“The first crucible is nearly melted,” Daje says, his voice strained.
I turn to find sweat already beading on his brow, his hand shaking from the continued use of his magic.Fuck, we still have so much glass to melt to fill the frame. “Perhaps you should go help him,” I tell Max, halting his sorting of the glass. “The two of you can sustain the flame longer than just him alone.”
But Elora stops Max from going, her dark eyes darting from me to Daje while something soft flashes in them. “He doesn’t want anyone to help,” she whispers, the corners of her mouth turning down. “Rhea’s abduction, Cass’s death… He feels responsible for them both and is desperate to prove that he can fix this. That he can be more help than burden.”
“Is that what he thinks? That he is a burden?” I ask her under my breath as Max goes back to silently sorting.
“He tried, Bahira. He triedso hardto go back for Cass. He nearly hurt me trying to get to him, but I—” She swallows, hand trembling from where it rests on the table. “I couldn’t watch him die too. But this… this is almost worse. This is a slow death. One orchestrated by him. One, I’m afraid, we won’t be able to stop if repairing the Mirror doesn’t work. If Rhea doesn’t come home.”
I think over her words as Max waves Nox over, the both of them bringing the next round of filled crucibles over to the flame.
“Daje’s always wanted to be the one to save those he loves,” I murmur, grabbing two new containers for us to fill. “He deserves someone showing him that he is worth saving, too.”
“Someone like you?” she asks, faint vulnerability coloring her tone.
“No,” I smile, feeling her eyes scouring my face. “I was never supposed to be the one to do that.”
Time passes slowly, Elora and I sorting through all of the glass, and Nox and Max adding crucible after crucible to the flame so that it can all be melted at once. Only when Daje wobbles on his feet does he finally give in and allow Max to take over, his blue magic hugging the flame as he keeps the temperature steady.
Nox paces restlessly, looking out of one of the forge’s high windows as he denotes the faint trickle of sunlight showing through it means he will have to leave soon.
“We can wait for the glass to harden before you try imbuing it,” Elora suggests, her cheeks pink from the warmth emanating into the room.
“I disagree.” Though dirt covers the stone beneath us, his steps still echo as he comes to stand next to the empty frame. “We need to test it now to see if my magic will do anything at all or if this has just been a massive waste of time. Is all of the glass melted?”
Daje checks over the crucibles and nods. “The last one finally melted.”
“Thank gods,” Max breathes, his magic beginning to flicker. “Can I stop now?”
“Yes, but we have to move quickly.”
There’s a flurry of movement as all but Elora leap to grab a pair of large iron tongs. One by one, we remove the crucibles from the flame, the hot glass meeting the cold steel releasing a high-pitched hiss. Elora uses a wooden block soaked in water to smooth the glass into one even layer, and when the last crucible is poured, we stare at the iridescent glass. It glimmers like the Spell, pressing into the edges of the frame as it begins to cool.
“I’m ready,” Nox says, his magic already glowing in his palm. It’s just a small ball of dark purple laced with a single wisp of black, and as my gaze lifts to meet those of Max, Elora, and Daje, their faces express my own concern.It isn’t enough.
In silence, we all watch as Nox feeds what little magic he can summon into the Mirror. Eventually, it changes the entire surface to that same deep purple, black wavy lines interspersed throughout. Within minutes, Nox’s heavy breathing fills the space. Another few pass, and he’s forced to lean his other hand on the table to steady himself. I lay my hand on his shoulder in silent warning, but he ignores it as he continues to send scraps of his power out. It’s when he nearly faceplants into the hot glass that I finally pull him back, his magic sputtering out like a candle flame.
“Enough,” I whisper, panic rising at how deeply he leans into me.
“It isn’t. It never will be. Not until—” He doesn’t finish before his eyes roll to the back of his head and he becomes dead weight in my arms.
“Fuck! Max, come help me!” He rushes over, and together, we lay Nox gently on the ground, his sweaty, pale face gildedin the warm light from the flame. I press a hand to his cheek, calling his name as I stare down at him.
“Has he ever passed out from using his magic?” Max asks from where he kneels at Nox’s other side. Daje and Elora stand behind him, the latter leaning into Daje with his hand resting on her hip.
“Never,” I answer, glancing back up at the table holding the Mirror. “Is the glass still holding his power?”
As one, Elora and Daje move to inspect the Mirror. “The glass is hazy, but it appears his magic is holding.” She looks at me just as Nox begins to stir. “Do you think that means it will work?”
“Perhaps,” I answer, my fingers curled in towards my palms to hide their trembling. “We might need Nox to imbue it with his blood all over again.” This time not as crown prince but as the new king.
“What happened?” Nox groans as Max helps him to sit, sweat gliding down his temple.
“Your magic infused the Mirror, but we don’t know yet if it’s enough to make it work.”
He attempts to push himself up to stand and falters, needing help from Max and I to get up fully. “I’ll try—”
“Nox, you just passed out from using your magic. I don’t think you should try again.”
