My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might explode. Seeing my son so vulnerable, so close to death, made rational thought almost impossible.
"Don't," I whispered. "Please don't hurt him."
"Then cooperate. Give me what I want and everyone survives. Fight me and your children die in front of you." She smiled coldly. "What's more important? Your pride or your babies?"
"How do we even know they're really alive? That mirror could be showing us illusion."
"Fair point." She pulled out something else. A piece of fabric I recognized immediately. Arianna's blanket. The one she slept with every night. "This enough proof? Or do you need me to have them hurt a little to show they're real?"
"No! Don't hurt them!" Kael's shade was manifesting violently, responding to his rage. "We'll do what you want. Just don't hurt our children."
