Chapter 228 - 228: Where Did the Mirror Go?

Far away, in one of the towns, a carriage carried Hailey and the others. The sky had begun to lighten at the edges, not yet dawn, but the deep black of night was giving way to something softer, a pale grey that crept upward from the horizon.

Hailey used the edge of her sleeve to clear the window, wiping at the fog that had settled on the glass from the cold outside. An uneven patch opened up, and through it she watched the silhouettes of mansions pass against the sky.

Her hands gripped the wooden box that rested on her lap. She wondered if the others had found Ruelle or were still looking for her.

"I can't believe that someone like Mr. Henley could turn out to be this vile..." Hailey muttered with a shake of her head.

"Apparently, Sexton didn't give him enough work to keep him busy," Sawyer responded with his eyebrows slightly pulled together. "There really isn't an animal worse than a human or a vampire. We're remarkably good at being awful."

"Not everyone is like that. Not at the same level," Hailey replied, pursing her lips. She then turned to look outside the window and said, "We have moved past five towns and one village so far. But nothing has happened."

"If it were that easy, the mirror would have reacted several days before this," Angelina remarked with a blank expression.

Hailey's gaze lowered towards the wooden box on her lap. She opened it and saw her reflection in the mirror. "Peyton only said the mirror would react. She didn't say how."

"I doubt she knew much about it," Angelina replied with a slight thoughtful expression. "I guess we will just know." After a pause, she added, "He will be shredded into pieces once he comes into our hands," the vampiress was talking about Ezekiel.

Hailey closed the box. For several minutes, there was nothing except the steady turning of the wheels and the occasional creak of wood whenever they travelled over an uneven snow settled in the road. Even though her eyes grew heavy, she tried to keep them wide open. Because this wasn't a time to fall asleep when a life could be saved.

"Don't worry," Hailey heard Sawyer's voice. And for a moment, she wondered if his words were meant for his twin. But he was looking at her. "Lucian will find Ruelle."

Several minutes passed as they continued to travel when the box suddenly jerked, drawing everyone's attention to it.

Upon opening the wooden box, Hailey's eyes widened and she exclaimed,

"The mirror is gone...!"

Sawyer took hold of the box to make sure, and just like she'd said, the mirror was no longer present inside. He turned it over in his hands, checking the corners of the velvet lining, running his thumb along the seams as if to find a shard but there was nothing. His gaze shifted to the window, where mansions were lined along it on either side of the road.

"Something must have drawn it out of the box," Angelina stated, her eyes following her brother's.

The mansions stood tall and proud against the lightening sky. This town, Hailey realised, was not like the others they'd passed through. They were the homes of the higher-standing people of the society. Old money, older lineage, the kind of families whose names carried weight and she swallowed.

"Yeah," Sawyer answered as he pushed the door open, the others following after him. "It makes sense. Ruelle wouldn't have brought any of her things this far, and neither would the Belmonts. That's why the mirror was still with Ruelle until now. I guess it is time to start knocking on doors."

Hailey looked ahead and noticed the four mansions standing. They were grand, older than the ones they'd passed, their gates wrought from iron that had long since turned black with age. Each one sat on its own stretch of land, separated from its neighbours by high hedges.

"Who does it belong to...?" she murmured, her voice trailing off as her eyes moved from one mansion to the next.

"There's the Tilestones," Angelina answered, her voice quiet. "The Mortensons. The Noctics. And the Sylvans."

Hailey turned to look at the Sylvan mansion. It stood apart from its neighbours, not by distance but by presence. The ivy that climbed its walls was thick and dark, even in winter.

"Let us split up," Angelina decided, turning to her twin brother while she gestured toward the Tilestone and Mortenson mansions. "Oliver and I will take these two mansions. It will be faster that way."

Sawyer gave a firm nod. He answered, "Alright. We will take these two houses then. Let us go."

Hailey quickly hurried after Sawyer as he began to head towards the closest house that belonged to the Noctics family. She whispered,

"What are we going to say once we reach there?" Because surely, they couldn't just barge in and look for it—

"We will sit for a cup of tea, and you can excuse yourself that you need to visit the powder room," Sawyer proposed and her eyes widened.

"That doesn't sound ideal at all. Roam around when people can follow us?" Hailey questioned, and the guards looked at them.

"I don't think the hour we have come is ideal either but we are desperate. Now watch and learn," Sawyer raised his eyebrows before turning to the front.

"Mr. Ravencroft," the guard offered a deep bow and Sawyer offered a smile.

"I am here to visit the family. For an invitation," Sawyer lied smoothly, wearing a pleasant expression.

The guards bowed and let them inside. They were led to the entrance, where the doors swung open.

Stepping inside, when a servant went to take her coat off, Hailey murmured, "That's fine. I would like to keep it on."

"How about you, Mr. Ravencroft?" the butler turned to the pureblooded vampire, but he didn't have a coat on him. He said, "Please follow me. Mr. and Mrs. Noctics will join you. Would you like to have something?"

"No," Hailey replied curtly.

"A cup of blood tea will do," Sawyer answered and the butler bowed, leaving them alone. "You are too stiff and make it obvious that we are up to no good."

Hailey couldn't sit still as her leg shook out of stress. If they did find the mirror, she wondered how they were going to take it from here. Wouldn't it seem odd to the family?

After what felt like days, Mr. Noctics arrived at the drawing room.

"Mr. Ravencroft," he said, offering a bow that was precisely as deep as protocol required and not a fraction deeper. "An unexpected pleasure of seeing you here at this hour of the morning. Is this about the funeral?"

Sawyer smiled, offering a polite bow to the man. He replied, "It is not. We have decided to postpone it."

"Ah, I did hear something about Lucian's bride-to-be stolen away," Mr. Noctics responded with a grim expression. "Is the wedding being cancelled then?"

"We were worried that's what people would think, but the wedding is still going to take place. I am sure my cousin has already found her. You know how skilled he is," Sawyer said, while the man sat down with them. "I am here to make sure about something else actually."

"Oh?" the man's eyebrows rose.

Hailey saw Sawyer with a thoughtful expression before he asked, "What are your thoughts about a human and a vampire's reunion?"

The man blinked before he laughed. "I believe pureblooded vampires should marry their own kind to keep the blood pure. Humans are weak," he added, while glancing at Hailey, who sat there uncomfortably. "I don't understand what the point is when the war will keep going on. If not in the front, but at the back."

"Does that mean you have issues with the current, existing treaty in effect?" Sawyer asked.

"I don't think my opinion matters when the head of the council has already put it out," Mr. Noctics answered, leaning back in his chair. "Even if I do raise it now, I will only be targetted. Sometimes it is better to turn a blind eye to things you don't like."

Hailey would have excused herself in the name of going to the powder room. But seeing how the man of the mansion looked at her as if she were a vermin, she didn't think it was wise to snoop around. But Sawyer didn't seem to get up, as when the bloodtea was served, he sipped on it to continue to chat.

"Well, I will be glad to let the elder minister know. After all, you are the building blocks of our society. It seems your children will be required to marry to our kind," Sawyer's voice was light, sipping the tea in between the words.

Mr. Noctics laughed at this. The man's expression turned to something with disdain. He remarked,

"I am sure they know how not to disappoint. Else the humans pay for it."

"Mm," Sawyer nodded his head before his eyebrows furrowed. He asked, "It seems for some reason the blood tea isn't agreeing with my stomach this morning. I need to excuse myself," he turned to the butler before getting up.

"Follow me, sire," the butler led him out of the room, leaving Hailey behind.

Hailey sat there awkwardly, unable to meet the vampire's eyes, who drilled holes with his. She wondered how things were fairing with Angelina and Oliver on the other side of the road.

"It seems Mr. Ravencroft hasn't collared his slave yet," Mr. Noctics murmured, but Hailey heard it clear.

If it were another time, she would have demanded the man take his words back. But she was too tired, and if he had the mirror, they would need to sweet-talk with him. She instead said,

"He's waiting to gift me a mirror."

"Are you talking to me?" the man raised his eyebrow at her audacity.

There was no one else in the room... whom else was she talking to?! Hailey breathed in before offering a polite smile. She explained, "Master Sawyer promised to gift me a mirror, and only then would he collar me. Back in my village, we believe gifts like mirrors bring protection and I—"

"I don't care," Mr. Noctics huffed at her absurd words and Hailey felt the same at the rubbish she uttered. She then asked,

"Do you have any old mirrors that you would be willing to part with?" She fished for the possibility while reading his expression.

"I see you haven't been disciplined either for the audacity you carry. If you weren't the Ravencroft's slave, I would have taught you some manners," Mr. Noctics muttered under his breath. "Every mirror in this mansion was commissioned to my specifications, specifically to match the interiors. If you're looking for one, why don't you try the market? I'm sure a cheap one would do for you."

Did that mean he didn't have any mirror that he brought or was gifted to him? Hailey wondered to herself.

On a second thought... How were they going to find out which was the mirror they were looking for?

After some more silence, she finally saw Sawyer appear back and Mr. Noctics commented, "It seems your stomach isn't well."

"So it seems. It must be something I ate yesterday," Sawyer responded and after noticing Hailey was still breathing and alive, he added, "You've been most gracious. We should take our leave. There are other houses to visit before the day grows too old."

So the mirror wasn't here then, thought Hailey to herself as they were leaving.

Mr. Noctics waved a dismissive hand. "Give my regards to your father. And do consider getting this one collared sooner rather than later," he added, with a glance toward Hailey that lingered a moment too long. "A slave who speaks out of turn is a reflection on the master."

A twinkle shone in Sawyer's eyes before he turned to Hailey, who looked stiff. His hand came down on top of her head, which was casual, almost lazy, the way someone would pat a loyal dog. He chuckled,

"I sure will."

Hailey's eye twitched at this but she didn't react.

They stepped out of the mansion and into the cold morning air. As they reached the gates, she turned to look behind them. Mr. Noctics still stood in the doorway of his mansion, his silhouette framed against the warm light of the entrance hall, his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on their retreating backs.

Did he suspect something was up? The question gnawed at her. But anyone would suspect, considering it was what, five in the morning? Six? The hour was absurd for a social visit

"We should walk a little faster," Sawyer said, as his feet picked up speed.

Hailey turned back to him, frowning. "Because the body might begin to rot?"

"Because I broke all of his mirrors."

She stopped walking. "You what?" and when it finally sank in, she hurried out of there. Considering how proudly the man had spoken about his mirrors, she believed he would skin her first even though she wasn't the one to damage it.

"It isn't like we have time to sit and wait to see if it has any magical elements inside it. Not that it would show us anything," Sawyer shrugged his shoulders with his hands in his trousers pockets.

At the far distance where the carriage was parked, they found Oliver standing there and upon reaching the spot, Hailey asked,

"You didn't go along?"

"She asked me to stay here and would be back soon," Oliver answered and turned to look in the direction of the house.

When Hailey turned to look in that direction, her eyes almost fell on catching the vampiress jump out of one of the windows. She heard Oliver add, "It is easier for her to get in and out. She's done visiting both the mansions."

That was fast... thought Hailey. The vampiress climbed down the wall before heading in their direction. She said, "There's nothing there. Only regular mirrors."

"Broke them?" Sawyer enquired, to which she nodded. "That's more like it."

People in there were going to think that an ill omen had hit them for all the mirrors to be broken. Hailey tried not to think about what was going to come later and instead focused on the more pressing matters.

"That leaves us with the obvious answer then," Sawyer and the others turned to look in the direction of the Slaters' mansion.

Back in the Slater mansion, a carriage moved past the gates before it finally came to a halt in the courtyard. It was a man wearing thick glasses who had been summoned for the second time in the last few hours. He carried a box in his hand, with his assistant right behind him.

"Is it to check... Mr. Dane Slater?" the physician enquired, but Maude didn't answer him.

"This way," Maude spoke, raising her hand inside.

The physician's lips pursed but he didn't refute, as he followed her inside the mansion. Contrary to what most of them felt, vampires found it harder to accept death and he wondered what the family wanted him to do. When they finally arrived in front of a room, the door opened and Maude stepped aside.

For a brief moment, the physician didn't find any person. But his eyes fell on the ball of fur and his mouth parted, while words failed him for a moment. He looked between the creature and the head of the housekeeper.

Maude stated in a bland tone, "Mr. Zhenya is your patient. If you could stitch him up so that he could be on his way to catch some hare."

The physician took a second before he nodded and made his way to help the wolf that was sprawled on the table.

In another part of the mansion, Lucian had taken Ruelle's hand and had led her through the corridors without a word.

The room was warm when they entered. The fireplace had been lit since Ruelle and Lucian had arrived at the mansion, and it continued to burn even though rays of sunlight had begun to touch the ground outside, creeping slowly toward the walls.

Lucian guided Ruelle to sit on the edge of the bed, which was closer to the fireplace.

Ruelle sank into the cushion, and as the warmth washed over her, for a moment she simply closed her eyes and let herself exist without carrying the feeling of anxiousness or dread. And though Lucian had found her in less than twenty-four hours, things had happened that couldn't be fixed.

She heard Lucian move, and when she opened her eyes, he was sitting at her feet with one knee drawn up, a small jar balanced in his palm. He studied her face with an attention so absolute that it felt like being read aloud.

"This will sting," Lucian informed, the lid coming free of the jar with a soft pop. The scent that came from it was herbal. "Bear with it."

"Mm."

He rolled the hem of her skirt before revealing the torn-up knees. As he worked the salve into the wound, the sting followed immediately, and her hands gripped the edge of the bed.

His eyes followed her wrist before he murmured, "You have bruises everywhere," his thumb brushed the edge of her sleeve. "Tell me what I cannot see."

Lucian stood up before coming to sit beside her. He then began to apply the medicine on her face.

"Ezekiel had a place in the underground, in the forest. It is where he killed many other women and there was another... woman. Dead. He had planned to poison everywhere here. I don't know if crazy even covers for what he had done until now..." Ruelle's voice faded at the end.

It felt surreal that he was gone. Ezekiel Henley. She had spent weeks looking over her shoulder for him, and now there was nothing left of him to look for.

"I keep wishing I could have done more…" came her honest words.

Lucian's hand stilled against her jaw.

"You have done more than anyone expected," he said, the kind of answering that could be laid over an argument and the argument lost. "Do you know how long it has been since we left Sexton?"

"A month..."

"A month," Lucian repeated as he dipped his fingers back in the jar and began to apply the medicine with a great concentration to the swell of her eye. "One month, and you managed to pull out spells. Do you remember what I told you before? To not spend yourself at the expense of others."

Ruelle's lips parted but no words came out of it.

He pressed one cool fingertip to the very centre of her lips before he leaned forward and brushed his lips against her forehead.

"I will always come for you," she heard him say. "Always. In this life and every other. I will tear through the world and everyone in it before I let anyone keep you from me."