Othersoul Mirror

"Hurry up!" Swiftear shouted. "The Charters are bound to be here soon, and I want to get something out of this wretched place." Karsta rolled her eyes - they didn't need to be told twice. She bounded down the hall, knowing full well that the Charters would arrive soon - too soon. Before they had left. And there would be a battle. Well, perhaps a scuffle, but a fight at least. Too bad that the Charters actually cared about the historical value of these things. Karsta saw only the money.   A mirror with a gilded frame caught her eye. It was big, almost stretching from the top of the ceiling to the bottom of the floor.   Well, there's something valuable, she thought, heading down the hall. She couldn't help but admire her reflection. Gleaming orange scales. Deadly sharp horns. Dagger-length talons. And her eyes - coal black. glistening with a dangerous confidence. A true force to be reckoned with.   But as she watched, something...changed. Her reflection shifted, shrinking into something much smaller. The scales disappeared, changing into skin the color of a walnut. The eyes turned dark brown, almond shaped. The horns disappeared in a head into a head full of bushy, dark curls that fell past human shoulder. There were no longer claws and talons, but thin, calloused fingers and feet in cloth-like boots. It was no longer a dragon looking back at Karsta, but a human - a young girl with hardened eyes. Her expression softened, shifting into a small smile and a shy wave.   Horrified, Karsta looked down at herself. No - still a dragon. But the human in the mirror was undeniably her. She knew it, deep inside. For a fraction of a second, her tail lifted up to wave back. She slammed it down, swallowing hard.   "Quit standing around!" Swiftear was suddenly shouting in her face. "Grab that mirror if you can, then leave! The Charters are here!"   Instantly Karsta snapped to attention, cursing her loss of concentration. No matter. She would still get the mirror. Gritting her teeth, she bounded forward, staring down the girl, refusing to lose the rest of her waning resolve. But then the girl turned, looking her in the eye, and suddenly a wave of vertigo swept over her. She stumbled and skidded, and her right horn pierced the glass. The dizziness was so complete that she collapsed to the ground and remembered no more.