Page 96 of Oath of Rebellion

Chapter 34

KNOX JERKED AWAKE TO the sound of beeps. Krys stood over him pushing gems on the side of Eirwyn's glass coffin.

Knox pushed to his knees, every muscle screaming at him as he grunted. Krys didn't take his eyes off his work, his fingers flying as he said, "Something's wrong. She's not coming out of the Beyond."

Knox' chest burned, his hand–now covered in small scales–on the glass. "What can we do?" His voice was raspy, and he needed a drink of water.

"I want to make sure we're not missing something, so we're going to hack into the mansion to see if we can replay the memories."

Knox looked at him dumbfounded and blinked. "What the hells does that mean?"

Behind him, a scraping sound came from the open door. Ashur carried a mirror that was nearly four feet tall and barely fit in the corridor. He stood it up against the metal wall as Flint came in behind them.

Slate and Stone connected metal tubes to either side of the mirror's frame, then connected it to a cylindrical metal stick similar in size to the glow sticks and flame blade.

Then they handed him the stick. "Hold this," one of them said.

Knox wrapped his hand around it, then Krys pushed buttons on the side of the mirror. The stick became warm in his hand as the gems on either end lit up. The glow from the gems traveled down the tube to the mirror's frame, making it light up.

Ashur's eyes widened. "Is this one of the king's spy mirrors? I've heard of these."

Krys scowled. "No, that technology was stolen from us long ago. This is an original and safe from him. It's a memory mirror."

The mirror flashed a brilliant blue light, then he saw himself running through the hallway of the mansion. He watched as they fell through the glass door to the ballroom then again inside the ballroom. He saw Eirwyn lift in his hands and grab the apple.

He felt his cheeks heat as the dwarves saw him stick his nose between her legs. Krys sighed but the others snickered.

Ashur whistled low. "About damn time."

Then he saw Eirwyn eat the apple and fall. Knox' stomach dropped and twisted, guilt clawing at him. A ringing began to pound into his head, and he rubbed his temples with his free hand.

Krys pressed some gems and the memory in the mirror slowed. Krys clicked something to stop the image. He clicked on the mirror and zoomed in on the background. A wall of portraits hung of varying sizes, but one was not a portrait at all.

No, it was a mirror.

The telltale shimmer of magic showed a man in royal finery, the man's hand outstretched as he shot a beam of magic to the dragon skeleton. Krys slowly let the image play.

A flash of light shot out when she bit into the apple, and Krys cursed. "By the beards of Avalon, what was that?"

Krys stepped away from the mirror and back to the coffin. Knox frowned in worry. If Krys was confused, then they were well and truly doomed. The dwarf always had an answer to any problem.

He turned the stick over to one twin while the other powered it off.

"What does it mean?" Knox asked, rubbing his forehead. His hands were clammy, and his body shivered in the cold, metal room as he stood in pants and boots.

"That was the king. He was tracking her and is still trying to kill her. We need to keep her in stasis for a few days to see if she'll heal. It will also help hide her from the king."

Knox shook his head, his thoughts fuzzy. "If he knows Eirwyn is alive, that means Red is in danger. She might've failed in her mission to give him a false heart."

Ashur sighed and stepped toward the coffin. "Actually, that's why I'm here. I came looking for you because Scarlet has been captured."

Knox' blood ran cold even as his rage began to simmer. He'd failed Eirwyn and now Scarlet too. Was there anyone he could protect? Some king of the forest when he couldn't even protect two little women.

The words overwhelmed him as he stared down at Eirwyn. The pressure on his chest increased, threatening to bury him in an avalanche of emotions. It wasn't fair. If they couldn't bring her back from the Beyond, then she would die.

It was his job to protect her, love her, mate her.

A ringing in his head began to grow. It was a feeling, a pressure, an idea that wouldn't let go. It sank into his mind and before he could think about it too much, he leaned over and kissed her red lips.