"My name is Mistress Mara." Merrigan clenched her hands together in her lap, praying Bryan wouldn't see them shaking. Now was not the time for her true name to be revealed. Mirror slaves were notorious for nasty streaks, being sly and speaking cryptically. She hoped that nasty streak didn't include revealing people's true names at the most awkward time.
"Of course, dearie. Whatever you say. Now, where's Bib?"
"You know—" She swallowed hard and made herself meet Bryan's eyes. "How did you find out about Bib?"
"I don't know who Bib is," Bryan said. "Crystal insisted when I woke up this morning that she had to find him. There's too much loose magic bouncing around this place to let them talk unless they're together."
"Bib." Merrigan nudged aside some of the books surrounding him, and poked his spine. "Bib, we have visitors."
"Crystal?" Bib's voice sounded like his spine would shred. "Can that really be you?"
"How are you, you old inkblotter?" The mirror shimmered. "Be a dear and let two old friends get acquainted for a little while, would you?"
"Yes, Highness." Bryan winked and grinned. "Your wish is my command."
"He's such a good boy—when he isn't being a cheeky brat. The sooner we get your princess untangled and set free, the happier you'll both be." Crystal chuckled, ending in a satisfied little sigh when Bryan put her down next to Bib on the table.
"I'm assuming the mirror is another magical item stolen from Bib's former master, during the enchanters' war." Merrigan knew she was babbling but couldn't help it, as Bryan settled down in the chair next to her.
"Ah, that explains quite a bit. I assume the book has been guiding you, as Crystal has been guiding Bayl and me for the last few years?"
"That pretty much sums up the story."
"Oh, but I hate summed up stories, don't you? I like all the messy details." He slouched down in the chair, so his head rested on the back rail and his tailbone rested on the front edge of the chair. He stretched out his legs with his ankles crossed and clasped his hands across his belly. "Let's share some war stories while those two old conspirators are catching up."
Merrigan didn't consider her travels and adventures with Bib to be "war stories," but she was pleased to get chuckles from Bryan when she talked about the odd characters she had met, the justice levied on Judge Brimble and the cheating miller. He slapped his leg and snorted when she talked about the bandits who had thought they were robbing a helpless old woman and ended up facing justice and humiliation. He wanted all the details of how she and Aubrey and the children had helped to protect Gilda, and approved of their efforts to catch the weavers.
Finally he consented to tell the tale of discovering Crystal. The mirror had been among the treasures of Sylvanglade for decades, but had been asleep until the two brothers, looking for mischief on a rainy day, snuck into the treasury. Bayl picked her up and declaimed some lines from an epic poem about a magician who fought dragons, while waving the mirror about like a sword. Crystal refused to tell them what exactly he had said and done to awaken her, but she had been their advisor, getting them in and out of trouble ever since. They had promised never to tell anyone she was with them, because she lived in genuine fear the enemies of her former master might find her. It had taken decades of maneuvering for her to get to the safety of Sylvanglade's treasure room.
"You trusted her and listened to her when she told you to lie to your parents?" Merrigan couldn't help interrupting.
"Well ... we were boys, at that age when we felt like everyone was prying into our business. We hated being left out of all the fun our older brothers were having." Bryan shrugged, a thoughtful frown creasing his forehead. "Besides, Crystal, like many magical objects of knowledge, can't lie. She can be awfully stubborn and a stickler for exact meanings, and if she doesn't like you, she won't offer any information beyond what you ask for."
"Ah, of course. Judge Brimble's uncle got into so much trouble because he didn't ask the right questions. So Crystal found all the adventures you were longing for."
"Harmless fun. A chance to grow up and learn some valuable lessons without getting into any real trouble." He sighed and sat up a little straighter in the chair, but still managing to look lazily relaxed. "She was training us to be heroes, and sensitive to magic. And most important, to follow the rules. Sometimes I do regret obeying her and keeping her presence secret so long."
"Why?"
"Sylvanglade is a rather small kingdom. We are—or at least, we were—more comfortable than wealthy. Enough to make us good neighbors. Neighboring kingdoms knew they could rely on us, but we didn't have anything to tempt invaders. We thought we were safe. More fools we." Bryan offered her a rueful smile. "Sorry. Shouldn't wander like that."
"I'm sorry. It must be heartbreaking, to know your family, your friends are trapped and there's nothing you can do about the curse."
"That's the worst part of it. Crystal warned us as soon as Branwell brought that twitterheaded Princess Talithia across the border. She can sense curses a league away, and she's especially sensitive to all the warping and complications when you don't obey the rules. We warned Branwell and we warned our father, but they wouldn't listen to us. They didn't think Crystal was trustworthy because she asked us to keep her a secret all these years. That put Branwell in a bad mood, and he took it out on Talithia. She was in a temper because the curse was trying to drag her back to her father's kingdom, where everything was supposed to play out in due
