"Um, Bowen," she began slowly, "familiars are... animals."
He raised his eyebrows in an "and your point is" expression. "I read that familiars can be protectors - I am Mari's protector. One witch had a tiger - another even had a bear. Why no' a Lykae?"
Nïx beamed proudly. "I'm impressed!"
"So how the hell do I get to her?"
"Go to her room at Andoain."
"I was just there this... " He trailed off, having learned not to question these things endlessly - or, in some instances, at all. "Verra well."
At Andoain, he bounded up the stairs to Mari's bedroom three at time, ignoring the growing pain in his leg. From the corner of his eye, he spied witches blinking at him from behind their doors. He dimly noted that candles were lit throughout - they seemed to be expecting him.
He swung open Mari's door. And was suddenly in another house, with buckets of snow falling outside. He glanced around, battling his sense of disquiet. Was any of this real? Was he dreaming?
Easing farther inside, he found a woman within who resembled Mariketa. Beside her stood a man who crossed thick arms over his chest, raising his brows at Bowe.
At that moment, Bowe realized that he was meeting Mari's parents - and that, in addition to his bare feet and unshaven, rough appearance, his shirt was on backward. And inside out.
"This is the male she's been seeing?" the man muttered. "He can't even dress himself."
Bowe just stifled the urge to point out that though he might not be able to dress himself, he sure as hell could perceive when a bairn was on his shoulders. Instead he bit his tongue. This warlock, though arrogant, was Bowe's future father-in-law.
"A werewolf, Jill? Really."
"Hush." The woman slapped the back of her hand against his stomach, then said, "I'm Jillian. And this is my husband, Warren. We are Mari's parents. And we know you're Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan."
He gave her a nod.
To Bowe, Warren demanded, "Aren't you a bit old for my daughter?"
When Bowe scowled, Jillian blithely continued, "We've been waiting for you. Mari's been waiting. She needs your help."
"Where is she?"
"Follow me." Jillian showed him to a room that looked like a cross between the bedroom in Belize and Mari's at Andoain.
His breath left him. Mari stood in front of a full-length mirror, utterly still, dark eyes unblinking. His voice broke low when he asked, "What's happened tae her?"
Jillian answered, "Once she received Häxa's powers, she basically enchanted herself. And no one's strong enough to combat her magick."
"None can fix what they can hardly touch," Warren said.
Jillian added, "But we think you might be able to talk her from this. Nix told us this morning that you intend to be her protector - "
"He's a beast familiar," Warren scoffed.
"Which makes him a werewolf protector. And that's why he's been allowed here."
"Can she hear me?" Bowe asked, disregarding the fact that he hadn't spoken to Nix until minutes ago.
"Mari's aware of everything we're saying," she answered.
"How do I free her?"
"You persuade her to somehow find the power to pull away. Talk to her, make her fight," Jillian said. "Reflections are Mari's strengths, but they're also her weaknesses. She can be hurt by them if she draws too much on them - once you succeed in freeing her, then you have to make sure she doesn't lose herself in the mirror like this ever again."
No wonder he'd had such a strong reaction to her chanting to the glass.
Warren added, "Tonight, if you succeed, we're going to bind Häxa's power within her. For a few decades, Mari will need to use the mirror for knowledge sparingly - only in the direst emergencies. She can travel through mirrors and use them to focus spells, but the knowledge is what Häxa's power will always crave - and bindings are not infallible."
"Can we trust you to see to this?" Jillian asked.
Bowe gave a sharp nod. "Aye, I can see to it."
"Don't try to put anything in front of her eyes," Warren said. "She'll burn away whatever blocks her gaze. And whatever you do, do not break the mirror."
Without looking away from Mari, Bowe asked, "Why no'?" This seemed an ideal solution to him.
Jillian murmured, "The shock could... it could kill her."
No' ideal.
"I want to be alone with her," Bowe said.
She nodded. "We're going to the binding ceremony. Good luck, Bowen."
After they closed the door, Bowe could still hear Mari's father say, "Jill, why are you so confident in MacRieve?"
"Because he won't ever rest until he has her back with him," she replied before they descended the stairs.
Alone with Mari, Bowe said, "Lass, we're about to take a break from the mirror for a bit. How am I to marry you in front of all those witches in an eerie, embarrassing ceremony if you will no' look away?"
No reaction.
He put his arms around her waist and leaned down to kiss her neck, closing his eyes with pleasure just to be close to her once more.
"Doona wish to turn from your glass? Verra well. Then ask it some questions while you're here. Ask it how much your Lykae's missed you."
Had she blinked?
At her other ear, he murmured, "Ask it who Bowe loves."
Her lips parted. Her body seemed to begin thrumming, as if she was struggling with everything she had in her to be free.
"Aye, that's right. Ask it who's the only one Bowe's ever been in love with." He brushed the back of his fingers down her cheek, willing her to meet his gaze in the mirror. "And the last question we're goin' tae have before you come away with me... ask it how damned good our lives are goin' tae be together, just as soon as you turn tae kiss me."