Chapter 23: Greetings, People Of Syd

I stood off to the side, arms crossed, back braced against the wall as the mirror in the main chamber of the Stronghold shimmered and my coven made their tentative way through. Quaid helped the Lawrence twins, Estelle on one arm, Esther tottering on the other, his eyes searching for me the moment he passed through the portal. I waved but held back, letting Mom and Dad take over, just needing to stay out of it and catch my breath.

There was no surprise when the Stronghold led me to a small, museum like room filled with old documents and artifacts in glass cases, showing me where the archivist left his mirror shard, along with a small case full of more. The keys to the main portal were sanded smooth around the edges and coated in silver, almost pieces of art that cast back the reflection of my tired face, the bloodshot look of my blue eyes.