"A chill hangs over the second floor. Snow lies on the floors of the empty halls, and snowflakes float in the air. But the reason for this natural imbalance is easily explained. The second floor is guarded by a vampire who appears in mirrors and watches those trying to escape the Courts. Her terrifying gaze pierces through with cold, and her cruel smile of sharp teeth kills instantly. The halls grow colder until the fugitives turn into ice statues. The mirrors cannot be broken. It's ancient, still little-studied magic. We must enter the hall where the spellbook is kept. Read the spell that opens the secret chamber. Inside is the medallion of the Master of the Courts, the Fallen Knight. When the vampire sorceress appears in the mirrors, their structure will become conductive to the flow. The medallion must be placed in one of the mirrors. This will make her feel excruciating pain if she continues using her frost magic and will neutralize her temporarily."
They walked through deserted halls covered in snow. Large mirrors hung everywhere on the walls, set in iron frames engraved with metal patterns. Their surfaces were unnaturally clean, reflecting with sharp clarity the lifeless scenery of the second floor's halls. An inexplicable sense of ancientness emanated from them.
After a while, here and there in the mirrors, the silhouette of a tall, slender woman in an old-fashioned dress began to appear. Her eyes burned with a cold fire, and her black lips twisted into a sinister grin. Long teeth protruded from her mouth.
Without stopping, the Viscountess lit a torch that had suddenly appeared in her hand, and continued walking, holding it raised.
"This will help slow down her magic a little," she explained. "No matter what happens, do not run. She reacts like a predator. The moment she senses your fear or sees you run, she'll unleash the full force of her frost magic on us. We're almost there."
The air around them was gradually getting colder. The Cursed saw icicles forming on the tips of his hair.
They entered a twilight hall with no windows. Only the green light of several crystals illuminated it. There were no mirrors here. In the center of the hall, on a tall wooden stand, lay a book. The Viscountess opened it and began reading a spell in an ancient, unknown language.
The Cursed saw his armor being covered with a crust of ice.
A panel in one wall slid open, revealing a room glowing with red light. The Viscountess went inside and a moment later came out holding a medallion on a chain.
"Stay here. As long as I have the medallion, she won't touch me," said the Viscountess.
She left the room, approached one of the mirrors, and pushed the medallion inside.
It remained hanging there, as if suspended by nothing.
The vampire woman inside the mirrors twisted in a silent scream, as if a terrible pain had suddenly pierced her.
The cold receded.