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Chapter 2
Sadie
The taxi ride over to my apartment seemed quick enough. The driver was happy to help me haul the eight foot magical mirror into the back of the van, but he wasn't too happy about me transporting Loki. I promised to keep the cat on my lap and even pay an extra fare and the guy agreed. Who knew I'd be back on Earth in such a pinch. In normal circumstances, I could've just teleported, but I had exerted all my energy earlier trying to pull Altair, Dom, and Morpheus out of whatever dimension they were placed into.
Arms folded over my chest, I glared at the mirror as it sat in front of the fireplace wondering if I might have seen the mirror as a child and couldn't remember. Even if I had, it seemed the magical heirloom was inherited by my aunt instead of my mother. That wasn't surprising since they split all assets in half according to some will that was written right after they were born.
Aunt Naima likely used the mirror as the anchor to her spell. And the mirror practically had magic of its own. Power exuded from the glass and the frame.
I drummed my fingers against my forearms, knowing that if Millicent decided not to show, then I'd need to act on my own.Being a lone witch was great, but having a coven of your most trusted partners was even better. At least they could tell me when I was about to do something wrong.
Right outside the door, I heard the signs of someone coming up the steps. Whoever it was had a slow careful pace. They were light on their feet.
Could it be...?
Loki hopped off of the couch and wrapped his tail around my ankle while purring. There was a knock at the door.
"You can sense it too, can't you? You can sense when someone has magic." I whispered, bending over to scoop up Loki from the floor.
Before opening the door, I just knew it was Millicent. Sure enough, right there just across the threshold stood my childhood friend. I hadn't seen her in years. Not since she graduated college and invited me to attend graduation. We had talked over the years, but had grown apart over the last year and a half.
The hood of her black cloak concealed her face, and she kept her head low. I had a sinking feeling that she was trying to avoid being seen. She glanced up, catching my gaze instantly.
"Sadie," she mouthed, her eyes sparkled as a small smile escaped her lips.
I smiled. "Millicent, you came."
She grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug. "I was worried about you. Wondering about your safety. Especially with Sydney being missing." She looked down at her watch. "I can't stay long. Father doesn't know I'm here. No one does."
Millicent's dad, Maison McBride, had been a key player in coming between our friendship, saying that it wasn't right that we remain in contact since we belonged to different covens. Although, our dads remained on neutral and amicable terms when they parted ways, they were still stubborn in their ways. Iwished they could have resolved differences before my dad died, but I didn't see how that was going to happen now.
"It's okay," I said. "I'm just glad you could come."
She looked down at Loki in my arms. "I didn't know you had a cat. You didn't say anything about that last time we talked on the phone."
Loki meowed.
"He was Aunt Naima's cat. Now, he's mine." I forced out a smile.
Millicent frowned. "I'm so sorry about your aunt, Sadie. Is this what this is about?"
"Sort of. Come inside," I urged.
Millicent stepped inside and revealed herself from beneath the cloak. Seeing her brought back memories of our days as friends, of laughter and mischief. Her deep brown eyes were framed with thick lashes, and her shoulder-length hair was artfully put together in natural curls. She had a mischievous air about her, but her outfit was immaculate: a plaid skirt with a form-fitting vest cinched at the waist, and calf-length platform boots in sleek black. Between myself, Sydney, and Millicent, she always managed to top us all in the style department.
As soon as I closed the door behind her, Loki jumped straight out of my arms and joined Millicent by the mirror, brushing his body and tail against her like he had done with me moments earlier. I wasn't surprised that Loki found her to be like-able, but what did surprise me was that she walked straight up to the mirror.
"Wow, where'd you get this?" she asked, tracing the intricate designs of the frame.
"It was Aunt Naima's too."
"It holds so much power. Ancient power. Dangerous power," she whispered.
"You feel it too?"
"Yes." She spun around. "Where did you find it? I thought her shop burned to the ground."
"It did, but some of her things survived the flames. Fortunately and surprisingly, this mirror was one of them. Mika, her daughter...she..." I cleared my throat. "After the fire, Mika took it upon herself to re-open the shop."
