Page 46 of Court of Aether and Shadows

"Not really," I said slowly. "Lots of dead ends and impossible results. It's like..." I trailed off, not sure how to explain without sounding crazy.

"Like what?" Liam prompted, his voice gentle but insistent.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair again.

"Like whatever was on that bullet isn't from this world," I admitted. "I know how that sounds, believe me. But nothing I've tried has given me any answers that make sense."

Liam was quiet for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

Then he seemed to come to a decision.

"Maybe that's because you're asking the wrong questions," he said cryptically.

I frowned, meeting his gaze with a level of discernment.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering, Liam stepped fully into my room, closing the door behind him while I stepped out of his way. He moved to the desk displaying my immense research, picking up the misshapen bullet and turning it over in his hands.

"You've been so focused on finding a scientific explanation," he said. "But what if the answer isn't scientific at all?"

My heart began to race, a mix of excitement and fear coursing through me.

"Liam," I said carefully because I needed to word this simply to potentially get the answer I felt in my gut Liam carried.Held and was afraid to tell me?"What do you know?"

He met my gaze, and I was struck by the intensity in his blue eyes. There was something almost... wild there, something I'd never seen before.

"It's time I told you some things, Sparrow," he said very carefully. It felt so odd to hear the seriousness in his voice. It projected this odd sense of power while giving off a hint of protection. Almost similar to someone of authority trying to protect those beneath them in rank

“About?” I prompt, not really understanding where this was going.

"Things about your past. About who you really are. But I need you to keep an open mind, okay?” he offers almosthesitantly. “Because what I'm about to tell you is going to sound impossible."

I was going to instantly agree, but none of this was making sense.

Sure, I’ve known Liam for a long ass time and knew he’d protect me with his life, but this whole ‘about your past’ and ‘who you really are’ shit didn’t fly for me. If he knew all of that, why would he keep it a secret from me when I’ve been yearning for answers regarding my family for years?

A part of me wanted to instantly get angry, but then I thought about the dreams I'd been having, the strange experiences of the past few days. The window that had appeared and disappeared, the fox that seemed more than just an animal.

Suddenly, 'impossible' didn't seem like such a stretch.

"Okay," I said, sitting down on the edge of my cot. "I'm listening."

This was going to be our best shot of having some time together and “talking” about all the madness that has been happening, so why not confront the elephant in the room already?

Liam took a deep breath as if steeling himself for something monumental.

"It all starts with a prophecy," he began. "A prophecy about a girl born of two worlds, with the power to reshape reality itself..."

A girl of two worlds?

As I leaned forward, eager to hear more, a sharp knock on the door made us both flinch. Liam's expression quickly shifted from open vulnerability to guarded wariness, while I’m glaring at the door because ‘what the fuck’?

Why is it that whenever I’m about to get answers for shit, there’s an interruption?

"Sparrow? Liam? I know you're in there." Vincent's voice, cold and authoritative, filtered through the door. "Open up. We have an emergency!"

Emergency?

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