Christina Bauer - Mirrors and Mysteries: Rapunzel Meets Jane Eyre

Mirrors and Mysteries

Book 9 of the Fairy Tales of the Magicorum

Copyright

Dedication

For All Those Who Kick Ass, Take Names,

and Read Books

Authors Note

D ear Reader,

Fair Warning: In this book, the cliff doth hang until the next installment, Rapunzels and Powers.

I am so freaking sorry, I cant even. This series is totally kicking my ass. The world building and character arcs are both numerous and intense. Sure, I could cram it all into one volume, but thats not an option, as shown by this actual conversation between Business Me and Writer Me

There you have itthe inner workings of my somewhat fractured mind. I truly appreciate your patience as I work things through.

And without further blabbity-blah, heres the story!

CB

MIRRORS AND MYSTERIES

Our story begins at the end of TOWERS AND TITHES.

Dex returns to the Faerie Realm after an unfortunate run-in with the evil elf, Lady R.

Dex

Age Twenty

T he best part about being a wolf shifter?

Kicking ass.

So far this year, Ive battled legions of trolls, a spider queen who spits cocoons of death, and a three-legged elf wizard whose attack spells give you extra limbs (in his defense, he thinks hes doing you a favor). I should be dead many times over, but we wolf shifters self-heal, fast.

All of which means that although Lady R just zapped me with magical blindness, Im not too worried. My healing powers have erased spells for ice fevers, vanished fangs, and extra heads. All I need is a quiet spot and Miladys magic is history.

Question is, where am I?

After my unhappy encounter with Lady R, I returned to the Faerie Realm via a supernatural portal. Normally, magic would transport me straight to my home, Wulfhelm.

This time, Im not sure where it dropped me off.

Even when Im human in formlike nowmy animal side is always close. Sadly, visual scans arent an option right now. Instead, I reach out with my wolf awareness. Leaves rustle in unseen trees. Night insects chirp nearby. A gentle breeze brushes my skin. My heart lightens.

My home, Wulfhelm, could be nearby.

I take a deeper breath. Beyond the scent of pine and moss, theres the unmistakable stench of rot. Disappointment settles on my shoulders.

Not Wulfhelm.

Still, its a deserted forest. That should be enough. Closing my eyes, I pull on the supernatural energy within. An electric zing spirals through my limbs. Healing power charges across my skin. A magical chill penetrates my body.

One minute passes.

Two.

Please, let this work.

Little by little, I reopen my eyes.

Total darkness surrounds me. Still blind. This spell is a tricky one. Closing my eyes once more, I tap into an even deeper level of power. Fresh energy crackles around me. My veins heat. Every inch of my body feels so pumped with magic, its as if I might explode. Agony radiates through my nervous system. Firming up my stance, I push past the hurt.

Five minutes pass.

Ten.

I open my eyes again. And the blindness remains. Unfortunately, I now sense the weight of manacles on my wrists and feetits the binding power of Miladys spell. A weight of worry settles into my bones. Much as I hate to admit it, Lady R wields some mean magic.

Clink, clink

Metallic jangling echoes around me. The noise is odd and familiar, all at once.

Clink, clink

I know that sound. Two Refract warriors are on their way.

Wulfhelms territory sits beside Refraction, the Prism Masters land. Unlucky us. The Prism Masters a sadistic freak who wants more acreage at any cost. Wulfhelm is his prime target. Refract warriors regularly patrol our joint boundary, looking for weaknesses.

Today, theyll think theyve found one. Me.

Although I cant see, I can still picture this scene. The two Refract warriors are slender and pale with high cheekbones and long white hair. Theyll wear thin metal armor without helms. Compared to the elves, Im muscular and broad-shouldered with rough features. My black hair is tied back with a scrap of leather. I wear human-style jeans and a dark Henley.