Chapter 167

David

After Dean sorted things out with his parents, he returned to the dragon keep through the recently relocated wolf mirror. They continued to push the different jewels to see where they would lead. It didn’t take long for them to realize that the stones acted as a dialing system that aligned the mirrors to multiple locations.

The solid white gem led to a chamber that David recognized as a mirror image of his mother’s room when he was a child. Argus boldly volunteered to go first, as he said he had a feeling. They found a small abandoned castle that was almost identical the David’s. The tapestries and ornamentation was different but the basic layout of the main parts of the castle was identical. After a few minutes of investigation, Argus became convinced that the castle belong to King Caius. Paintings of Davina and mementos of David’s childhood supported Argus’s theory.

As they traveled from room to room it became clear that the castle has long since become abandoned. The castle itself was in good repair but every corner of it was covered in a thick layer of dust. Every clue indicated that it had been out of use for about three hundred years. David surmised that it was forgotten when Davina died in child birth and Caius lost his mind.

Argus looked sad as he motioned for them to head back to the mirror. “I guess we know who my mother was talking to and who was watching us. Had I realized, I would have asked him to join us. Fineze would certainly have gotten a kick out of some new spice.” Argus said sadly. “The Frost king must have spent his life feeling horribly left out.”

“Why do you think he stayed hidden? I get being afraid to face the kingdom after fighting on the wrong side of the war, but not being able to face his mate and her Kindred seems even harder.” Drew said softly.

David wished he had an answer but he didn’t. Clearly his mother had forgiven him, as she carried his son, Daniel. Argus seemed remorseful that Caius didn’t join them. Argus had even said his father would have been accepting of the situation.

David considered the way Daniel had isolated himself. How he had struggled to embrace Dean and flat out rejected Damian and Drew. He wondered if maybe seclusion was just a part of what it meant to be a Frost dragon. He decided that when the war was over he would devote some time to researching the Frost dragons and their habits.

David knew time was running out, so he humored the Green dragon. He returned to Caius’s mirror as Argus ushered them through the shimmering glass and back into the hidden treasure room.

The next gem was green. David pushed it several times but the reflection did not change. It would light up as the others had and the mirror would shimmer but it simply would not connect.

I think the green used to be the elven mirror. It can’t connect anymore because the other end no longer exists. Stormy signed. Her face looked thoughtful and she chewed her lip like she was trying to find the solution to a difficult equation.

A solid blue gem led to the human world. Damian recognized the reflection immediately. It looked to be in an attic or storage space of some kind. Damian explained the mirror was in a forgotten storage room in the basement of a popular antiques auction house in the largest city in the world. He said it made the perfect hunting ground for serial killers. Even when he hadn’t been able to locate one in the local vicinity, he was able to access transportation to nearby towns and cities that never failed him. He called the human town the Swinging City.

Since Damian was so familiar with the area around the human mirror, David and the team felt no pressing need to step through it. He felt that their time would be better spent trying to figure out where the other stones would take them. As each new mirror has connected, he has become absolutely convinced that it was the secret to finding the Land of Lost Things.

The last stone in the frame was a rainbow-colored gem. David pushed it and looked into what looked like a public bathroom. Drew had been the one to recognize the stone work and identify its location inside Tempestra’s temple in the land of the fae.

Drew became insistent that they travel through it and move the mirror to a more secure and less embarrassing location. However, the problem arose that only Drew, Shawna and Stormy would be able to enter the mirror, as it was still within the walls of the temple. Drew was absolutely insistent that he and the other fea go ahead and move the mirror. He pointed out that the rest of the Kindred and council would be able to join them as soon as they cleared the temple walls.

David couldn’t find fault with Drew’s logic, even though he had a very bad feeling in his gut. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He started to say something, but the memory of the fight he had with her, when she had gone hunting with Damian, flashed into his mind. He didn’t want her to think he didn’t have faith in him, so he said nothing.

Stormy walked forward and took Drew’s hand. David approached her and pulled her into a hug. “I know you are unstoppable, but will you please be careful. I don’t think I could survive without you.” He whispered.

Stormy nodded her head. She squinted her eyes and David heard her small voice in his head. “I feel it too. I’ll protect them. I’ll see you soon, but until then you have my heart.”

Stormy released the hug and nodded for Shawna to join them. Drew crossed the threshold of the mirror first, followed by Stormy who still held his hand and finally Shawna. David could hear the surprised shrieks from the people in the bathroom as they appeared on the other side.