Chapter Six
“Perhaps we should start with the curse,” I said. “Do you remember any of it?”
Narcissus frowned. “It was a very long time ago. Nemesis caught me asleep in the forest; I woke up to her chanting and then I felt the shiver of magic filling me. Suddenly, she was gone and in her place was this magnificent mirror. It was carved with the flowers humans had named after me.”
“The same mirror we were pulled through,” the Wolf said.
“Yes, I assumed so,” Narcissus agreed. “I should have known better to approach it, but I went forward anyway, and I touched the glass. Then I woke here, in a forest that was nearly identical to the one I'd been sleeping in. At first, I didn't realize that I was in the Mirror. I assumed that I'd fallen asleep again. Everything looked the same. It wasn't until I tried to go home that the differences became apparent.”
“There was no one there,” I concluded.
“I lived here.” He nodded as he spread out his arms. “Except my palace wasn't nearly as grand as this one, and there wasn't a lake. I made some adjustments over the years.”
“You adjusted Mirror?” Kirill asked in surprise.
“As if it's your territory,” I mused.
“Yes. It took me years to figure it out,” Narcissus went on. “I believe that when Nemesis bound me to the Mirror, she inadvertently linked us. I can affect this place; alter it with my will. Ironically, the curse sustains me. I should have perished centuries ago without ambrosia to revive my immortality, but here I am.”
“She had to link you to an enchanted mirror in order to imprison you,” I said pensively. “The very magic she used to contain you is also sustaining you. Interesting.”
“But how do we use it to escape?” the Wolf asked.
Narcissus shrugged. “I've been trying to escape for years. I used to stand before that glass portal and scream and wave at the people I saw beyond it, all to no avail.”
“Da, ve learned zat,” Kirill muttered.
“So, you went home and found the place deserted,” I got Narcissus back to his story.
“Not only were there no servants in the palace, but the nearby village was also abandoned,” Narcissus said. “I was terrified. I walked for hours, trying to find another person. And then I reached the end.”
“The end of what?” the Wolf asked.
“The Mirror,” Narcissus said simply. “This place is finite; it encompasses the forest, the area that was once a village, and about a mile beyond. It's large enough, I suppose, but not endless.”
“What does the end look like?” I asked.
“A mirror, what else?” Narcissus laughed grimly. “I didn't realize it until I approached it and saw my own reflection staring back at me. With a cursory glance, it looks as if the forest continues forever, but it's actually surrounded by a mirror that extends up into the sky beyond sight.”
“What happened to the village?” I asked.
“I erased it.” Narcissus grimaced. “I hated seeing it empty. It just made me feel more alone.”
“An enchanted mirror,” I muttered. “Bound to a god. What type of magic do you have, Narcissus?”
“Just a bit of water magic from my father,” he said. “He was a river god. My mom was a nymph; I got my beauty from her.”
“Water magic,” the Wolf murmured. “That's why you built your palace on a lake.”
“Yes; I can manipulate the lake in most seasons,” Narcissus said. “But alas, you're here in Winter, and I can't work with ice.”
“Does your magic work the same in here as it did before?” I asked.
“It's a poor reflection of itself,” Narcissus said sadly and grimaced. “As are all things here.”
“That's why my star petered out,” I muttered. “Great.”
“I've never had other gods here,” Narcissus said. “I have no idea how your magic will fare. But I do know that the Mirror absorbs humans after they die. So, perhaps it would be best if you didn't attempt to use your magic until you're absolutely certain that you need it.”
