Mirror Walker

Chapter 16

Silks of red and white trailed over the side of the building like a waterfall, flailing slightly in the tepid draft that endlessly pulsated through the cavern. They were firmly tied to the banister, knotted, double knotted, triple knotted, and it would be stupid to not quadruple knot. She needed them to be tight. Two of the blankets were enough, along with one curtain that she had managed to clumsily dismantle, hoping that no one had heard the racket when she'd knocked it to the floor along with its bronze rod that clattered very, terribly, loudly.

It was a price she had to pay.

She'd considered Konner's proposal, a very rational and sensible plan. Unlike hers which was requiring her to hang onto the railing as if she was on the edge of a cliff- mainly because she was on the wrong side of it. This was mad, stupid, reckless, and she was definitely going to break her neck. This was by far the dumbest thing she had set out to do since she'd jumped from a tree as a seven-year-old and gotten herself concussed.

But she couldn't wait till tomorrow. She needed that necklace now, while the goblin still had it.

Konner was great and very calm, a calmness which she envied and despised because it was far too lax. He didn't have the slightest ounce of worry or sense of pressure because it wasn't him that was stuck in another world with barely anything resembling his previous twenty-three years of life. He didn't even believe her when she tried to explain that she was in a completely new environment, and one that she would rather not grow accustomed to. She had a family, she had a home, she had a life- and she needed to get back to it.

Her knuckles writhed with pain, holding the handrail with a steely grip for a good two minutes now, as her head stretched behind her to view the drop. She hated heights. She hated them so much. Everything was spinning, not even spinning, just fuzzy. It was the strangest sensation, everyone described it as being dizzy but to her it felt more like being frozen in time with everything muffling. The ground was blurred, and her mind didn't quite let her comprehend how high it was, because it was far too high for her liking.

Originally, she had simply wanted to sneak out like some rebellious teenager, tiptoeing down the stairs and aiming to bolt for the door. But of course, stupid Konner was sat downstairs. Hence, here she was, risking life and limb for a bloody necklace that she wasn't even sure was the key to her return. It had to be, it just had to be. Otherwise, that meant that she was stuck here for good, never to see her family again, never to live out the life she dreamed of. No, she couldn't bear the thought of it. If she just got that necklace, then everything would be ok. It would be fine. She'd figure it out. She just needed that necklace.

Tilting down and inhaling deeply, she prepared to let go of the lanky stone, twitching her muscles just the slightest to loosen her hold.

No. Nope. Not happening.

She leaned firmly back in, locking onto the barrier and swearing to never let go. Then again, how bad was this world? She wasn't completely alone, there was Konner. He was kinda grumpy... but not the worst, right? She could do worse. And there were inns with food so she wouldn't starve. The beds were comfortable- beautifully comfortable. Lord Millard didn't exist here; she wouldn't have to marry his carrottop head. Yeah, maybe life could be good here.

Her head rolled to the ceiling, counting the crystals above her with a sigh. No... no she couldn't do that. What about her mother? She would be worried sick about her. Aunty Regina... she couldn't just abandon her like that, not without a goodbye. Oh, and Uncle Jerry, how could she live without ever listening to his booming laugh again? And there's the main argument, how would she live here? How would she build a life out of nothing? She couldn't just latch onto Konner, he'd already done far too much to help her- despite his snark remarks. It wouldn't be fair to him. Not to mention that he was obviously beyond sick of her. Her lips pursed into a thin line with the recollection of their recent fight.