The Sunwalker- Heirs of the Night

28

Inside the cave, bushes and branches were growing freely, giving them only a small path in the middle to walk on.

"Okay guys, the Noaidi said we have to face five tests once inside. For body and soul." Ivy informed them.

Had they not had Alisa's glowing hand to show them the way, there would have been complete darkness around them. The path before them opened up to reveal a bonfire surrounded by what had to be overgrown mirrors. Intrigued, the eight of them split up and explored this room. Stancing before one of the mirrors was Dracula. He stood completely stationary, staring into the mirror in front of him.

"Guys, look." Nadja called.

Even after she shouted, Dracula did not react.

"What's wrong with him?" Lars asked as he came up on Nadja's side.

"I don't know." Alisa whispered.

The young vampires neared their ancestor tentatively, but even now, he did not react to their presence. It was almost as though he couldn't see or hear them at all. Nadja waved a hand in front of his face and, when he didn't even blink, she concluded that he could in fact not tell they were there.

"He's frozen into something." Alisa said from Dracula's other side.

Silence followed these words, though it was broken by Tammo not long after.

"Thirteen."

Nadja, Lars and Alisa turned toward the sound of his voice, but he was behind some other mirrors, so they didn't see him.

"There are thirteen mirrors." Tammo repeated.

"Look!" Inger called. "Each has an initial above it. Each mirror belongs to a clan."

The vampires, and Nicu, all gathered around the bonfire in the middle.

"Hey!" Ivy yelled from behind.

Only then did Nadja realise she'd been missing. Ivy was bent down and looking at something on the ground.

"It's a Noaidi marking." She said.

Everyone took a few steps closer to her, and then Nadja saw Ivy dust off a stone tablet with odd markings.

"But I believe I can read it." Ivy continued. "You are what you are." She read.

"I think we have to find our own clan's mirror." Joanne said.

"Yeah, you're right." Malcolm agreed.

"You don't think we need to match a vampire with each mirror to move on, do you? And that's why Dracula is frozen?" Nadja asked, looking around. Her gaze landed on Alisa.

"Let's hope not." She replied.

They scattered, all in search of their own respective mirrors. Nadja walked around until she found one where her own reflection looked back at her. She jumped about a mile at the sight of it. Vampires didn't have reflections, so why could she see herself in this mirror? It had to be enchanted in some way, but how? What did it do? Nadja suddenly understood why Dracula was staring so fixedly into his own mirror, though she wasn't so arrogant as to ignore everyone around her.

"What n-" Nadja began.

Her words were cut off however, as her own reflection reached forward and pulled Nadja through the mirror. She righted herself and looked around.

The world, the true world, reappeared around Nadja. She gave Malcolm, who had aided her victory, a smile. Then, without hesitation, she began searching for the Dracas mirror, where Lars would be. To escape her mirror, she'd had to embrace her weakness, her softness, her emotions and her innate need to be with her family, with Lars. And she had, she had embraced and accepted it. So now, having him by her side was her number one priority. She needed him. There they were, all gathered around Lars and Inger who had, by the looks of it, just come to their senses.