The mirror is the most remarkable piece. It's tall and smooth, made from a golden wood carved into beautiful images around the glass. Mermaids and dragons and fairies and all manner of fairytale scenes play out in the designs. I run a hand over the rich wood and shiver.
"That is our door to your new home," he says.
"Like a portal?"
"Exactly."
I can see myself in the mirror, my red lips and white dress, pale skin and black hair pulled up. Asher stands next to me, but he is invisible in the mirror. "So it's true? Vampires don't have reflections?"
"We can," he says. "Just not in mirrors. We'll show up in film and water reflections. But mirrors, all mirrors, are doorways to us, and thus do not allow reflections, but rather glimpses into another realm."
"So we could have gotten to your world through any mirror? Even one at my house?"
"We could get there using a pocket mirror if we so choose, though that manner of travel is a bit... pinched."
"Then why all this?" I ask, waving my hand at the extravagant mirror before us.
He shrugs. "What can I say? We have a flare for the dramatic. Are you ready?"
"If I'm not, would that change anything?"
"No. Not a thing. I was just trying to be polite."
"It doesn't suit you," I say.
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Why can't I bring my own stuff?" I ask. I'm mostly missing my phone. My one life-line back to my friends and my mother.
"You will see soon enough. Modern technology does not work in our world. We cannot bring anything with us that was made with machines or advancements our world doesn't have."
I frown at that. "Why?"
"It's part of our curse."
He offers me his arm, and I take it, trying not to let my hand shake too much.
And then he pulls me into the mirror.
I close my eyes, half expecting to crash into glass, but instead I sink into thick liquid. It doesn't feel wet, and I can still breathe.
My head spins, and lights and shadows play against my eye lids. I'm scared to open my eyes, to see what I've committed my soul to.
"You can look now, Princess," Asher says. "You're home. Welcome to hell."
Chapter 5
PRINCE OF WAR
––––––––
"Beware the princes of hell."
—the Warden
I open my eyes and suck in my breath. I was expecting fire and brimstone. Pain and suffering. Endless torture. What I see is something out of a fairytale. We stand on the bank of a lake, having just stepped through a large, ornate mirror that matches the one in the mansion back home. It's night, and a full moon is out. Another moon, a crescent one, hovers by its side. The stars are bright and big in the dark sky, much larger than the ones in my world. Before us, water stretches out into the distance, shimmering in the moonlight, and beneath the dark surface something glows a pale blue.
"Those are moon fish," Asher says, noticing my stare.
I look around and see more of them. I want to dip my hand in to splash at them, but for all I know they are carnivorous and would eat me as much as play with me. It's a peaceful moment, but I haven't forgotten where I am and why.
"We don't call this place hell," Asher says. "Here, it is known as the Isle of Inferna." He turns back to the mirror we just came from and places a hand on it. When he pulls his hand away, the reflection of the mirror shifts, the glass swirling in colors until a new image appears. At first, I can't tell what I'm looking at.
"This is Inferna," Asher says, pointing to what I can now see is a map. It looks like a floating island with seven concentric rings in the middle. I touch the center, which all the rings seem to protect, and the map zooms in, showing me a three dimensional close up of a grand castle.
"That's High Castle," Asher says. "I will be taking you there directly."
I shift my finger to see a wider view again. "What are these circles?"
"Those are the seven realms, each ruled by one of the princes. There are other maps of our kingdom but it's best seen from an enchanted mirror. For safety reasons, however, there are no mirrors allowed within the realms. Anyone wishing to travel by the gateways must come here, to the edge of the outer region, and then use the canals to get where they wish to go."
That's when I see a boat float up to the shore and stop for us. "Aren't we a bit overdressed for travel by boat?"
There is snow on the ground, and my heel sinks into it as I follow Asher towards the boat. I would have stayed in my jeans if I'd known we'd be traveling this way.
He side-eyes me. "Your dress will be fine."
I sigh as Asher climbs in first. Colorful pillows are artfully arranged on the wooden seats, and the prince sinks into them, watching with amusement as I navigate my way onto the precarious floating wood. It sways and I stand still, one foot on land, one in the boat.
Asher chuckles. "It's charmed to always stay upright. You can't tip it if you tried." To prove his point—or terrify me—I'm honestly not sure which, he grabs the sides and shakes the boat.
It moves, but only a little. He grins. "See? You're safe."