Rose stood in front of the mirror, staring at the faint glyph burned onto her wrist. It hadn't been there last night. It shimmered faintly now—a half-moon wrapped in thorns, etched in glowing silver. Not a scar. Not paint. A hex.
Nimbus hovered behind her, bobbing nervously. "That wasn't there yesterday."
"No kidding," Rose muttered. "It tingles. Like it's waiting for something."
She pressed her finger to the mark. It pulsed under her skin like a second heartbeat.
Ciaran's vial flickered in her thoughts. The glyph didn't match any Council magic she recognized. It wasn't Brimstone either—Brimstone left burn marks, not sigils. This was something else. Something ancient.
A knock interrupted her thoughts.
Rose threw on her cloak and opened the door.
Basil.
Of course.
He looked freshly annoyed and possibly windblown. "You did this, didn't you?"
"What?"
"This!" He shoved his wrist forward. An identical glyph glowed just below his glove. "What did you do during that potion?"
Rose's jaw dropped. "You think I hexed you? What kind of egomaniac do you think I am?"
"You're the only person near me when everything goes wrong!"
Nimbus floated between them like a referee. "Now, now. Let's not hex each other until we figure out who hexed you first."
Rose grabbed her bag. "Let's go to Belladoma. If anyone knows what this is, she will."
They stormed through the halls together, exchanging glares with every step. Occasionally, their glyphs would glow in sync—just to make things extra humiliating.
Belladoma's tower was quiet, which was never a good sign. They climbed the spiral stairs, reaching the study, and knocked.
No answer.
Rose pushed the door open. Belladoma's room looked untouched. Too untouched. Books sat too neatly on shelves. Scrolls were sealed tight. Even the tea on her desk was cold.
"She's gone," Rose whispered.
Basil frowned. "That's not like her."
Rose reached for a stack of grimoires, brushing past a candle—and froze.
The candle's flame flickered into the shape of a mouth and hissed, "Beware what binds."
Then it went out.
"What was that?" Basil asked, eyes narrowed.
"Warning," Rose said grimly.
Suddenly, both their glyphs flared—white-hot. Rose gasped. Basil grabbed her arm.
And the world tilted.
The room spun into darkness, and when the light returned, they were no longer in Belladoma's tower.
They stood in a forest of black bark and glowing roots. The sky above was a mirror, and their reflections walked upside down across the clouds.
Rose staggered. "Where—what—is this?"
"I think," Basil said slowly, "we triggered something. A bond hex. A location lock."
"You mean we're tethered. Together."
Basil groaned. "Fantastic."
Somewhere nearby, something howled.
A low, wet growl echoed through the trees. Shadows slithered between the roots.
Rose tightened her grip on her satchel. "Well. I hope your dueling skills are as good as your sarcasm."
"And I hope your lightning doesn't fry us both."
They moved in sync again, back-to-back. For better or worse, they were stuck in this mirror-forest together.
And something was coming.