“Not a very good one,” Nix said. “I wanted to conjure a fire for warmth.”
I listened with half an ear as the power in my chest grew. It felt like it was in response to hers, spurred on by what she had. I embraced it, though I didn’t understand it, and held my arms out. The magic pulsed within me, roaring to be released. I raised my palms to the sky and let it go.
An enormous fireball shot from my palms, throwing me back onto the ground as it roared into the sky. It burned away the tops of the trees and exploded into the night. Orange flames surged through the air, burning my skin.
Panic rose in my chest as I scrambled to my feet. We were trapped. Del and Nix looked at me with horrified eyes.
“I don’t know what happened!” I said. The sky above me continued to burn, though the forest around us was untouched. “People will see the flame! We have to hide!”
Del lunged for me. She enveloped me in her arms and grabbed Nix, pulling her into the hug. A second later, the ground fell out from under me.
We collapsed to the ground a moment later. It was colder here, the wind stronger. I climbed to my feet. We were on a mountain looking down on the field below. Fire roiled in the air above it, a beacon of magic. But at least it wasn’t lower. The animals and the people would be safe.
“We were in a valley,” I said as I turned to Del. “And you can transport.”
Del’s wide eyes met mine. “Apparently. It was instinct. I followed it. And thank magic for it. What did you do down there?”
I looked down at the field that was lighting up the night. It would draw people. We were fine on the mountain for a little while because we were so far away, but we needed to get out of here soon.
“I didn’t mean to light it all on fire,” I said. “When Nix conjured the match, I felt like I could create a match too. So I let my power out.”
“You’re a Mirror Mage,” Nix said. “You borrowed my conjuring power.”
“A strong one,” Del said.
“Too strong. I couldn’t control it.”
Mirror Mages weren’t rare or very dangerous, from what I recalled. They could reflect back the magic of any supernatural that they were with. But it was just temporary, and the other supernatural got to keep their powers the whole time. From what I remembered, if Mirror Mages didn’t use the borrowed gift right away, they could use it later. But it was a one shot deal. I could have held on to the conjuring gift I’d borrowed from Nix, but I’d only have been able to use it once.
In a way, Mirror Mages were a tiny bit like FireSouls because they used the powers of others. But they weren’t very dangerous because they couldn’t keep the magic or replicate it more than once.
I turned toward the valley. The fire was starting to dissipate, but it was still an unnatural spectacle, the sky alight with flame.
“I could have killed us if I hadn’t pointed my hands to the sky,” I whispered. “I’m dangerous.”
“I think you need to practice,” Del said.
“Or not use my power at all.” Tears pricked at my eyes. Why was I like this?
“Let’s not worry about that now,” Nix said. “We should get out of here. Let’s find food and shelter.”
I nodded and blinked the tears away. “Okay. Let’s go.”
We set off along the mountain ridge, following the magical string tied around our waists. I was tired and scared, but at least I had my deirfiúr. My sisters.
But as I walked, the most horrible thought occurred to me. Had I been born a Mirror Mage, or had I killed someone for this gift?
CHAPTER ONE
Ten Years Later
Temple of Murreagh
Deep Beneath Western Ireland
“Cass! Answer me, damn it. Are you hurt?” Nix’s voice echoed quietly from the pendant around my neck.
“Gimme a sec,” I wheezed as I shoved the huge rock off my leg and scrambled behind a big boulder. Pain radiated from my shin, but nothing felt broken, thank magic. I didn’t have time to deal with it anyway. A nasty looking shadow demon was currently trying to blow my head off. As long as my limbs were mostly functional, I was good to go.
A blast of magic blew apart the stone over my head.
I ducked and rubble bounced off my shoulders.
Damn demon!
When it stopped, I peered over the boulder at the demon who guarded the altar in the middle of the underground temple. It’d taken me nearly six hours to get through the enchantments that led to the temple. Fire charms, moving rocks, an awful riddle—the whole lot. Real Indiana Jones stuff, but I didn’t have the cool hat.
After all that, it seemed like it should be smooth sailing. But no, this treasure was protected by a shadow demon. Who was apparently very displeased with my presence.