He was not sure what to do next. It was his duty to report the Regent's death, but he could not bring himself to move. He was too weary to think rationally. He wanted to sink into a sleep of magic fatigue, but he used all his will to force himself awake.
Only the thought of Elizabeth kept him going. He could not give up, for her sake. He would fight until the end, even if that meant draining the last bit of blood out of him.
Chapter 28
After Darcy and the others left, Elizabeth sat in the carriage and thought about the best way to travel through the mirror. The prospect of doing this seemed unsurmountable. Firstly, she needed a corresponding mirror on the other side. Secondly, it had to be outdoors. And thirdly, she did not trust herself to travel all the way to Founder’s Hall in one go. She did not want to risk getting lost in the mirror and never coming out.
It took her a while to put everything together, but after some thought, she found a way. It was convoluted, and she was very grateful that the weather would allow her to do it, but she believed it would work. She would hop from place to place, and she would use water at each of these locations to act as a mirror. She chose locations where she had looked into the water and seen her reflection, remembering what Riquer had told her about mirrors having a memory of those who looked into them. She would have preferred to test it under different circumstances, but she just had to hope he was right.
She chose a fountain at Rosings, a pond next to the inn at Bromley, another fountain in a village where they had changed horses, and, for Founder’s Hall, the river. All these were hardly ideal, and she would arrive soaking wet, but luckily the weather was reasonably warm. In any case, it was the least of her worries. Having finally mapped out her path through the mirror, she stepped out of the carriage and stood in front of Dymchurch Redoubt. It was time to go.
As she stepped into the mirror, Elizabeth thought she heard the sound of galloping hooves. She ignored it. She had to give her full attention to guiding herself through the mirror.
She was quickly enveloped by the fog. It frightened her at first, because it reminded her of what had happened on the beach. She could not afford to think of that, or she would be truly lost while she traveled. She kept a single image in her mind, of her first destination. Rosings.
The mist swirled around her, and a short time later, she gasped as she emerged from the water in the gardens at Rosings. She was tempted to go and see Jane, but she had to find Mary. She paused just long enough for a wave of dizziness to pass, then stepped in the mirror again.
Each time she emerged, the dizziness was worse and it was harder for her to keep her destination in mind. When it came to her last destination, her head was spinning.
Riquer had told her once that travel through the mirror worked best when there was an emotional reason for her to seek a place. Fortunately, that place was Founder’s Hall, and her memories of the river were sharp and strong. She thought of the boat moored on the River Thames, next to the Hall, where she and Darcy had first talked properly with each other. She recalled that night on the river — the warm summer day and the fireflies. Darcy rowing as he talked about Pemberley. The silken soundof his voice. She remembered the shimmer of the lantern in the water. The sparkle of the water.Thatwas her mirror.
She landed in a splash in the murky water. For a moment, she was pulled under by the current. She had exhausted herself completely, the magic had drained out of her. She felt as if she was floating.
“Halt!! Who goes there?”
Elizabeth recognized the voice of one of the older apprentices who had been assigned guard duty. “It’s me. Mrs. Darcy. I am sure you recognize me.”
“Mrs. Darcy?” He peered closely at her. “How do I know it is not an Illusion?”
She understood his suspicions, but now was not the time. Every moment mattered. “Because I am in the water. Magic and water do not mix.” That maxim still held true. The Imperial Mages had not managed to overcome it.
He leaned over. “True enough,” he said, leaning over and putting out his hand. As he helped her onto the bank, his eyes suddenly narrowed in suspicion.
“But what are you doing in the water? I heard you were on the coast.”
“To me!” he cried.
Half a dozen soldiers materialized from among the trees. “We will escort this young lady to the Hall,” he said, “We need to verify her identity.”
One of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s men recognized her. “It is Mrs. Darcy. We know her.”
“We cannot be sure. Why would she be in the water?”
He was only doing his duty, and Elizabeth did not blame him but she was seething with impatience. The other soldiers nodded uncertainly, then fell into formation around her. Her vision was turning gray, her battle with fatigue and cold threatening to overtake her.
When they arrived at the hall, her knees were barely able to hold her and she was forced to lean against the wall.
"Sit down on the ground, Mrs. Darcy, while we fetch someone."
He took her elbow and started to help her down, but the world swirled crazily around her, and she fell forward to the ground.
She woke up to the sound of voices.
"How could those dolts not know who she is?"
“They recognized her, but one of the apprentices was convinced she was an Illusion.”
“Illusions don’t fall to the ground in a faint.”
