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We move through corridors that writhe like living things, the court’s resistance growing with each step. The walls narrow, the ceiling dropping lower until we’re forced to hunch our shoulders. Crystal spikes grow from the floor, forcing us to weave between them.

Kelaros ducks under a hanging formation. “It’s fighting you.”

“No shit.” I strain with the effort to maintain our path.

Elionn’s hand finds mine, his strength flowing into me through our bond, and the corridor widens in response.

“Our combined wills are stronger than the court,” he murmurs close to my ear.

We pass through a chamber where crystal dust swirls in patterns that almost form people before dissolving again. I force the court to keep our path stable, refusing to let it distract us with its mysteries.

A deep, bell tone rings through the corridors ahead, and we freeze as one.

Kelaros pales. “The hollow stag.”

“There.” I point to a narrow fissure in the wall to our right. “We can bypass its territory.”

The opening barely admits us one at a time, crystal edges scraping our skin as we squeeze through. My connection to the court falters, the fissure sealing behind us faster than I can control, nearly catching Kelaros as he slips through last.

We emerge into a curving passage that slopes downward, the floor slick with condensation. Our footsteps echo despite our attempts at stealth, each sound magnified in the crystalline space.

“The mirror chamber should be ahead,” I murmur. “I can feel it.”

The corridor ends, opening into the vast chamber where we once trapped the hollow stag with its own light. The space has transformed since our battle, with many of the mirrors lying shattered on the floor, their surfaces cracked beyond repair. Fragments catch our reflections, multiplying us into a hundred broken images.

“Well, this won’t work,” Kelaros mutters, toeing a shard with his boot.

I scan the walls, heart sinking at the destruction.

“We need an intact mirror. Large enough to pass through.” Elionn moves along the perimeter, his fingers trailing across the wall between broken frames. “Here! This one is still intact.”

We hurry to his side. The mirror he found stands taller than Elionn himself, its silver surface unblemished despite the surrounding devastation.

“Can you form a doorway?” I ask, hope rising in my chest for the first time since entering this realm.

Elionn flattens his palm to the surface, his brow furrowing in concentration. “Yes, but it will take time. I need to locate a resonance outside the Opal Court.”

Kelaros’s eyes dart toward the entrance to the chamber. “How much time?”

“Minutes, perhaps.” Elionn’s brow furrows with effort. “Stand ready. When it opens, we’ll need to move fast, before the court realizes what we’re doing.”

I place my hand beside his on the mirror, pouring my strength into him. The mirror’s surface ripples, the reflective surface turning misty.

“It’s working,” I breathe.

Elionn murmurs words in an ancient fae tongue, coaxing the pathway open with practiced skill. He makes it appear effortless, but the connection between us tells a different story. His time spent as the court’s captive has diminished his power.

“Almost,” he whispers, sweat beading on his forehead.

“Um, we might have a problem,” Kelaros hisses.

I turn to see a crystal pillar rising from the center of the floor. Its shape resembles the cocoon that had trapped Elionn before, and my stomach sinks. It looks like the court is changing its mind about allowing me to roam free while it changes me.

The mirror flares with sudden brightness, the surface parting to reveal the meeting hall within the Dark Spire.

Freedom beckons, close enough to touch.

Elionn turns to me in triumph. “Now⁠—”