“I’m here,” I whispered, fighting the fatigue that was pushing me down. “Wait, there is one more thing. A prophecy. Do you remember Grandpa speaking a prophecy to you?”

She nodded. “Yes, it went like this.” She paused, a frown creasing her brow with concentration, before she began:

“The line of the snake will bring forth a saving light at the darkest hour. Binding all the realms as one—her sword will strike down the evil that haunts the land and she shall lead the Fae to victory. Filled with compassion, her heart will remain pure, loving only the Shining One. Through their union, peace shall reign and the world will know the Fae for all that they are and her sword will forever be at her side.” Ashling let out a small breath. “I think that’s it, pretty close anyway.”

I licked my lips and tried to cement the words in my head. If this prophecy was supposedly for me, then I wanted to know it inside and out.

“Quinn, do you think you can pull me through?” She asked. It had been the question I’d been avoiding because my gut told me I didn’t have the strength—that I didn’t have the knowledge—and if it went wrong . . .

“I don’t think so, what would happen if . . .” I didn’t get to finish my sentence.

The door to her cell opened and a three-legged, monstrous beast crept in, its mouth of teeth all too familiar, its single eye glaring at me through the mirror.

“Forbidden!” It screamed and launched itself at me. Where Ashling hadn’t been able to penetrate the glass, the monster—the Fomorii—did easily. Its arms shot through; its clawed fingertips wrapped themselves around my throat, squeezing tight.

Like I hadn’t been strangled enough lately. I let go of the mirror, using both hands to pry at the thing that had me in its vice-like grip. I could hear Ashling screaming, though I could no longer see her. The monster’s arms were dark green, almost black, and slick with some sort of slime. The ooze made grasping it impossible. I floundered, my vision slipping in and out as spots appeared in front of me. At the last moment I wished for my knife; if I had it I could at least damage the thing that held my life in its hands.

The cool bone handle was suddenly in my right hand. I didn’t think about how it got there, just used it to slash at the beast in the mirror. The blade cut into the Fomorii’s right arm, slicing through it as if it were soft, slimy green butter.

The Fomorii let out a howl, and the last of my own powers burst out of me uncontrolled, shattering the mirror. The shards of the mirror cut through the Fomorii’s arms, amputating them at the elbows. The two limbs fell into the sink with a spurt of blood. I pried the fingers off my throat and drew in a lungful of air. The cool tang of the ocean had never tasted so good on my tongue. I took another breath and felt it flood my body with oxygen.