Mirror Majesty

11: A Plan of Rage and Madness

An ominous wind blew through the mirrored halls of Silvershine castle, shaking chandeliers and swirling clouds of dead leaves across the floor. At the source of the wind treaded a darkly clad figure with specks of orange breaking beneath her hood. The balls of her feet bounced on the breeze taking flight over the leaf covered ground. The figure raised her hand sending another powerful gale towards the iron door. In a quick whoosh and a banging thud, the door flung open, her hood fell back exposing her bright orange hair, and with a powerful stride she stepped inside.

Behind her walked two other figures side by side, both dressed in the same dark attire. Together the trio approached the silver throne. The masked man seated there rose his head to greet his guests.

"Ah, Desire," he whispered in a crude voice to the orange haired woman. Desire humbled herself to the floor.

"My Holy Divine," she revered.

"And you bring the twins." The masked man clenched the armrests of his throne. His claws scratching at the shiny surface.

"We come to serve," the twins said together bowing at the waist. Each one had a single diamond earring on opposite ears. A mix of pale skin and a cruel smile betwixt their faces. "Rage and Madness are here. What does our Holy Divine require of us today?"

"Flesh to burn!" cackled Rage as flames glinted from his hood.

"Lightning to kill!" hissed Madness as sparks crackled from his fingertips.

The masked man stood from his throne and descended the steps.

"I require but one thing, the Mirrorbender Hope."

"Last we heard she was in Vanity's domain and Avarice was looking into it," said Rage.

"Vanity is dead," said Desire. "The Mirrorbender killed her."

"Impossible," whispered Rage. "How? A Half-Life is immortal."

"The Mirrorbender has found a way." The masked man circled behind the twins. "But there is no time for mourning our lost sister. We must act at once."

"And what will you have us do?" asked Madness. His violet eyes sparked with electricity. The masked man placed his hands on the twin's shoulders.

"I received word that the Mirrorbender was traversing the desert and headed into your domain. I suspect she is to arrive in Blackstone, the closest city to Tempestmist."

"The people of Blackstone hate the Mirrorbender," said Rage. "She will not be treated kindly upon her arrival. They may even have her killed."

"For years I have influenced the king with whispers into his eyes," said Madness. "He is bound to insanity, a pawn in our little game of chess. He will do what we say."

"And what of the Mirrorbender?" snapped Desire. "Capture her? Kill her?" Desire leaned in and whispered into the masked man's ear. "Need I remind you, my lord, she carries precious cargo."

"Indeed," he responded. "We need the girl alive. The magic that binds her to this world is strong and only by the breaking of her spirit do we hope to gain what we want. Blackstone is also key to our success. The many years of research we have crafted there cannot be compromised." The masked man wandered back to his throne and sat.

"My holy divine," said Rage. "Might I add the Mirrorbender's power, it might be the final component to the research the witch needs."

"Perhaps," said the masked man. "The Mirrorbender is not of this world, and as we all know, the source of a Mirrorbender's power comes from their glasswalker, their connection to magic. The boy she travels with. Let the witch deal with him. As for the Mirrorbender, give her a guiding hand and make the world hate her even more. Let her learn that she has no friends in Tartarus."

Rage and Madness looked at one another. A cruel smile drifted between them.

"We have a plan," they said together. "But it will take time."

"Then go and waste none." In a cack of lightning and a blast of fire the two vanished from the room leaving behind ashes and smoke. Desire stood by, the smoke drifting across her cloak.

"You still refuse to tell them what she has taken?" asked Desire. "The Mirrorbender has already killed one of us. What if she manages to kill those two? We will only be strengthening her power."

"We are playing a different game of magic than in ages past. The rules have changed. You won't understand now, but in time you will see that the stronger and more hated this Mirrorbender becomes, the stronger he becomes."

"Who is he?"

A dark swirling mass appeared in the mirror beside the throne. The masked man stood suddenly; his purple eyes growing with surprise.

"Leave me," said the masked man nervously. He cast a dismissing hand towards Desire. "Go!" She raised her arms to summon wind. It swirled around her, a tornado of dead leaves and smoke. But before she vanished, Desire took one last look at the mirror beside the throne. The dark mass within turned into a heinous creature with a twisted face of horns and claws. It's eyes glowed a bright purple hue.

"Another Half-life?" she thought as she shut her eyes, succumbed to the weightlessness, and flew into the darkening sky.