Page 89 of Shadowed Fate

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.

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