Читать книгу A Choice of Secrets - Barb Hendee - Страница 8

The Mirror

Long ago, a vain lord enslaved a young witch so that he might force her to use her powers to keep him handsome and young. His most valued possession was an ornate three-paneled mirror in which he could see himself from several angles. Looking into its panels, he loved to admire his own beauty.

Seeking revenge on him, the young witch began secretly imbuing the mirror with power, planning to trap him in the reflection of the three panels where he might view different outcomes of his useless life over and over, and he’d suffer to see himself growing old and unwanted. But unknown to her, as she continued to cast power into the mirror, it came to gain a will and awareness of its own.

One night, the lord caught her as she worked her magic, and he realized she was attempting to enchant his beloved mirror. In a rage, he drew a dagger and killed her. But her spirit fled into the mirror. Though she had been seeking escape, she was once again enslaved...this time by the mirror itself. It whispered to her that it would protect her and use the power she’d given it for tasks more important than punishing a vain lord. Together, they would seek out those facing difficult decisions and show them outcomes to their choices.

“Wait!” she cried, inside the mirror. “What does that mean?”

The mirror vanished from the lord’s room, taking her with it.

And no one knew where it might appear again.