Chapter 15 – Mirror, Mirror on the Wall!
Garlt hurtled into Stefane, knocking the young man aside, staggering as the spell effect from Martinus' wand struck him. Touching his shield device, Garlt conjured a Tower Shield. Setting the large shield, he pulled Stefane behind it.
"Young idiot!" He hissed. "I gotta rest here fer a bit. Stay down!"
"Pah!" Martinus snarled at seeing the formidable shield appear, blocking his view of the dwarf and the young mage. No matter. Hiding, they were no threat to him or his Tome.
Beside him, Corinna gasped and staggered, clutching her shoulder.
Something struck his chest. It burned.
Reaching down, Martinus plucked a sharp metal throwing star from between his ribs. Looking at Corinna, he saw she was pulling a similar object from her shoulder.
An object flew by, striking the tall mirror that filled the alcove behind them.
Ignoring her wound, Corinna stepped quickly to the mirror, which loomed over her.
Examining its surface, she sighed in relief. Turning, she faced the elf who stood near the middle of the chamber astride two tables.
Fists glowing, the near nude petite woman stepped forward. "We will end this now, Herald!"
"No, my dear", ordered Martinus. "Let me!"
The near-Lich released a red-hot meteor towards the elf.
Daelynn spun off the tables, dropping to the floor and scurrying away as fast as she could.
A fiery explosion behind her blew off the remains of her cloak and sent her sprawling.
Rolling over, the elf tried to sit up. Her head swam. Blood trickled from her left leg. Enveloped in a layer of hot ash, her exposed skin burned.
Another large piece of rock fell from the ceiling at the far side of the chamber. It crashed into the wooden platform at the far side of room, destroying it and sending small, sharp pieces of stone and wood splinters flying.
Corrina touched Martinus' arm, whispering something into the hole at the side of his skull that acted as an ear.
The skeletal mage nodded in agreement. Releasing his last meteor towards the already damaged ceiling, Martinus dropped his now spent wand and used his mage hand to pick up the Tome. Handing it to Corinna, he touched the side of the mirror. Like still water in a pond disturbed by a wind, the smooth glass surface of the mirror rippled.
Corinna called out. "It was not meant to be, Stefane. So sad. But you will die here in this cavern, all the same. Elf, do you still live? Know that after a few hundred yard's walk through the mists of a nearby Outer Realm we will safely exit the mirror back in Capitol. You will stay here to rot, starve, or be crushed to death. I do wish your final moments be filled with pain and despair."
Side by side, the ancient lovers stepped into the mirror, vanishing from sight.
Garlt's shield transformed back into a small, polished steel disk strapped to his forearm. The dwarf hauled Stefane up onto his feet.
"Righto. Ye an' the elf look over thet mirror. I'll see to the door."
Garlt moved slowly over to the massive double doors.
The elf called out. "Are you alright Master Gemfinder?"
"I'll be fine. Ceilings comin' down, soon. Need a way out fast, lass.
Daelynn staggered to her feet, lurching to the alcove that held the tall mirror, where Stefane joined her.
"Your girlfriend said this portal leads back to Capitol. Probably right into your magic school." Daelynn ran her hand over the mirror's surface which was now smooth glass. Her reflection looked back at her. Hmm. Felt better, looked worse, she thought.
"Martinus called you a 'Weave-Finder'. What is that"? She asked as she tried to move the mirror to look behind it. It would not budge.
"Ah, you know that the Weave is the basis… the source, of magic. According to one of the School's masters, some of Mystra's followers cannot just manipulate the Weave, but also see and "walk" its filaments. This allows some of them to divine a deeper understanding of magic, like a magical item's purpose. Um … its powers and words of command."
"Do you have this ability?" Asked Daelynn, her lavender eyes staring hard at Stefane.
"Um, sort of? I think so? There are times I see a web of light and when I pull at a … string, things come to mind. It's very disorienting and sometimes quite painful."
"Is that how you knew to use the Rod of Vines?"
"Yes", answered Stefane.
Garlt had shuffled over to them after his examination of the door. "That explains the pair's interest in ye, lad. Sounds like a nice magical ability fer a mage to have. I'd guess that's the real reason they wanted ye."
Stefane looked over at Garlt and started to reply, when the dwarf cut him off.
"Oh, I know what yer girlfriend said, and I respect the lassie's lust, but her beau seemed a powerful enough wizard that he could probably just, what do ye call it, 'transmogrify hi'self to whatever form she desired. This magic ability ye have? Hurry up and use it on this here mirror and get us through it, right quick. 'Cuz that door is locked tighter than me uncle's purse."
As if to emphasize their dire predicament, another large chunk of ceiling fell, smashing more tables near them.
Nodding, Stefane took a deep breath and placed his right hand on the mirror's surface and his left hand on the carved dark, wooden frame. The mirror's surface misted over.
"I… I can't see anything. I never seem to be able to force this to work. It… this portal… is so complex, so powerful. So many strands… I'm getting confused… lost."
Stefane fell silent, frozen in place with a dazed look on his face.
"Lad", the dwarf poked the young man. "Ye awake?"
A worried elf pushed forward and took hold of Stefane's arms.
"I cannot get him to release the mirror", shouted Daelynn! "Help me!"
Garlt grabbed Stefane's robes and pulled him away from the mirror.
Stefane, woozy from his commune in the Weave, steadied himself with the dwarf's and Daelynn's assistance.
"Break it", he gasped.
"What'd ye say?"
"I can't find the command words. It's too obtuse. But I saw… Break the mirror!" Shouted Stefane. "Quickly. It will prevent them from using it again!"
Garlt drew his second axe. Hoisting it over his head, he cautioned the others. "Cover yer eyes!"
He swung the weapon hard against the mirror's glass. Nothing happened.
"Again", shouted Daelynn.
The second strike created a small conchoidal fracture in the mirror's centre.
The third strike resulted in three large cracks that run in jagged lines across the mirror's surface
From inside the mirror Daelynn thought she heard a cry of distress.
"What did we jet do" asked Garlt?
"This mirror is a powerful portal and didn't want to give up its secrets. I almost lost myself in the Weave. It was very confusing. I could only discern that, if damaged, it would not work. I thought it best to stop Martinus from using it again."
The mist in the mirror swirled and partly cleared, revealing Corinna. The woman tightly clutched the Tome to her breasts. Her eyes flicked over the three companions. Her gaze settled on Daelynn.
"Well played, Herald." Corinna's voice sounded oddly muffled. "My guess is that ether you know something of these portals, or my Weave-Finder…"
She glanced at Stefane, "Determined how the device works."
"Now, you will not be able to use it. No quick travel between the city and here, or anywhere. You will be stuck in Capitol. And when I return you will be hunted down. I am certain a Royal Mage will be able to handle Martinus."
A confused look momentarily crossed Corinna's face.
"Ah. You have no idea what you just did, do you? We had not exited the mirror when you broke it. What happens to one side of the mirror also happens to the other side of it. We're now trapped between the two portals. You have doomed us."
"Corinna", exclaimed Stefane. "That was not my intention! We… only wanted to stop you from using this portal."
Daelynn shushed the young man.
"There are other exits from the Outer Realms, Corinna. It may take time to find them but a couple of your experience and power will find a way out. Eventually."
"If we had that time, Herald." Corrected Corinna. "Martinus and I are both quite weak. Battle with you has drained most of his magical energy, and what was left of my life energy. His body and my spirit, fade. There is no life-essence in here for me, and no body for him. You have killed us."
Looking the young-old woman in the eyes, Daelynn stepped closer to Corinna's image. She lowered her voice so that only Corinna could hear her.
"The two of you may not live long enough to escape, but one of you could", the elf stated.
Corinna's brow furrowed, not understanding at what the elf was hinting.
Daelynn pointed to the Tome of Mysteries held in Corinna's arms. "With that, one of you could take what the other has. One of you, but not both, could survive."
Corinna's eyes widened as she now grasped the elf's suggestion.
"Never! We are bound by love. I could never hurt Martinus. And he would never do what you propose!"
"Were you not asking Stefane to sacrifice his life for love", asked the elf? "I am sure you or Martinus will gladly offer up what they have so the other might live. Afterall, true love is willing to sacrifice everything, is it not?"
Corinna dropped her gaze. Looking at the large book cradled in her arms, she appeared even smaller than her natural petite stature.
"Who will offer up their eternal gift to the other first", wondered Daelynn aloud. "Or will that gift be taken?"
The mist in the mirror swirled and Daelynn could see two small bright flames approaching.
"You know Martinus better than I, of course. Is he a giver or a taker", asked Daelynn?
The two flames grew closer. Martinus' gaunt form could be seen in the mists.
"Corinna", he called. "Please bring me the Tome, my dear. We have work to do."
Corinna's eyes widened. She slowly stepped back towards her lover.
"I do hope your final moments are not filled with pain and despair", the elf called out.
Daelynn's lost sight of Corinna as the mists swallowed up the smaller woman.
A/N: Portals and realms may not follow Forgotten Realms "rules" but do work as needed to aid the story. I tried to keep the magic-babble to a minimum.
If any reader is wondering, I wrap this up in the next chapter.