Mirror

Places of Connection

"Litty?" Kya rocked me back and forth until my head lulled off the pillow. "Are you awake?"

I sat up. "Yeah, I'm awake."

"What happened?"

I scratched my head. It was hard to remember. "It feels like a dream." I looked at Kya and shook my head. "You could be Kylee's daughter, you two look so alike."

Kya blinked. "So it worked?" she asked, putting the pieces together in her head.

"I guess so."

"Well?"

I was quiet for a moment, remembering. I closed my eyes and tried to conjure up the images from my dream. "Umm, Danny's not human, Tazmia's not dead, and Shora-no Shui- is captured by shadows in Mirror." My eyes flew open and locked with Kya's.

Her expression was the impossible mixture of complete confusion, relief, and horror. "Litty, Shui's captured. Will they kill him?"

"I don't think so. I got the impression that they think he's better alive and restrained than dead."

"How long will that keep him safe."

I shook my head. "I don't think he's safe now."

Kya hopped off the bed and I followed her to Shui's room. Silently, we pushed the door open and slipped inside. Shui was asleep on his bed and still as stone. "How do we save him?" Kya asked. "Can you save him from Mirror?"

I looked at my hands. The burns were still there. "I can go to Mirror, but I'm not in complete control. I couldn't make any decisions on my own. I think, maybe, I have some influence with Tazmia, but it was hard to tell. Regardless, she'd never be able to carry out a rescue mission," I whispered. "They talked about rescuing Shora- Shui- but it was kind of up in the air."

"Why?"

"Wherever Danny is, isn't safe for people. It would be a dicey rescue mission and I don't know if everyone thought it was worth the risk. I don't think anyone wants to leave Tazmia's side either, not so long as her physical condition is so touch-and-go."

"They don't feel responsible at all for Shui?" Kya asked. The idea clearly disturbed her.

"They don't know him like we do. To them, he's just another person. If they go on a rescue mission at all it will be for the sake of keeping the amulet out of shadow hands. And because Tazmia demands it," I added.

Kya eyed the amulet that hung from Shui's wrist. "What if I could give Kylee extra incentive?"

"You mean, go to Mirror?"

Kya nodded. "Not physically. Just like you just did. If you had some influence with Tazmia, then maybe I can provide Kylee with the emotional incentive to make Shui's rescue an urgent priority."

"Okay, but we're making guesses without any real information about how this might turn out. Let's talk to Ethan."

Kya glared at me. I smiled back innocently. "I don't remember what the issue was between you and him or between myself and him, but right now if we want to save Shui then we need someone who knows about Mirror and isn't afraid to help influence people into walking to their potential deaths."

Kya shook her head, but relented. "Fine. I assume you have his number."

I pulled out my cell and we crept out of Shui's room to the kitchen downstairs.