PREQUEL: The Tower of Mirrors (Cloud Mirror X Agent)

Part 1

CHAPTER 1

She rode as fast and hard as she could, silently praying that her horse would live long enough to deliver her to safety.  She’d been on the run for days, rarely stopping; never sleeping.  She ran, and he chased.

The pins holding up her hair had long since fallen out; her pale blonde locks whipping madly around her gaunt face.  She needed to find food and water soon; otherwise, starvation and dehydration would claim her life long before he did.

The ear-splitting whine of his black stallion shattered the misty night.  It was so loud she could hear it over the howling wind rushing past her ears.  This was the closest he’d gotten in weeks, and as her horse began to pant and wheeze, she knew the animal wouldn’t be able to carry her much further.  She spurred the horse on for one last burst of speed straight towards the nearest tree line.  They were nearly there when the animal slowed, staggering several times before collapsing to the ground.        

She managed to roll free from the horse before it pinned her legs.  The dying beast’s sides were heaving; the most heartbreakingly wretched sound coming from its flared nostrils.  She desperately wanted to put the animal out of its misery, but there was no time.  The horse was destined to die, and if she didn’t get moving, she’d share its fate.  

She grabbed her bag, trying to free it from the saddle.  Her hands were cold and shaking, and the moisture in the air made the metal buckle slick with dew.  Again, the shrill whine of the man’s horse echoed through the air.  She gave up on the bag, picking up her skirts and running for the trees.

The woods were close and thick with underbrush.  Tiny branches sliced into every bare patch of flesh, causing tiny beads of blood to slide down her sweat-soaked skin.  With every step, her legs became heavier and heavier; her breaths shorter and more painful.  She stumbled over an exposed root, barely catching herself on the trunk of a tree.  A tiny sob slipped from her lips, and she immediately clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. 

She huddled against the tree, sinking into the shadows of the forest.  She could still hear him; see the small globe of golden light shining in the lamp he carried.  She all but stopped breathing; silent tears streaming down her dirt-covered face.  There was nowhere to run.  If she moved now, he’d surely hear her.  She was trapped, and her only hope was that he’d move past her hiding place.

She clenched her teeth shut, trapping her sobs in the back of her throat.  His footsteps drew closer; the light growing brighter.  And just when he was no more than a few feet away, the footsteps moved past her, and the light grew dim once more.  She breathed a sigh of relief, but as the tiny sound slipped through her trembling fingers, the light of the lamp was blown out. 

There was no sound except her muffled weeping.  When she could take it no longer, she chanced a look around the tree she was hiding behind.  A scream tore from her throat as a pair of glowing blue eyes met her own...

Cloud Mirror shot up from the bed.  She was covered in sweat, her blonde locks plastered to her forehead.  She was gasping for air; her tiny frame shaking from head to toe.  She swiped a damp strand from her eyes, looking around her ivory and sage colored room, trying to draw comfort from the familiar surroundings. 

This wasn’t the first time she’d had this nightmare, nor was it the first time she’d woken up in a cold sweat.  With each nightmare, the details became more clear; the experience more real.  She could feel what Isadora had felt in those moments; the fear and panic, the heartbreak and betrayal.  All were emotions that Cloud could relate to and understand.

It had been 6 months since Isadora’s glass jewelry box had come into Cloud Mirror’s possession.  And for exactly 6 months, she’d been having the dream.  It was clear that Isadora was trying to show her something, but Cloud never made it past the part of the dream where Isadora finally came face-to-face with her pursuer.  Either Cloud wasn’t ready to see it, or Isadora wasn’t ready to show her…