His Apprentice (The Dragon Prince Fanfiction)

Ch. 10 Mirror, Mirror

Heather ran her hand along the spines of the dark-coloured, hard-backed books, pausing on one that felt more secure than the others. "This has to be it," she said, sounding determined. She tried pulling the book out. It didn't budge. So, she pressed it inward. The 'book' stuck and various clicks sounded behind the bookshelf.

Heather's heart raced, excitement running through her body as the bookshelf turned around.

But then a heaviness fell on her. On the other side was not a corridor, but a brightly lit butterfly enclosure with a dozen dazzling butterflies fluttering about.

She groaned, her pointed ears dropping, and turned around, looking at the Dark Mage's study behind her, pale sunlight pouring into the room. "Any idea where the Mirror is, Sparkles?"

The caterpillar shifted on her ear. "I just know it's in a dungeon of some sort," Aaravos sighed; he had become less formal with Heather while they travelled, and Heather thought it didn't suit his voice.

"And I've already checked every cell in the castle's dungeon." Heather lifted her hand to her chin in thought. "And the Mirror can't be tracked because of the wards on it." She moved towards the desk littered with dozens of pieces of parchment, some unread and still sealed, others sprawled open and crinkled from being held and reread several times.

Heather brushed aside a bundle of unopened scrolls and sat on the desk. She propped her elbows on her knees and held her chin in her hands.

"You could just ask some soldiers," Aaravos offered. "I'm sure they want me out of here as much as Zubeia wants to keep an eye on me."

She sighed. "Maybe. But there has to be something here; he would've wanted to keep you a secret by keeping you as close to him as possible."

He hummed. "Fair point."

Heather looked around the room, scanning the wooden shelves filled with various parts of Xadian creatures. A shiver ran down her spine and she averted her eyes, looking at the giant painting of a young red-haired girl cradling a small ewe. She cocked her head at it, her pupils narrowing in curiosity.

She slid off the table and edged towards it, noticing the shimmer of something on the painting's frame. It soon came to her attention that it was a type of orange jam in the shape of a handprint. She furrowed her brow and looked to the canvas. She tapped the painting, hearing a hollowness behind the picture.

"Interesting," Aaravos mused.

Heather spared the caterpillar a glance and pulled the frame from the wall. Slowly, it opened away from the wall, revealing a dark opening and spiralling staircase.

She smiled to herself, pleased by her discovery.

She drew an orange rune in the air, and a flickering ball of fire appeared in her palm. Heather turned around and held out her other hand, calling her blade. It flew into her palm and she descended the stairs, sword ahead of her, ready to slice any person who dared to attack her.

Do you know what's down here? Heather broadcasted to Aaravos.

"Apart from a surplus of creatures to use in Dark Magic rituals and my mirror, no, I don't."

She wanted to hit her forehead with her hand. So you do know where you are?! she accused.

"Certain things only come into my vision when certain events occur. I didn't know I was down here because, as you know, the window to my prison can't be tracked," he said, "otherwise I would have told you the second you arrived here. If you think I want to be in here for longer than necessary, you'd be very wrong."

Heather frowned and didn't respond, continuing to descend until she reached a tunnel lit up by crystals, much like the star cave. She extinguished her flame and keep moving, following the tunnel until she reached a dead end. "Great. What now, Sparkles?" She turned around, looking at the glowing crystals embedded in the walls behind her.

"Stop being so impatient," Aaravos advised. "Look back at the wall."

Heather did, but before she could do anything else, she felt as though her soul had left her body, like when she meditated. Except this time she felt as though she could take on the universe. She felt as though she was the embodiment of the greatest power ever known to elves, humans or dragons.

And then it was pulled away from under her. She felt too heavy for her legs and she stumbled forward. She looked up groggily, noticing a staircase in the floor behind her. "What... What happened?"

"I found out the key to getting to the mirror," Aaravos replied.

"But... what happened to me? The power... what was that?"

"That... was me. The code was too complex to talk through and I couldn't show you. So..."

"You... took control of my body?" Heather looked at her hands, feeling horrified and violated. "I-I trusted you." She picked up the caterpillar and dangled it in front of her, eyeing it suspiciously.

The caterpillar clicked its mandibles together and looked at her.

Unease spread through Heather as she eyed the bug. She scowled at it and looked at the hole in the ground. "Never do that to me again."

The caterpillar inclined its head, and Heather reluctantly placed it back on her ear. She walked down the stairs, emerging in a small stone room filled with a few hutch dressers lined with various creature parts.

Heather's face twisted with disgust, and she swiftly made her way towards the nearest door. She opened it and relief washed over her with the discovery of a corridor instead of something awful and Dark Magic-y.

"That way," Aaravos instructed.

She walked down the corridor, soon meeting a large wooden door. She opened the door slowly, seeing a dim glow inside.

Heather edged forward, seeing the bronze mirror in front of her, across from a large chair. Through the glass, she could see a copper-blue study with shelves upon shelves of books, a fireplace and a desk.

"Sparkles?" she called, walking towards the mirror.

As if to answer her call, a Startouch elf emerged through a door, opening the door with a wave of his hand. He wore the same outfit Heather had seen on Aaravos before, but this time a long navy cloak hung over it. He looked to the mirror and walked towards it, the faintest glint of a smile on his face.

"Heather," he greeted.

She couldn't hide the smile on her face, even after what he'd done. It was good to finally see him-even if he was in some sort of pocket dimension. "Sparkles."

Aaravos' smile grew. "So, shall we begin?"