I stood stunned by the over-sized shrew-like creature seated in the corner of the cell. The shrew leaned forward, it's snout and long whiskers peeking into the light. With its tiny clawed hands, the shrew pulled at its leather vest.

"You look as though you have never seen a Cornersweeper before," said the shrew in a raspy deep voice. "Or perhaps you have never seen one so finely dressed...considering the circumstance."

I shook my head.

"No, I haven't," I responded. "Are you a fairy too?"

"Not exactly." The shrew turned to Hijinx. "Well, Mr. All-Knowing-Cat, care to enlighten the Mirrorbender."

"Delighted," said Hijinx turning to me. "The creature before you is a Wilder. A fairy that has become its own race. Most fairies take the form of common animals, a cat, a dog, a stork. A Wilder is unique in the fairy world. This creature is known as a Cornersweeper. They take the form of a large shrew, but enjoy the finer pleasures of engineering, geometry, and symmetry. Some of the greatest structures ever built in Tartarus are thanks to the meticulous calculations of Cornersweepers. Their favorite animal is a spider due to the beautiful webs they weave. Hence use caution, never kill a spider in the presence of a Cornersweeper."

"Precisely," said the shrew. "My ancestors built this city. Every stone, every angle, every archway, even these very cells that trap us today, all a thanks to a Cornersweeper." The shrew stood. His tiny worn out boots scrapped on the floor. He approached me, sniffing the air and wiggling his pointed nose. "The name is Gorin," said the shrew. "And that spider up there is Silvia." Sure enough in the corner above where Gorin was seated weaved a spider's web. The fine silk glittered. "She has kept me company these long nights entertaining me with her beautiful designs." Gorin smiled at the spider. "It is an honor to meet you, Mirrorbender of legend."

"I'm pleased to meet you," I said. "And Silvia too."

"Hmm." Gorin rubbed his furry chin. His nose came very close to my face. "You look human. And smell human. But there is an aura about you most mysterious. My father once told me stories of your kind. How you brought light from the darkness and broke the strongest of chains when no one else could." Gorin turned around and paced along the wall. His arms wrapped behind his waist. "You're only wasting your time in this city. The humans here have gone mad with pleasures. Their hearts set on selfish wants mixed with a thirst for rage. Even now their feet stomp the ground above demanding blood in their colosseum. Do you not hear the thumping?"

The room went silent. A faint rhythmic thud pounded the ceiling.

"No one will help you here," said Gorin plopping his rump back on the ground. "All of us here have but one fate." He pointed to the ceiling. "We must answer the call of the crowd and give our lives for entertainment."

"Kind of the downer aren't you?" said Zeno.

"I prefer to be a realist, thank you, sevanter." Gorin sighed. "And you, boy," pointed the shew, "you look familiar. Have you been here before?"

"You must have me mistaken for someone else," stated Owen.

"Perhaps," said Gorin. "Though a Cornersweeper never forgets a face no matter how that face may age."

"Mr. Gorin," I said while quickly changing the subject. "You mentioned a terrible secret. One that has been waiting for me."

"Aye," said Gorin. "People tend to whisper truths in dark places hoping the shadows will mask their words, but my ears are keen and shadows keep no secrets." He flicked his large ears. "I heard rumor that a Mirrorbender was spotted south and traveling north. To Vetra no doubt. I heard such from the pageboy but two weeks ago when I was working down in the deeper halls. They say you are a bringer of misfortune and the key to unlocking Blackstone's future in the coming war."

"The lands are currently at peace," I said. "Aren't they?"

"For now," said Gorin. "Until someone makes the first move."

"I never intended to come to Tartarus or start a war. I just want to go home."

"A path of woe is laid with good intentions. And despite what you want, the weaver of fate has other plans for you. Even now there are horrors that lurk beneath our feet. I've seen the machine."

"A machine?" I said curiously.

"Compared to the nations of Neptus and Plutus, Juprus is underdeveloped in both the forging of new technology and the restructuring of old political ideas. Such things like a monarchy, a caste system, and the continued production of barbaric weaponry are not becoming of our current age, but due to a lingering famine, a host of hardened traditions, and the threat of prophetic events, Juprus has teetered in ancient ways. Since King Cassius took control, he has demanded the production of new weapons, sending spies across the borders to obtain new knowledge. As a result of this, my family was captured for our talents of metallurgy and forced to create such diabolical contraptions, ones that if used properly could have the potential to defeat any army regardless of their numbers or technological advancement."

"What does this machine, this diabolical contraption do?" asked Owen.

"I am unsure," said Gorin. "My grandfather designed it and after he finished it, he was slaughtered to hide its purpose. The plans were split amongst my brethren. We forged in separate chambers creations bits and bobs of something we came to call, the Glaring. After the machine was completed, my family became its first test subjects. I watched them return to their cells; changed they were. Their eyes glazed as though they had witnessed all the horrors of the world. They became violent, full of rage, and eventually players of the cruel gladiatorial sport in the colosseum above. I was kept alive to fix the machine should it need repairing. Now with my family gone, the machine is their final legacy. A legacy I fear may be final judgement to the armies of the world, and the Juprus nation's rise to greater power."

"That's horrible," I said. "But what does it have to do with me."

"The machine is not perfect and is missing a key component, one even my grandfather was unable to determine. If it can change fairies into horrific beasts what's to say its effects on a powerful legendary being such as yourself will be? You're in danger, Mirrorbender."

The fairies all around started banging on their cages and screeching in anger.

"The Cornersweeper speaks truth," squawked the stork from the cell nearby. "Every day the soldiers come to take some of us away. We are being turned wicked, and made to fight in the colosseum for sport. None who leave ever return."

Gorin wiped his teary eyes and blew his nose on an old handkerchief. "I miss me old lads. They deserved a better death."

"Hope will avenge them" meowed Hijinx now curled in my lap.

"I can only do my best," I said. "But I have to get out of here first."

"Impossible," said Gorin. "Remember my ancestors built these cages. I watched them carve the magic mark in the ceiling. They will neither bend nor break and all magic is rendered useless. Soon the soldiers will come to take us away. It is hopeless."

A loud scuffling of feet and sounded from the doorway beyond. A bright torch entered the room. The fairies retreated to the back of their cells, silent. Their scared faces hiding behind feathers and fur. The figure with the torch approached our cell.

"Heist?" I yelled standing to my feet as the figure came into view.

"Shh," he hissed grabbing hold of the cell bars. "Don't be so loud. I snuck down here to give you a message."

"A message doesn't help us," whispered Owen. "A key, perhaps. We need to get out of here."

"I can't open these doors, but I can help in other ways," said Heist. He looked at me with worried eyes. "I would expect a little more gratitude especially since I'm putting myself at great risk coming here." He wiped the sweat off his brow with his sleeve and glanced over his shoulder.

"Why are helping us?" I asked. "I thought all Blackstone citizens hated me."

"No, not everyone." Heist swallowed nervously. "I came because you remind me of my daughter." He looked once more over his shoulder. "After our little talk my heart couldn't bear to know what was about to happen to you. You're not the evil that everyone says you are. I feel it deep in my bones, and others will know it too if they have the chance. So, I managed to convince General Xuxa to grant you an audience with the king and the elders."

"That's great!" I said.

"No, not great." Heist shifted his feet. "The king would only agree to an audience if you proved yourself in the arena like every noble warrior. He wants to see you fight, though I suspect it is a trap. Ever since the Eradication act the king has used the arena to sway the minds of the masses. He started changing the fairies somehow. Making them violent and vile. Then he would pit them against criminals. Have them slaughter each other. People got the idea that fairies were naturally evil. But you, you are different."

Heist raised the torch close to my face. "The king thinks you're a worthy opponent to test his new champion, and I know for certain it is not a fairy this time. He's developed something else."

"What is this new creature?" asked Owen.

"I'm not sure. But it killed a few soldiers the other day when they brought it to the colosseum's holding chamber."

I breathed deep.

"So if I kill this beast, the king will grant me an audience. And if this beast kills me, what happens."

"He will be a hero," said Heist. "People don't want to admit it, but your life is the only thing keeping the nations at peace. Before you came, war was on our doorstep, but then news reached Plutus and Neptus and they have called back many of their troops from the borders, and instead sent spies to find you. Hope, people are whispering in the streets that perhaps the king is wrong. There has been so much hunger and disease, that people have needed some other hope besides war. It's a small start, but just your presence alone has begun changing people's minds. The king wants to stop that, and I fear even an audience with him may still be in his favor."

"We haven't even met this king and I already do not like him," said Zeno crossing his arms.

"And what if I don't fight," I said with a sigh. "Martha told me that a Mirrorbender was not supposed to kill."

"I don't know who Martha is," whispered Heist. "But I'm sure living one more day is better than any other option."

I bit my lip and stared up at the ceiling. The blue glow of the Muryoku Glyph fell upon my face. I closed my eyes and breathed deep.

"I don't want to do this," I said. "I don't want to fight." Owen brought his hand to my shoulder.

"Hey," he said. "Sometimes we have to fight to protect the ones we care about. You want to go home, don't you? Well you can't unless we make it to Vetra." I shook my head in frustration and leaned against the cell bars.

"Even if I could fight, I don't know what I'm fighting. I don't know what the arena looks like. I don't even have my mirror."

"Well they don't call me Heist for nothing," he said smiling. "If I can get your mirror back, can you fight?"

"Perhaps," I said. "But I still need a plan."

Gorin looked up at Silvia quietly spinning her web. A small fly had become tangled in the sticky thread. It struggled to free itself, but it's efforts were fruitless. The Cornersweeper jumped and cheered with joy.

"That's it!" Gorin blew a kiss towards the spider. "Oh, Silvia, my darling arachnid, how did you get so clever."

"Someone care to explain what the giant shrew is talking about?" asked Heist.

"It seems he has a plan," meowed Hijinx.

"I have more than a plan," said Gorin. His smile showed his rows of sharp teeth. "I have a strategy. But for this to work it will require two things. That mirror of yours and," Gorin turned to Zeno, "a magic man with a lot of string."

"I have a lot of string," said Zeno pulling out bundles from his deep pockets. "But whatever for?" Gorin pointed to Silvia's web.

"A spider's thread is fragile on its own, but when weaved in a special way, it can snare the mightiest of foes."