Page 100 of Shadowed Fate

"What have you done?" Lochan breathes.

I shake my head, unable to form words. The darkness from the rift spills into our world, filaments of shadow snaking across the dungeon floor.

"Close it!" a guard screams. "For the love of the gods, close it!"

Rory growls, hackles raised, as he positions himself between me and the rift. "Brigid, can you control this?"

"I... I don't know," I whisper, my voice trembling.

Callen's eyes are wide.

Lochan’s words are terse. "This is beyond anything I've ever seen. The Council will—"

"Fuck the Council," Marius interrupts.

Tiernan grips my arm, his touch grounding me. I stare into the rift, feeling an inexplicable pull. Something in that realm calls to me, resonating with the magic in my blood. I stand frozen, caught between two worlds, as the very fabric of reality unravels around us.

Shadowy arms wrap around our legs like hungry serpents..

"It's consuming everything," Tiernan shouts, his voice tight.

I watch in horror as the shadows climb the walls, quivering. The air grows thicker, more oppressive, making each breath a struggle.

Lochan slashes at the encroaching darkness with his power. It parts like smoke, only to reform instantly. "We need to get out of here,"

A scream pierces the air. One of the guards is being dragged towards the rift, shadows coiled around his thrashing body.

"Help me!" he wails, fingers clawing at the stone floor.

I reach out instinctively, but Rory's massive form blocks my path.

"Don't," he barks. "We don't know what'll happen if you touch it."

The guard’s screams cut off abruptly as he's pulled into the void. The silence that follows is deafening.

Bile rises in my throat.

"What have I done?”

Chapter 42

Brigid

The pull of the void is palpable, a sickening lurch in my gut.

"Brigid, focus!" Marius's voice calls.

I meet his gaze, those fathomless dark eyes gleaming. Power radiates from him in waves as he grips my arms, and I feel my magic expand and dance with his.

Shadows undulate around us, responding to our combined energy. The rift pulses, grows.

"What are you doing?" I gasp.

Marius's lips curve in a wicked smile. "Giving you a taste of your true potential, little bird."

His magic surges through me. Darkness slams the guards back.

But the rift grows more unstable, its hungry mouth widening.

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