit too harsh, but he’s supposed to be lifting morale, not being so damn negative.
"You of all people, my lord, should know that the mirror can take you to the Neverworld. Getting in touch with your allies is just the start, but we need something else," Emilia states, and I have no idea what she means. If we have support of other leaders, we can defeat Ruscal easily.
"Tell us what you have in mind, Emilia." I say.
"Ruscal has a weakness. And the upside-down mirror will allow us to find it. Its magic is very powerful and still unknown. Once we understand him better, we’ll be able to think about a way of damaging his reputation," Emilia continues and what she says makes absolute sense.
"I thought the story about the Neverworld was just a myth. I didn't think that the mirror actually existed." says some older shifter sitting next to the Duke.
"The mirror isn't a myth. I’ve had it in my possession for a very long time, however I never attempted to use it like many others have. I’ve heard too many conflicting stories about the Neverworld," she explains. I remember exactly what she told me when she first gifted me the old white box.
"Yes, you told me that if I'm not careful I can unleash an evil being, that the mirror can open the entrance to the world of dead. I don't know, maybe we should stay away from that kind of magic," I gently suggest.
Dark magic is twisted and doomed.
"That's true Astri, but we do need to access Ruscal's past. I'm sure it’s the key to everything that’s happening now. If we’re careful enough this could work to our advantage," Emilia adds.
Everyone’s nodding and I don't know what to think. I glance at Jorgen who seems lost in his own thoughts. He won't want to get involved in this, even if Ruscal’s past is his past too. We start discussing her idea in more detail, and keep consuming the leftovers from breakfast.
Sometime later Jorgen vanishes in the forest again, and I continue talking to other shifters who want to help. I keep reminding myself that I have to give him time.
Once everyone leaves I look towards the mountains, seeing the towers of the castle in the long distance appearing from the clouds. It's just the beginning and if Emilia's plan works out, Ruscal will finally be brought to justice. Deep down, I don't know if I'm truly ready to face the man who murdered my entire family.
I keep myself busy, talking to others and trying to figure out key points in the city that we need to take over first.
Jorgen shows up again, announcing that he sent messages to the Dukes of Solinna and Praiga in the Eastern World and they’re planning to send their army. Later on, he sends two shifters to reach out to the Dukes on his behalf. Thayer tells me that Jorgen’s been budding these relationships for years and Vaclav and Duncan want Ruscal dead as much as he does.
They’re sitting by the fire talking again, and I don't want to interfere. Thayer’s been working for Jorgen for years. We haven't had a chance to talk again and the next step must come from him. I’ve already said everything that I wanted him to know.
Emilia and Jorgen have lost their magic because of me, and now everyone’s relying on me to lead them.
It's a hell of a lot of pressure, but somehow, I have to remain strong and deal with it. Lenin and Jetli are sitting on my arm, eyeing me intensely. They brought the bag back, but they must realise that they can't come with me. I
t's a delicate and dangerous journey into the unknown.
"Are you ready for this, Astri?" Emilia pulls me away from my thoughts. I nod, swallowing hard.
It's a done deal. Emilia explained to me what I have to do, and I can't expect anyone else to join me.
"Are you certain that I can enter the past through the portal?" I ask, not knowing exactly what I might find on the other side.
"Yes, but everything in the Neverworld will be twisted, and infected with darkness. You don't need magic to open the portal. Just think about what might happen once you open the mirror," Emilia says, guiding me.
"Maybe we should wait until the other shifters return. Vaclav and Duncan should be ready to join us," Jorgen says, and I'm surprised that he’s paying any attention to me.
He looks apprehensive about Emilia's plan. Maybe he still cares about me after all. Of course he does and I know this deep in my heart, I just need to stop doubting myself and our love. I know after some time, he’ll come around, but my heart has yet to catch on. I have to stop obsessing and let things happen naturally, even if the biggest part of me wants to throw myself into his arms. I really need to think about something else.
Then we all hear wolves howling in the distance. Tom points at the sky, shouting that wild shifters are nearby. My blood turns into ice noticing a few dragon shifters in the sky above us. Suddenly, I can sense them approaching from every direction. Edvard and several others used protection spells, so they shouldn't have been able to track us here.
"Astri, use the mirror. There’s no time. You have to disappear before it's too late,” Emilia tells me.
I nod and flip over the silver cover. The light instantly explodes around me, burning my fingertips.
I used it before, but this has never happened to me before. It knocks the wind out of me and forces me down to the ground. I must lose consciousness for a second when I hit my head, because when I look up again, there’s a large black hole in front of me. Jorgen’s screaming as he’s being pulled inside, dragging his hands along the forest floor, while the trees ahead of us are burning with raw fire.
The camp is under siege and a split second later the portal pulls Jorgen inside. He vanishes into the black abyss.
"Astri, jump right after him. This is your only chance!" Emilia screams, holding Lenin and Jetli who most likely want to go after me.
Chapter Eight
The world of the dead.
I make a split-second decision and jump into the black hole, not even knowing if I can survive getting to the other side. My plan won't matter if I get caught by wild shifters. They must have their orders, and I know that Ruscal will execute me on the spot.
The darkness instantly swallows me, and I continue falling into the unknown. Edvard and Aria's faces are flashing in front of me, then I swear that I hear someone laughing, but it must be in my head.
It's one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. I glance down at my hands, noticing that my skin is shimmering, like a million tiny crystals are attached to it. Then sudden pain shoots through my body, numbing my limbs. I keep falling, screaming at the top of my lungs, wondering what’s going on with Jorgen.
At some point, I slam to the ground, and a few seconds later another person lands on top of me, breaking a few of my ribs.
The pain is unbelievable after that, and I keep telling myself to stay conscious, at least be on alert. I keep breathing, waiting for the pain to ease a little. I remember going through another magical portal with Jorgen before, but my last experience was much more positive than this. It was when Edvard used his magic to save us from Ming. That time I actually enjoyed being taken away from the temple.
I start coming around again, feeling a bit stronger. It takes me a moment to realise that another person is still laying on top of me, and the pressure around my ribs is unbearable. It's Jorgen and it looks like he’s finally coming around too.
For a split second, I fail to understand what's happened, until previous memories from the camp begin assaulting my mind.
The Duke blinks a few times, and my insides send me a warning that we’re very close. His lips are only inches away from mine, and I just have to lean a little higher to touch him. Heat rolls over my skin, and the air starts crackling around us.
The darkness surrounds us, and I slowly start to recognise the shape of the trees in the distance. At the same time none of that matters, because Jorgen’s eyes are suddenly burning me down. It's as if the pain and my exhaustion doesn't exist anymore.
"I'm sorry, Astri," he says, sounding hoarse. Seconds later, he rolls himself off me.
Then I remember that he was never supposed to go through the portal with me. I don't know if that changes anything or not, but I still have the mirror. I can send him back, but to what?
We have no idea what happened at the camp. Wild shifters might have taken everyone hostage, so maybe it's not safe to go back.
My back and ribcage hurts like hell, and when I try to get up Jorgen reaches out to me with his hand. I stare at him for a second, wondering if touching him is such a good idea. Finally, I wrapped my fingers around his, ignoring the flashbacks of him kissing me at the dragon festival, him touching me in the chamber, in the cabin. Crap, I need to get myself together.
"Have you got any idea where we are?" he asks. I spot the silver object on the ground, it looks like I must have been laying on it. My heart starts bouncing in my chest when I realise that it's the old mirror—a small present from Emilia. Its energy starts moving through me, awakening my dragon.
"No, but thanks to Emilia we can get back to our world," I reply, not even knowing if I can use it safely. "The wild shifters must have tracked us using some kind of spell to find our camp. I hope everyone managed to escape."
Jorgen drags his hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. He seems frustrated that he was pulled in here with me. Now he has no choice but to interact with me.
"As you said, we have to work together to defeat that scum. He doesn't deserve to be in charge of my land. He murdered our father and I must avenge him," he adds, with determination in his voice.
It sounds like he changed his mind about dying. Now his desire to defeat his brother is back and I'm glad. We need to get on with our task, ideally locate Ruscal.
The forest and the space around us looks familiar, and yet it feels different—it seems gloomy and dead.
It takes me a moment to recognise the place, and in the distance, I spot the high ends of the Decaying Mountains. I’ve been looking at this landscape for so long, it's almost as if it’s recorded in my memories.
"Yes, I do like your spirit, but we have to start moving. Let's head towards the north. I think we’re back in Rivenna, but I suspect that this one is much different than the one we’re used to," I say, and a cold shiver crawls over my spine.
We start walking, my pain level is controllable, but soon I realise that the trees have lost all their leaves, and the soil is extremely dry. The forest seems to be dying and I don't hear or sense any animals around.
"Did Emilia tell you exactly what we’re supposed to be looking for?" Jorgen asks.
"No, she didn't," I admit, wondering if we really went back in time, to the past. I'm anxious about my uncle, Aria, Emilia and the rest of the shifters in the camp. Ruscal failed to kill me, and if he captured any of my friends, he would execute them straight away.
"I'm sorry about your father, Jorgen. I wish that I could’ve spent more time with him. My parents respected him, and he protected the Wyvern clan," I say, trying to break the awkwardness between us. We’re in this together, but he still treats me like a complete stranger.
"I keep wishing the same thing, Astri. He was ill for so long that I don't remember the last time we had some quality time together. Then you showed up and a miracle happened. Ruscal killed him, because he blamed him for the past. He made me watch when he tortured him," the Duke admits, and I understand that he's still hurting. This is horrible. "My own bother broke me too. I wanted to die, an
d then my wish came true. The execution date was set."
I stop, sensing foreign energies nearby. Jorgen looks at me, and then comes closer. Another jolt of electricity surges through my body. The heated energy rises within me. He might not be a mage anymore, but he still has the same effect on me.
"There are a lot of shifters and mages around. We have to make sure we stick together," I tell him, gently reminding him that my fire magic can protect us both. I trust Emilia, but we don't know if the mirror chose to take us to the exact moment we needed to see.
As we carry on moving through this depressing world, some sort of flakes start falling from the sky, and a few lands on the surface of my palm. After a moment the flake vanishes, leaving dark powder-like smudges.
"It's ash, something must be burning nearby. It’s the only explanation," I say, feeling a little spooked. I hate being in this world—hate the fear settling in my stomach. Jorgen looks hesitant too, but he doesn't say anything else. It's that dead silence that makes me uncomfortable.
Emilia mentioned that if we stay here for too long we may unleash an evil. Of what? I can’t be sure, but I don't want to risk it, and I'm not looking forward to finding out exactly what Emilia meant. Goose bumps appear on the surface of my skin when after several minutes of walking, black crows fly out from the nearest tree. There’s at least dozens of them. It seems that it's another sign, even the birds are smaller and weaker.
Jorgen’s speeding up his pace, and I keep following him. An hour later, we enter the city, but nothing looks familiar. The buildings are in ruins and the shifters around look poor and weak like someone sucked all the magic out of them. We pass several mages, but no one notices us, no one pays any attention to the fact that we look different.
I see a few female shifters, trying to trade some live animals and insects for food. Then they start to argue when the blond one doesn't want to sell her bread. Jorgen almost walks into someone, and I slowly begin to realise that no one can see us. To everyone around we’re nothing more than holograms. We’re guests in this world and we aren't allowed to interfere with the past.