The Third Morgenstern

by Scarlett Shay Malfoy

In an interesting turn of events, Valentine's third child, Jace's twin sister stumbles upon the portal he uses to travel in between Idris and New York and all hell breaks loose when she becomes part of the fight.

1. Preface

The Third Morgenstern

By: Kristin Teran

Preface

I walked into the Hall of the Accords, carrying my flute. The big concert was tonight and I was extremely excited. Not only because I had a solo in the hardest song, or because I was getting to conduct the song that I wrote, but because father was going to see it all happen. I took my seat in the first chair and searched the audience for my father. My heart sank when I didn't see him. I told my self to remain optimistic. I told myself that he might come later. But even at what was to be the epitome of the night, he was nowhere in sight.

At the end of the night, I decided to rebel a little. I rode my Kawasaki motorcycle back the manor. I walked into the dining room, finding no trace of father anywhere. It was then that I found a note from him on top of the original copy of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass with my name on it. It read:

Daphne,

I won't be around for a while.

I'm working on taking down the Clave but I found certain factors can help me in my quest.

The only thing is that they lie outside Idris.

I hope you understand.

Your Father,

Valentine

I couldn't believe it. Dad was gone. Again. And this time, he wasn't easily found. Then I realized what my book under the note meant. Through the Looking Glass was the book he had read this book to me when I was a child to make me go to sleep.

I rushed upstairs into my bedroom and looked into the body-length mirror next to my bureau. I didn't reflect my image back to me. Instead it showed a sunrise on a river. With the book still in my hand, I realized what my mirror really was.

It wasn't the harmless mirror I had thought it was my entire life.

It was a portal.

And Dad was somewhere on the other side.