Mirror Image (43 page)
Authors: Michael Scott
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
J
ONATHAN FRAZER GLANCED
up into the image's eyesâand found himself looking at a nightmare.
How dare you taste her blood. She is mine!
the beast roared.
Whip-like tendrils of hair shot out from the mirror, as if they were breaking the surface of a pond, and wrapped themselves around his head, holding it tight, pulling it to the glass.
The image's mouth was opening and closing, her teeth lengthening, the upper incisors growing, gouging into the flesh of her chin, scoring through the flesh. Threads of thick dark saliva dripped onto her breasts. Her eyes were changing, the white disappearing, turning black, the pupils lengthening, becoming yellow and slit-like. The face became the mask of a beast, like a boar with curling tusks and leathery verminous skin. The mouth opened and opened and opened, drew back ⦠and erupted through the mirror.
The forked tongue lashed at his eyes, destroying the retina, the lower jaws clamped into the flesh beneath his chin, the fangs in its upper jaw tore into the soft flesh behind his eyes and then it bit down, sheering off the whole front of his face.
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
T
HE BULLET SHATTERED
the skylight, continued down, entered the crown of Frazer's head and blew off most of the lower portion of his face, spattering gore across the glass. He was dead before he hit the floor.
Although another shot was unnecessary, Margaret Haaren calmly shot him in the back of the head as he lay on the floor. The bullet tore off what was left of his face.
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S
TUART MILLER
came up and stood beside Margaret Haaren, grinning broadly.
“What's got you so happy?” she asked.
“The SWAT Commander is just about to throw a serious fit. You stole his limelight. He was in the middle of a speech about
a considered response to this delicate situation
when you blew Frazer's head off.”
“He'd cut her throat,” she said tiredly, watching the paramedics carry out Helen on a stretcher. Light bulbs flashed. “He'd made a puncture in it and was drinking her blood like some vampire.”
“I've heard about that. The need for blood is some obscure medical condition, some deficiency,” Stuart Miller said mildly. “But the other stuff, the vampire stuff, the black magic rubbish is some sort of sex trip.” He jerked his thumb back over his shoulder. “We found some women's clothing over there. Remember those street girls who ended up in the river? I'll bet you my pension we've got ourselves a connection.”
“Good.” She handed across her gun. “Check this in for me will you? I'm going with the paramedics.”
“Give my regards to Helen? Tell her she's a really lucky girl.”
“You can say that again.”
When Margaret had looked down into the room, she had immediately assumed that Frazer had cut her niece's throat. But when the SWAT team had finally broken down the door, and got her out, the paramedics discovered that there was only a small nick in the side of her throat and that the girl was already beginning to open her eyes.
For one instant they'd stared at Margaret Haaren completely devoid of expression, and then a smile fixed itself to her lips.
“Hello Aunty.”
*Â Â Â *Â Â Â *
I
N HER GLASS
prison, Manny Frazer screamed and screamed and screamed â¦
Â
John Dee and Edward Kelly were real historical characters.
Dee, who was Queen Elizabeth's spy, was also one of her closest advisors. He prepared regular horoscopes for her, and did choose the date of her coronation.
It is a matter of record that John Dee married twice: the name of his first wife is unknown, and she died or disappeared mysteriously after only one year of marriage.
Following the woman's death, Queen Elizabeth visited Mortlake, home of John Dee, to view the marvelous mirror she had heard so much about, but she inexplicably refused to enter the house and insisted on viewing the mirror in the gardens.
Edward Kelley or Kelly's real name was Talbott.
Dee's own diaries record that he was advised by a young girl, called Madimi. He described her as “otherworldy” and there is no record of her birth or death.
The mirror, albeit in slightly smaller form than described here, exists to this day. Its face is kept perpetually covered with a black cloth.
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BOOKS BY
MICHAEL SCOTT
FROM TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES
Etruscans
(with Morgan Llywelyn)
The Thirteen Hallows
(with Colette Freedman)
Â
MICHAEL SCOTT
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of more than one hundred books for both adults and young adults. His work has been published in thirty-seven countries and translated into twenty languages. Scott lives in Dublin, Ireland. You can sign up for email updates
here
.
    
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MELANIE RUTH ROSE has worked extensively in the entertainment industry throughout her career, completing numerous projects for the BBC, LWT, and ITV, and appearing on the West End stage. She lives in Los Angeles.
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CONTENTS