She nods. “I believe it was placed so as to be forgotten. Not until Grace spoke of mirrors as portals did I recall that odd one. It had been turned to face the wall—so easily overlooked. I am quite astonished I managed to leave with it. A part of me felt peculiarly compelled to let it remain where it lay. Even now, I cannot shake the sense that something is amiss about it.”
Her eyes glaze over as she stares at the mirror. I lift my hand, waving it in front of her eyes. She snaps out of it and blushes at her slight dissociation.
Professor Blackthorne nods as he circles the table, observing the mirror from every angle. “I don’t know what this mirror is, to be quite honest. It radiatessomethingthat encourages you to look away, almost a heavy discomfort. Perhaps it's been spelled to deter its viewer.”
We nod along to his words as he continues. “There are some rituals you can do with this mirror, I think, but it would have risks. We won’t know for certain what the cost would be to use it, but I hate to admit… It’s probably the best chance we have.”
He takes two steps forward and stares at both of us. “Milly, do you still have your grimoire?”
I immediately turn my head to Milly, suddenly eager to see the one she’s spent nearly a hundred years making.
“I do.” She vanishes and reappears in front of the bookshelf across the room. Her fingers trail over the spines as she searches, humming softly. “It’s right…about…here!” Her body glows with excitement as she touches the book.
The grimoire is beautiful. The cover is worn black leather, with creases all over from years of use. A large purple stone lies perfectly in the center of the cover, glowing slightly. The edge pages are a shimmering silver, catching the small parts of light casting within the room.
She walks toward us, opening the book. The pages are an off-white, thicker material. They’re weathered from use, adding to their aged appearance. I watch as she flips through the used pages that hold handwritten spells, rituals, and information with ink and a pen. Her penmanship is just as elegant as the notes she has left me.
She sits down on the couch between Professor Blackthorne and me. She continues flipping through the pages until she stops at one with the wordsEntrapment Incantation.
“Ah, yes. Here it is. I believe this shall do.” She lifts it slightly with her hands and points to the section titled ‘ingredients’. “We possess the most crucial item already—a mirror, worn and weathered by grief.”
I lift my brow at that, and she stares back with confidence. “No mirrors on this campus can unsee the horrors these halls have witnessed. Their glass holds memory, just as we do.”
She points to the following item, a sketch of black candles. “Six black candles will be needed, placed at every point of the pentagram. This demon shall be banished, cast back to his dominion in Hell.”
“But what will happen to Priest Brown? Is he going to be banished to Hell as well?” I ask with determination.
I refuse to think that this terror of a man will receive a second chance on this earth.
She shrugs. “I confess, I am unsure what shall become of his bodyonce the demon departs. The writings I have studied become vague at that point. I can only assume he will crumble to dust, his body surely unable to bear the burden of the countless years.”
I can’t hold back the grin that flashes across my face, and I glance over to my professor, who too has a slight smile on his face. Another thing we can agree upon.
“So, what do we do? We just place the mirror in the middle of the pentagram?” I ask.
“In theory, yes. But we need Priest Brown to be in line with the mirror.” He points at the grimoire. “The mirror is a portal. If he were not to be in line with it, there is a risk of the next closest person being dragged within,” Professor Blackthorne adds in.
We both wait for Milly as she continues to read along. “He is quite right. He must stand above the pentagram and in line with the mirror itself. Only then will the rite hold.”
“But how will we get him above it? Surely he’d feel thewrongnessof this mirror? How do we hide it? This feels too easy. He’s going to see this coming, especially if we try to put him in such a specific spot in the room,” I question with anxiety.
“It’ll be easy to place the mirror in the room, especially with its enchantment. Milly, can you implement one over it yourself? It wouldn’t be unusual for a new prop to be within the room during a ceremony. Priest Brown loves his garb,” Blackthorne grumbles the last few words.
“I can surely try. How long it will hold is beyond my knowledge, though even a small effort must be worth something.” Milly worries her brows, becoming lost in thought.
Blackthorne continues. “I would be surprised if anyone spoke up at all. Even I would make assumptions that Priest Brown set it up himself. That is, even if they happen to question it. As for him? I’m banking on the fact that he’s not as aware of his surroundings as he acts. He’s reliant on his deacon to prepare the ritual. He’s growing weaker without thesacrifice and becoming more irritable. I think he’ll just be happy to see Grace in the room.”
My heart starts to race at the endless opportunities for this to go wrong, my leg now bouncing up and down.
“Shadow, breathe. That is why we have gathered here, to see this through.” I chew on my nail but nod. I have no other option but to trust them. She places a hand on my shaking leg until it stills, then presses a soft kiss on my forehead before returning to her grimoire.
“There are specific words that must be spoken once he is positioned precisely.” She floats a pen over to her hands as she starts to write within the worn pages. Occasionally huffing, scratching words out, and tapping the pen on her chin, she finally squeals and turns to us both.
“I have it!”
She inhales, and her voice takes on an eerie tone.
Mirror bright, I call your might,
