Chapter 37
Brigid
Callen and I hurry through the corridors of the academy.
"You have to tell them, Brigid," Callen insists. "About the heir."
Anxiety claws at my insides. Lochan's face flashes in my mind—his disgusted expression every time he looks my way. The memory of our training session makes me nauseous. The way he looked at me.
Callen’s hand finds my shoulder, a steadying presence. "You're stronger than you think, darling. Besides," he adds, "I'll be there to protect you from the big bad fairy."
I roll my eyes, but can't help the small smile that tugs at my lips. Trust Callen to provide comic relief in a situation like this.
We round the corner, and we're there—standing before the door of the suite Callen shares with the others. My hand hovers over the handle, trembling slightly.
Callen leans in close. "Come now, darling. No need to be shy. I promise we'll be gentle."
Heat floods my cheeks as I shoot him a glare. "You're the worst."
He grins, unrepentant. "You love it."
I take a deep breath, steeling myself. It's now or never. With a silent prayer to whatever gods might be listening, I push open the door.
The door swings open, revealing the extravagant suite beyond. Their suite puts the luxury of mine to shame, and that’s saying something. I suppose a prince would have nothing less.
I step inside, Callen's presence at my back both comforting and unnerving.
"What’s she doing here?” Lochan looks at me like I’m something stuck on the bottom of his boot.
I flinch, my gaze dropping to the floor. This is exactly what I was afraid of.
"Play nice, Loch," Callen chides, his tone light but with an undercurrent of sharpness. "We've got important matters to discuss."
I force myself to look up, meeting Lochan's unwelcoming stare. His arms are crossed, muscles taut beneath his shirt.
"Spit it out, then." Lochan sneers.
My fingers curl into fists at my sides. The urge to lash out, to prove him wrong, burns in my chest. But I swallow it down, along with the acrid taste of fear.
Rory chooses that moment to envelop me in a bone-crushing hug. I wheeze, "Can't... breathe..."
"Easy there, big guy," Callen chuckles. "We need her in one piece."
Rory releases me with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Brigid. Just happy to see you."
His warm hug is a stark contrast to the absolute hatred emanating from Lochan. I catch Tiernan's eye, and he offers a subtle smile. My chest tightens.
allen's voice cuts through my thoughts, all business. "Brigid and I were in the greenhouse. I felt a presence, and not a good one."
The room goes still. Even Lochan's scowl falters.
"What kind of presence?" Tiernan asks, leaning forward.
Callen's eyes darken. "Dark. Old. Like that night we brought Brigid here."
My blood runs cold. Flashes of that night—suffocating shadows, terror—assault my mind.
"You're saying it followed her here?" Lochan's voice drips with accusation as he turns his eyes towards me.
I open my mouth to retort, but Callen steps forward. "There's more."
Callen's gaze flickers to me, then back to the others. "The Raven King had an heir."
The words hang in the air, heavy as lead. Why didn't he mention the rest of it? That I might have some kind of a connection to this?
"An heir?" Lochan's eyes narrow. "How do you know this?"
I can feel Callen's hesitation, the careful choosing of his words. "Let's just say we have a reliable source."
Tiernan clears his throat. "I had a new premonition this morning."
All eyes turn to him.
"I saw The Morrigan, surrounded by ravens." Tiernan’s bright green eyes are distant. "The Morrigan returns when the veil of shadows is raised to reveal the truth.”
I feel sick and the enormous room suddenly feels too small, too warm. I remember what I found searching the dean’s office.
Logan rounds on me, eyes blazing. "What do you know?"
I struggle to find my voice. "Nothing! I swear, I didn't—"
"Bullshit." Lochan cuts me off. "The night we found you, you used shadow magic. Magic like that doesn't just appear. You've had it all along, haven't you?"
The accusation hurts. Anger flares, hot and sudden. "No, I fucking haven't!"
"Then explain the birds," he snarls.
"What?"
"The visions. The ones you've had your whole life." Lochan's words drip with venom. "Did you think I’d forget?"
"I didn't... I didn't know they meant anything."
"Convenient," Lochan sneers. "You never once made the connection to the Raven King? You expect us to believe that?"
Beneath the anger, I know he’s right. I knew.
I knew the minute I heard his name.
Callen steps between us. "Children. Let's play nice." He stays in between Lochan and I. "We're all on the same side here, aren't we?"
I sigh. "Are we?"
"Of course we are," Callen moves closer. His fingers brush my arm. "We're just a bit— tense. Understandably so."
Lochan's jaw clenches. "This isn’t the time, Callen."
"No, it's not," Callen agrees, his tone suddenly serious. "Which is why we need to work together. Brigid hasn’t done anything to anyone, Lochan."
“Are you forgetting that the dean was murdered? By fucking shadow magic, you moron?”
The expression on Callen’s face makes my stomach drop. Even Lochan takes a step back, and it’s my turn to move between the two of them.
I feel the subtle shift in the room's energy.
Tiernan comes to stand next to Callen. "He's right, Lochan. We can't afford to be divided, not after what I saw in my premonition."
Lochan's stance softens slightly.
I'm about to speak when the floor beneath us lurches violently.
I stumble, grabbing onto the nearest solid object – which happens to be Tiernan's chest. He wraps his arms protectively around me, like a steel cage.
The tremor increases. Books tumble from shelves. A vase shatters.
"What the fuck?" Rory's eyes are wide.
We exchange alarmed glances before bolting for the door and running down the corridors. The academy is in chaos. Students run screaming, some bleeding. Faculty shout orders that no one seems to hear.
"What's going on?" I shout over the commotion.
"No idea," Callen yells back.
We push through the panicked crowd. That's when I see her – Eira, slumped against a wall, clutching her side. Blood seeps between her fingers.
"Eira!" I rush to her side, the others close behind.
She looks up, her eyes glazed with pain. "The wards," she gasps. "They've been breached."
No. This can't be happening. Not here. Grimstone was supposed to be safe. Tiernan stays with Eira to help her, while the rest of us push forward.
As we navigate through the panicked crowd, I see a group of students huddled in a corner, being crushed by what looks like a wall of shadows. Their faces are twisted in fear, and I notice tendrils of inky black wrapping around their throats.
"We have to help them," I say.
Lochan nods, and we rush towards them. As we get closer, I can feel my shadows responding. My heart races as we approach.
Callen and Lochan send powerful waves of light towards the dark entity, making it shift and pulse in response, but they can’t break its hold on the students.
I step forward and press my hand against the barrier. It sends a shock of coldness through me. Something dark that makes my shadows rise up. Dark curls of magic waft from my fingertips.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to push out all the mayhem and panic around me. I focus on my magic, letting it swirl around me in response to my thoughts, like Tiernan showed me.
I start to visualize myself as a conduit for the magic, channeling it from within me and directing it towards the mass of shadows that is crushing the students.
As I do this, I feel a surge course through me. My shadows grow darker and more powerful, stretching out towards the barrier like an extension of my thoughts.
Centering myself, I feel my magic moving as if it can read my mind. My shadows intertwine with the blackness in front of me, pushing back against it with an equal force.
For a moment, there is no progress. The shadows are evenly matched and we seem to be at a standstill. But then something inside me clicks and I feel a sudden burst of power.
I push harder and my shadows start to make small cracks in the barrier. The lengths wrapped around the students' throats start to loosen as my shadows break through.
One by one, they are freed from their confinement. They fall to the ground gasping for air but safe and alive.
Lochan and Callen rush towards them, helping them up and away from danger.
I continue to push against the barrier until finally there is nothing left but my own darkness surrounding us. I open my eyes slowly, feeling drained but also exhilarated by what just happened.
Lochan turns towards me with a look I can’t interpret in his eyes.
Turning my attention back to our surroundings, I see the academy is still in disarray but it looks like things are starting to calm down.
"So, what's the plan?" Rory asks, his usual joking tone made serious by the gravity of our situation.
"We need to find out what breached the defenses. And fast." Lochan says.
As they strategize, I’m distracted.
"Brigid?" Callen's voice cuts through my spiraling thoughts. "You with us?"
I nod, forcing myself to focus. "Yeah, I'm here."
But am I? Really? The Raven King was a monster, a force of destruction that nearly tore the supernatural world apart. If I'm connected to him—
"Brigid?" Tiernan's gentle touch on my arm startles me. "Your thoughts are practically screaming. What's wrong?"
I open my mouth to respond, but I’m standing beside a window, and movement in the periphery of my vision snags my attention. A cloaked figure stands at the edge of the forest, unnaturally still. As I watch, its head turns towards me.
"Brigid, what is it?" Callen's hand is on my shoulder.
I try to point, to draw their attention to the figure, but my arm feels leaden. "There's someone—"
In the blink of an eye, the figure vanishes, leaving nothing but a wisp of shadow in its wake. My heart drums against my ribs like a caged bird.
"Did you see that?"
"See what?" Lochan's eyes narrow, scanning the area. "There's nothing there."
But there was. I know it.