The Glass Magician

Delilah nodded and rubbed gooseflesh from her arms. “It’s like how each person has a name; each mirror has its own identity, and you can randomly mirror-hop by changing that identity. It took me three months just to learn that, so I don’t know if I can explain it to you in one sitting. But knowing a mirror’s location helps immensely, as does having a mirror that belonged to the person you wish to find. Grath probably knew to look in London, and with that makeup compact . . . Oh, Ceony, how frightful. This is a bad bedtime story come to life! I don’t envy you at all, not one bit.”


“I’ve had worse,” Ceony said, and so far, the statement had proved true. But Ceony was gradually learning that Grath was far different than Lira, and while facing a Gaffer and an Excisioner seemed less terrifying than facing two Excisioners, Ceony was beginning to wonder if she’d finally dug in too deep.

“He’s the Gaffer,” Ceony said. “There was no one in the room with him. But a man doesn’t have to have dark magic to do dark things.”

“At least you broke the mirror before he transported,” Delilah offered.

“How does it work?” Ceony asked, scooting forward in her chair. “How can a person step from one mirror into another?”

Delilah frowned, but she sifted through her large purse and pulled out her own compact makeup mirror, then another small, rectangular mirror, about the length of Ceony’s hand. Ceony heard the clinking of glass beads in the bag, and she wondered how much glass the Gaffer apprentice carried with her. Paper had its downfalls, but at least it transported easily.

She handed the rectangular mirror to Ceony. “I’m already familiar with that mirror, so this will be easy,” she said, opening her makeup compact. She said, “Search, quad three.”

“That’s the signature?” Ceony whispered as she looked at the mirror. Her reflection swirled until the glass showed Delilah’s face instead. Ceony glanced over and spied herself in Delilah’s mirror. The mirrors reflected each other.

“I renamed it for the sake of ease,” Delilah said. “Otherwise it’s more of a thought.”

Ceony nodded, not quite understanding. Glass magic seemed far different from Folding.

Another raised voice, this one unfamiliar, echoed behind the closed doors, but Ceony ignored it.

“So that’s that,” Delilah said, her voice sounding from both her physical body and the small mirror in Ceony’s hand. “Transport is trickier,” she explained, and she traced the tip of her right index finger around the compact mirror clockwise, then counterclockwise, and finally clockwise again. She said, “Transport, pass through.”

The two mirrors rippled as the vanity room mirror had done yesterday. Delilah pushed her index finger through the glass of her mirror. It bulged out of Ceony’s mirror, protruding like a severed limb. Delilah wiggled it, and Ceony laughed.

“It doesn’t work with imperfect mirrors,” Delilah said, withdrawing her finger. She said, “Cease,” and the mirrors returned to their normal states. “You can get trapped trying to use an imperfect mirror. Scratches, breaks, even tiny bubbles can act as boulders and nooses when you try to pass through. Aviosky only lets me transport using Gaffer mirrors, because it’s not safe otherwise.”

“She sounds like a strict teacher,” Ceony said, handing the rectangular mirror back.

Delilah stowed both mirrors in her purse. “She is, but it’s been good for me. I need some structure in my life.” She smiled. “I think I’m going to try and test for my magicianship at the end of the year. I think I’ll pass if I study hard between now and then.”

“I think so, too,” Ceony said.

Delilah nodded, then grew oddly quiet. Quiet enough that Ceony could hear stifled mumbling from behind the closed doors. She wondered just what aspect of her problems the magicians were discussing.

After a long moment, Delilah said, “They’re going to focus their search on Saraj, not Grath. I overheard Magician Aviosky on her mirror this morning. I think she was talking to Magician Hughes or one of his associates. Magician Cantrell, maybe.”

Ceony drew her brows together. “But Grath is the ringleader! He’s the one who—”

“They’re awful stories, Ceony,” Delilah interrupted, her voice half a whisper. She glanced to the closed doors before leaning in and saying, “I looked them up at the library, after your buggy accident. Magician Aviosky wouldn’t tell me anything, so I did some research of my own. The news articles alone . . .”