“I just thought of something though,” he added after a brief pause. “I can’t pick a mage lock, but you’re a mage. Can you get us out of here?”

The mirror Aidan shook his head. “No. I was a complete fool for doing it, but I made the cell for Flame to keep magically talented prisoners in, and it’s so well shielded I can’t so much as summon mage fire, let alone undo the lock. I should have left myself a back door, but I guess I never really thought she’d throw me in here. I’ve been with her more than a decade now, you’d think I’d quit underestimating her.”

“Oh well. I was hoping… but I guess we’ll be stuck here a while longer.”

“A while? We could be here to the end of time.”

“No.” Aidan shook his head and smiled. “You said my Flame Song is alive, so she’ll come for me. I have faith in her. As long as she lives she won’t leave me here. And when she comes for me she can let you two” he gestured at Celia and his twin, “out as well.”

“How can you be so calm about this?” asked the mirror Aidan.

“Because I trust my wife, because I’ve reached a certain decision about my own actions, and because I’ve also realized that I’m not responsible for any one else’s.”

“What do you mean, ‘a certain decision?’”

“Have you ever sworn to yourself that you’ll never, ever, do something and then the next thing you know somehow you’ve given in and you’re doing it?”

The mirror Aidan laughed bitterly. “A thousand times.”

“Three years ago I did something that hurt my wife very much. I betrayed her, and I felt that she would never forgive me. But she did. She loved me enough to take me back after what I’d done, and I swore then that I would never betray her again. And then I did. Afterward I cursed myself for a fool a hundred times. I tried to see how I could have done it, how I could have given in so easily, and after a lot of thinking I came to the conclusion that when I’d sworn that first time I’d mentally left myself a loophole. I said ‘never’ but what I meant was ‘never unless I have no choice, never unless I’m tempted so badly I can’t resist.’ And so, of course, it wasn’t too long before I was so tempted. And I gave in. People do that. We have in our minds the idea that under the right conditions almost anything can be excusable. We call it ‘extenuating circumstances.’ So I thought to myself, ‘self, if this really matters that much, if it is truly important to you that you never again betray Flame Song, then you have to promise with no exceptions. Not even one. You have to promise and mean it.’ And I thought to myself, if it came down to the choice, die or betray Flame again, what would I choose? And I realized that this really meant enough to me to die instead. Before I hadn’t really meant it. But now I do. I know for certain I’ll never again betray her. There are no exceptions, not even one tiny thing. Nothing, never, under no circumstances. And I mean it. Other people’s choices are up to them, but in one thing at least I’ve made my choice.”

His twin shook his head. “How can you say that? How can you be so certain?”

Aidan just shrugged. “It’s a matter of priorities. Of what I’ve decided is important. My family is the most important thing to me, bar none.”

“But you said ‘not even one tiny thing.’ How can some small slip-up be more important than life?”

“Let me use an example you might relate to. Besides swearing that I will never betray Flame Song again, I’ve also sworn that I will not let my hunger rule me. I will never take innocent blood that is not willingly given. Never. I have in the past, and it’s been a weak spot, something your own wife has used against me. I don’t want to be so used, so I’ve decided I won’t be. Your Flame Song threw Celia in here thinking that I would eventually become hungry enough that I’d be unable to resist the temptation to harm her. But,” he smiled reassuringly at the girl, “she doesn’t need to have any worries on that score. I’ve sworn, and I’ve left myself no loopholes. Before I might have decided I don’t want to hurt her, and with the best of intentions I’d say to myself that I wouldn’t touch her, but in the back of my mind I would have the idea that my hunger would eventually reach the point where I wasn’t in control, and so when that happened I would think in the back of my mind, ‘if I hurt her it won’t be my fault, since I don’t have a choice.’ But that’s where I’d be wrong. My actions are always my fault, my responsibility, no matter what the circumstances. Or I might tell myself ‘it won’t really hurt, I’ll just take a little, just a bit, she’ll be all right.’ But that would be a lie too. Even a single drop would be breaking my promise. If I know that and fully accept that as the truth, then I know also that I will not break my word. And I won’t.”

His double shook his head. “I don’t know… How can you be so sure? What wrong is there in taking ‘one little drop,’ like you said?”

Aidan shrugged again. “There’s no real difference between a small wrong and a large one. Wrong is wrong. I’ve thought this over and I’m certain of it. Though if we’re left in here too much longer my ideals will get a real life testing.” He smiled wryly. “I hope all the moralizing and speechmaking hasn’t bored you.”

“No, I think it’s given me something to think about. I… I feel like I want to change, to do something about my own life, but I wonder if I’ve already gone too far. I’ve become a monster. Just look at how Celia looks at me. The people around here couldn’t be more afraid of Count Dracula himself. And then I think about you. I never really thought about what my life might be like if I hadn’t been corrupted, but now I just keep wondering. I keep saying to myself ‘what if…?’ It’s driving my crazy.”

Aidan looked at his twin. He’d never seen that heartbroken expression on his own features, but that was only because by the time he’d had cause for that kind of sorrow he’d ceased to show up in mirrors. He could sympathize rather closely with his double’s fears, though he was sure he’d never done a lot of the things his twin had done. But still, his own past was far from unspotted. “I don’t think it’s too late. If I can turn over a new leaf after some of the things I’ve done, then maybe you can too.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done.”

“No I don’t. But tell me this: do you honestly regret every single evil you’ve done? Don’t just answer, really think about it.”

His double closed his eyes and thought. After a long time he said, “Yes.”

Aidan grinned. “Then there’s hope for you yet.”

They passed the rest of that evening comparing their lives. They found a great many similarities and, of course, a great many differences. Celia dozed off around midnight and Aidan kept his arm around her protectively. Her trust in him was oddly comforting. It strengthened his resolve to stick to his newly made promises.

As the sun rose on a new day the mirror Aidan said, “You know, I think you’re right. I think there may be some hope for me after all. I think… I think I’ll try to join your promise.” He looked at Celia, who was sleeping soundly with her head on his twin’s shoulder. An expression of tenderness was on his face, mixed with wonder that such a feeling could exist in his heart. “I find that I care about her. I don’t want her to be hurt. She’s so innocent.” He smiled then, a soft smile that somewhat surprised his twin. “It will be a test for me. If I can keep myself from hurting her then I know I’m not beyond redemption.”

Aidan smiled back. “Hey, I know you can do it. You’re me, after all, and I know I can. I think we really are like mirror images, more alike than not.”

“Yeah… I hope so anyway.”

“I know so. Have a little faith.”

“You know this is really weird. I’m sitting here getting a pep talk from myself.”

Aidan laughed. “No kidding. Weird doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

His double yawned. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not very coherent after sunup. I think I’ll take a nap.”

Aidan nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.” He leaned his head against the wall, stretching out his feet and trying to get comfortable. A few minutes later all three of them were soundly asleep.