Chapter 23 · Shattered Mirror

"Get away from him, Mara!"

Lucan’s voice wasn’t a shout—it was a snarl, raw and jagged, like glass grinding in a blender. He slammed his body between me and the figure huddled in the corner of the cell.

I didn't move. I couldn't. My eyes were locked on the boy. Noah. My baby brother. He looked smaller than I remembered, his oversized apprentice robes hanging off his thin shoulders like a shroud. But his eyes—god, his eyes weren't blue anymore. They were swirling with a toxic, iridescent gold that pulsed in time with the wards etched into the walls.

"Noah?" I whispered, my voice cracking. I took a step forward, my hand reaching out. "Noah, it's me. I'm here. I'm going to get you out."

"He's not in there anymore," Lucan snapped. He gripped my shoulder, his fingers digging into my skin with bruising force, pulling me back. "Look at the sigils on his wrists, Mara. He’s not a prisoner. He’s a conduit."

I wrenched my arm away from him, glare sparking. "He's twelve! What the hell is a conduit?"

"A battery," Lucan spat. "Sera didn't just kidnap him to keep you in line.