At first, M thought they were just reflections.
The roaring waterfalls that poured down all around the narrow walkway, and the strange silvery reflective crystalline surface of the walls all helped with that illusion. M caught twisted, distorted visions of herself out of the corner of her eye. But whenever she turned to look, she had a hard time seeing anything that made sense. At first, anyway.
The elf had accompanied her in his usual silent fashion, from the windy desert into this strange cavern. It was open and light, honeycombed with openings which water poured in streams through. Holes in the floor allowed it to continue streaming down, and gaps in the walls allowed for glimpses into vast rooms or silvery alcoves. But despite the strange openness of the cavern and the many paths she could have followed, M knew which way to go. The sense of urgency, desire, and purpose was almost palpable now. Like a draw or attraction that pulled at her, pushed her towards a point. A point very nearby.
Then, M had noticed something about the reflections. As she had moved deeper into the cavern, the reflections on the wall, the distortions of herself in the waterfalls that poured from the ceiling to the floor had become clearer. But M found that when she could see them more clearly, the less they resembled her.
One reflection on the smooth angular surface of a wall caught her attention. She found herself gazing at a girl who looked very much like her. But instead of a red dress, this other girl was wearing strange blue leggings and a pink top. No sword, no Fae, no elf. As she gazed at it, M could have sworn that the reflection, or the other girl, was staring back at her. Tearing her eyes away, she continued further into the cave, towards where she had to go.
One of the waterfalls pouring down nearby was wide and thin, like a sheet of water pouring down alongside the path before leaping down into a jagged break in the floor. In the flowing water, distorted as if she was seeing the reflection off the wall behind, she saw herself and the elf. But instead of the water and the odd reflective cave walls behind her, there were smooth grey stones covered in moss, and a trickling stream behind these reflections of herself.
She recognized the scene, where she had first met the elf. Throwing a glance over her shoulder, M saw that he either didn't see the reflection, or was ignoring it. His silvery eyes were distant and unfocused as he trotted along behind her. Turning back to the distorted watery scene in the waterfall, M stopped to watch.
She saw herself, picking her way across boulders. Aniola fluttered weakly nearby, leashed to her with a thread-thin cord. She saw the elf, a mischievous smile on his face as he crept up to the Fae, seizing it in a black-gloved grasp.
Something was wrong. It didn't make sense, Aniola wasn't on a leash.
The distorted elf in the waterfall's reflection blocked the illusory M's first and second attack, gracefully landing on his feet as the other M blew him away with her spell.
But where Aniola had stopped her, Aniola's strange rippling reflection did not.
The other M pressed her attack, unleashing a subsonic blastwave at the elf with a wide sweep of Kress. The runes flared and pulsed with life as the reflected M cast spell after spell with the sweep of the blade, obliterating boulders and decimating the streambed with invisible waves of force.
The wavering watery image of the elf was fast, but not fast enough. It slipped on the wet moss of the boulder, recovering just in time to be struck by a wall of magical energy. The distorted image of its dark body was flung against the boulders like a rag doll, and its limbs twisted unnaturally,broken.
The image in the waterfall fell still, and M watched in fascination as the bizarre image of herself kicked the elf's prone form, turning it over. In the waterfall, she knelt down, looting the corpse before yanking her Fae along behind her.
The real M turned to look at the elf, her black eyes narrowed and suspicious. Had he seen that? The scene in the waterfall had not been real. But if Aniola had not moved to save him, it very well might have been. The elf caught her gaze, and smiled curiously at her. He seemed completely unconcerned. Frowning, M wondered if he saw anything at all in the waterfalls and reflections.
Not for the first time, M felt confused. But dismissing her confusion at witnessing the scene in the waterfall, she shook her head. She was very close to her goal, she could feel it all through her body.
She had to press on.
She had to find it.
Contexi Community Member 
|
|
