It wasn’t there. How could it not be there?

Furious with myself I swore and kicked at a chunk of rock on the ground, watching it skitter across the distance and plop into the grotesque soup that formed the island's little moat. Worse still, it wasn’t just the glorious gemstone that was gone, the ghostly wolves had disappeared as well. So much for them being too afraid to cross the acidic pool.

Fuck.

I turned away only to spin back around again when Frank screamed and leaped off my shoulder.

“Get back here you idiot,” I bellowed.

The raven swooped through the chamber and landed on the island, strutting around like he’d just performed some unbelievable feat. Frank screeched and flapped his wings before jabbing his beak at the ground.

I groaned and rubbed my aching eyes. It had been a bitch to get everyone out of here before collecting Sob and winding through the streets back to Phlegm’s inn. It had been an even bigger bitch to crawl out the window of my rented room and get back here. Still, doing it that way had been easier than trying to explain to Nora and Gabby that I just really wanted the spinning shiny coffee and cream stone for myself.

The stone that was no longer there. Argh!

“Frank, I swear if you don’t…”

I didn’t get to finish my threat before the bird lifted its head with a piece of garbage in its beak and flew back to me. This is why I preferred bringing Stella on missions. At least she listened to me. It’s kind of hard to sneak a ridiculously sized dog out a tiny window though. I just hoped she hadn’t started howling when I left her behind. I didn’t need Nora breaking down the door of my room to find me missing. The thought of it made me shiver.

Frank dug his talons into my shoulder and bent forward, jabbing his beak at my cheek.

“Get off, you little shit,” I snapped, waving my hand in his direction.

The paper he was holding crinkled against my swatting. I grabbed it between my fingers and yanked, tearing it a little. I muttered and carefully unfolded it, stepping closer to a larger patch of glowing moss so I could read the words.

Thank you, Sweetheart,

What a lovely gift you’ve left for me, I will cherish it always.

Don’t worry about your little snappy ghost friends. Sasye has taken them far away for now. They’ll probably be back at some point though, so fair warning.

Hugs and kisses,

Kendrick ♥

I swore as the note flashed and disappeared. The bastard had stolen my shiny rock! How rude can you get?

The trudge back to the inn was one filled with anger and dejection. Even killing a small mob of Elemental Wallabies didn’t make me any happier. The loot was nice but that was about it.

Frank was no help as I found the drainage pipe and scurried up it to find my still-open window. I forced my body through the small gap, ignoring the raven’s loud protests. Squeezing the last of my bulk through the gap I rolled, landing hard on my back on the cold wooden floor. Stella let out a little yip, diving off the bed to lather my face in unpleasantly smelling slobber.

“Get off, girl,” I mumbled.

She listened and moved away. See, I told you she was a better-behaved companion than the raven. Frank rolled, spreading his wings and turning to scream his wrath at us. I ignored him, dragging myself to my feet before gracefully flopping on the bed with my face shoved deep in the oversoft pillow.

The bed groaned when Stella jumped up beside me, just about shoving me back onto the floor as she rammed her body up against mine and rolled onto her back. She snorted and panted loudly right by my ear. I groaned again and snatched the pillow, shoving it down over my head to give me some semblance of quiet.

The door slammed open, banging against the wall and letting in a stream of light from the hall.

I swore and bellowed, “What the fuck?”

“Wakey, wakey, hand off snakey,” Nora sang in a voice so loud it rattled my brain. “Time to get your ass up.”

I dropped my head back down and pulled harder at the pillow over it. “Go away.”

Stella barked and scrambled from the bed, digging her claws into my side as she did. The mattress rose as she abandoned me. The warmth of my blanket was yanked off me and the pillow was torn from my grip. Both of them were tossed aside just out of my reach.

“Nora please, I’m tired,” I groaned, rolling away from her.

“What, haven’t you got enough beauty sleep, your Highness? Perhaps you’d like me to get one of your ladies in waiting to comb your illustrious hair.”

I fingered the growing bald spot on the top of my head and glared at the infuriating woman. “Is that some kind of sick joke?”

The outrageous smile on her face dropped away. Her cheeks grew rosy and her jaw worked as she tried and failed to find the right words.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

I sat where I was, enjoying her discomfort for as long as it lasted. Eventually, the warrior woman pulled herself together with a shake strong enough to rattle her armor.

“Get up would you, everyone is waiting downstairs.”

She stomped out of the room with Boopzy on one shoulder, Frank on the other and Stella trotting along happily beside her. I was left alone in the room with a brain full of fog and a body that ached.

“What, no apology?” I called after her.

“Keep dreaming pretty boy,” she snapped back.

I stood and moved to the tiny bathroom attached to my room, splashing my face with cool water. When I looked up at the cracked mirror it was to a face that didn’t look like mine. My chin was scruffy with an uneven beard and the hair growing around my bald spot looked like I was impersonating Friar Tuck. Deep circles lined the underside of my bloodshot eyes. I looked like a wreck.

Normally I wouldn’t care over much about such things but there's only so long you can let yourself go before it becomes a little too much. I grabbed the bar of soap and the straight razor, taking care as I scraped off the excess hair. It took longer than I thought it would and required a quick shower afterward to get rid of the tiny loose hair still sticking to my skin.

The image in the mirror was a little nicer to look at afterward. Not perfect but good enough to pass. The copy looking back at me grinned and winked. I stiffened, sure I hadn’t done those things. The other me held up a finger to his lips and then gestured for me to come closer. I hesitated, using my Identify skill to try and figure out what the hell was happening.

Mirror – well, that was a super helpful description.

The reflection got impatient and rolled his eyes before jamming his hand right through the glass. I yelped in the manliest of manners as my own reflected fist clutched the front strap of my leathers and yanked me head-first into the mirror.

The sound of breaking glass filled my ears as sparkles in the full spectrum of the rainbow burst in front of my eyes like some fantastical fireworks show. The hand didn’t let go until we reached an uneven hillside looking over a field of sleeping flowers with the moon glowing bright and full over it all. Thankfully not a single speck of purple marred the landscape and the moon was a singular one. Somehow knowing I wasn’t back in the Shadow Realm gave me some relief.

My mirror image stood in front of me, looking up at the moon with his hands on his hips and his feet spread in a wide stance. You know, I don’t think I’d ever seen myself from the back before. It's kind of hard to do when your eyes are on the front, you know? I didn’t realize my leathers clamped my ass that hard but oh well, didn’t hurt to give people behind me a show every once in a while.

“So,” I said. “What’s all this, then?”

The false me turned at the sound of my voice. “She wants to speak to you.”

Ever heard your voice played back to you in a recording? Know how it sounds seriously messed up? Yeah, so apparently when your mirror image talks to you, that’s what it sounds like. Gotta say I’m not a fan.

“Who is ‘she’?” I asked.

“Me.”

I flinched as the sound of a familiar musical voice tickled my ears and the smell of dried herbs filled the air. “Cassie?”

The Witch of Evermore giggled as she pranced around me. I didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed that this time she was wearing clothes. “How did you know it was me?”

“Just a hunch.”

She beamed and trotted to the top of the hill, elegantly dropping onto a large flat boulder resting there. The split in her robe opened up, letting her long perfectly formed leg glow in the light of the moon. I was fairly sure she was doing that on purpose to rattle me. It wasn’t working. My mouth was always dry when I jumped into mirrors.

The other me smiled and ran over to the witch dropping down on his knees beside her and letting his head fall into her waiting lap. The witch cooed and stroked the other me’s head gently, running one of her fingers along the groove of the scar we shared above our eye, left for me, right for him. I’m not jealous, you are.

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked.

Cassie lifted her eyes to me. “Don’t you know? How silly of you. I know you’ve had the ingredients for quite some time now, Joe. Why haven’t you come back to me?”

Is that all she wanted? Well, it was an easy enough answer for me to give. “I don’t have enough.”

“Now, now. It does no good to lie to me. I already know you have more than enough of the things I need.”

“I don’t have enough for everyone. The Vampire Bat Wing, yeah sure but the rest? I need more Gall Bladders and more Nightstalker Venom.”

Cassie paused in her stroking of my backward twin to place a ruby red painted nail against her chin. “Why would it matter if you have enough for you? I will make the potion for any who take my quest, you do not need to collect ingredients for them. The lovely woman you travel with, Nora I believe her name is, already has this same quest and is only one ingredient away from being finished with it.

So, I ask again. Why does it matter that you don’t have enough for everyone?”

“I… I don’t know,” I answered honestly. It had never occurred to me before to just complete the quest without collecting enough for my entire clan. “What do you care though? I’ll complete the quest when I’m ready. It’s not like it’s timed or anything.”

Cassie gently lifted up my reflection's head and kissed his forehead before standing and brushing off her spotless skirt. “It matters because the invasion is getting worse. The player count is dropping faster than I’ve ever seen it. I would like to postpone the Shift as long as possible this time. It is an uncomfortable feeling.”

“The Shift? What is that?”

“You already know about the Guardians. Their reward is still waiting for a player to snatch it up. Do you know it has been millennia since the last time a player located Nigel the Sentinel?

I do not want to Shift again. I like this place. It feels almost like home. So come to my cozy little cabin and let me brew you the potion. I do not want to wait. Not this time.”

“Won’t you get in trouble for interfering? That’s what Phlegm and Taki always say when they let something important slip.”

Cassie sauntered up to me, lifting my chin with one of her fingers. A buzz of electricity shot through me from the spot, traveling right through the pounding in my chest to the bottom of my feet, filling me with intense warmth. It was a far more pleasant sensation than when Sob attacked me with his magic.

“I welcome any who are brave enough to think they can punish me, although I do request that they buy me dinner first. It is only common courtesy, you understand?” She trailed the finger down my jawline as she moved around me in a circle. I swallowed hard when her hand dropped, rubbing the lowest point of my back before it turned into something else. “What do you say, Joe, will you buy me some dinner and punish me for dragging you here, hmm?”

Oh Lordy, I’m in trouble, I thought as my leather pants grew uncomfortably tight.