The Sorcerer and the Sphinx

Chapter 3: The Mirror

Xeleus didn't know why he had gotten so upset over finding Elsa in the library. All he could do to explain it was that having the young woman in his library reminded him so painfully of someone else that he couldn't bear the thought of her being in there. The library was sacred to him, and he didn't want to allow anyone else the pleasure of spending time there.

He hadn't really meant to yell. No, he hadn't at all. It was just a reflex, he told himself. Deep down, somewhere, he knew he should apologize. But his pride was too great for that. So instead, he used his enchanted Mirror of Solitude to spy on her. Well, it wasn't spying on her. More so... checking in. On a girl he had just met and knew nothing about. How wonderful.

But what he saw in the mirror greatly disturbed him. He saw Elsa, as expected, but he saw her crying. Not crying, sobbing. She lay on her bed, tears streaming down her face. As he looked upon her, something unfamiliar twinged in his chest, though he couldn't say what it was. He hated looking at this, but he found it hard to look away.

Curiosity got the best of him, and he used his magic to find if there was something ailing her. On the enchanted piece of parchment, a single word formed. The name of an incurable condition of the heart; Blight. It appeared that she had been cursed at a young age, which caused this ailment to form. He knew that soon, she would be doomed to die.

Any other normal person would have perhaps felt sympathy or pity for Elsa, but Xeleus had long ago ruled out those emotions and felt only disgust at having a sick girl stay at his castle. He threw the mirror and the parchment down, and went to find Elsa in her chambers.

He barely knocked before entering, finding her kneeled over the dressing table, staring out the window. It appeared she hadn't noticed him yet, for she was very deeply staring at a tree branch outside, where a caterpillar was very hurriedly making its way across.

"Miss Blackwood?" he said formally, jutting her out of her reverie. The precise way he called her made her think back to her days in the girls' school, where she often got slapped upon the wrist for misbehaving. She only looked up at him in response.

"I believe it is time for you to leave, Miss Blackwood. I have taken the liberty of providing you a map," he handed her the piece of parchment, "and I would like it if you could get out of the manor as soon as possible," he said blatantly, not even bothering with the basic pleasantries.

"Yes... I believe it is time for me to leave. I shall go right away," she said simply, shuffling past him, carrying her cloak with her and leaving Xeleus in the room. In truth, she was glad to be rid of the old warlock and his mysterious manor.

Some stones just shouldn't be turned.