Chapter Seventeen : The Mirror

Aiden woke to quiet and dim light, the fire faded to mere coals. Checking his watch, he groaned, realizing he'd just slept a few hours. Now he was recovering, old instincts kicked in.

Sleep is important if you find yourself on the run, Eric said, but so is caution.

Unable to get back to sleep and knowing he'd only be satisfied at a quick look around, Aiden climbed out of bed and, shouldering the backpack, headed out into the corridor.

He found himself alone in the dim of the caverns and hallways, the majority of the Rishini in peaceful sleep in their own quarters. The few times he did hear someone approach, Aiden managed to duck out of sight and wait it out without alerting them. Not only was it good practice, but he had no desire to explain his midnight wanderings to his hosts.

Aiden made his way to the council chamber and drifted in. The firestone glow cast a low light, but still strong enough to find his way around. The chilly temperature of the room with both giant fires banked for the night caused goose bumps, and he rubbed his arms. He wandered over to the covered Mirror and wondered if it would be sacrilege for him to use it. Taking the risk, he slid the cover from the frame and folded it as he had seen Gunesh do earlier. He held it to his chest as he looked at his reflection. A sudden impulse struck him, a need to know.

"Show me Earth."

The old familiar world he was used to panned in front of him through the Mirror. Aiden sighed in longing, touching the smooth surface with his fingers. It wasn't long before he noticed the jagged tears in the fabric of its making, the hairline fractures foretelling the coming of the end. Even Earth was affected by the crumbling of the Edge.

Feeling depressed all of a sudden, Aiden thought of Antoinette.

"Show me my parents."

The Mirror flashed as though confused, then fell dark.

"It can only show you places, I'm afraid," Gunesh said from behind him. Aiden was definitely slipping. He hadn't heard the man enter.

"Not people?" Aiden stared hard into the now reflective surface, willing it to show him what he wanted to see.

"I'm afraid not." Gunesh sighed with tangible regret. "If it could, we would have used it to locate the Guardians before now." He looked very tired, dark skin grayish in the dim light.

"You said I have the Blood." Aiden turned to Gunesh. "How is it possible? And through who? And why didn't the Key go with my parents?"

Gunesh took the folded cover from Aiden and put it back over the Mirror as he spoke.

"First I must ask who touched the Key, your mother or your father?"

Aiden's memory flashed back to the night. He saw the glow build, saw the confusion in his parent's faces, saw Antoinette reach for it as Eric touched her arm.

"My mother."

"Then you have an answer to your second question." Gunesh finished draping the Mirror and motioned for Aiden to follow him to the table. Gunesh poured him a glass of something steaming in the cool air. A sniff and a sip told him it was some kind of hot, spiced tea. It felt good going down and warmed him right away.

"The third's answer is simply that she only touched it and did not hold it. It must be grasped to travel with you." Aiden filed that away as important information.

"As for your first," Gunesh said, sipping his own, "that is also easily explained. There were Guardians on every world, their lines encouraged to grow and spread so there would always be enough with the Blood to carry on the work. However, there have been worlds in the past where science overtook tradition and the legacy died out, or was scorned as fairy tale or insanity. Your world must be one of those."

"So Tremaine must be a Guardian or have the Blood too," Aiden said. "Why else would he want the Key?" Aiden remembered the glowing red stone Tremaine carried. "He has his own."

Gunesh looked startled. "You did not speak of this before."

"I forgot," Aiden said. "But I remember now. It was in his pocket. It glowed red."

Gunesh became agitated. "You're certain?" He looked afraid.

"Yes. Who is he?"

"I do not know the individual," Gunesh said, "but the Key! there is only one world where Keys of that color are found. The first world where the Enemy appeared."

"It wasn't destroyed?"

"No, he spared it," Gunesh said. "It was to that world he was trying to draw all others."

"I thought you said the Guardians defeated him in the Edge Wars."

"There are those who believe the Enemy went into hiding," Gunesh said. "I fear now, hearing what you have told me, that may indeed be the case."

"But why?"

"It is possible this was his plan all along. He was unable to beat the Guardians face to face so instead he has been undermining the lineage and the Edge ever since." Gunesh slammed one fist into the heavy table, making Aiden jump. "Of course! We have been fools and become complacent. What better way to win than to do it over great lengths of time from within? An outright confrontation is met with aggression where a slow and subtle attack goes unnoticed until it is too late."

"You think the agents of the Enemy have been attacking the Edge?"

"Worse, I'm afraid," Gunesh said. "If your Tremaine is any indicator, I believe now they have been killing off the Guardian families and stealing the Portal Keys. Without the Guardians to patrol and repair the Edge, it has fallen into ruin itself with no extra help from the Enemy. And because it has been done so slowly!" Gunesh fell silent for a moment then looked at Aiden with such intensity he pressed himself to the back of his chair to put some distance between them. "You must find the remaining Guardians and give them your Portal Key."

Aiden shook his head. "I have no idea how to find them, remember? Neither do you."

"If any remain, they would be on Airimeth, the original world of the Six."

"What about these Six you keep mentioning? Why don't they do something?"

"They left a great many years ago," Gunesh said, "beyond our Universe to another place."

"Nice of them to abandon you," Aiden said.

Gunesh opened his mouth to comment, and then shrugged. "No matter their motivation, we are on our own."

Aiden felt full-fledged rebellion rise within him. He had one goal as far as he was concerned and made it very clear to the old man. "And my parents? I won't abandon them."

"The Guardians can help you find them," Gunesh said. "They would be able to guide you much better than I or anyone else you were to meet. They know the Edge, Aiden, and how it works."

"What about the Key?" Aiden said, thinking of the old woman. "She doesn't seem to work very well."

Gunesh frowned. "May I see her again?"

Aiden unwrapped her, careful to keep the other stone he found hidden. He didn't want Gunesh to see it for some reason, but didn't question his instincts. He handed the yellow prize to the old man and watched with something akin to possessive protectiveness as Gunesh examined her.

His face crumpled as he turned her into the light and saw the fracture.

"No," Gunesh said. "It can't be true, not after all we have been through."

"What?"

Gunesh looked up, face very sad, eyes brimming in the low light. "This Key is nearing the end of her life," he said. "The cracking is a sign of fatigue. She is dying, Aiden, almost used up. When she finally breaks, her life will end." Gunesh set the Key on the table and slumped forward, his shoulders sagging. "Unless you can use her to find the Guardians or another Portal Key, your travels will end where she does."

So that was the reason she sounded like an old woman. She was old, and who knew how long she'd lived. The crack wasn't damage, it was fatigue. Aiden felt the sting of tears behind his eyes for her, his empathy rising for the dying soul inside the stone.

"Only Guardians can make Keys," Gunesh went on as Aiden stroked the Key with his fingertips as if he could heal her, "and only from special stones they themselves can recognize."

Aiden's thoughts flickered to the blue and yellow chunk in his backpack, but he pushed them aside.

"How long? Until she's gone?"

"How many, you mean," Gunesh said with great regret. "There are perhaps two or three uncertain uses left before the Key is destroyed."

***