Chapter Forty-Seven
Marius
My heart pounds like a feral beast as I sprint down the winding corridors. Brigid ’ s distress compels me forward. I can feel her calling me through the mate bond. I hurtle through the hidden passage to the ancient ritual chamber, the slow as I hear voices.
The chanting grows louder with each step I take toward the room, an ominous drone that sets my teeth on edge. Dark magic sizzles in the air. I feel it.
As I get to the end of the passageway, I see the scene before me is pure chaos.
“ Shit,” I mutter, taking in the carnage.
Rory, Callen, Tiernan, and Lochan are sprawled across the floor, bruised and bloodied. Guards tower over them, weapons drawn.
My gaze darts around the room, searching desperately for Brigid. Hooded figures form a tight circle around the altar, their chanting reaching a fever pitch. In the center, laying on top, draped in a green robe—Brigid. Surrounded by Council members.
“ Brigid!” I shout, my voice carrying over the chanting.
She doesn ’ t respond, her eyes glazed and unfocused. Panic rises in my throat. What the hell have they done to her?
I lunge forward, but a guard blocks my path. “ Stand down,” he growls.
“ Fuck you,” I snarl, shoving past him.
Another guard grabs my arm. I whirl, slamming my fist into his jaw. He staggers back, cursing.
“ Marius, watch out!” Rory yells.
I duck just as a blast of magic sizzles past my ear. Shit, that was close.
“ Let her go, you fuckers!” Callen shouts, struggling against his captors.
Tiernan ’ s voice is calm despite the chaos. “ The ritual is nearly complete. We need to disrupt it now—or never.”
“ No shit, genius,” Lochan grunts, his words slurred from a split lip. “ Got any bright ideas?”
I tune out their bickering, focused solely on reaching Brigid. The air is alive with power, making my skin crawl. Whatever they ’ re doing, it can ’ t be good.
A Council member turns, his eyes widening as he spots me. “ Restrain him!”
Guards swarm me, but I fight like a man possessed. Brigid needs me, and I ’ ll be damned if I let these fuckers stop me.
“ Brigid!” I call out again, desperation clawing at my insides. “ Wake up! Fight it! You were right—we can choose a different destiny!”
For an instant, I see a hint of recognition. Then it ’ s gone, replaced by a dark look that chills me to the bone.
What have they done to you, little bird?
The Council is performing some kind of spell over Brigid, waving athames over her and spinning a web of obsidian magic above the altar and Brigid. Then I notice they are holding chalices in their other hands. One of them makes the first cut, sliding the blade of his athame over Brigid ’ s wrists then holding the chalice underneath to catch her spilling blood.
Those fuckers are going to slice her open, one by one, and drain her blood into the chalices.
I struggle against the restraint of the guards, but it ’ s no use. And there ’ s something here that ’ s suppressing my shadow magic, somehow, so I can ’ t call on it either. I feel helpless, powerless to stop this.
It ’ s my fault. If I ’ d told Brigid earlier, if I ’ d woken up…
I don ’ t have time to think about it, though.
Magic fills the air, causing my hair to stand on end in its charge. Brigid raises her arms, and suddenly the world explodes into chaos.
Shadows erupt from her in a violent surge, tearing through the chamber like a tornado of pure darkness. Council members and hooded figures are thrown back, their bodies slamming against walls and pillars with sickening thuds.
“ Holy fuck,” I breathe, watching in horror as the carnage unfolds.
Bodies crumple to the ground, lifeless.
Brigid ’ s gray eyes now blaze with an otherworldly power. Her hair whips around her face like living shadows, and her lips curl into a cruel smile that doesn ’ t belong on her face.
“ Brigid, please,” I beg, my voice cracking. “ Come back to me.”
She doesn ’ t even look my way. Her gaze sweeps the room, cold and calculating.
King Cillian ’ s panicked voice cuts through the chaos. “ Retreat! Fall back!”
I turn to see the pompous asshole shoving guards out of his way as he makes a break for the exit. Coward.
But he doesn ’ t make it far. Brigid ’ s head snaps towards him, her eyes narrowing. With a flick of her wrist, tendrils of shadow magic lash out, wrapping around Cillian ’ s legs and yanking him off his feet.
He hits the ground hard, his crown clattering across the floor. The sight of the once-proud king scrambling on his hands and knees, his face twisted in terror, would be almost comical if the situation weren ’ t so fucked up.
“ Please, mercy!” Cillian begs, his voice high and reedy. “ I didn ’ t—I never meant—”
Brigid—no, the Morrigan ’ s—laugh is like shattered glass. She raises her hand, and Cillian ’ s body jerks upward, suspended in midair. He thrashes wildly, choking and gasping as the shadows constrict around his throat.
I want to look away, but I can ’ t.
A sickening crack reverberates in the chamber, and Cillian goes limp. The Morrigan releases him, and his body crumples to the floor like a broken doll.
The chamber falls silent, save for the low hum of magic still emanating from Brigid. She turns, her gaze sweeping over the destruction she ’ s wrought. Briefly, I see a flicker of confusion in her eyes.
“ Brigid?” I call out, hope blooming in my chest. “ Little bird, can you hear me?”
Her eyes lock onto mine, and my breath catches in my throat. For a split second, I see her—my Brigid. Then it ’ s gone, replaced by the indifference of the Morrigan.
She turns her attention fully to me. Her eyes are cold, unyielding pools of silvery gray. There ’ s no recognition. Just an ancient, merciless power.
“ Brigid, please,” I try one last time, my voice hoarse. “ It ’ s me. It ’ s Marius.”
She smiles, and it holds no warmth. With a casual motion of her wrist, an invisible force slams into my chest. The air rushes from my lungs as I ’ m hurled backwards, my body smashing against the chamber wall with bone-jarring force.
Pain explodes through me. My vision blurs, dark spots dancing at the edges. I slump to the ground, gasping and wheezing as I struggle to draw breath. Fuck, I think at least one rib is cracked.
I force my head up, meeting her gaze again. The Morrigan stares down at me, her expression a mask of icy amusement. Her lips curl.
Without a word, she turns and strides towards the exit, her movements unnaturally graceful. I try to follow, but my legs won ’ t cooperate. All I can do is watch helplessly as she disappears into the shadows, leaving nothing but death and destruction in her wake.
“ Fuck,” I mutter, sinking to my knees. “ What the hell do we do now?”
The chamber falls silent as Brigid vanishes into the shadows. For a moment, we ’ re all frozen, stunned by the surrounding devastation.
Rory ’ s the first to move, stumbling to his feet with a pained groan. “ Holy shit,” he mutters, eyes wide as he takes in the carnage. “ Is everyone okay?”
“ Define ‘ okay ’ ,” Callen groans, clutching his side as he struggles to sit up. His usual charm is gone, replaced by grim determination. If he ’ s noticed his father is most probably dead, he isn ’ t giving it away.
I try to stand, but a sharp pain in my ribs sends me back to my knees. “ Fuck,” I hiss through clenched teeth.
Tiernan limps over, his face etched with concern. “ Easy, Marius. You might have internal injuries.”
Lochan ’ s still on the ground, his face a mess of bruises. “ What the hell just happened?” he demands, voice thick with pain and confusion.
“ The Morrigan,” Tiernan says quietly. “ The ritual... it worked. But not how the Council intended.”
The reality of the situation sinks in, heavy as a fucking millstone. Brigid—our Brigid—is gone. In her place, an ancient goddess of war and death now walks the earth. And we ’ re left here, battered and broken, with no fucking clue what to do next.