Page 60 of Shadowed Fate

The shadows around me begin to writhe and twist. I try to calm myself, but it's too late. The magic surges, dark and potent.

A nearby shelf groans, then topples with a deafening crash, shaking the ground beneath our feet.

Shit.

The door slides open and Lochan bursts in, his eyes wild, Callen hot on his heels. Their expressions morph from surprise to suspicion in an instant.

"What the fuck?" Lochan snarls.

My heart hammers against my ribs. "I can explain—"

"Save it," Lochan cuts me off, his voice razor-sharp. "I knew you couldn't be trusted."

"That's not fair," I protest, but my words are drowned out by the cacophony of accusation and defense, with the Eira chiming in and Lochan yelling.

Callen steps between us, his hands raised. "Let's all calm down and—"

"Calm down?" Lochan's laugh is bitter. "She's sneaking around, breaking into the archive, eavesdropping, using her fucking shadow magic—"

"I didn't mean to!" I shout, my frustration boiling over. "If you'd just listen—"

But they're not listening. The enmity in the room is a living thing, frizzing with unspoken threats and barely contained violence.

My gaze darts around, seeking an escape, but there is none to be had. Eira is pale as a sheet and looks like she’s about to shift and fly away.

Then I see something.

Amidst the scattered papers and fallen books, a journal lies open, and on the page the symbol I’ve been seeing drawn in what looks like blood. Words leap out at me, searing themselves into my brain:

"The Morrigan's prophecy”

Below it, in faded script:

"...become a vessel, the prophecy foretells from the spilling of blood not their own.”

The world tilts. Those words... they can't mean... I think of cutting Sean’s face, the blood dripping on the ground.

"Oh, fuck," I breathe, my voice barely audible over the din.

But Lochan notices. His eyes narrow, following my line of sight. "What?"

I can't speak. Can't think. The implications of those words hit me like a sucker punch, leaving me winded and reeling.

Before I can process the revelation, Lochan’s arm shoots forward. His fingers close around the journal, yanking it from my grasp. The leather cover slaps against his palm with a dull thud.

"Hey!" I reach for it, but he backs away, his eyes blazing with mistrust.

He flips roughly through the pages. "What are you hiding?"

I clench my fists, anger and frustration bubbling up inside me. "I'm not hiding anything, you paranoid asshole. If you'd just—"

"Enough!" Lochan's voice booms through the archive, silencing us all. He glares at me, jaw tight. "Your shadow magic, your secrets... You're a threat to everyone here."

His words sting, but it's the look in his eyes that truly cuts deep. Cold. Unforgiving. Like I'm some kind of monster.

Callen steps forward. "Lochan, we need to—"

"We need to protect our people," Lochan snaps. "From her."

---