Demons. At least ten had snuck up on us, and now the multicolored, snarling beasts were fast approaching with pointy, lethal-looking weapons in their hands.
Drawing my sword, I looked right. Even more demons poured in from that side. We were surrounded.
“Um … guys?” Jordan said. “H-how ’bout that Ch-Chamber of Mirrors?”
“Sounds good to me!” Ashley yelled, already sprinting for the doors.
The demons lunged at once with a horrific collective shriek. Ren, Moli, and I kept the wave of demons at bay as the siblings headed for the building.
I sliced the first demon clean through its midriff and kicked a second one in its chest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a third demon swipe at me with its sharp claws.
“Faryn!” Ren grunted.
I ducked at the last moment. My heart pattered with fear at the air swishing above my head.
As if giving me strength, warmth traveled from my sword down to my fingertips. My weapon lightened and vibrated until it felt like an extension of my body. With grace that I didn’t even know I possessed, I drove the point of my sword upward into the demon’s chest. It wailed, and with a puff of dust and smoke, it disappeared.
“Ew.” I coughed, waving the particles away from my face.
Moli yelled, “Run, Faryn! Ren! And, uh … what’s-your-face!”
“My name is Jordan!” shrieked Jordan.
Lunging blindly with my sword, I managed to connect with demon skin as I turned toward the sound of Jordan’s voice. He was holding open the door to the Chamber of Mirrors and waving wildly at us.
I didn’t check to see how many demons I’d managed to defeat or how many more were hot on our heels. Sprinting faster than I ever had before, even to the dumpling table during the Lunar New Year, I followed Moli into the Chamber of Mirrors.
Jordan ducked in behind me and slammed the door shut. And not a moment too soon. A split second later, the demons collided into the door with a barrage of thumps.
“That was … too close …,” Ren panted.
“No … kidding …” I gulped for air, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Only now that we were out of the way of immediate danger did I realize my right arm was throbbing in pain. Gritting my teeth, I dabbed at my arm gingerly. My hand came away wet and sticky with blood. One of the demons must have gotten a good swipe at me after all.
“It’s so dark in here,” Ashley murmured.
“This is the Underworld. It’s dark everywhere, in case you hadn’t noticed,” Jordan said.
I could just barely make out the outlines of my friends, as well as the glimmer of something shiny deeper within the building—the mirrors.
Moli drew in ragged breaths.
“You okay?” I asked.
“F-fine,” she stammered. “Just … bad memories. Be careful, okay? This place can be even more dangerous than the other places we’ve seen.”
“Whoa, guys, come here! These mirrors are wild,” Jordan called, his voice ringing in the room. “Ashley, I see everyone from the New Order! There’s Xiong, Ah Qiao, and …”
“What? That’s impossible.” Ashley whirled around and darted after her brother.
“The mirror is tricking you! Those people in it aren’t real,” Moli yelled. “The mirror is just showing your deepest fears and regrets.”
I hesitated but then followed the siblings toward the room of mirrors. Despite Moli’s warning ringing in my ear, a glimmer of hope blossomed inside my chest. If Ashley and Jordan could see the New Order, did that mean that when I looked in the mirrors, I would see the Jade Society? Or better yet, my father? Ye Ye? Alex?
I rushed to the mirrors, almost tripping in my excitement. At last, I might know the truth about Liu Bo—why he’d left Alex and me and never returned. Why he’d lost his memories. Maybe I’d learn how Ye Ye and Alex were doing up in Heaven with the threat of war still on the horizon.
I stepped in front of the closest mirror. Its dark, shiny surface gleamed, showing only my jagged reflection, my wide, curious eyes.
Then the surface shimmered and … changed.
What the mirror showed me wasn’t Ba, or Ye Ye, or Alex. A shadowy image slowly took form out of darkness and smoke. As the details solidified, I found myself gazing upon … a woman.
She had curly brown hair that spilled over her shoulders and kind light-brown eyes, framed with thick lashes. There was a small, sad smile on her lips.
I’d never seen her before in real life, but I knew her. I knew her like I knew how to breathe.
“Faryn.” The woman whispered my name as if it were the most precious gem in the world. “How you’ve grown.”
I blinked, but that didn’t stop the tears from sliding down my cheeks. The sight of a small, familiar photograph swam before my vision—the only photograph I owned of this woman. How many times had I gazed upon it, hoping for this woman to step out of the picture and back into my life? How often had I imagined the warmth of her smile and embrace?
“Mom?” I choked out.
My mother’s smile grew wobbly. Tears slid down her cheeks as she nodded. “I’ve been watching over you every day from the Underworld, Faryn. Every day since my soul … departed Earth.” She reached out a hand as if to touch the surface of the mirror. I did the same, extending my fingers to push against the cool surface.
But just as our fingers would have met, my mother’s hand fell away. She flinched and turned behind her, as though she’d heard something. As far as I could tell, there was nothing there except darkness.
“I have to go,” my mother said in a tremulous voice as she backed away.
“What? No!” Desperately, I clawed at the mirror with my fingernails. I couldn’t even manage to scratch the glass, much less pull my mother back
