Shadows of Change (Arcanum Academy #1)

35. Malrik

The library's shadows welcome me like old friends as I move silently between the stacks. It's late—well past curfew—but sleep has been elusive lately. Particularly since... I pause, my hand hovering over an ancient text on shadow manipulation. It’s been five days since she accepted his invitation, and the academy's shadows have been restless ever since.

I pull the tome from its shelf, its weight familiar in my hands. The leather binding is cool against my skin, a stark contrast to the warmth that floods my chest whenever I think of her.

Kaia.

Her name echoes in my mind, a bittersweet melody that refuses to fade.

Five days. It feels like an eternity.

I settle into my usual alcove, surrounded by flickering candlelight that barely keeps the encroaching darkness at bay. The shadows seem to whisper her name, a constant reminder of her absence. Of how Darian has managed to do what none of us thought possible – isolate her from those who care about her most. Not that she even knows how much we care, how much I care… but that’s not the point.

My fingers trace the intricate patterns on the book's cover, but my mind is far from the arcane knowledge within. Instead, I see flashes of her – the way her eyes used to light up when she mastered a new technique, the sound of her laughter echoing through the training grounds. Now, those moments feel like relics from another life.

The few glimpses we've caught of her have been... unsettling. Her eyes, once so full of warmth and curiosity, now hold a distant, confused look. It's as if she's seeing through us, rather than truly seeing us at all. The easy camaraderie we once shared has been replaced by stilted conversations and awkward silences.

I clench my fist, feeling the shadows around me respond to the surge of emotion. This is exactly what Darian wanted, I realize. To drive a wedge between Kaia and those who would protect her. And we've let it happen, helpless to stop the slow unraveling of whatever this connection is that we share.

The worst part is how it's affecting me. I've always prided myself on my control, on keeping my emotions carefully in check. But now? Now I find myself lying awake at night, replaying every interaction, searching for some clue I might have missed. Some way I could have prevented this.

I close my eyes, letting out a slow breath as I try to center myself. The shadows respond, curling around me like a comforting embrace. But even they can't fill the void left by her absence.

It's more than just concern for a friend, I admit to myself in the safety of the darkness. The ache in my chest, the constant worry that gnaws at me – it speaks of deeper feelings, ones I've been reluctant to acknowledge. Feelings that make Kaia's distance all the more painful.

I open the book, hoping to lose myself in its pages, but the words blur before my eyes. Instead, I see her face, hear her voice. I remember the way she looked at me the last time we spoke – confused, and so so angry.

And yet, while she grows more distant, he seems to grow bolder. That thought draws my attention to the shadows shifting restlessly near the restricted section, and I follow their lead.

Movement catches my eye. Through a gap in the shelves, I spot Darian in the restricted section, hunched over a tome with an intensity that seems almost desperate. His usual smooth confidence is notably absent. Interesting.

As I drift closer, I let the shadows mask my presence. The page he's studying comes into focus—diagrams of soul-binding rituals. My blood runs cold.

"Research for Professor Thorne's class?" I ask quietly, stepping into view.

Darian startles—actually startles—before his mask slides back into place. But I catch the flicker of something raw in his eyes. Fear? Guilt? It vanishes too quickly to name, but the tension in his posture betrays him.

"Malrik. Bit late for a study session, isn't it?"

"I could ask you the same thing." I lean against the shelf, noting how his hand twitches toward the book. "Soul-binding is dangerous magic. Not typically covered in our curriculum."

"Just expanding my knowledge." His smile doesn't reach his eyes. "We can't all be born understanding the shadow realm like you."

The jab is meant to unsettle me, but I merely raise an eyebrow. "No, we can't. Just as we can't all be trusted with certain kinds of power."

Something dark flickers across his face before he can hide it. "Speaking of trust," he says, his tone deceptively light. I heard about your little group's falling out. Such a shame. Kaia seemed so close to all of you."

My shadows coil tightly, but I keep my voice neutral. "Concerned about our friendship, Darian? How thoughtful."

He shrugs, gathering his books. "Just making conversation. Though I suppose I should thank you all. If you hadn't pushed her away, she might never have agreed to be my date for the dance."

I want to freeze the smirk off his face, but I force myself to stay still. "Indeed. Funny how things work out."

"Well, I should go. Big day tomorrow." He pauses at the end of the aisle. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."

Only when his footsteps fade do I let my careful control slip. The shadows around me writhe in response to my anger, and I have to take several deep breaths before they settle.

"What are you planning?" I murmur, running my fingers over the spine of the book he left behind. The leather is cold to the touch, unnaturally so. When I open it, the pages fall to a detailed description of binding shadows to one's will.

"I know you're there," I say softly to the shadows in the corner. They've been watching me all evening, more agitated than usual. Bob shifts forward slightly. The others hover behind, waiting.

"Show me," I whisper. "Show me what you've seen."

The shadows coalesce into scenes that make my heart race: Darian and Thorne in hushed conversation, the professor's hand tight on his student's shoulder. The necklace pulses with violet light whenever Kaia's shadows draw near, as if sensing something more profound than proximity. It feels almost alive, its reaction a deliberate warning to anyone paying attention. Darian practices something in an empty classroom, his own shadows twisting in ways that seem... wrong.

But it's the final scene that makes my blood run cold. Darian at the edge of the academy grounds, kneeling before a figure cloaked in darkness. The air around them crackles with an oppressive energy, shadows swirling like a living storm. Though the figure’s face remains hidden, its presence radiates a chilling authority, the kind that bends the world around it to its will. The shadows can't—or won't—show me the figure's face, but the aura of wrongness is unmistakable.

"When?" I ask sharply. The shadows ripple in response—last night.

Footsteps echo from the other end of the library. The shadows immediately scatter, returning to their usual patterns. Bob brushes against my hand, his edges rippling with agitation. It feels like urgency, a wordless plea to act before it’s too late.

"Still lurking in dark corners, your highness?" Finn emerges from between the stacks, his usual grin in place, though it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Some of us actually study, chaos mage," I reply drily. But there's something off about his casual stance, a tension in his shoulders that betrays his light tone.

"You saw something," I say quietly.

Finn's smile fades. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just spreading chaos and rumors like always." He picks up a book, flipping through it without really looking at the pages. "But hypothetically, if someone had seen our newest student practicing some very questionable magic in the east tower at midnight..."

"Hypothetically," I drawl, "that someone might want to share what they saw with someone else who's been having similar concerns."

Finn meets my eyes, all pretense of humor gone. "He's going to hurt her, isn't he?"

I think of the shadows' warning, of the dark figure and Darian's desperate research. "Yes. The question is: what are we going to do about it?"

A slow, decidedly wicked grin spreads across Finn's face. "Well, as it happens, I have a few ideas about that. How do you feel about crashing a dance?"

Despite myself, I feel my lips twitch. "I thought you'd never ask."

As we begin plotting, I notice Bob has returned, joined by the other shadows. They hover around us like eager conspirators, and I'm reminded that we're not the only ones who want to protect Kaia. Whatever Darian and Thorne are planning, they're about to learn a crucial lesson about the nature of shadows—they're not just extensions of darkness.

They're family.

And no one messes with our family.