Book One – Chapter 2

Yves’ second sight was incredibly poor. Both in the real world and in the realm of shards, experienced illusionists, shrouded by skill and knowledge, could surely conceal themselves from his limited perception. The presence had appeared right in front of the mirror, right on the other side of the barrier, which meant that the wizard must have drawn near undetected while Yves had performed the ritual to return to his own plane. A chilling realisation. Even with the barrier between them, the tremendous resonance of the wizard’s power had reverberated across dimensions, a power imbued with an unmistakeable undercurrent of malice. In the depths of his being, Yves felt he had stood in the overwhelming presence of an unparalleled master.

One question hung heavy: why did this wizard not seize him immediately? Why announce his presence instead?

I see you, the voice had said. Well, Yves needed to make sure that those words would become an empty declaration.

To be cautious, Yves needed to believe that a wizard who understood the intricacies of the mirror plane would sooner or later be able to identify and track him in both dimensions. He would be extremely powerful and skilled, which his presence had attested. If he was sent by the academy, he already knew who Yves was. The lighthouse, desolate, secluded and warded in this plane and blocked off in the mirror dimension, was the safest place to be.

Signalling Midnight to rest, Yves walked back to the table and looked down at his mirrors through second sight, which made their strong energies visible below the coat. The ethereal mirrors were a creation of intricate artistry, with a diameter of roughly 40 centimetres each. Yves moved the coat aside and turned his favourite of the two mirrors back up. Its frame, a dark crystal of unparalleled craftmanship, pulsed with an inner radiance, giving off an almost iridescent glow under the light of the two floating orbs that illuminated the underground chamber. Engraved onto the crystal were ornate sigils, an enchanting display of shifting symbols that seemed to morph and transform with each subtle change of illumination. The centre of the mirror held a delicate socket, meticulously fashioned for the witch mother crystal half ball that was the key to activate the mirror’s magical properties. Crafted from the same enigmatic dark crystal as the frame, the socket bore minute, delicate etchings that were infused with an inner light. It was a fusion of artistry and enchantment that bespoke his mastery, a vessel poised to bridge the gap between dimensions.