Oz tumbled into the mirror. For a moment, the world whirled around him as the directions inverted, and then he hovered there on the other side of the mirror, looking back at himself. Silvery material shimmered all around him, then resolved into the familiar library. His body settled into the same nook, though, at the opposite orientation, it felt strange. Oz shifted, uncomfortable in how exactly, perfectly comfortable he felt.

It would be easy to get lost here. To mistake this for the real world. The differences are stark now, but if I allowed myself to settle in, I would have a hard time keeping track of which orientation was the correct one.

A thought came to Oz. He reached out to the book on the table and flipped one open. The text inside marched in the opposite direction, more difficult to read. He snorted under his breath, shaking his head. There’s an obvious hint. Something to remember.

He looked around him. The world quickly faded away, the mirror unable to replicate more than it could reflect. I wonder if this is a fey spell, too? Some minor form of World Door, or storage space, perhaps? Something to keep in mind.

Standing, Oz approached the reflection point. He reached out. His fingertips disturbed a silvery surface, sending ripples through the underside of the mirror. Once more, the world whirled about, and Oz found himself back in his body.

He peeked at the mirror. It isn’t reflecting me, and yet, I still found my way inside. Interesting.

But then, that is the premise of the glamour. Or rather—have I already completed it?

He sent a pulse of qi out, into the mirror world. A copy of himself shaped in qi alone reflected back into his mind, though no image of himself appeared. Rather than his qi, the reflection’s qi model was shaped of the library’s qi, not a part of himself but a part of the mirror world.

Wow. That was way easier than the possession spell.

Then again, I wasn’t trying to enchant the mirror and cast the spell at the same time, and the book called it a basic glamour. Compared to the possession spell, it’s a much easier spell with a lower degree of difficulty…and, apparently, less overall qi required to cast the spell.

That’s a good thought—I should keep it in mind. Not all fey magics require that over-the-top excessive rush of wild magic. Some are delicate, fine workings, and though they use wild magic, the difficulty is in finely working that uncontrollable magic, rather than channeling and surviving a great quantity of it.

Not that there was any particular difficulty in this spell, but again, it was a basic glamour. It’s supposed to be easy.

Remember the lessons I learned. Absorb that knowledge. All this is part of the Universal Theory of Magic.

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Oz nodded. He looked at the mirror again. I think I’ve done it. Now, to see if I can project it through the possession spell’s link, and if I can cast it over myself and the others, or only myself!

A lot of variables, but let’s see if it works! If nothing else, I think I’ve found a way to turn myself invisible. It’s better than where we were before! Even if it’s only a local spell, it means I’ll be able to step outside…maybe.

Though I shouldn’t worry so much. Linnea thought I would be able to project it. Thought it was a good idea, at that. It’ll be fine! It’ll be fine.

Holding the mirror in one hand and the pearl in another, Oz activated the possession spell. A familiar sensation fell over him, and he found himself back in Fflyn’s body.

Welcome back.

Hello, Fflyn. I miss anything?

Fflyn turned his head, showing Oz the road they walked down. So long had passed since any human had walked it that weeds, shrubs, and small trees filled the road thickly, turning the twin ruts from wagon wheels into a narrow path of beaten earth through a young forest. He shrugged. Unless you like silent marches through the forest, not much.

We call those pleasant hikes.

Yeah, the people who aren’t putting in the work to actually hike do usually call them pleasant, Fflyn bit back.

Chuckling, Oz took over from Fflyn. Feeling weariness in Fflyn’s legs, he circulated his qi through Fflyn’s body, refreshing his exhaustion. He hurried to catch up to Aisling, looking around. “Where’s Loup?”

“Scouting,” Aisling said simply.

“She has enough energy for that?” Oz muttered under his breath.

Aisling chuckled. “This probably doesn’t qualify as a long walk, for her.”

“Well, that’s true.” Oz leaned in. At a whisper, he offered, “I think I’ve found a way to turn us invisible, in a way that even a higher-level mage might overlook.”

Aisling turned. She raised her brows.

“Er, I’m not sure it works for both of us, or just me, or at all…would you mind stepping close, so I can give it a try?”

She nodded, moving closer to him. A soft smoky-sweet fragrance wafted over him, almost like a charred cherry branch. Warmth emanated from her body, a little hotter than an ordinary person’s body heat. When she grew close to him, due to the mismatched sizes of their bodies, the softness of hers pressed near to his head. Oz’s cheeks heated up, and he took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay steady. Keep your mind on the spell. The spell is what matters right now!

He reached out to the mirror in the library, sitting in the palm of his real body. The spell still glimmered there, kept active by the idle circulation of Oz’s qi. As he called out to it, the whole structure rushed to life. His qi burned hot, and in the mirror, the mirrored qi did the same. The mirrored qi flowed exactly as his did, and the weight of that circulation fell on Oz alone, the double weight of his usual qi slamming into his passages and weighing on his meridians. His body creaked, pain biting into every inch.

Oz gritted his teeth. He pushed on, fighting through the pain. I can handle it. I can get used to it! Keep going! Expand my passages. Strengthen my meridians! This—it’s the pain of growing stronger. I can handle it!

In his mind’s eye, he saw the mirror world, saw the mirrored flow of qi. His form, presence, shape, all of them melted into the mirror, while the invisible flow of qi remained in the real world.

Oz opened his eyes and found Fflyn’s hands fading away, the rest of his boyd quickly following. He looked up at Aisling, but she stood over him solidly, no different from ever. Startled, he grabbed her arm. Her too! I need the spell to cover her, too. Come on!

The spell jolted. The mirror thrummed. Oz’s qi lurched, almost jerking to a halt. He caught his breath, eyes widening. No! I can’t lose the spell!