CHAPTER 24

Headwaters

Fin braced himself as the Master’s finger brushed against the mirror shard. This was it—the real last possibility. If it turned to iron, the Pirate Stream would be lost forever. They would be lost forever. His heart hammered in his chest. Beside him Marrill trembled. He squeezed her hand tighter.

At least if this was the end, they were facing it together.

Fin prepared himself for the cold embrace of iron.

But it wasn’t metal that engulfed them. Instead, the mirror began to glow. Softly at first, then brighter.

Marrill gasped, dropping the shard. She stumbled back, dragging Fin with her. The mirror struck the ground in a shower of golden sparks. They illuminated the room, beating back the darkness, banishing the red streaks of lightning.

Fin clutched Marrill as the gold from the shard spread, expanding across the ground to the surrounding mirrors. It washed across them like a tide.

Not a tide of iron. A tide of light. Of possibility.

In its wake, the iron mirrors softened. The dull gray gained color, growing vibrant. As he watched, the frozen Naysayer bloomed purple. He rose from his bow, clapping, as though applauding Marrill and Fin.

“It’s… amazing,” Marrill whispered, her eyes open wide as she craned her neck, taking it all in.

Around them possibilities burst to life. With color. With sound. With light and energy.

Fin returned his focus to the Master, keeping the Evershear at his side, still gripped in his hand. Just in case.

The metal-clad figure began to glow as the golden tide overtook him. Brighter and brighter, until Fin and Marrill were almost forced to look away. The Master held a hand aloft. His armor seemed to melt, to flow off him, coalescing into an orb cradled in his outstretched palm.

By then, the new tide had gained momentum. It struck against the mouth of the mirrored tunnel, rippling into the darkness, turning it bright with possibility.