I opened my mouth to scream for help, but Henry laughed. “She’s enchanted the door. No one will get in.”
“What…what is that?” Prue’s voice shook. I followed her pointed finger to the large mirror again, trying to ignore Nell’s voice as she repeated, “Come forth, come forth, come forth, and pass into our realm.”
It started as three blurry lights in the mirror. They bobbed up and down a little bit—one white, the others a wicked green. And then they got bigger. And bigger. And bigger. Until they weren’t just little lights, they were…
Ogres, Alastor said. They’re dumber than fen-sucked louts, but they’re bonny fighters.
What does that mean?
Allow me to put this in a way you’ll understand: it means WE ARE DOOMED.
They were ugly—skin like old, rotting frogs, with razor-sharp beaks that were already dripping with yellow foam. The stink of rotten eggs filled the small room, but it wasn’t coming from me. The ogres’ ears were long and pointed, jutting out from an otherwise smooth, grayish-green skull. I’ve never seen eyes that shade of burning gold before. The two of them stared hungrily at us through the glass.
One raised a big beefy hand and knocked.
Prue screamed.
They weren’t done. The same ogre pressed its huge clawed hand up against the glass and pushed. The mirror stretched and stretched and stretched like it was made of rubber. But even rubber has a snapping point. When it happened, it sounded like a gunshot. The ogre’s hand smashed through, slapping against the ground for something to grip.
“Nell! Stop! Stop it!” I yelled. It was already too late. The first ogre pushed its wide shoulders through the gold frame, grunting with the effort. The metal bent and cracked, warping to give him and his identical brother enough room to duck through. When they finally stood at their full height, they towered over all of us—seven, eight feet tall. And almost just as wide.
“Keep going,” Henry growled to Nell. She had stopped, staring at the fiends with total terror. “You’re not finished yet!”
Nell glanced at me and then away, back at her mother’s grimoire. Her hands were shaking so hard she could barely hold the heavy book up.
“Come forth, come forth…” she whispered, “and pass into our realm.”
The final light began to take shape. It was a white light that quickly turned into a big black cat—a panther.
The panther from my dream.
Its silky coat flashed as it stepped through the mirror, slinking forward until it came to a stop between the two ogres and sat. One bright blue eye and one black eye.
One eye that allows us to see in this world, and one to see Downstairs.
I knew Nightlock had mentioned what form they took in our world—there was a snake, maybe. All I could remember was the poor one that got stuck with being a hedgehog. So who was this?
Before I could stop him, I felt the bubble rise in my throat. Alastor’s prim voice burst out of my mouth. “Who are you? How dare you enter this realm and break the balance?”
The panther smiled. Actually smiled.
“Now, big brother,” came a refined woman’s voice, “don’t tell me you can’t recognize your own sister?”
“Pyra.”
The world seemed to drop out from under us.
Pyra? As in your sister, Pyra? As in your sweet little sister that, oh no, could never be involved in this?
The panther took a step toward us and nodded at Henry. The man released me and pushed me toward her. Prue got there faster, grabbing my arm.
“Alastor, how charming. You’ve made a friend,” Pyra purred. “It pains me to see you in such a form, living with such creatures as these.”
“What are you doing here?” I felt Alastor’s words leaving my mouth, his words ringing in my ears. Prue looked startled, but didn’t let go of my arm. “Have you come to take me home? You’ve finally manifested your animal form—how brilliant. I assure you the protectors will not be necessary once I’m free.”
Al, I thought at him, this is the creature I saw in my dreams—
But I swear—I swear I felt Alastor swell with pride inside of me. My skin prickled, static racing along my arms, my neck, my face.
No! Al, think about this—if she’s here, it means she’s the one that’s behind all of this! She made the deal with the Bellegraves, she betrayed you to Honor! Listen to me!
“Oh, my poor, stupid brother…” Pyra began to weave in and out of the candles, circling around the ogres. They stood like stone, guarding the mirror. The glass there rippled, signaling that the portal was still open. “I’m not here to take you home. I’m here to take what should have been mine over three hundred years ago.”
If Alastor had been in full control of my body, we could have…I don’t know, we could have at least made it harder for the ogres to swipe me off the ground and dangle me from my right foot like I was some kind of bug they were about to eat. I should have taken the iron bracelets off when I had the chance.
“Prosper!”
I forced Al back down. “Stay back, Prue! It’s okay—just—stay back!”
For one second, I actually felt bad for Alastor. I could feel a storm of emotions raging in my chest, and all of them belonged to him. Blood rushed to my head, but so did anger, embarrassment, confusion—he was stunned. Too stunned to even speak.
“You must be asking yourself, how? How did it come to this?” Pyra circled back, her tail curling in the air and smoke. “It started when Father announced that you would be heir. When you allowed our father to lock me in the tower, in a prison. I was your shame, was I not?”
“Never!” Al said. “Never. I only agreed with Father for your protection—Bune and the others might have killed you otherwise!”
“It turned out well for me. There, I met a host of fiends, the kinds you scorned as servants and lessers for the roles our father had forced on them. The ones he’d enslaved to fight his battles and do his work. Do you remember our old nannyhob? Oh, how that hob grew to despise you. Without so much as a nudge, she revealed your true name, overheard at birth. At the time, I did not have the power to manifest my animal form because you and my other precious brothers would not allow me to make contracts. I thought if I could take your magic, your power, it would be enough to allow me to shift.”
“Pyra…” Alastor sounded as though he was being torn in two. “You only needed to ask for my help, and it would have been granted!”
“Liar!” the panther growled. “It took time, what with you spoiling my original plan, but as soon as I’d enough power to shift, I’d gathered the other prisoners and unleashed them Downstairs. Under my leadership, the lowest of the low rose higher and higher, slaying all those who stood in our way. Not only is the Black Throne mine, but I’ve proven my might to our realm. They call me Pyra the Conqueror. I will do what all of you feared to.”