The Mirror Mage | ONC2022

23. Wentworth Manor

Ignoring Oliver, Ben spoke earnestly to Luke.

"Goodbye, Luke, I'm truly sorry for all the trouble my disappearance caused. I won't bother you again."

Neither man replied, each too intent on the other, Oliver looking angry and Luke defensive.

Ben spun on his heel. He'd just grab his bag and go. Though, to be honest, he wasn't exactly sure where. The chances were high his flat had been repossessed and his belongings most likely sold or dumped. He doubted the film company had kept his job open.

As he left the kitchen, he heard Oliver's raised voice.

"So, was Ben Lucas here all the time? For six fucking months? What the fuck is going on, Luke? You told me he vanished six months ago."

Ben didn't hang around long enough to hear Luke's answer, he wanted to get away as soon as possible. He hurried up the stairs, only pausing for a moment in front of Lucian's portrait. If he'd needed any confirmation, it was right there. Younger, certainly, but it was definitely the same man he'd met on Rhillion. In fact, it looked as if he was still wearing that exact same jacket.

Lucian's hair was a little darker now, his features and figure matured, but his eyes were the same shade of blue, his lips had the same beautiful curve. The portrait's eyes seemed to look straight at him. Ben tore his gaze away. Had returning to Earth, and Luke, really been the right decision? It certainly didn't feel so at the moment.

He soon found the room he had stayed in six months earlier, but it was empty, with no sign of his possessions, not even anything stored in the bottom of the wardrobe. Fuck. What was he going to do now?

Perhaps he'd just check out Luke's room. Maybe his things were there, and if they weren't he could borrow some of Luke's. He felt he owed him that at least. He left the spare room and strode down the passage toward the family quarters and the second, and smaller, staircase, which led up to the attic.

The sound of angry voices, floating up from the floor below, halted him in his tracks.

"All right, I'll show you then if you don't believe me! Follow me, the mirror's upstairs in the attic and I bet that's where Ben is headed right now. I tell you it's a door to another dimension. If the mirror wasn't so valuable, I would have destroyed it after Ben vanished. At the least, I should have turned it to face the wall."

"And if Lucas is there, he can just wait and give me some answers! I want to know exactly where he has been and what he's been doing in this supposed 'other dimension.'" Ben could picture Oliver making air quotes around the phrase. "I need the truth, Luke, not some garbled fantasy bullshit."

Ben paused at the base of the attic stairs. What was he going to do? As long as the mirror was intact, he had a choice. He could stay here... or return to Rhillion. And Lucian.

The sound of footsteps had Ben running up the attic stairs, two at a time. If he left now, he could still get back to Rhillion for the solstice.

He pushed open the door to the attic and there was his bag, stored next to a pile of old furniture. How lucky was that? But there was no time to open it and check the contents. Already, he could hear footsteps approaching. There was no way to lock the door from this side, so he dragged the largest piece of furniture he could move across in front of it.

Then he grabbed the bag tightly in both arms and stepped over to the mirror. His heart was beating a mile a minute as he took a couple of deep breaths and moved closer, resting his forehead against the cool glass. Nothing happened.

The attic door was shoved suddenly against the barrier.

"What the hell? He's blocked the door! What the fuck is going on, Ben?"

Ben ignored the shouting, trying to focus on relaxing into the glass. Behind him he could hear scraping sounds as the temporary barrier was pushed forward and Oliver and Luke tried to enter the room.

"There he is! I told you we'd find him here."

"Stop right there, Lucas. Turn around and face me. I want to know what the fuck you've been doing for the last six months! And none of this crap about magical mirrors and other dimensions."

As before, the cold came out to meet him, wrapping itself around his head and shoulders, but this time there were no strange hands reaching out to pull him in. Ben leaned into the cold, pushing as strongly as he could. He'd intended to move slowly, so as not to risk breaking the glass, but there was no time for that now. He took a step forward.

Someone grabbed his other foot and tried to pull him backward.

Ben kicked out wildly and the last thing he heard was Luke screaming, "Oliver! No!"

The pressure round his ankle dropped away suddenly and Ben staggered forward a few steps before he got his balance again. His heart was pounding. That had been far too close for comfort. He opened his eyes and saw the pinprick lights of the mirror gates surrounding him; he was in the world between the mirrors once again.

The path he had taken from the tavern still glowed dimly but the end point was dark. Unsurprisingly, the owner had yet to replace the mirror he had broken. He could see another, very faint, trail leading in a different direction, but again the end point was dark. Rider's Keep, he guessed. It was obvious that he couldn't return to either of the destinations he had used before.

Ben swallowed. He might have succeeded in reaching the world between the mirrors, but now he had to find a way out.