In the narrative of The Shadow Soul, the reader will encounter mirrors several times, and with it the inclination that they are more than just reflective surfaces. This is not to suggest that a mirror isn’t just a mirror, but rather that sometimes, on rare occasions, they are windows, if not portals to other places. Last year, I wrote about the way gates and the various shapes they take. In this installment of The Technology of Trailokya, I will talk more specifically about mirror gates.
Mirrors have long been held as portals by the superstitious. It is believed that you should cover all the mirrors in a home where a loved one passes away immediately, as not to allow their spirit to get trapped. In the film, Prince of Darkness, the demons possessing the researchers try to use mirrors to bring forth the devil. There are ghost stories about repeating a spirit’s name into the mirror thrice to call them to you. Houses of mirrors are unusually disturbing to our senses, perhaps because of these cultural myths. Still, there is a reluctance to stare too long that percolates from the depths of our minds. Mirrors can be utterly chilling. Perhaps there is something to the folklore after all?
Jahannam’s legions, even their most powerful, do not seem capable of using mirrors as gates in the way that duta do. Even Belial fails to come past the surface, using them as a means to scry and spy on those he has set 
his sights upon. Is it the prince of Acheron making Dominic think he has succumbed to the burning, or are those really flames in the human’s eyes?
For duta, mirrors are especially useful. They can use them to watch over assigns, or as ways to get around. Unlike other gates, mirrors are usually a dedicated pair. One part of the set will be placed in one location, and the other at the desired destination. The must be installed by specialized units of Watchers. Not just any mirror will do. They would be programmed and linked within the safety of the cloisters (more to come on that place later this month). This is done to guarantee that they are not tainted by jahannam’s hordes. A warding helps protect them and keep them disguised from the danava’s will to evil and senses.
If a mirror is discovered by a shadowalker, it is possible for them to physically destroy the reflective surface that is used as a gate. They are not strong enough to make it work. At least, no sustained effort has resulted in more than being able to use it as a spying source. This is fairly quickly detected when it happens, and the system shutdown. Watchers will be dispatched to destroy the piece. If it was used to keep watch of an assign, another solution will take the mirror’s place. Once a location a means is compromised, the tactic cannot be used again, as a matter of good military stratagem.
Some mirrors are equipped with an accessible interface that allows duta to calibrate them to other locations. Mirrors with this feature are interconnected. These would be guarded, not just warded, to maintain their usefulness. They are the most rare of this kind of gate. Danava would be wise to avoid trying to compromise them, but they tend to not make the wisest of choices, following instincts fed by rage.
What would you look for if you wanted to find a mirror gate? Generally speaking, they would be tall. Age is not an indication of likelihood. There may be an etching in an unrecognizable language on the frame. They feel unusually cold to the touch. A deep sense of unease is had around the mirror, and an avoidance to gaze into it for any length beyond necessary. It’s hanging somewhere that is out of the way of pedestrian traffic, and is either near a major hub or quite out of the way of one. The device might also hang in the proximity of a person with curious abilities. It’s far too unlikely your bedroom or bathroom mirror is one.
Click here to learn more about the technology in The Trailokya Trilogy, and let me know what other topics in the book you’d like to discuss in the comments below. Check out the online companion, only on Wattpad.
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