She could see their determination in Ling’s challenging gaze, in the defiant tilt of Ava’s head, in the way Becca held herself so straight and true, and in brilliance of Neela’s glow.
Ling left the group now and swam to the waterfire. Abbadon moved closer to the bars. “Did you get a good look, monster man? Did you see the blood bind?” she asked it. “Go. Call for your master. You have lots to tell him now.”
But Abbadon didn’t move.
Becca joined Ling. She sang a powerful fl?c?ri. The waterfire flared high and hot, surging through the bars of the Carceron. Abbadon roared. It flailed madly at the flames, then ran back into the prison’s depths. They heard its voice grow fainter and fainter, until they couldn’t hear it at all.
“You finished?” Magdalena asked. “Because you’ve got to get out of here. We’re running out of time.”
“They cannot. The tunnels are sealed now. The caves are empty. Everyone is gone except those of us in this room.” It was Vr?ja. She had a satchel slung over her back and was bolting the doors to the Incantarium. “In the gods’ names, why are you still here? You were told to leave.”
“We cast a bloodbind. In front of Abbadon. We vowed we would find the talismans, unlock the Carceron, and kill it. The bind can only be broken by death,” Serafina said.
“Which may happen sooner than you think if you don’t go now,” Vr?ja said.
“How? You just locked the doors!” Becca said.
Vr?ja swam to the far end of the room. A tall object rested against one wall, draped in black cloth. Serafina hadn’t noticed it before. Vr?ja yanked the cloth. It fell away to reveal a looking glass.
“I cast a baricad?, a strong blocking spell. It’ll hold them off until you escape through the mirror.”
The obar?ie had just finished speaking when a massive explosion came from above. Shock waves tore through the water.
“They’re here,” Vr?ja said.
For the first time, Serafina saw fear in her eyes.
“But they were at the mouth of the Olt only minutes ago,” Becca said, casting a frightened glance at the door. “It takes longer than a few minutes to get to these caves.”
“I daresay this Traho knows how to cast a velo. Most military mermen know how to speed their troops. Into the mirror with you. Hurry.”
“Let’s go in together,” Neela said. “There’s strength in numbers.”
“No, you mustn’t travel together. We cannot afford for all five of you to be taken,” Vr?ja said.
There was a pounding, sudden and loud. Traho was on the other side of the door.
Serafina knew it was iron, and impervious to magic. He was trying to batter it down.
“Take these,” Vr?ja said. She dug in her satchel, pulled out vials of liquid, and handed them around. “It’s Moses potion, from the Moses sole in the Red Sea. Sharks hate it. Maybe death riders do, too. Here are some quartz pebbles charmed with transparensea spells. And some ink bombs. They are crude, but effective. They’ve gotten me out of more scrapes than I care to remember.”
Vr?ja dug once more, pulled out a handful of dead beetles, and gave some to each mermaid. “I had hoped to teach you the secrets of mirror travel, but there’s no time. As soon as you’re in the silver, rattle these beetles. There are silverfish in the mirror—large, fast creatures who love to eat them. One will come to you. Tell it where you need to go and it will take you. Hopefully you’ll be out of Rorrim’s realm before he knows you were in. Neela, you first.”
“But Baba Vr?ja, I’m not ready for this!” she said, pocketing her beetles.
The battering grew louder.
“Go, child!” Vr?ja said.
“How will we contact each other?” Neela asked.
“A convoca. The mirror. A pelican, if you must.”
Sera threw her arms around Neela and hugged her good-bye. “Don’t be scared, Neels,” she said. “Nothing, and no one, is more invincible than you.”
Becca was next, then Ava with Baby, then Ling. Sera felt as if each was taking a piece of her heart with them. The iron door groaned under the pounding of Traho’s troops. She could hear their voices coming from the other side. A hinge came loose with a wrenching screech.
“It’s your turn, Sera. Go now,” Vr?ja said. She held her close and kissed her. “I may not see you again. Not in this life.”
“No, Baba Vr?ja, don’t say that, please.”
“Godspeed, child. The hopes of all the waters of the world lie with you now. Find the talismans. Kill the monster. Before the dream dies and the nightmare rises.”
Another hinge gave way. The door crashed into the room.
“Go!” Vr?ja cried.
Serafina leapt into the mirror and the liquid silver closed around her. She looked back, with tears in her eyes, in time to see death riders flood into the Incantarium. In time to see Traho break the circle.
In time to see Vr?ja pick up a rock and smash the mirror.