Page 28 of Darkness and Deceit
She leads us toward the table at the center of the tent—an old, lacquered thing ringed with brass inlay, surrounded by carved chairs with velvet cushions. Above it, seven candles flicker in a candelabrum, casting long shadows across the fabric walls.
Lilith takes a seat across from us, but not without hesitation. Her fingers hover over the chair’s edge for a moment before she lowers herself. Her gaze flicks to the candlelight, then to Mara, and finally to me.
Only when we are all seated does Mara speak again. “We do not intend to invade your mind again,” she says plainly.
Lilith goes rigid.
Mara’s tone does not waver. “Wren’s methods were... regrettable. But they confirmed your honesty. That is sufficient.”
The way Lilith’s throat moves as she swallows betrays more than her expression. Her hands curl slightly into fists on her lap, the tension still there, coiled tight, like she is bracing for a blow.
“I hope it’s clear now that I’m not like the other Dual,” she says finally. “I’m not trying to manipulate or deceive anyone. My father served this realm honorably. I want to do the same.”
I study her as the words settle into the silence between us. There is no trace of deception in her voice. No ambition to control, no hunger for power. Only a raw, open desire to be trusted. To be believed.
Tobelong.
And something about that unsettles me more than I expect.
Because I recognize it. That ache to prove yourself. The quiet desperation to matter. To beuseful. To show the Balance you are not just worthy, butnecessary.
It is a dangerous need. It can be molded. Twisted. Or, if ignored for too long, broken.
I look away first. Not because I do not believe her.
But because Ido.
“The Balance does not choose lightly,” Mara says at last. Her tone is impossible to misinterpret. “And it did choose you. But the timing… is unfortunate.”
Her gaze sharpens, fixing on Lilith with unsettling calm.
“If Magnus has returned, he will not be at full strength. That gives us an advantage, but only for a short window. The shield around the school is holding—for now. But he has already slipped past our sight once. If we do not find him before he regains his power…”
She does not finish the sentence. She does not have to.
Silence pools between us.
Then finally, she continues, “We believe you might be able to locate him.”
Lilith stares at her. “You wantmeto find Magnus?”
“You will not be alone, of course,” Mara replies. “Augustus will go with you.”
I manage to keep still, to not betray the flood of questions surging in my chest. Outwardly, I nod. Inwardly—I falter. This is not strategy. It is a gamble.
Two young, untested talents walking blind into the dark while the rest of the Keepers hold the line.
Lilith turns to me. Her tone is not harsh, just honest. “No offense, but I don’t know him. And bond magic?—”
“This isnota bond,” Mara cuts in. “This is a task. We do not ask for trust. We ask for results.”
Lilith’s frown deepens. “But if something happens—shouldn’t I have someone I’m actually connected to? One of my?—”
“No,” Mara says, with a finality that slices through the air. “Your friends are needed elsewhere. You and Augustus will locate Magnus. When you do, he will cast a binding spell. That is all.”
It is clean. Efficient. And utterly impersonal.
I know what this is.
