Page 103 of Shadowed Fate

I shrug him off, my voice a raw whisper. "Don't."

The horror of what just happened threatens to swallow me whole. But as I stare into the darkness where the rift once stood, something is left behind.

A feather. Raven-black and gleaming.

Hope, dangerous and fragile, flutters in my chest.

Chapter 43

Brigid

I slam my hands against Marius’s chest. “What was that!”

Marius says nothing, but his eyes never leave mine.

Callen grabs him by his shirt and pulls him. “What the fuck did you do?” he hisses.

I watch as shadows run down Marius’s arms.

“No!” I push between them. “Stop it.”

Lochan steps towards Marius, his jaw clenched and his hand curling into a fist. “You’ve had shadow magic all along,” he spits.

I step closer to Marius, my body tense. I can feel the shadows responding to my turmoil, reaching out from the corners of the room.

"You knew," I snarl, jabbing a finger at his chest. "You need to start talking."

Marius's lips curl, his posture relaxed despite the hostility surrounding him. “Little bird, you're asking questions you're not ready to hear the answers to."

"Try me." Shadows flicker at my fingertips.

“Did they tell you the Raven King was dead? They lied.”

I can barely breathe. ”And what's your connection to him?"

Marius's eyes darken. "Let's just say we have a... long-standing arrangement."

"What does that mean?" Callen demands.

Marius replies to Callen, but his eyes never leaves mine. "It means,your highness,” he sneers, “that you take your hands off me or find out.”

“Callen, let him go.” I can feel the shadow magic in Marius, it’s riling up my shadow magic, making it agitated.How?

“How are we connected?” I need to know, because after feeling what happened, I know beyond a doubt that we are. But is it just the shadow magic?

As I question Marius, I can feel Lochan's eyes boring into me. His jaw clenches, muscles twitching beneath tanned skin. The furrowing of his brow deepens as his glance darts between Marius and me, distrust etched in every line of his face.

A distant rumble echoes through the halls, and I feel the floor tremble beneath my feet. Lochan's head snaps towards the sound, his body tensing like a coiled spring.

"More Council guards," he growls, voice low and urgent. "They're coming. We need to move. Now."

"Where? That’s the only exit."

Marius steps forward, a sly grin playing on his lips. He presses his palm against a seemingly ordinary stone in the wall, and his shadows slink around the sides. The stone sinks inward with a soft shush. A section of the wall grinds open, revealing a dark passageway.

Lochan's eyes narrow. "How the fuck do you know about this?"

"Does it matter?" Marius counters. "Unless you'd prefer to explain to the Council why you've just maimed some of their guards and sent a few others into a void in an attempt to break out their prisoner?"

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