Chapter 1 – The Demon's Doorway
"And since you know you cannot see yourself,
so well as by reflection, I, your glass,
will modestly discover to yourself,
that of yourself which you yet know not of."
– Shakespeare
"And you call yourself a hunter…" I remarked sourly as I watched the deer shoot off through the undergrowth.
"And you call yourself a tracker?" asked Tamlen with equal dryness as he eased himself out of his crouch, a few joints creaking in the process. "You make almost as much noise as a shem trampling through the underbrush, yet you expect animals not to notice your presence? You should consider yourself lucky that this buck at least gave you the benefit of a doubt before bounding off."
In response, I gave him a friendly shove that caught him unawares and sent him toppling into a nearby bush. Even though I was considered to be a bit short – even by Dalish standards – I could muster what muscle and bulk I did have when I needed to. Tamlen had always considered himself the smarter of the two of us – with a smart mouth to go with it! – while I considered it my Creators-given job to put him back in his place every once in a while. After all, I was the elder.
Slinging my bow over my shoulder with practiced ease, I stepped onto the almost indiscernible path that would lead us back to camp. That I was disappointed was an understatement. Tamlen and I had set out before daybreak from camp, had waited for hours in unnatural positions, concealed amongst itchy leaves, waiting for the opportune moment, only to have all our quarries escape before we even got a shot off. The fact that we were inexperienced hunters (having only been initiated less then a moon ago) was not an excuse in my world. Us Dalish were one with the forest and we should be able to…
My thought process was interrupted when I was grabbed from behind by Tamlen. Assuming that it was pay-back for my shoving him into the bush, I twisted around and elbowed him hard in the stomach. Growing up, I, along with every other Dalish child in our camp, had been encouraged to participate in mock-fights. It was a way of becoming acquainted with the ways of one's body from an early age, and learning how to control every muscle, joint and reflex with skill and precision. Such talents were essential to our survival in the Wilds and, occasionally, on the fringes of society. It allowed us to step quietly through the undergrowth and between the shadows, and to defend ourselves against both animals and shemlem. It was also a way of keeping the last vestiges of our culture alive – by practicing the same, age-old fighting techniques that our ancestors had perfected before all had gone to ruin, we honoured their memories and accomplishments…and prepared ourselves to one day take back what had been taken from us. I had attacked my training with vigour and enthusiasm, and was considered to be one of the most promising young hunters – an accomplishment that was exemplified by Tamlen's groaning form in the dirt – but one could not rectify the fact that we would be returning to camp empty-handed. Though it had felt good to take out some of my frustrations on my friend, as impromptu as it had been…
"Your know, Fey, for a girl you are really rough…" Tamlen complained out as he rose painfully from the ground. "Are you sure you are not trying to compensate for something?"
"And what, exactly, am I supposed to be compensating for?" I asked archly as I watched him dust himself off.
"Oh, off the top of my head? Let's see… Your gender, your height, the fact that your paren–"
"Are you sure you want to finish that sentence?" I asked in a cheerful voice that belied a very dangerous undertone. I hated it when he picked at that chink in my armour. It was one of the very few things that could seriously ruffle my optimistic, carefree attitude.
Tamlen gave me a long, level look before shrugging. "In any event, I was…" Suddenly, he froze and he swivelled his head to the east. "There it is again…closer now… Do you hear that?"
Turning towards the direction of the main road, my anger in response to Tamlen's callous remark dissipated as I strained to make out whatever it was that had caught my friend's attention so fully. Even though elves had keen ears, trained to discern even the smallest of sounds, it was still a mean feat to sort through all the bustle of the forest for a noise that may or may not exist. But as I listened, I slowly began to make out a sound that did not belong in the woods – the sound of pounding boots.
"Shemlem," we gasped together, as realisation dawned. No self-respecting Dalish would allow himself to rustle anything more than a single leaf while moving through the forest. Humans, on the other hand, had no respect for Nature and trampled with greedy unconcern across anything that stood in the way of their quest for dominion. At least, that's what Paivel, the old hahren, kept reminding us about.
"Do you think it's a raiding party?" I asked in a tight voice as we quickly hid ourselves behind an oak tree that overlooked the road. We had heard horror stories about another clan, who lived closer to the edge of Brecilian Forest, being attacked by upstart villagers who had formed gangs to raid the woods and destroy elven camps for sport.
"I hope not," replied Tamlen, though his brow furrowed with concern as he readied his bow. "But we should be prepared nonetheless." I nodded, notching an arrow in my own bow. "Listen," he said suddenly, with uncharacteristic gruffness. "If it does turn out to be a raiding party, I want you to run as if rabid wolves were chasing you and warn the camp. I will stay to delay them. Understood?"
"But…"
"Understood?"
I glared at him and he stared back with a compromising gaze. When he got like this, I knew it was pointless to argue. I heaved a discontented sigh. "Yes…" I did not like this plan one bit. True, Tamlen was an excellent archer, and I have never known him to back down from a fight. But, even so, would he really be a match for a pack of fanatical shem? I hated to think of leaving my best friend to fight alone, but one of us did need to warn the camp, especially if…
"Ha! Will you look at that?" laughed Tamlen softly as the intruders rounded the bend. "A rabble of boys lost in the woods. And to think that we were scared for our lives! Pah! I say we teach them to think twice before trespassing on our lands again…"
Before I could say anything, he had stepped out from his hiding-place and was advancing slowly on the boys. The fact that he had an arrow aimed at their heads did not seem to dawn on them until they nearly crashed into him, so focused they were on outrunning whatever was chasing them.
"It's a Dalish!" cried one in fearful surprise as he slid to stop on his behind, inches from Tamlen's feet.
"And you're somewhere you shouldn't be…" replied Tamlen menacingly, drawing his bow back in a meaningful manner.
The other two managed to skid to a halt as well, and watched with wide eyes as I moved to my friend's side, attempting to stifle the grin on my lips. I had never seen a human up close before, but looking at the three in front of me now made me want to laugh. Their clothes were ragged and torn, covered in dust, cobwebs and bits of twig. They had no weapons with them and one of them looked like he was either trying very hard not to piss his pants, or was about to faint. Maybe both. In any event, it was hilarious. Tamlen had been right – to think that we were scared of these worms was just ridiculous!
"Let us pass, elf," demanded the tallest one, stepping forward. Tamlen swept his arrow-point to the shem's chest, which made him pause and swallow loudly. "Y-you have no right to stop us," he finished, slightly less sure of himself. His companions looked on mutely, probably hoping that their friend's recklessness wouldn't get them all killed.
"Oh, really? And what gives you bandits the right to trespass across this forest?" I asked, joining the theatrics. I was already imagining the awed expressions of the clan when Tamlen and I recounted how we saved the camp from bloodthirsty rogues! Not that that was the case, but all stories were embellished somewhat, weren't they?
"We're not bandits!" cried the second in outrage, apparently having decided that he will not soil himself, nor faint in the process…much to my disappointment. I narrowed my eyes at him, which prompted him to cry, "I swear! Please don't hurt us!"
"You shemlem are pathetic," drawled Tamlen, advancing slowly forward. "In fact, it's hard to believe that you drove us from our homeland." Looking over, I could see that his clear blue eyes were sparkling with enough humour and mischief to light up the entire forest. The humans must be really stupid if they did not notice that we were merely teasing them… Despite our bravado, we would never kill anything in cold blood…unlike the shem, if the shocking tales of past human atrocities that Paivel recounted to us could be believed.
"W-we've done nothing to you Dalish! W-we didn't even know this forest was yours!" protested the third one. The other two were nodding in vigorous agreement.
"You've done nothing?" Tamlen spat on the ground in disgust, making the three humans cringe. His voice dropped menacingly low, the light-hearted acting suddenly gone. "You shems are like vermin – breeding in vast numbers until you destroy the very land with the diseases you carry. Your bring war, torture, corruption, and exploitation wherever you go. It is high time that this infestation is stopped… What do you say, lathelan? Shall we deal out the punishment they deserve?"
Okay, maybe I had jumped to conclusions about Tamlen's intentions… I stared at my best friend in mute horror. I had known him my whole life, and would have never imagined that he harboured such vicious hatred for humans. Of course, all Dalish were taught to resent the shem for what they did to us – that it was because of them that we were forced to live as landless vagabonds, our culture, language and history lost, perhaps forever. But I had never known that Tamlen carried that resentment so close to his heart; almost as if he blamed personally the three humans in front of us now… Which was just ridiculous. Those events happened centuries ago, and probably no human alive now remembered them. Could you really punish them for a crime that they did not know they committed? Plus, I was not sure if I was ready to kill real people yet…
"I think we should find out what they were doing in the forest before we deal out anything," I replied, hoping that reason would prevail over baser emotions. Plus, I was curious. It's not every day that you find shem so close to the heart of Brecilian.
"Does it matter?" ground out Tamlen impatiently. "I don't care if they were hunting or picking daisies. I say we kill them before they cause any more trouble."
The shem gaped at us in alarm. Finally, the second one found his voice and stuttered, "L-look… W-we didn't come h-here to be t-trouble… We just found a c-cave…"
"Yes!" piped up the tall one. "A cave! W-with ruins like you've never seen before! We thought there might be…umm…"
"Treasure?" asked Tamlen dispassionately, causing the three to shuffle their feet guiltily. "What? Is it not bad enough that you're trespassers and cowards, but now you have to add 'thieves' to the list of your admirable qualities?"
"You should add 'liars' as well," I noted wryly. "We know this forest inside and out. There are dozens of caves, but none of them have ruins." Nonetheless, my curiosity was piqued…and then it virtually exploded when the tall one pulled something from his pocket.
"I-I have proof!" the tall one declared, his confidence back once more. He opened his hand to reveal a curious-looking stone. "We found this just inside the entrance," he explained, handing it over.
"This stone has carvings!" I breathed in surprise as I studied the pebble I was now holding. "Wait… Is this elvish? Written elvish?" If it was, and if what the three humans were saying was true, it could redefine Dalish history! Looking up, I could see sparks of interest lighting up in Tamlen's eyes too.
"T-there's more back in the cave," continued the tall one. "W-we didn't get very far in though…"
"Why not?" I asked, barely able to contain the excitement rising in my chest. I was already imagining the miles of winding passages to be explored, the treasures to be unearthed and…
"There was a demon!"
"What?" I gasped incredulously. Battling supernatural creatures had not been on my list of things to do!
"It was huge!" confirmed the second. "With wicked claws and black eyes and…"
"A demon… Really…?" interjected Tamlen, unconvinced. "Are you sure you weren't just jumping from shadows?"
"Where is this cave?" I cut in. Demon, or no demon, I had to see this place!
"It's to the west… I think…" the third one answered, without much certainly. "There is a rock face with a crack down the middle that leads to a wide entrance hall. At least, that's what it looked like to me."
Tamlen gave the trio an unimpressed once-over before saying, "Well, I think that's enough storytelling for one day." I shot him an annoyed look, but he ignored it, focusing on the shem. "Now, unless you want to experience real terror, I suggest you make yourselves scarce."
"Oh, thank you! Thank you!" they gushed, nearly falling over themselves in gratitude. "We won't bother you again! We swear!"
"Just get a move on," sighed Tamlen. "Before I change my mind…"
"Of course! Of course!" they agreed, already sprinting noisily back down the path.
"Was that really necessary?" I asked, slightly irritated, once they were out of sight. "They were just boys."
"They were shem. They got the treatment they deserved," came the unconcerned reply. "Come, it's getting late. We should get back to camp."
"What? You can't be serious! Aren't you even the slightest bit intrigued by this cave?"
"I'm not about to go exploring some random hole in the ground just because a shem thought it contained treasure. We Dalish are above such behaviour."
"But you saw what they found! Imagine what it could mean if there was more of it!"
"It was just a stone. And it could be human for all we know. Or dwarven. Or nothing at all."
"Fine. Have it your way," I grumbled. "But when I come back to camp bearing mounds of lost lore and heaps of treasure and become a celebrated hero, you're going to wish you had listened to me," I threw back at him as I started down the path.
"Hey, hey! Hold up a minute!" he cried as he ran up to block my way. I folded my arms across my chest and gave him a dispassionate look. "Okay, I admit I am curious," Tamlen acceded. "But, we shouldn't rush in with unrealistic expectations. Those shem were mere country bumpkin who probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Elvish and Dwarvish if it hit them in the face. So they found some ruins... It could be something, but we should also remember that it could be nothing. That's all."
"You really love pouring cold water over my prospects, don't you?" I asked with mock indignation as we fell into step down the beaten track.
"Someone has to. Otherwise you might spontaneously combust from those unrealistic expectations that you are burning beneath the surface," he replied with a wink.
"A life lived without passion is a life not lived at all," I countered, quoting the truth I lived my life by.
"Yes… I know. You never fail to remind me," he remarked wearily as we strolled past a bubbling brook.
Walking now in companionable silence, I took the time to sneak a couple of glances at my best friend. He walked purposefully, the fingers of one hand resting on the string of his bow, ready to put it into use at a moments notice. His head was downcast, but his blue eyes weren't paying attention to the ground. I wondered what he was thinking about… Was he somehow apprehensive about our latest adventure? Had the shem riled him up more than he let on? Had he really been serious about killing them? Did he regret not having done so? Or was it something else? I guess I could only wonder – I had never been able to read Tamlen very well. Even though he was generally open and friendly, he had a habit of closing himself up when something was bothering him. Despite many attempts on my part and on the part of others to try and help him by talking about whatever it was that was eating at him, he would nonchalantly shrug us off. But once whatever problem he was having had been solved, he would revert back to his former, cheerful self. This had been slightly confusing at first – especially since I tended to proclaim my hopes and worries to the entire world, whether or not people wanted to listen – but I had gradually grown used to it.
Even though Tamlen was the exact opposite of me in so many ways, I was glad he was coming along. The two of us had shared every great adventure we've ever had, from stealing strawberries from the food cache when we had been just infants, to becoming initiated as hunters in the past moon. No matter what I may have said before, I was not about to start breaking that well-established tradition now. Sharing an adventure with a friend was always better than going alone. And even if Tamlen was right, and the cave did turn out to be unremarkable, Paivel had once told me that the journey is more important than the destination, and I, for one, was willing to agree.
Rounding the bend, we found ourselves in a small clearing dominated by a massive rock face. An sprawling, age-old willow bent sagely over the creek that we had been following, her wispy branches almost completely obscuring a narrow crack in the rock.
"This must be the cave!" I cried, rushing forward excitedly. Tamlen followed more warily, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Now just wait a minute, lathelan," he cautioned, grabbing my arm as I was about dive head-first into the opening. "Like I said before, we have no idea what's in there. It could be nothing, or we may be walking into a nest of giant spiders. So let's just take it nice and slow. And at the first sign of trouble, we're out of here. Understand?"
"Yes, yes…" I replied grudgingly. "Can we go now?" Why did he always have to dampen my fun?
"Lead the way."
I didn't need to be told twice. Squeezing through the entrance, I momentarily found myself in complete darkness as Tamlen's form blocked the outside light behind me. But my eyes adjusted quickly to the gloom. Taking a step forward, I felt the ground slope steeply downwards, and decided to proceed cautiously. After about ten feet, however, it evened out again and we found ourselves in a spacious chamber.
"Well, what do you know? Maybe those worthless shem were right after all…" muttered Tamlen as he moved towards one of the pillars supporting an archway that led deeper into the cave. "The craftsmanship is definitely elvish. Though I wonder what our ancestors were doing, building monuments underground. I thought that was a dwarven speciality…"
"Maybe at some point elves and dwarves lived together," I suggested, examining the broken bust of a female figure lying on the ground. Tamlen was correct – the craftsmanship was certainly elvish. The rock had been fashioned in such a way as to almost perfectly mimic the fold and flow of fabric, and every stand of hair had been painstakingly chiselled out in detail. Only an elf would have spent so much time creating something so beautifully perfect.
"Eugh… I can't imagine living with a dwarf. I hear they are smelly, brutish and short, and spend all their time drinking and swearing."
"Yet they somehow managed to create vast underground cities like Orzammar, despite their many short-comings…" I replied dryly, remembering Paivel's stories.
"Ha! Good one!" barked Tamlen in mirth, completely missing my point. "Hey, look at this! This carving looks like the one on the stone that shem found."
"You're right!" I exclaimed, fishing the stone out of my pocket and holding it up next to the wall. "Maybe this place was some sort of temple?" I mused, studying the engravings surrounding the central motif. They depicted a beautiful, flowing rock tapestry of some sort of gathering of elves, humans, dwarves, as well as animals, forming a circle around an ethereal woman with stylised locks of flowing hair.
"This looks strangely familiar somehow…" muttered Tamlen to himself as he studied the central figure. "Like I've seen it before… Can't quite put my finger on it though… The Keeper would know. Maybe we should go back to camp and tell her what we've found."
"We haven't found anything yet," I countered. "We still have a whole cave to explore! Who knows how far these tunnels go?"
"That's exactly my point. This cave may be too large to search by ourselves. What if we get lost? No one knows where we are – they wouldn't be able to find us. I say we return to camp, and come back tomorrow with a bigger group to properly search the place. And that way, we would also have enough force to deal with anything that might be down here."
"So now you think the shem were right about the demon as well?" I asked with mock disbelief.
"No," he scoffed, slightly offended. "But a big, dark cave is a prime nesting spot for all sorts of feral creatures, many of which are dangerous, poisonous and deadly. We are seriously unprepared for any sort of encounter with anything that is larger and more ferocious than a deer. We have no healing kits, no anti-venom, no torches, not even any food! We set out for a half-day hunting trip, not for an overnight exploration underground!"
"Okay, okay! I get your point. And I admit, it is getting quite late…"
"So she does listen to reason!" cried Tamlen. "Thank the powers that be, for I had thought all was lost and…"
"…but I just want to go a little bit further in."
"What? Haven't you been listening to anything I've been saying?" exclaimed Tamlen incredulously. "You are going to get yourself killed!"
"Yes, I very well might, if your continued shouting collapses the cavern," I pointed out tartly. "Just a little bit further, then I promise that we can go home and recruit as many clansmen as you want to explore the rest of it," I reasoned sweetly. I even batted my eyelashes for good measure.
Tamlen heaved a world-weary sigh. "Fine… Though just so we're clear, I did not agree to this willingly…"
"Well, if you are too scared, you can stay just here and guard the entrance in case the fluffy dust motes decide to attack," I called over my shoulder as I moved deeper into the cave.
"Attractive as that might be, unfortunately I have more important things to guard against. Namely your irresponsibility, which one day is going to get us killed."
"Oh, stop being so fatalistic," I admonished. "There is nothing in this cave that's going to get us killed."
"Erm…you might want to rethink that…"
"Why?"
"Remember that concern of mine about walking into a nest of giant spiders…?"
"Yeah…?"
"Look…up…"
Raising my eyes slowly towards the roof of the cave, I gasped in fear. Suspended above us were three gargantuan spiders. They were unusually still – either asleep, or waiting for prey. "I don't think they've noticed us yet," I whispered.
"We'll go back the way we came, slowly and quietly," prompted Tamlen under his breath, already backing down the passageway.
"No," I hissed. "We've hardly gone two steps into this cave. I'm continuing on."
"Are you crazy? What if there are more of these things?"
"Do you really want to be having this discussion with giant, venomous bugs dangling above our heads?"
Shaking his head resentfully, Tamlen crept after me down the corridor. Proceeding cautiously, and keeping a lookout for any more oversized creatures, we navigated the uneven tunnel. Rounding the bend, we encountered a grisly sight.
"Are those…dead bodies?" asked Tamlen with a sharp intake of breath.
"Sure smells like it," I replied, wrinkling my nose at the unmistakable stench of decomposing flesh.
"I vote we turn back. Whatever it was that killed these people may still be lurking around. Hey! Where are you going?"
I had loped into the hall, being pulled forward by some unseen force, coming to a halt in front of a familiar-looking figure. Though it was partially obscured by an unhealthy amount of dust and cobwebs, the statue seemed to have been otherwise untouched. The face of a beautiful maiden gazed down at me with a serene expression that was very much out of place in this dark cave. And even though I couldn't quite put my finger on how I knew her, the statue's presence filled me with a sense of peace and tranquillity.
"I remember now!" exclaimed Tamlen, coming to join me, his fear apparently forgotten. "This statute looks exactly like an engraving I saw in a book once. This is an Arlathan goddess. But…that would mean that this place is over a thousand years old! Is that really possible?"
"Arlathan?" I asked, intrigued. "You mean the ancient empire of elves, humans and dwarves?"
"Yes. Back when our people lived in Arlathan, statues like these were created to honour the Creators. Though this looks like human architecture…depicting an elven goddess. I would never have guessed our ancestors would have lived in a place like this! With humans!"
"Things were different back then," I murmured softly, gazing up at the face of the goddess and wondering where had it all gone wrong.
"Yeah, well, times change," agreed Tamlen. "So now that we know that you were right, and there is definitely more to this cave that it first appeared, can we please leave now? It may just be the dead bodies and the huge spiders, but this place creeps me out."
"Yeah, alright," I agreed reluctantly, slugging after Tamlen. But as I looked back over my shoulder one last time, I noticed a fascinating detail. "She's pointing at something!"
"What? Who?"
"The statue! She's pointing into that dark recess."
"That cannot be a good sign…"
"Hey, look! There's a door! I wonder if…"
"I would not open that if I were you…" warned Tamlen.
"Oh, don't be such a ninny!" I muttered, shoving open the massive door with surprisingly little effort…and immediately wishing I hadn't. Inside lay a huge, viscous-looking…thing. And as the door crashed against the wall, it raised its shaggy head and snarled.
"Close it!" screamed Tamlen, backing away. "Close the door!"
But the beast was already charging towards us, its wickedly toothed maw slobbering in anticipation of the feast. I instinctively knew that if I tried to reach for the door handle, it would be last thing I ever did. So instead, I dived to the side, an arrow nocked in my bow as I came up in a crouch. The beast was almost upon a paralysed Tamlen when I released one, two, then three arrows into the monster's thick neck. The thing took a couple more faltering steps before collapsing to the ground next to my friend with a stifled groan.
For a moment, there was complete silence. Both of us merely stared at the prone form of the huge monster and marvelled at the fact that we were still somehow alive.
"Well, that was surprisingly easy," I chirped, trying to lighten the mood as I tucked my bow away with trembling hands.
Tamlen gaped at me uncomprehendingly, his eyes still wide with terror. Finally, my words seemed to register with him. "E-easy?" he rasped. "Easy? That thing almost tore me to shreds!"
"But the point is that it didn't, thanks to m–"
"By the Creators, what is that thing?" croaked Tamlen as he realised that he was still sitting next to the monster. He quickly skittered several feet away from the dead beast before getting shakily to his feet. "This is what must have killed those people."
"Looks like an oversized dire bear. Sporting porcupine needles," I said, inspecting the thing from afar. "Never seen anything like it before. Maybe we killed off an endangered species?"
"Will you stop joking around?" Tamlen cried. "We almost died and even that didn't register with you? Did your mother drop you on your head when you were born…?"
"Hey!"
"…because you are definitely not right in the head!"
"It was thanks to my addled head that both of us are even alive! So you should be thanking me instead of questioning my mother's parenting skills!"
Tamlen stared at me for a long moment, his breath coming in short gasps, before lowering his head apologetically. "You're right. I'm sorry… The shock must have really gotten to me. Thanks for saving my life, Feylin," he said with sincerity.
"You're welcome. And I guess I'm sorry for opening the door…"
"Yeah…no kidding!" he laughed, the situation righted once more. "Like I said, your impulsiveness is going to get us killed some day. And that day was almost today…"
"Wasn't it my irresponsibility that is supposed to get us killed?" I asked innocently.
"That too," replied Tamlen with a wink.
"Hey, think of it this way – I make life interesting," I said, clapping him on the shoulder with a wide grin.
"A little bit too interesting at times… Wait, what's that?"
"What?"
But Tamlen had already jogging into the room in which the porcupine-dire-bear had been hiding to come to a stand in front of an ornate, floor-length mirror. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" he breathed, eyes wide with wonder. "I wonder what the writing says…"
"Do not touch the glass…?" I offered dryly, attempting to steer him away. There was something malicious about the mirror and, for once, my curiosity was not going to get the better of me. "Like you said – maybe we should wait for the Keeper before we investigate further."
But Tamlen was completely consumed by the artefact: "…it's not even broken! How could that be, especially with that beast lumbering around? It's truly a miracle! I wonder what this writing is for…" he mused, almost dreamily, stretching his hand out again.
"Err…Tamlen, I don't think…"
"Hey! Did you see that?"
"See what…?" I asked suspiciously. Frankly, I was getting kind of unnerved by this mirror. And Tamlen's strange fascination with the thing was even more disturbing…
"Something moved inside!"
"Inside the mirror? Are you sure you're not imagining things…? And weren't you the one who said…?"
"Hold on! I just want to take a closer look," he insisted, pulling his arm out of my grasp and moving closer to the mirror. I followed cautiously, my heart hammering in my chest. Something here was very wrong… "There it is again! Did you see it, lathelan?" shouted Tamlen excitedly. "I think it knows we're here…"
"Are you even listening to yourself?" I cried desperately, trying to pull my friend away from the mirror, but he merely batted me away like some pesky insect. "Tamlen, get away from it!"
"It's…showing me places…" he breathed in awe, completely transfixed on the polished glass surface. Peering over his shoulder, all I saw were our reflections. "I can see…some kind of city!" continued Tamlen excitedly. "Underground…and there're a great…blackness…" He paused, and then gasped, "It saw me!"
"What saw you? Tamlen!" I screamed, sheer panic rising in my voice.
As if in answer, my friend's body suddenly became rigid. "Help! I can't look away!" he wailed as he was slowly pulled close and closer to the mirror, the surface of which had begun to froth and bubble unnaturally.
"Taml–!"
But in the next instant, my world exploded as a brilliant flash of pure energy erupted from the mirror and threw me across the room. I tried to keep my eyes open, to look for Tamlen, to find out what had happened, but all I saw was blinding whiteness…and then pitch black.